Unwanted? You don’t have to use google products, right? There is a difference. Google isn’t a non profit or a charity.
In case you missed it, this thread is about adtech. Google ads are deployed on more than just Google products, so when you say, "You don’t have to use google products, right?", what you should really be saying is "You don't have to use half the internet, right?"
Which is definitely true, I suppose.
Gmail < Fastmail
YouTube < YouTube Premium
Search < Kagi
Maps is Google's last stand. At least Apple has offline maps as does Organic Maps, but Google Maps is superior.
I don't know that this counts as an alternative...
Anyway, what you described is exactly what I'm doing today with Google Maps mostly replaced by Apple Maps.
It does work and I don't feel like I'm missing anything, but it took years for me to gradually move over. Even with fastmail, I have _hundreds_ of accounts that still use my @gmail.com address (with the email forwarded to Fastmail).
For the average person: they simply aren't going to care enough to try.
In the context of Googles advertising practices I think it should count. If you pay for YouTube premium you won't be bothered by their ads anymore.