What Makes Apple Ecosystem So Special

Whether you heard this before or not, Apple is famous for its ecosystem. Simply put, their devices tend to work together for better integrity. In this post, I’d like to introduce some of these features that build up the Apple ecosystem. If you happen to have a bunch of Apple devices in your hand, then you are in for a treat.

Between multi-devices:

Now, iPhone is probably your first Apple device. And truth to be told, iPhone is the key to the Apple ecosystem because we do have iPhone exclusive features like phone calls and text messages. So the first thing that comes to mind would be calls and messages on iPads and Macs, which Apple calls iPhone Cellular Calls and Text Message Forwarding. Once set up, you may hear all your devices ring at the same time when you have an incoming call.

And there are more, like Universal Clipboard and Handoff. The first one is pretty self-explained. As its name suggests, we can have a universal clipboard that shares between these devices, so you can copy something on your Mac and paste it on your iPhone. Handoff is rather interesting. If you opened a webpage and didn’t finish reading it, you can open it on your iPhone and pick up where you’ve left on the go.

What if I want to send a file or a photo? No problem, use AirDrop. It quickly finds what devices are around you. You simply tap the icon, and off you go. Best part? No data plan is needed.

While we’re talking about photos, why not enjoy them on a large TV screen? You can use AirPlay to mirror your iPhone or Mac screen on Apple TV. But AirPlay does more than that. For example, you can also share audio between devices.

And for those who are forgetful, you can use the Keychain feature. It stores all your passwords, and you are just one autofill away from your passwords. This also works for Wi-Fi passwords. You can automatically connect to Wi-Fi if your other devices connected before. Now, most of these features require an Apple ID with the free iCloud plan. If you’re willing to pay more, you can also use iCloud Drive, a cloud disk that allows you to store your files and get them instantly on any device.

Don’t worry because we are far from completing this post. Now, let’s talk about features that are specific to some devices.

Between iPhones and Apple Watches:

They’re born to be a pair. You get all notifications from your iPhone on your wrist. While the iPhone reads all health data on your watch.

Between iPhones and Macs:

You can use your iPhone’s camera to take photos and import them directly to your Mac. Of course, you can also use your iPad, but I just feel more natural to take pictures on iPhones.

Between iPad and Macs:

People like iPads for their large screens, so they’re perfect extensions for your Mac. That’s why with Sidecar, you can mirror or extend your Mac desktop. One thing unique about iPads is you get to use Apple Pencil, a fantastic input device. Therefore, you can use the iPad as a drawing pad for Macs while extending the workspace on your Mac.

Between Apple Watch and Macs:

Say no more to your unlocking password. Your Apple Watch can unlock your Mac when you’re near your Mac. This also works when the software is asking for the password. Simply double press the button on Apple Watch.

So there you have it. Some of these features may not be Apple-exclusive but let’s be honest, Apple makes them more intuitive. As the slogan suggests: It just works.