A Month Inside Apple's Walled Garden: It's Not as Bad as You'd Think

When you buy an Apple device, you agree to a bunch of restrictions. You don’t have as much control over your phone, third-party apps don’t have access to all the features that Apple’s software does, and they ban tons of other apps from their store. But if you agree to live under their roof you have the benefits of faster, super-integrated apps. So what’s better: going your own way, or life as Apple intended? I decided to find out if using an iPhone, as Apple intended it, worked better than resorting to crippled (but still awesome) third party apps. I put myself through this supposed misery for a month and learned some things I already knew and a few things that surprised me. I also approached this trial partially on iOS 6 and partially on iOS 7 to sample the modest freedoms we’re gaining in the latest version of Apple’s mobile OS. The verdict? Apple’s walled garden may make a lot of sense for those who just want a seamless experience with their phone, but not for anyone who thinks of their mobile like a superpower. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of living with Apple’s restrictions.