Tech Preference Versus Capability
My annoyance with people conflating preference over capability is hitting its breaking point.
Over the past few years, I have become more critical of Tech and Apple pundits in their coverage of technology. This is mostly centered around the iPad, but I feel the whole Tech Review community is really bad now. Not only does the focus continue to shift towards having the hottest (bad) takes to attract more views and clicks, but even some who are a little more honest in reviewing or talking about technology are not being helpful in how they represent certain topics.
The biggest example I can give for this is, as I mentioned earlier and wrote about last week in detail, the iPad. Something changed in how Tech Pundits, especially within the cohort of iPad enthusiasts, view the iPad. A lot of this has to do with the title of this post—confusing preference over actual capabilities—but I also think it has to do with one's identity being in conflict with their evolving preferences.
I would never criticize someone for changing their taste or belief in a technology. If someone is a die-hard Apple fanboy and wants to switch to Windows or Android, I would never want that person to feel like that move is unreasonable or deserves any kind of hate, even if the reason for switching is due to negative experiences or missing features.
My problem, and when I do feel Tech Pundits deserve criticism, is when they are not honest about those negative experiences and features and choose to use their platforms to spew dishonest takes and unhelpful advice. Someone who I feel did this very well is Matt Gemmell when he wrote his post about Going Back to the Mac after being an iPad-only user for years.
Matt Gemmell
I recommend you read his entire post, but ultimately, Gemmell discusses the differences between both platforms, including frustrations for both, and ends the post explaining why he feels the Mac is better for his needs today over the iPad. It isn't a hit piece on the iPad to justify his return to the Mac to help clear his name of no longer being an iPad-Guy.
After writing my last post titled The iPad Hate Continues, I felt exhausted. I have written multiple posts about this topic, and though I find it exhilarating when I start writing, by the end, and after publishing, I just feel tired and sick of having to defend the iPad instead of writing about the great things it offers. Sure, in my post, I try to show how the hate is misguided and that the iPad isn't as bad as some people portray it, but it's still an exhausting exercise.
One recommendation would be to just stop doing it, which I have considered. Sometimes, I need a break from the negativity and bad takes on the iPad and stop listening, watching, and reading them. Instead, many—including myself at times—would argue that I should just write about all the great things the iPad can do and ignore the hate. Fight the negative with positive instead of reacting to the negative.
This is something I contemplate doing, but I have been thinking about one post in particular for almost a year now that I really want to dissect. I am trying to decide if it is worth referencing the article at all and breaking down all the points I think are misguided, or if I should just write my own post breaking down each point and how you can achieve certain things without mentioning the article at all.
I won't be like many and hide the article I am talking about—it is Federico Viticci's Not an iPad Pro Review: Why iPadOS Still Doesn’t Get the Basics Right. Not only have I tried the things he discusses on my own M2 iPad Pro and found that you can actually accomplish them, but I also question whether it's worth my time to drill down and write another 4,000-word post breaking it all down.
Federico Viticci
Like I said, I am exhausted from defending the iPad against bad takes from people who I would normally look to for a more honest perspective. I don't want to single out Viticci either—there are many others with just as large platforms as MacStories that also give similar misleading advice. I don’t want my blog to turn into me just criticizing other blogs, even if I feel it is deserved.
With that said, I want to mention a few things about confusing preference over capabilities. I think many in the tech influencer world try to disguise a product review as an evaluation of its capabilities, when in reality, it's just their personal preference for what they want in a device. Many Tech YouTubers, for instance, prefer Macs or iPads for their workflows—I get it.
Just like a developer may prefer Linux over Windows, or Windows over Mac. Everyone’s workflows are different, and each person needs to find the platform that works best for them. We live in a world with so many options, so it makes sense that our tastes will change, especially when our interests evolve regarding how we use our devices.
When it comes to the iPad and Mac, Apple was in a very bad place with the Mac between 2016 and 2020. Without going into the weeds of everything that went wrong for the Mac at the time, it made sense that a lot of people were wary of the direction Apple was taking with the computer that started it all. Power users were disappointed in the lack of hardware improvements, and even casual users faced reliability issues (those damn butterfly keyboards).
Everyone loves a martyr, right? When there is an opportunity to attack a company or product that had been doing things right for so long, it's hard not to be outspoken about it. The problem is that we are nowhere near the same situation when it comes to the iPad. iPads are probably more reliable and last way longer than Apple would prefer (since profit comes from customers buying new models instead of using older ones for years).
When macOS started shifting toward a more iOS-like design, it went through rough updates before stabilizing. It wasn’t just the hardware—many were also upset about macOS bugs, making the whole experience rough for a while. Bugs still exist in macOS, and decisions like the redesigned Settings app still annoy people.
This is very different from where we are with the iPad today, and that’s the point I am trying to make. Many try to compare the rough years of the Mac with the current state of the iPad, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Sure, iPadOS has bugs, and some software improvements are needed, but there isn't a widespread service program to fix a recurring hardware issue like the MacBook keyboards, nor has the software reached the same level of instability macOS had during its transition with El Capitan and Sierra.
The list of things each individual may want or need on a Mac or iPad is endless, and Apple can’t address them all. Sometimes, it’s due to bandwidth limitations, but Apple is also very selective in what it introduces to its platforms, and they may never add the exact feature you want. That’s the nature of technology and the companies that build it.
The good news? You have choices. Framework is doing great things for Linux and Windows, and Microsoft has made impressive strides with Windows 11 and its hardware in recent years. I have a coworker who has tried using an iPhone multiple times, but he just loves Android so much that he keeps returning to Samsung and Google phones when new models come out.
Preference is important to recognize and consider before choosing one platform over another. Capabilities matter—if you want to create an iPhone app, the iPad is not the best platform for that right now. You can code on the iPad and even use it as a terminal into a Mac to run Xcode if you really want to, but the best experience for developing a complex iPhone app is on a Mac.
The same goes for the complex background tasks that Viticci wants to do on his computer or Chris Lawley’s high-end video production needs. Maybe a Mac is just the better option for them, but that doesn’t mean many others—like myself—don’t find Final Cut Pro, iMovie, or Shortcuts sufficient for our video and automation needs on the iPad.
At the end of the day, just use the tool that works best for you. Enjoy the ride and share your experiences without confusing preference over capability. We live in a privileged world of technology—there’s no need to spread hate, especially when that hate isn’t even true.