If you told me a year ago that I’d be thinking about trading in my Pixel for an iPhone, I would’ve laughed in your face. Yet, here we are. My trusty Google phone is currently getting the sideye 👀, my Threads “For You” timeline, and recent YouTube podcasts are the unlikely culprit.
Remember Internet Explorer? The once-dominant browser that became synonymous with slow, clunky, and outdated tech? It seems my social feeds have collectively decided that Google is heading down that same path and it’s not completely wrong. Google Search specifically used to be the best search engine that made browsing the web fun. Remember StumbleUpon? It’s the earliest memory of having the most fun browsing the web without Google. Google has become extremely convenient at answering questions using information found across the web, but it actually keeps me from browsing the web by just feeding me the answers. As Google put it at recent Google I/O, “Let Google do the Googling for you”.
Even though, in theory, it’s nice to receive answers, there should be a line drawn between me browsing for answers and a digital assistant digitally guiding me through the web based on my search, not through advertisements. In short, That’s been everyone’s frustration with Google Search and then some. But let’s look at what happened with Google’s new AI Overviews.
The AI Overviews Tipping Point
The recent AI Overviews debacle was the first crack in the dam. Scrolling through my Threads feed, I saw countless posts slamming Google’s rushed, error-filled attempt to compete with Microsoft’s Bing AI. It was a stark reminder that Google, the once-innovative giant, seemed to be losing its edge.
But it didn’t stop there. Post after post highlighted the shortcomings of Google Search: how it’s become bloated with ads, prioritizes its own products, and often delivers less-than-stellar results. Gmail, once the gold standard of email, was criticized for its cluttered interface and privacy concerns. Even Chrome, my go-to browser, was called out for its resource hogging and questionable data practices. I urge you to checkout The Vergecast podcast episode “Inside the Google algorithm”
By association, Pixel phones get dragged into the mud too. Sure, I love my Pixel’s camera, the customization of Android, and how it intertwines with all of the Google apps and services, but the constant stream of social posts showcasing the Apple ecosystem made me wonder if I was missing out or worse, on the wrong side of tech history.
Apple: The Shiny New Toy
My social feeds have been flooded with Apple praise. The sleek design of iPhones, the seamless integration of the Apple ecosystem, the promise of Safari’s superior privacy and speed – it’s all been incredibly enticing. Even the rumor of Siri getting a major OpenAI upgrade at WWDC has everyone and their mama (not literally because my mom doesn’t care 😂 ) buzzing with excitement.
Google, my once trusty sidekick, is being portrayed as the villain, while Apple is constantly being portrayed emerging as the hero. Is Apple the hero?
I’m not quite ready to make the switch just yet, but I can’t deny the influence my timelines has had on me. I’m considering giving Apple products a try again. Apple products aren’t bad by any means, I’ve just preferred Google powered hardware, software, and services. Admittedly, the laptop I do most of my software engineering and web development for my job is on a M2 Max Macbook Pro.
It’s all just a strange feeling. This massive shift. Perhaps it’s a sign that it’s time for a change. Maybe, just maybe, Google has become the new Internet Explorer, or old ’90s Microsoft, and Apple is the future. Maybe it’s something else.