Ask HN: What Apple alternatives are you switching to? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What Apple alternatives are you switching to?

#31

Post by mtalantikite » Wed, Aug 18, 2021, 2:34 PM UTC

One thing I'd really like is to find a semi-dumbphone I can use Signal on and just get rid of having a smartphone with me. I'm not sure if I'm going to drop Apple completely and this morning I was wondering how far I could get with an Apple Watch and something like the Nokia 8110.

If anyone has suggestions for a small, minimal phone I can still run Signal on I'd love to hear it.

Re: Ask HN: What Apple alternatives are you switching to?

#32

Post by przemub » Wed, Aug 18, 2021, 2:34 PM UTC

numair wrote: post #20

For those studying MacBook alternatives, I think the most underrated “serious” notebook computer in the world is the Panasonic Letsnote SX/SV. Matte screen that actually works outdoors, removable long-life battery, unassuming vintage design (“let’s not rob that guy, he can’t even afford a new computer”). I haven’t investigated the Linuxability of this thing yet, but it’s super-light and impressive as a mosh terminal…

Sounds awesome! I've had huge problems with some recent ThinkPads so it seems that it will be a choice between Panasonic and Fujitsu. Thanks for the recommendation.

Re: Ask HN: What Apple alternatives are you switching to?

#33

Post by Gys » Wed, Aug 18, 2021, 2:34 PM UTC

Not yet switching but until last week I wanted to buy the next Watch (none yet), next iphone (now at X) and next ARM MacBook Pro. I decided to wait another year and first move all cloud stuff to some private hardware.

Re: Ask HN: What Apple alternatives are you switching to?

#34

Post by yashasolutions » Wed, Aug 18, 2021, 2:36 PM UTC

sjaak wrote: post #24

I'm thinking of getting one of these: https://frame.work/ Any people here with experience with one?

this one looks terrific! I saw the review made by Linus : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rkTgPt3M4k - totally got me convinced. I left Apple to System76 2 years ago, but that'd likely be my choice if I'd be doing this today...

Re: Ask HN: What Apple alternatives are you switching to?

#35

Post by ByteWelder » Wed, Aug 18, 2021, 2:36 PM UTC

ksec wrote: post #14

I think you need an "Ask HN" in the title.

Thank you! I've updated the title.

Re: Ask HN: What Apple alternatives are you switching to?

#36

Post by gjsman-1000 » Wed, Aug 18, 2021, 2:36 PM UTC

lettergram wrote: post #18

I’ve been working on my pinephone. But it’s really underpowered imo. I’m considering a Librem 5. Which has more cpu power and battery. The appeal to me is really getting off any major tech platform. Further, you can disconnect the components via switches — iE unplug the microphone. That being said, I can’t even use Signal on them without some major configurations. https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=13728 I h…

You are aware that the Librem 5, in real-world testing, has terrible battery life... and is a brick in thickness. That's why I can't switch yet. :(

Re: Ask HN: What Apple alternatives are you switching to?

#37

Post by tandem5000 » Wed, Aug 18, 2021, 2:36 PM UTC

I've been lifelong Apple user (webdev, sysadmin, power user) up until 2018. I switched to dual-boot Fedora/Xfce and Win10 on a Lenovo X1C 6th Gen. It took several months to get used to, but I did not look back even once. The user experience is not as polished, but it gets the job done. In hindsight I was irrationally concerned about features or apps which I thought I would miss.

Re: Ask HN: What Apple alternatives are you switching to?

#38

Post by api » Wed, Aug 18, 2021, 2:37 PM UTC

It would be hard to leave Apple. I'm at least waiting to see how this shakes out, and I'm aware of the fact that the other major commercial vendors (Microsoft, Google) are far worse than Apple on most of these issues.

Linux is still too high-maintenance for me, though I could be convinced. I am watching https://frame.work/ closely and considering grabbing one just to support that effort. The big flaw is use of Intel chips which are total shit compared to even Ryzens on power/performance.

The M1 makes leaving Apple even harder. The performance is great and the power efficiency makes a laptop feel like it has some kind of zero point infinite energy device in it. You can do a full day's work on an M1 running real apps like large builds, VMs, and IDEs and still have 1/3 battery remaining, and it's faster than a top-end Intel Mac.

There is absolutely nothing comparable to the M1 in the x64 PC ecosystem. A latest-generation Ryzen would be the closest you could get, but it's hard to find good Ryzen notebooks due to Intel's strong-arming of that space.

Re: Ask HN: What Apple alternatives are you switching to?

#39

Post by vwoolf » Wed, Aug 18, 2021, 2:37 PM UTC

On desktop, Dell's "developer edition" (DE) XPS 13" is great, Linux ships by default, and it should shortly come with an OLED option (https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/dell-xps-13-oled-review).

On the phone, the iPhone seems more secure and privacy conscious overall.

Re: Ask HN: What Apple alternatives are you switching to?

#40

Post by rPlayer6554 » Wed, Aug 18, 2021, 2:37 PM UTC

sjaak wrote: post #24

I'm thinking of getting one of these: https://frame.work/ Any people here with experience with one?

If you look up the Linus tech tips review, he gave it a stunning review.