Mac Back to Google

#Google #Mac #Writing-in-Google #Article Date: 2028-08-27 Abstract

A look at my reasoning to move back to google, even through it meant some pain, but in the end it was not done light heartedly, I found things easier, and more useful. This is a Friday afternoon article, a comment, rather than an academic piece. Published here on Google, and on Substack and Blogger. Article It started about two years ago. I wanted to share the Mitchells book I am rewriting, with Jon Pickup, he had agreed to edit the book and I needed to share a live copy, I tried hard to make the Mac system work, but it just did not play well. So in the end, I just loaded it up to Google Drive, keeping the Word format, and shared it with Jon and my other partner on this project David, and it worked, no problems and even David could work it out, he uses a Mac, but I did not hear and problems, he just commented on my spelling. So began a slow and often painful transition back to Google, moving slides, and other documents, as and when I needed them. But the balancing act between Google and Apple, began to take sides, I moved my email back to Gmail, just because I found it easier, letting everyone know the painful bit, I found a Pixel 9 XL 512 gb phone on ebay, and started using that, why, you might ask, its just better,is my reply, well it is for me, the hype of Apple was beginning, after so long, to wear off. Enter stage left Google Gemini, I can’t remember when I last even tried to ask Siri a question, ok requesting a phone call whilst driving was Siris highlight, but as soon as I started using the Pixel, I was integrating Gemini into my research, and before I knew it, I had moved my knowledge base into Google, its in .md format anyway, and Google just does not have a problem here. Next, Notebook LM, if you have not used it, then go and play, its a different level of AI, and it needs a complete article to even begin to understand its potential. As for my knowledge base, well search is also at a different level, ok I still use Obsidian stored on a vault in Dropbox, but to be honest, I copy the file into Google and research here, its just as good, and integration into articles better and easier. My Mac is mostly Google, I use google drive, so can save direct, I have for the most part saved or transferred a lot of my slides into Google, and that makes attaching to the google web site “Frog up or Down” so easy. I suddenly found the linking Apple Keynote sided was a bit of a one sided event, if I updated the slide I had to reload, the slide, with Google, I just updated and leave, it updated everywhere instantly. iCloud is one of those parts of Apple file system that I needed, I soon filled up my drive, I have a Macbook AIr, and found myself paying separately for iCloud, I had no choice, with Google I just have loads of space specific for my data, not for my data and an operating system. My Pixel 9 XL 512 may seem two generations out of date, but as far as I can tell, and I am a huge user of Gemini, I am not penalised by the model I use. yes I will update at some point, but not yet. Apple at a stroke bared my use of any AI on a Apple 15 and when they finally decided on Google Gemini, I still could not use it. So that was another factor in the move to Pixel, it works, Oh and I am using Pixel earbuds, the Mac earbuds were great, but I found that my ears did not hold the little ear bit well, the Pixel earbuds are like screwed into place and grip really well, and they can with 4 different sizes earpieces I found the XL was best for me, and the charge time is just as good, if not better than the Apple equivalent. Will I change my Macbook Air? at some stage yes, but not for another Mac, I think my Apple days are closing. I dragged out an aging Asus Chromebook, and left it to charge and update, it now sits on my desk and I often use it, because my Mac is elsewhere, often in my lounge, I had not used the Asus in a long while, , once it had reset, I was using Gemini and all my files, ok its a little slower than the Mac, but ask me what my plans are for upgrading , I may go for the GoogleBook, but I am in no hurry. Google it seems is not going away. I worry slightly about the current American head of state, throwing his dummy out of the pram, and stopping me using Google, but I can’t see Google standing for that. As for Google and the future, I like what I see, and hear, good research, and an exciting view of the future.