The former IT person in the publications office where I worked was so rah-rah Apple that I would be embarrassed to bring out my Android phone in front of him. All of the former coworkers with whom I communicate have iPhones. 

A longtime Mac computer user, as I am, apparently betrays the family by buying an Android phone. I’m a traitor three times over. I just purchased my third Android phone.

My relatives who use iPhones and Windows computers don’t see drawbacks to having devices in different families, however. 

“I hear only Apple people say that a phone and a computer need to be on the same operating system,” says my sister Nancy. “I’ve never found a reason why.” 

The seamless continuity that Apple promotes from having all one’s devices on the iOS isn’t necessary to my niece Sarah, who works in IT. “I use my phone and my computer for different purposes,” Sarah says. “I don’t need to link all my stuff.”

Frugal me, also not finding a reason for related devices, opts for the cheaper Android phones. I still have continuity enough. Google apps sync my contacts and calendars and make files and photos accessible on both my Samsung phone and MacBook. 

A lot of people with iPhones, in fact, apparently don’t feel the need for iOS continuity. Apple commands more than half of the smartphone market in the US but only 15 percent of the personal computer market, according to the technology research and consulting company Gartner.  

It’s likely that one’s preference in computers stems from familiarity. The corporate world uses PCs, so Nancy has had PCs since her MBA program. “When I’ve tried a Mac, I don’t like it just because I’m not familiar with it.” Nancy says. Sarah agrees: “I learned on Windows and so I prefer it.” Similarly, I prefer Macs because they’re all I’ve used.

As for phones, a lot of reasons have been suggested for iPhone dominance, including simplicity, security, longevity, and — let’s be honest — status. Sarah notes that iPhones are “so easy they’re practically usable immediately without instruction.” Both Nancy and Sarah like the family sharing feature. With their husbands and kids all on iPhones, family members share access to music, games, and more and communicate with speedy, encrypted, and souped-up iMessages.

Living alone, I don’t need family sharing. I haven’t found Android phones challenging to use. As Sarah said, my computer and my phone have different purposes. My phone, on which I mostly talk and text, gets much less use than my MacBook. I’ll pay more for the assurance that I know what I’m doing on the computer. That’s an argument for familiarity, not for a particular operating system.