
The Apple ecosystem is a term used to describe
Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company ...
's
digital ecosystem A digital ecosystem is a distributed system, distributed, adaptive, open socio-technical system with properties of self-organisation, scalability and sustainability inspired from natural ecosystems. Digital ecosystem models are informed by knowledge ...
of products, including the
iPhone,
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operati ...
,
Apple Watch
Apple Watch is a line of smartwatches produced by Apple Inc. It incorporates fitness tracking, health-oriented capabilities, and wireless telecommunication, and integrates with iOS and other Apple products and services. The Apple Watch was ...
,
HomePod
The HomePod is a smart speaker developed by Apple Inc. The HomePod was designed to work with the Apple Music subscription service.
The HomePod was announced on June 5, 2017, at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. Its launch was later de ...
etc. It is often praised for its seamless integration and optimization between various networks of devices, software and services, and is largely emphasized by Apple's focus on privacy. It is also known for its ability to lock users into the network where it is difficult to escape.
Apple products often unlock extra features when paired with other Apple products, as opposed to alternatives.
Privacy is also considered a major perk of the ecosystem, as Apple markets its products with high standards of privacy, sometimes using it as a selling point over competitors.
"Walled garden"
Apple's ecosystem is often described as a walled garden.
While peripherals such as
AirPods
AirPods are wireless Bluetooth earbuds designed by Apple Inc. They were first announced on September 7, 2016, alongside the iPhone 7. Within two years, they became Apple's most popular accessory. The most recent model, AirPods (3rd generatio ...
,
HomePod
The HomePod is a smart speaker developed by Apple Inc. The HomePod was designed to work with the Apple Music subscription service.
The HomePod was announced on June 5, 2017, at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. Its launch was later de ...
s and
AirTag
AirTag is a tracking device developed by Apple. AirTag is designed to act as a key finder, which helps people find personal objects (e.g. keys, bags, apparel, small electronic devices, vehicles). To locate lost items, AirTags use Apple's crowd ...
s integrate complementarily into the ecosystem, with products such as the
iPhone, it does not function as well or with as many features with competitive devices such as
Android smartphones.
Also, it is not easy to switch from the ecosystem once users have immersed themselves into it, as it is designed to keep users from leaving.
See also
*
Digital ecosystem A digital ecosystem is a distributed system, distributed, adaptive, open socio-technical system with properties of self-organisation, scalability and sustainability inspired from natural ecosystems. Digital ecosystem models are informed by knowledge ...
*
Epic Games vs Apple
*
Facebook#Phone data and activity
References
External links
Privacyat Apple
Ecosystemat Apple Developer
{{Apple Inc.
Apple Inc.
Computing and society
Social systems