[linsomniac]

Apple, on the other hand, has terrible problems with working with others that google does not.

Apple will happily tell you that if you want grandma to have a whatever color text bubble, you should buy her an iPhone, to name a recent example, rather than adopt the standard everyone else is using. I bought a Macbook last holiday season and couldn't even set it up until my wife set up her iPhone on my account to activate the laptop. I bought my wife a iWatch last week and briefly thought of getting myself one but you can't use it without an iPhone (they have a "kids" feature where a parent can activate it but it basically has no smarts at that point AFAIK).

So, for making an authentication standard, I'd trust Google over Apple.

[duskwuff]

> I bought a Macbook last holiday season and couldn't even set it up until my wife set up her iPhone on my account...

I have no idea what you mean by this. You do not need, and have never needed, to own an iPhone to use an Apple computer.

> I bought my wife a iWatch last week and briefly thought of getting myself one but you can't use it without an iPhone...

This, on the other hand, makes a little more sense. The Apple Watch is designed as a companion device to an iPhone. Much of its functionality relies upon the phone (e.g. displaying notifications from the phone, installing watch apps which pair with corresponding phone apps) -- it can't do much on its own.

[bfung]

W/o the phone, the watch is a… watch.

If pre-installed and configure, it’s still convenient for things like wallet/Apple Pay, esp when I do dumb stuff like forget my wallet and phone at home and need to pay for things.

[linsomniac]

When I got my M1 MBP there was no way, that I could find, to set up the computer and login the first time without using an iPhone. I don't remember the exact phrasing it gave me, but the only way I could get the system set up was my wife logging out of her iPhone, and logging into it as me. I don't know if this is newer than your experience, or there was some trick to get past it, but I couldn't find one.

[ev1]

I have a M1 and M2 (Pro and Air, and non-M Pro and Air) and have never done this, and never seen it. I do not even have an Apple ID logged into any Mac laptop I have ever owned.

You do not need an account or an iPhone, this makes no sense to me. Was this purchased new from a retail store?

[linsomniac]

Purchased new directly from Apple.

[jayd16]

What about all those ads for the cell iWatches that boast leaving the phone behind?

[colejohnson66]

The Apple Watch is designed to be tethered to the phone, even if just for configuration.

If you want to go on a hike while leaving your (distracting) phone behind, you can. Just don't expect 911 unless you have the GPS+cellular version.

[idle_zealot]

You need to have an iPhone in order to leave it behind.

[duskwuff]

The cellular version of the Apple Watch can perform a limited set of tasks -- like making phone calls, sending/receiving text messages, and playing music -- without a phone present. It still requires a phone for full functionality, and for setup.

[lern_too_spel]

My TV offered free Apple TV+. In order to sign in, I had to get a code sent to a laptop sitting far away. I assume they expected me to be carrying an iPhone, as no non-Apple device could provide the OTP. Using an Apple service is simply not worth the hassle.