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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

#331

Post by throwing4321 »

culopatin wrote: post #257
smackeyacky wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pay more for the corporate class laptops from HP or Dell i.e Elitebook Supported longer, better materials, better keyboards. I'd buy a second hand elitebook over a new acer or whatever any day.

Yep, I use and deploy them at work. The only problem I have with them is the screen. That privacy filter could be a godsend for someone on an airplane, but for every day use at home or office, it really kills the image quality

Privacy filter means "HP Sure View Reflect" I guess?. There are 3 options for current HP Elitebook screens [1]. Only 1 of them has the privacy filter. I think the best option is to buy the middle one in that pic (low power, 400 nits).

[1] https://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/Notebooks/News/_nc3/...

Source: https://www.notebookcheck.net/CES-2022-HP-announces-the-Elit...

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

#333

Post by MaxikCZ »

goosedragons wrote: post #176
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…

You can buy metal PCs. There's loads of them. Microsoft themselves even make them. Pretty sure every big OEM has at least one laptop with a solid metal chassis at this point. I prefer the plastic of my Thinkpad, it doesn't feel creaky, there's no "sticky-feeling texture". It doesn't boil on my lap the way metal MacBooks and PowerBooks have. It feels solid while also not denting from knocking it into a doorway by acci…

I got HP Zbook Power G8 for work. It was fine on a table, until one day I tried to use it on my lap while cross legged sitting. The corners of the display lid (now pointed downwards and back), were so sharp I couldnt leave my PC in my lap. I took a metal file and lightly filed the corners the same day, fixing the issue. While I was at it, I also dropped a little glue under piece of paperthin metal cover that was already getting loose. On a less than a month old laptop, boasting Generation 8 in its name...

The fact that the trackpad comes without dedicated buttons is a tradeoff of size, but the amount of force needed to perform a click (even on the side where least amount of force is needed {yes, it varies}) is so high that the mouse WILL move a bit before click is registered, as your finger gets squished. Using anything but touch-tapping on it is impossible with single finger.

That same year I got my first ever macbook, M1 Air. I guess I dont even need to explain the difference in every aspect comming to mind between those two machines to illustrate my point.

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

#334

Post by MaxikCZ »

kaba0 wrote: post #318
wildrhythms wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm the same way and I'm mortified whenever I have the displeasure to use some PC or Chromebook laptop trackpad. PC manufacturers today still can't figure out how to make a trackpad as good as what Apple had 20 years ago.

Though part of it is thanks to apple themselves, for having a patent on that. Fortunately some company did find another way to reproduce this click feel through haptics and it will hopefully appear soon in other manufacturers’ laptops.

Even trackpads that were actually clicking were still miles ahead to what I have in my latest generation HP bullsh*t

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

#335

Post by ALittleLight »

conk wrote: post #313
goosedragons wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can buy metal PCs. There's loads of them. Microsoft themselves even make them. Pretty sure every big OEM has at least one laptop with a solid metal chassis at this point. I prefer the plastic of my Thinkpad, it doesn't feel creaky, there's no "sticky-feeling texture". It doesn't boil on my lap the way metal MacBooks and PowerBooks have. It feels solid while also not denting from knocking it into a doorway by acci…

Funny I wish my M1 MBP ran hotter. It’s uncomfortably cold in the mornings.

Schedule a cron job to run some program to heat up in the mornings.

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

#336

Post by bzzzt »

pllbnk wrote: post #303
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…

I can't stand Mac OS infantile looks and intentionally slow UI just so it would look smooth. Where do you find laptops with creaking plastic or weird textures like that? I get that there are more options to choose from in non-mac world but that doesn't mean you have to choose bad options. I go with Lenovo and never had any problems you are talking about. Macs, on the other hand, they have buggy UI and are extremely a…

> intentionally slow UI just so it would look smooth.

I get your anger, but it's not about trying to look 'cool'. For lots of folks it's more clear to see that (for example) a minimised window can be found in the dock by showing a transition. For people like you there's a preference (under accesibility - display - reduce motion) to turn it off.

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

#337

Post by bzzzt »

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…

Since you seem to have broken 2 screens: you are aware Apple is discouraging placing webcam covers on your MacBook screens? Since the screens are flat, those things can put a lot of pressure on a MacBook screen to the point they crack.

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

#338

Post by pllbnk »

bzzzt wrote: post #336
pllbnk wrote: post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't stand Mac OS infantile looks and intentionally slow UI just so it would look smooth. Where do you find laptops with creaking plastic or weird textures like that? I get that there are more options to choose from in non-mac world but that doesn't mean you have to choose bad options. I go with Lenovo and never had any problems you are talking about. Macs, on the other hand, they have buggy UI and are extremely a…

> intentionally slow UI just so it would look smooth. I get your anger, but it's not about trying to look 'cool'. For lots of folks it's more clear to see that (for example) a minimised window can be found in the dock by showing a transition. For people like you there's a preference (under accesibility - display - reduce motion) to turn it off.

Generally I stay away from Apple products or topics. The only reason I decided to comment was that I am forced to use Mac in my current work and after several stints I understood I was not going to get used to it. If people use it and like it, I don't mind. For me, it's just not intuitive; for instance, I wouldn't have thought of looking for this setting, let alone under accessibility options.

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

#339

Post by jokethrowaway »

This kind of crap happens with Apple as well.

Where Apple shines is in providing an Arm laptop - that's unrivalled as of now. They still have some issues with those laptop but maybe the next generation will be good.

On my side, I'll just switch to desktop pc I can assemble and get an Arm Macbook if I need to travel.

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