Best Beginner Apple Ecosystem in 2022

Dilan the techie
8 min readFeb 6, 2022

--

Photo by Julian O’hayon on Unsplash

The Apple ecosystem is not a physical product that you can purchase from an Apple store. Rather, this term refers to the user’s and lifestyle’s experience. This is a side benefit of using and owning multiple Apple devices. These are special features that your Apple device has that enhance your user experience by allowing you to interact with other Apple devices.

In the world of technology, an ecosystem is a collection of interconnected objects. Apple produces a wide range of products, including the iPhone, iPad, MacBook, HomePod, iPod, Apple TV, and iMac. They do, however, produce a lot of software and proprietary technology that connects them all. Airplay, Airdrop, and iCloud are the software that connects them all.

Apple does not design around a single device; it is able to create an ecosystem. It creates designs that are based on the ecosystem. Furthermore, Apple promotes the ecosystem subtly rather than overtly. It’s not just how well they all work together that makes this ecosystem so successful. But there are also the barriers they have erected around those things. So now we are going to pick the best Apple ecosystem for a beginner in 2022. There are options in each category for you to select as you wish and based on your needs.

M1 MackBook air or MackBook Pro

On the outside, the MacBook Air comes with an M1 chip and is nearly identical to the previous MackBook. It has the same well-loved wedge-shaped design, Touch ID fingerprint login, and massive trackpad. Apple swapped out some of the buttons on the function row for more useful ones. There’s no fan anymore, just an aluminum heat spreader. It can be mentioned as a game-changing feature.

The MacBook Air is a powerful laptop that never groans under multiple apps. It handles Photoshop and video editing apps like Adobe Premiere without complaint. Thirty-eight frames per second is a respectable number for a gaming laptop with a low-end graphics card. But it’s nigh unheard of for a computer with an integrated GPU.

Apple claims this MackBook air can play video for 18 hours and surf the web for 15 hours. The company says I can expect up to 50% better battery life than the previous model, and the battery inside this computer isn’t bigger. All of these improvements improve efficiency and give more power to work on an ecosystem.

MackBook Pro is for pro users. The MacBook Pro comes in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes. Yes, both are much more powerful. Both have more processing power, more ports, and better displays. They also have Apple’s ProMotion adaptive refresh rate of up to 120 Hertz. In essence, the display can detect in real-time the content being viewed. It can then optimize the experience for the fastest refresh rate or battery life.

Unless you’re a pro with very specific needs, the M1 chip in the MacBook Air is more than enough for most people, and I recommend at least 16 GB of unified memory and 512 GB of internal storage.

Remember that neither of these can be upgraded, so this laptop should last a long time. So get enough of both. Some users may want more internal storage for convenience, but I prefer to use an external SSD because it is less expensive and can be shared by multiple devices.

The iPhone 13 series

Now let’s talk about the iPhone. As a result, Apple offers four iPhone 13 models. We have the 13 mini, regular 13, Pro, and Pro Max. The 13 Pro Max is the most expensive and largest phone, so it may not be the best choice for most users. If you want the biggest screen and it’s within your budget, go for it.

We’re left with three options, all with the A15 Bionic chip. All three have an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, a super retina XDR display, and I think most people will be happy with either the regular 13 or the 13 mini.

So I use the 13 pro because it has a better camera and battery life. It also has Apple’s adaptive 120 Hertz refresh rate like the new MacBooks. While I like it, I don’t think it will be a major deciding factor for most users. In PUBG, I prefer the responsive UI because I can set the game to 90 frames per second, but for most people, the upgrade from the 13 to the 13 Pro is not worth it. Your actual user experience will be superb. The 13 and 13 mini are still nimble. They have lots of processing power and a great camera system. It’s not quite as good as the 13 Pro.

These are everyday devices with essentially identical performance. With smaller hands or just a preference for a smaller device, the 13 mini is ideal. Get the regular iPhone 13 for a bigger screen and two extra hours of battery life.

The iPad 9 or the iPad Air

Apple currently has five great iPad options. The iPad 9, Mini 6, Air 4, and 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro are all new. The iPad Air 4 offers the best value for money, but the iPad 9 offers the best features. With a 10.2-inch screen and the A13 Bionic chip. Internal storage is 64 or 256 GB. And then play some games and watch videos.

Simply quadruple the storage to 256 gigabytes to store large photo and video files, play large games, or work with large files. There’s a long history of iPad support from Apple.

So get enough storage to keep using this device. It now works on all current iPads. In the absence of Wi-Fi, your iPhone can act as a hotspot for other Apple devices.

Now let’s look at some reasons for switching iPads. First, only the iPad 9 has a non-laminated screen. There is a void. Almost nothing will be different. The Apple Pencil’s tip and content are separated. On other iPads, the image appears to be painted directly on the glass, with the pencil tip touching the content being created. However, many users began with the iPad, which has a fully laminated display.

Start saving now. The iPad 9 uses the first-generation Apple Pencil while all other iPads use the stylus. So, if you want that pencil and plan to upgrade, start saving now. The iPad 9 display has the advantage that if the glass breaks, the display is usually unharmed. Replacing the cover glass is much less expensive than replacing the entire display assembly.

The iPad Pro has four speakers on both sides, as do the higher-end iPads. Recall this when listening to music, watching movies, or playing games.

2nd and 3rd Generation Apple AirPods

Apple currently offers second and third generation AirPods, as well as AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. I wouldn’t recommend AirPods Max to a beginner.

They have great audio quality, active noise cancellation, and you can automatically switch between all your Apple devices, spatial audio, and possibly the best transparency mode of any headphones I’ve ever used. The second-generation AirPods may be your favorite of the three options.

It has the best features. They have the best passive noise cancellation and the only active noise cancellation of the three. But the silicon tips aren’t comfortable for me and are the priciest.

The in-ear part is wider and less comfortable than the second generation AirPods. I end up using the second-generation AirPods the most. They’re light, comfortable, and never fall out.

Many people wonder when automatic device switching comes into play. The answer is always Imagine being on a phone call, hanging up, and then starting to watch a video on your iPad moments later. You don’t want to keep unpairing or disconnecting one device and reconnecting another. It’s possible to start watching a video on your iPhone and then switch to your desktop for a bigger screen. It’s also great that the audio transitions automatically.

M1 iMac or M1 Mac Mini

This tiny desktop computer is powered by the same M1 chip as the MacBook Air I recommended. As a result, we already know that it is quite capable. In this ultra-slim and clean design, there are two USB-A ports, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack. The Mac mini is priced at $699 and comes equipped with 256 gigabytes of internal storage and eight gigabytes of RAM. However, as with the MacBook Air, it cannot be upgraded. As a result, I would recommend purchasing a system with 16 gigabytes of RAM and at least 512 gigabytes of internal storage.

The M1 chip will be more than adequate for the vast majority of users. And I’d rather you purchase a little more than you require in order to save money in the long run. Due to the lower cost and the fact that this is a stationary desktop, I would absolutely add an external SSD. Thus, there is no downside to keeping an SSD plugged in at all times.

External storage prices will continue to decline in the future, while transfer speeds will increase. Thus, you can continue to acquire additional and faster external storage without paying a premium.

The M1 iMac is now another desktop option. Although it is an all-in-one and extremely clean, the majority of users will already have a display, a mouse, and a keyboard compatible with the M1 Mac mini. As a result, it is an excellent value.

IWatch series

Now, let us discuss the Apple Watch. It does have one unexpected feature, however, that makes a significant difference in your daily life. Timekeeping is not the primary function of an iWatch. Because you’ll always have your iPhone with you.

Now, the primary reason you need an Apple Watch is for fitness tracking. Everything else was purely incidental. It tracks your daily steps and allows me to easily track all of your workouts.

Additionally, you can answer calls, receive messages, and get alerts directly on your wrist. So you don’t have to lug my phone around the house,

The ability to change the time is the one feature of the iWatch that you will never miss. This is the signal.

You’re going to love waking up to haptic taps on your wrist rather than an alarm. It’s simply gentler. Thus, you can purchase the most affordable iWatch that meets your needs by simply browsing Apple’s iWatch series.

You can pick the most suitable version of all these devices for your Apple ecosystem. Then your apple ecosystem is ready to work with you.

This article includes affiliate links

--

--

No responses yet