Apple Leads the Way When it Comes to Truly Integrated Hardware Platform

It’s hard to deny that Apple makes great hardware that integrates well, a fact I’ve seen firsthand over the last six months or so.

For work purposes, I use a MacBook Air as my daily laptop and an iPad Air for quick access to various tools and information on the go. While the two of these were quite cohesive, adding AirPods, an iPhone and an Apple Watch into the mix does make a big difference and increases convenience on so many levels.

THE KEY IS YOUR APPLE ACCOUNT: SO KEEP IT SAFE!

Yet another reason to make sure you’re doing the smart thing and using two-factor authentication is the fact that your Apple account links everything together. Like any account that you want to keep, you should be using a strong password and where you can (not just ones with critical or private data), you should enable Two-Factor Authentication to give yourself an extra layer of protection against potential attacks.

The account carries settings between devices, links them through the iCloud with multiple small, but still significant conveniences like having instant access to your personal hotspot. Perhaps from a user perspective, it also enables some of the features that interconnect devices, like:

• Use your iPad as a second screen for your MacBook.
• Connectivity of your AirPods to multiple devices.
• Settings are carried between devices.

WHAT ARE YOU CONNECTING?

For many users, it may be just a couple of devices, but when you look at the Apple ecosystem as a whole, you can achieve a lot. I have an iPhone 16 Pro, iPad Air, MacBook Air, AirPods and Apple Watch all interconnected. But there’s more you can do of course, if you’ve got a Mac, Mac Mini or even a pair of AirPods; it all just works together and that really is, even as a technically minded user, just a brilliant experience.

It would be really easy to assume that you need to have a full Apple hardware set to make use of the capabilities of the ecosystem. My experience has been that you can selectively choose what you need and want; for some time, I had nothing but a MacBook, then added an iPad to my daily carry. Now, years on, I have an iPhone, AirPods and an Apple Watch, which all smoothly interface as you add pieces to the puzzle.

THE USER EXPERIENCE

While it’s a major advantage, this is about a lot more than just having your personal hotspot available to all of your devices. Don’t get me wrong, that’s very useful, but there’s a lot more to the interconnectivity of the Apple platform that — unless the manufacturer controls the hardware and software — is difficult to achieve.

AN IPAD ISN’T JUST FOR STREAMING – IT’S COMPLEMENTARY TO THE MAC EXPERIENCE

Apple’s platform integration between iPad and MacBook offers a seamless and intuitive experience, enhancing productivity and convenience for users within the Apple ecosystem. Features like Universal Control allow a single keyboard and mouse or trackpad to operate both devices effortlessly, enabling users to drag and drop files or extend their workspace across screens. Sidecar extends the Mac desktop onto the iPad, providing a second display for multitasking or mirroring content for presentations. Continuity features further bridge the gap, allowing users to start a task on one device and seamlessly continue it on the other, copy and paste across devices with Universal Clipboard, and even use the iPad as a drawing tablet for Mac applications with Apple Pencil support.

This deep integration is facilitated by the tight control Apple has over both its hardware and software, allowing for optimised performance and consistent user experiences. iCloud plays a crucial role in syncing data, files, and settings across both devices, ensuring that information is always up-to-date regardless of which device a user is working on. Furthermore, features like Handoff for applications, AirDrop for easy file sharing, and the ability to answer calls or send texts from either device contribute to a fluid workflow. This interconnectedness streamlines tasks, fosters creativity, and ultimately makes working between an iPad and a MacBook feel like using a unified system.

More recently, with iPadOS 26, it’s now even closer to being a standalone workhorse. Most apps and features work well on the iPad and you’ve got true multi-tasking functionality; even background processing is a genuine capability.

AIRPODS TIE THE MEDIA EXPERIENCE TOGETHER ACROSS THE APPLE PLATFORM

AirPods are designed to seamlessly integrate with all devices connected to a single Apple ID, creating a convenient and unified audio experience across the Apple ecosystem. Once paired with one Apple device, such as an iPhone, the AirPods are automatically recognised and available for use with other devices like iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches signed into the same iCloud account. This eliminates the need for repeated pairing processes, allowing users to effortlessly switch between listening on their different Apple devices. For example, if you’re listening to music on your Mac and receive a call on your iPhone, the AirPods will automatically switch the audio source to your phone, and then back to your Mac once the call ends.

This automatic device switching and connectivity are facilitated by Apple’s proprietary technology and the tight integration between its hardware and software. The AirPods utilise Bluetooth to connect to devices, and the association with your Apple ID is managed through iCloud. This allows for a quick and reliable connection whenever the AirPods are in range and ready to use with any of your signed-in Apple devices. While automatic switching is generally smooth, users also have the option to manually select their AirPods as the audio output source from the Bluetooth settings or control centre of each device, providing flexibility in how they manage their audio connections within the Apple ecosystem.

DESPITE THE “WALLED GARDEN”, I CAN SEE HOW PEOPLE LOVE THE PLATFORM

It’s easy, as someone who appreciates ease of use, to see how the allure of hardware that <em>just works</em> can catch you. Further, I genuinely appreciate how easy it is to become enveloped by the environment. It’s not just the functionality, it’s the portability of that function too; when you move phones, or iPad, or Mac(book), or even your watch – everything just moves over, and your setup continues as it was.

There’s also great long-term value in Apple hardware because of the resale value. There are a few caveats on this, of course, primarily that your devices need to be in good physical condition. If you do take care of your equipment, it’s very easy to get good resale value on Apple hardware, making that next upgrade far less of a financial burden.

APPLE LEADS THE WAY AND I’M NEARLY CONVERTED…

I know a lot of you are aware of my previous role as the editor at Ausdroid, an Android-focused website. So it stands to reason that I have a love and passion for the Android ecosystem. I still use an Android phone as my daily driver, and an iPhone as my second phone. There are still some things that annoy me about the way iPhones handle notifications — significantly improved with iOS 26 — and a couple of other little things that, perhaps due to familiarity, I still think Android does better.