Why Do I Use Apple’s Apps?

What is it that makes Apple apps special enough that I use them even when I’’’ve tried and failed with similar third party apps?

Spaces is far from an original idea. In fact, Apploids have been pleading for it since OS X came out—maybe even before. Spaces is a virtual desktop manager, and I used a couple of very good ones on OS X sporadically over the last four years; I have tried the ones built into Linuxes; and I probably even dabbled with some in my past life on Windows.

But none of them hooked me in. I gave up on all of them. So I honestly never thought Spaces had a hope. But somehow, Apple has made virtual desktops seem like the normal way to work.

Exposé would be another. I can’t’ imagine bothering with it if it wasn’‘t’ part of OS X. Yet I use it often, and more so now that I’’’m studying design, as hitting F10 is a great way to compare work or images—although Apple, if you really want to make it sing, give us the ability to resize, reposition, and hide windows while in Exposé view.

Konfabulator is another. I still think it is superior to Dashboard and is easier to develop widgets for, and it certainly isn’t any worse of a resource hog. But I don’t use it, I use Dashboard.

There are some exceptions. For instance, despite being a brilliant app, Pages begs me not to use it for the one simple fact that it can’not save directly to Word format. You have to use export. Now really, Apple, transferring files between Pages and Word should be easy and seamless.

The longer I use Macs, the less I seem to know about why I like them—even though I still do. Using Apple’s version of applications is a good example. I can’’t easily explain why I like and use the Apple apps, whereas a few years ago I’’m sure I could have given you a clear list.

Part of that may be because I no longer have anything to compare it to, as I rarely go near Windows anymore, and if I do, it is to fix problems rather than simply use it.

In some cases the cost of the third party apps is obviously a valid reason. Why pay for something OS X provides for free?

However, sometimes my decision making might seem quite flawed. Sometimes I use the Apple way even when it is inferior. For example, Stacks is an inferior application launcher to just about anything else on the market, but it’’s now my application launcher of choice.

I guess ease of use goes without saying, although Apple also stumbles from time to time, but not as often, it seems, as other developers.

And then there’’s integration. Yes, the word that should not be spoken. The word that sent Microsoft before the DOJ. I use these features because they are built-in and so always there, thus it’s easier for them to integrate with my way of working and, importantly, being part of the OS gives them extra credibility.

Lastly, there’s interconnection. iPhoto, for example. You can easily access its photos from just about any application Apple makes, usually through the media browser. I lose that simplicity if I choose to use a different media manager.

Do you know—really know —why you prefer Apple’s apps, utilities and features?