I have the home server already, running Umbrel because (annoyingly) I couldn’t get Start 9 to recognise second HDD. Have explored GrapheneOS also. It’s on the to-do list next year. Have been hoping someone like Umbrel or Start9 partners with GrapheneOS or does something similar.
I know, those great conveniences is how they get you to stay. One step at a time my friend. My first suggestion is to start with you own server. You can connect from your apple devices.
I never used iPhones so it was easier.
Suggested journey:
1. Get you own nostr:npub126ntw5mnermmj0znhjhgdk8lh2af72sm8qfzq48umdlnhaj9kuns3le9ll server. Happy to share more insights if you want to DM me. I also have a discount code.
2. With deeper understanding and hands on experience with self-sovereignty get rid of the iPhone, but a Pixel and flash nostr:npub1235tem4hfn34edqh8hxfja9amty73998f0eagnuu4zm423s9e8ksdg0ht5
3. Get rid of the Mac and buy a new laptop either with Linux already installed or flash it. I also know there is a Linux distro available for Mac. But I just shy away from their hardware.
Discussion
What I like about nostr:npub126ntw5mnermmj0znhjhgdk8lh2af72sm8qfzq48umdlnhaj9kuns3le9ll in comparison to Umbrel is the amazing support team that they have on Telegram. I honestly have not experienced better tech support from any other company. Their response time is very fast and that helped me a lot as I went down the self-sovereignty rabbit hole, coming from a non-technical background. I believe support for second HDD is in the timeline, but can't confirm 100%.
Start9 + Graphene would be a match made in heaven.