The Apple “ecosystem” has tremendous appeal – sleek design, genius marketing and a myriad of products and services that are seamlessly compatible. This makes users feel at ease within its closed circuit.

Unless they want to try something else.

Bloomberg reporter Austin Carr decided to scale Apple’s walled garden to see if the grass was greener in the Android and Windows world. But his attempts to transfer his photos, messages and contacts to his new devices turned into a maddening, months-long saga. In this episode Austin details his experience– and explains why Apple put up those walls in the first place.

Read more: iQuit: My Hellish Attempt to Leave Apple’s Walled Garden

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