Apple’s ecosystem is closed and proprietary, which makes independent audits and third-party verification difficult. Even if Apple doesn’t include spyware, it can push OS updates that increase telemetry and reduce user control—examples include introducing mandatory age checks.
That said, Apple is better than Windows 11 or Chromebooks in some respects: strong performance, privacy features, and good court outcomes. Still, Apple sits in a gray area—not clearly “unsafe” because it’s closed source, nor clearly “safe” simply because no spyware has been found yet.
The question is whether confidence in Apple’s safety comes from independent, technical third‑party audits and evidences despite the closed source model, or from the absence of reported spyware (i.e., “nobody found anything, so it’s fine”).