I preface this write up with a proper admission - I am a full-on Apple fanboy.

Ever since I got my first iPod in 2005, I’ve been horribly, wonderfully addicted to the unique combination of well designed hardware and brilliantly simple services as designed by the team in Cupertino.

I’ve owned 3 separate iPhones (3GS, 4S, 5S, and I’ll be getting the S-Cycle version of the 6), 2 MacBooks (a mid 2007 white plastic MacBook and an early 2011 MacBook Pro, which I hope to replace with a high spec MacBook Air in the not-too-distant future), and even an iPad (which ultimately I decided was not for me, as iPhones get bigger and more powerful). I haven’t owned an Apple TV yet, but I’m sure I’ll replace my Roku with one when it dies.

That’s not just me rattling off these cool things I’ve owned. That’s me trying to underline how much I’ve enjoyed Apple’s products to date.

It probably comes as no surprise then, that on June 30, when Apple Music went live, I was frantically refreshing the Software Update button on my iPhone to be the first to get the new iOS update and welcome this new streaming service to the world.

Apple’s long-awaited rebranding of what was once Beats Music, absorbed when they purchased the giant headphone maker last year, Apple Music is their attempt at conquering the emergent music streaming world, currently dominated by Spotify, with Rdio in a somewhat distant second. Arguably, Pandora is up there, but as more an Internet radio service, and less an on-demand streaming service, they’re sort of their own tier.

As someone who once held major OPINIONS (yes, all caps) about music, I figured that Spotify was going to be that which ailed me when it came to music listening and discovery. Having once held dozens, if not hundreds, of gigs of music generated from my own CD collection, the growth of MP3 blogs, and membership to a hush-hush super-double-secret music torrenting site, how could I not be all in on a service like Spotify? Almost the entire catalog of recorded musical history, at my fingertips?

For a while, I was complacent, but somewhere, some how, Spotify never clicked for me the way I intended to. I “starred" albums and tracks I loved. I threw myself into the spotlighted playlists. I never really dug the track-or-artist based radio, but I definitely gave it a college try. Eventually, I weaned myself off of my collection of music. Backed up by iTunes Match, I was living the all-streaming lifestyle.

But then, complications took hold with Spotify. The apps became slower. A long awaited visual re-design took ages to come to both iOS and OS X (let alone the split between iPad and iPhone). Then there was whatever the Hell was the shift from “starred" music and “My Music", where your previous library lived in a playlist, while any new additions were moved to a separate library.

Suffice to say - while I kept paying my $10 a month - I really wasn’t happy with Spotify. I started going back to my collection on iTunes, and keeping two programs available - iTunes for favorites, Spotify for discovery. It just felt overdone and clunky.

June 30th, that changed for me. My Spotify subscription was cancelled. And I think quite a few people will be making the same change.

Apple Music is a hybrid product in many ways, but the combination it provides is so great, and perfectly built into my devices, that I don’t know that I’ll be able to do without it.

What makes Apple Music so great? Let me tell you:

• Curation: Upon first launch of Apple Music, you’re asked to define your favorite genres of music, tapping on the ones you like, double tapping the ones you love, and holding down on the ones you don’t like until they disappear. This results in the “For You" tab, giving you suggestions of curated playlists (created by HUMANS! no less) and albums you may like. So far, the selections have been spot on. And if I see something I don’t like? I can just hold down on it and tell the program to not show me it anymore. A new playlist or album pops up, and sure enough, it’s something I’d like more.
• Featured Content: Heading to the New tab, much like on the main page of the iTunes Store, you’re greeted with the latest, greatest, and hottest songs and albums. You can even funnel down by genre, and much like Spotify, there are featured playlists for different types of music, or different occasions, like working out, BBQs, or yes, even love making.
• Radio: This is where I was really surprised. I kinda figured the Radio section would just be a stale grouping of never-ending playlists (and really, it is, for the most part.) But then, there was Beats 1. An “always-on", 24 hour streaming radio station, Beats 1 reminds me of the best things that broadcast and satellite radio bring, but it’s a nice free bonus for having an Apple device. Beats 1 gave me my first taste of famous ex-BBC DJ Zane Lowe, who plays a diverse variety of music on his show (airing every weekday at Noon Eastern), filled with random drops, and sometimes, he opens the mic while the song is playing, and you can hear him singing along! Kicking off the Beats 1 era with “City" by Spring Kings, he provides an energetic show that captivates, even if his New Zealand accent is sometimes hard to comprehend. I wish terrestrial radio would go back to giving their talent this level of openness. It’s like having a well-versed friend share his favorite tracks. You may not love everything, but the enthusiasm shows. And this enthusiasm is carried across the rest of the Beats 1 lineup, including a personal favorite, St. Vincent’s Mixtape Delivery Service, a show where the indie-rocker curates unique mixtapes for her fans.
• Connect: While currently one of the under-featured elements of the Apple Music experience, Connect has the possibility to be one of the coolest. Connect is essentially a social network for musicians to share content directly to their fans. New tracks, unreleased content, videos, whatever. As one of the architects of Apple Music, it’s no surprise that one of the best members of the site so far is Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, who has been releasing old photos, and even alternate versions of his albums, such as this amazing instrumental version of 1999’s The Fragile (one of my favorite albums ever).
• My Music: This is iTunes format you’re used to. Albums, playlists and so on, but you can actively add content to your library from Apple Music, and any songs you add to your iTunes library get automatically uploaded for use on your iDevices. Pretty solid stuff.

Honestly, these past few days with Apple Music are the most fun I’ve had with music since I was a super-opinionated teenager/early-twenties listening to poorly-ripped MP3s on Winamp while regularly seeing shows at Ottobar. I’ve re-lived old favorites, discovered new albums I absolutely love (like Awake by Tycho), and I just can’t stop!  Hell, they’ve even got hundreds (if not thousands) of music videos available too! I even found both of Radiohead’s From The Basement performances, in full! [1] [2]

And what’s even better, is that this is baked into my devices, I don’t need to worry about downloading an extra app, or how well/poorly it’s going to work. On my Mac and iPhone, this just works, and that’s what I’ve come to know from Apple. I can even just ask Siri to start playing songs or albums. It’s like living in the future.

This isn’t to say that Apple Music is completely perfect, however.

The iOS integration is stellar, but the desktop integration could stand to be smoother, especially on Windows (which I use at work, and feels clunky, but hasn’t iTunes always felt like that on Windows?). There are still some things missing from the Apple Music library, such as high-level hold outs like Prince and The Beatles, but I’ve been able to find pretty much everything I’ve been looking for - including stuff Spotify did not have. Also, the integration of non-Apple Music content has been wonky within the iCloud Music Library. I’ve experienced slow-loading of songs that aren’t also on Apple Music, and I’ve seen quite a few examples online of people who’s entire libraries have been screwed up. And in some ways, iTunes on the desktop is just showing its age. It could really use a revamp, a’la the shift from iPhoto to Photos earlier this year, streamlining the product and making it friendlier to all.

In short, it’s hard not to enjoy Apple Music. They’ve given the world a three-month free trial, and after working things out payment-wise with labels, they’re even going to payout the artists. And I think those three months will be key. Getting millions listening - and millions providing feedback - means that in three months, when we get the next iOS and OS X updates, Apple Music will probably be even BETTER by the time we have to start paying for it.

And I know that I’ll be sure to gladly pay that $15 a month. After all, I have a family now.