Jaded by Apple and Stuck Here
Monday, February 9, 2026
I’ve been thinking about writing this for a few years now. I still don’t feel like I have a perfect handle on what I want to say, so this is just the best I could come up with. Bear with me.
For a long time, I lived with this idea that a few companies could basically do no wrong. Apple was at the top of that list. I’ve been a “fanboy” for as long as I can remember. I grew up on the IIGS and the Mac SE, saved up for a Power Computing clone in college, and have owned just about every iPod, iPhone, and Mac since.
I’m not just a casual user; I’m a shareholder and an iOS developer. I’ve spent decades evangelizing their gear and even switched my entire career from back-end to app development because of my love for the platform. But over the last few years, that “Apple can do no wrong” feeling has really started to shift.
In 2024, Brent Simmons wrote a wonderful piece titled “Corporations Are Not To Be Loved.” This part of it remains with me today:
Apple doesn’t care about you personally in the least tiny bit, and if you were in their way somehow, they would do whatever their might — effectively infinite compared to your own — enables them to deal with you.
I still think about this paragraph.
Over the last few years, it’s become hard to ignore how Apple treats developers. When conflicts come up, developers are rarely the priority and are often left to deal with the fallout. I’ve heard from several places that the hierarchy of Apple needs is Apple -> Customers -> Developers. I get it. On that list, the developers are the lowest. But the way Apple has treated developers isn’t great.
A few examples of this are:
- Apple to Soon Take Up to 30% Cut From All Patreon Creators in iOS App
- The Dark Side of Apple Development: Why Developers Are Struggling On Apple’s Increasingly Hostile Platforms
- Apple vs EU: Can the Tech Giant Defy the Rules
Meanwhile, Apple continues to allow Grok and X in the App Store despite the fact that the app openly breaks Apple’s App Store rules by generating sexualized images of people (including minors). See: Why Are Grok and X Still Available in App Stores?.
Matt Gemmell recently had a great post (The Fallen Apple) with some thoughts about the recent decline at Apple.
Apple has made some nice products over the last few years. They include Apple silicon chips and AirPods (Pro). Those are great. But Apple Vision Pro, Apple Intelligence, Liquid Glass… These are just a few examples of Apple’s ideas that have been terrible.
The quality of Apple software has really declined over the years. Liquid Glass in iOS 26 is bad. Really bad. The transparency effects make text impossible to read. My wife has really noticed the new OS, and hates it. She’s been complaining about iOS 26 constantly.
So, where does that leave me? It’s a weird spot to be in. I’m an iOS developer, I’m all-in on the hardware, and my whole family is in the “blue bubble” ecosystem. I know I’m just one person and Apple is a behemoth that clearly doesn’t care about me personally.
But I’m doing what I can. I’m moving my subscriptions out of the ecosystem to pay developers directly, and I’m done with the constant upgrade cadence. On principle, I don’t even know if I’ll keep building new personal apps for a platform that feels this hostile.
I say all of this, but who knows if I’ll actually stick with it. Apple is great at coming out with some shiny bauble that makes me feel like I need it. I just hope that this time, I can actually hold my ground. Thanks for sticking it out with me here. I know these thoughts are a bit messy, but it feels good to finally get them onto “paper.”