{"id":11340,"date":"2025-10-21T14:52:58","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T14:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/?p=11340"},"modified":"2025-10-21T15:17:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T15:17:14","slug":"how-im-getting-away-from-google","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/2025\/10\/21\/how-im-getting-away-from-google\/","title":{"rendered":"How I’m getting away from Google"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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De-Googling: A status report<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Plus: Apple speed bumps, new Windows enhancers, and free file converters<\/h3>\n\n\n
Jared Newman<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>October 21, 2025<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
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Photo by\u00a0Mitchell Luo<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hey there! I’m Jared Newman, a longtime tech journalist, and you’re reading the free edition of Advisorator, my weekly tech advice newsletter.<\/em> Did someone share this newsletter with you? Sign up<\/a> to get it every Tuesday.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This week’s column for Advisorator’s paying members<\/a> is about how I’ve been trying to become less reliant on Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I’m not entirely opposed to using Google products, I’d rather not depend on a monopolistic<\/a> tech company with ever-shifting motives and a habit of killing products that aren’t exciting or profitable enough<\/a>. I also want to minimize the amount of data Google collects about me and avoid the feeling that it’s watching my every online move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of folks have asked me about de-Googling over the years, and I’ve yet to provide a cohesive answer largely because I don’t have one. What I can offer instead is a status report on my own de-Googling process, in hopes that it’ll help others figure it out as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Become an Advisorator member<\/a> to read the full column. You can get started for as little as $5<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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News in brief<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Apple speed bumps:<\/strong> Apple has refreshed its 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro headset<\/a> with M5 chips, which it claims are a big step up for gaming and on-device AI. The iPad also has a new networking chip that could unlock some new smart home capabilities down the road<\/a>, while the Vision Pro’s new chip allows for higher refresh rates and less motion blur<\/a>. (It also comes with a new kind of headband, though it still costs $3,500.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not<\/em> announced last week, despite some circulating rumors<\/a>: A new Apple TV, HomePod Mini speaker, or AirTags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI-ifying Windows:<\/strong> Microsoft really wants you to use AI more often in Windows 11<\/a>. To that end, it’s launching a “Hey Copilot” wake phrase that activates its AI assistant, along with a “Copilot Vision” feature that analyzes your screen to offer advice. For instance, it can help you navigate an app or suggest edits to make in a photo. (Both features can be enabled through Settings in the Copilot app.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long-term, the company envisions having AI control the computer on your behalf\u2014suggesting photos to delete, for instance, or pulling info from PDF files\u2014and has started previewing these features for Windows Insiders. I could see some utility here, but with a lot of potential for things to go wrong or just waste a lot of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other notable reads:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n