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Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

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Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#111

Post by brailsafe »

bsder wrote: post #84
uniqueuid wrote: post #24

I may be an outlier, but for me, the problem with non-mac machines is that they seem just careless. Steve jobs famously said "The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste.", and this seems true to me for almost all hardware manufacturers, and to a larger degree still for software. Why does nobody care about creaking plastic? About sticky-feeling texture? About uneven weight distribution? About the sound…

Why does nobody care about the janky Bluetooth mouse that's only janky on macOS? Why does nobody care that my USB 2.0 ports on my external USB-C docks die in about 20 minutes necessitating a reboot--again, only on macOS (and only on newer macOS versions--old ones work fine). How many years did it take Apple to (sort of) fix their shittastic keyboards? How garbagey is Xcode relative to any other IDE nowadays? I can go…

> Why does nobody care about the janky Bluetooth mouse that's only janky on macOS?

Which mouse? I've always had bad experiences with Bluetooth mice, but have chalked it up to BT being a shit protocol for mice.

> Why does nobody care that my USB 2.0 ports on my external USB-C docks die in about 20 minutes necessitating a reboot--again, only on macOS (and only on newer macOS versions--old ones work fine).

Is it all USB 2.0 ports that die in that case, or just the ones on your external dock? Are you using an adapter of some sort as well?

> How many years did it take Apple to (sort of) fix their shittastic keyboards?

This seems a bit petty to me. I don't disagree, but if they fix it they fix it, and afaik they have. Lots of improvement to make, but I quite like the current ones as much as I can. Laptop keyboards across the board are only going to be barely passable imo, because the feedback to me is less important than scrunching my hands together in a way that fucks with my shoulders. This is true of full size mechanical keyboards as well. I think it's important, if you care, to re-evaluate every so often. If a restaurant I like makes a thing that sucks once or twice, I'll wait a bit and try it again a while later, and it's no longer that important that I didn't like it previously

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#112

Post by lr »

uniqueuid wrote: post #87
kmeisthax wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because every other computer manufacturer realized they can save on the BOM cost by shoving the whole computer under plastic gingerbread. That weight distribution? It'd cost way too much to redesign the product correctly. Flickering redraws? We don't make the OS, we just sell Microsoft's. Occasionally you do see PC OEMs that try for taste in the Windows ecosystem. Sony did that with their VAIO laptops, with the somew…

All true, but why is the culture and aesthetic of computers inherently trashy? Look at all the fields where superior quality is a completely natural criterion (whether it exists may be another question): Watches, cars, pens, paper notebooks, furniture, fashion, jewellery, architecture, bikes, coffee machines ... What's more - if you look at the visual representations of computers - i.e. marketing material, art, illus…

I think you just answered the question: All of the categories you note have both high-end and, sadly, mostly low-end options. What is surprising is that, in the world of computing, there is very little at the high end (Apple -- from going by this original thread), and almost all of it is at the low end. I guess some company could make an amazing PC that ran Windows, but the, you'd have an amazing piece of hardware that... ran Windows.

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#113

Post by cpill »

gwn7 wrote: post #62

It is extremely funny that people are able to come to conclusions like this from just 2 data points. "Macbooks seem to be the only viable option these days", because I had bad experiences with two non-Macbook computers. To be fair; I don't think that the author came to that conclusion only from those 2 anecdotes. But still, that is the way the argument is presented. And it really looks absurd.

Like he said, he was unlucky. I got a Lenovo Carbon X1 and it worked with Ubuntu without problems (well, the finger print reader didn't work which become a security problem with work as we realised the weakest point was our laptops which had all the IP on them). Other than that it was a joy!

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#114

Post by postalrat »

rhn_mk1 wrote: post #99
postalrat wrote: post #53

I dream of a device that's basically a laptop without a screen, keyboard, trackpad, etc. Just plug it into a usb-c hub it restores everything from where I left off last time. Then once I'm done put it in my pocket and go. Then if I do want a laptop I could buy a chassis with a battery, keyboard, trackpad, screen, etc, etc to dock my device above in to. Edit: Seriously considering taking the motherboard out of a steam…

Sounds like the Librem 5 would fit your bill. Or some single-board computer with USB-C.

The librem might work but what can I install on it besides their OS? It also has very limited ram/etc.

I've been looking for a single board computer with usb-c that's still a reasonable good desktop and haven't found anything. The only contender right now is the motherboard from a steam deck but im not sure that can be taken out and work on it's own.

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#115

Post by Sohurt00 »

28304283409234 wrote: post #42

I'm on my 3rd(!) company supplied macbook in almost 2 years. Macbook Pro, 16'', 32GB. First Macbook: screen broke in the middle. Second Macbook: screen broke and MacOS is complaining that there's something wrong with the SSD. Third macbook I just received and can't tell what will break. But break it will. I only move them around the house, never on the road. When I move them, I place them in a Thule Gauntlet. I reall…

I’m on the same 2018 I got in 2018.

Every Dell or Lenovo I had before that was cracked, missing plastic bits, feet and screws after 4 years.

Last Lenovo had battery issues from the start. 2018 MacBook still lasts a day.

But my dual Xeon Dell Precision desktop from 2017 is still a beast, never had issues.

It’s a gradient in the aggregate but my personal experience says it’s just fine to write off any laptop that isn’t a Mac. The plastic housing alone makes me think they take a “Gillette razor” approach to portables; who cares if it cracks apart, just replace it! which I have a hard time looking passed given the industrial waste shitshow we already have.

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#116

Post by akvadrako »

ddoolin wrote: post #25

I think Framework and System76 are largely replacing the best options from the traditional PC manufacturers for Linux users (and maybe many Windows users as well?)

Framework doesn't even support Linux and they only have one model, which is not enough to meet everyones needs.

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#117

Post by totalZero »

kmeisthax wrote: post #72
uniqueuid wrote: post #24

I may be an outlier, but for me, the problem with non-mac machines is that they seem just careless. Steve jobs famously said "The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste.", and this seems true to me for almost all hardware manufacturers, and to a larger degree still for software. Why does nobody care about creaking plastic? About sticky-feeling texture? About uneven weight distribution? About the sound…

Because every other computer manufacturer realized they can save on the BOM cost by shoving the whole computer under plastic gingerbread. That weight distribution? It'd cost way too much to redesign the product correctly. Flickering redraws? We don't make the OS, we just sell Microsoft's. Occasionally you do see PC OEMs that try for taste in the Windows ecosystem. Sony did that with their VAIO laptops, with the somew…

Vaio laptop build quality is on the plasticky end of the spectrum. They're pretty but build quality leaves much to be desired. I've never viewed their pricing as particularly inflated. Have owned a few.

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#118

Post by sjtindell »

uniqueuid wrote: post #24

I may be an outlier, but for me, the problem with non-mac machines is that they seem just careless. Steve jobs famously said "The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste.", and this seems true to me for almost all hardware manufacturers, and to a larger degree still for software. Why does nobody care about creaking plastic? About sticky-feeling texture? About uneven weight distribution? About the sound…

It feels like 90% of the products I use these days I find myself asking, “did they even try using their own thing?” All these steps, all these weird one-offs, for my dead-simple, totally average idiot use case?

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#119

Post by uniqueuid »

chaostheory wrote: post #95
uniqueuid wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All true, but why is the culture and aesthetic of computers inherently trashy? Look at all the fields where superior quality is a completely natural criterion (whether it exists may be another question): Watches, cars, pens, paper notebooks, furniture, fashion, jewellery, architecture, bikes, coffee machines ... What's more - if you look at the visual representations of computers - i.e. marketing material, art, illus…

> All true, but why is the culture and aesthetic of computers inherently trashy? Because it needs to be affordable to the masses as a whole, and not just the upper middle class and up.

I find it very sad to think that masses cannot have style.

Some old Swiss everyday products are affordable yet beautiful; I am convinced both is possible.

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#120

Post by mikece »

The author doesn't say what the intended purpose/use of the laptop is; it's interesting to me that in the Dell and Lenovo lines the author isn't going for the Precision or whatever the current version of the Lenovo P50 is (I bought my P50 in August 2016 and it's 4-core CPU, 1TB SSD, and 64GB of RAM still gets the job done and the hardware just won't quit). The tradeoff of the units I mentioned compared to what the author mentioned is weight... I get that if you're constantly on the move with your machine it's nicer to have a 3 point laptop versus an 8 pound laptop but personal preferences being what they are I would rather have the more robust hardware and heavier duty system than something lighter.

Oh -- and my P50 could apparently withstand waterboarding... though I'll just take Louis Rossmann's word for it (and video) rather than trying to duplicate the experiment myself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig3xI8dUdm0

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