Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because I have an Air, albeit an older model and I want to get a new laptop. Buying a new Air doesn't make sense since it's outdated a bit and doesn't fit most of what I want.
>Buying a new Air doesn't make sense since it's outdated a bit and doesn't fit most of what I want. Um, this is what _you_ said -- "Currently, only Air fits the bill, but it's getting old." Sorry, I still have no idea why are you're looking for a MB air replacement instead of upgrading to a newer model.
Xiaomi’s first laptop is a Macbook Air rival
271–280 of 462 posts
Re: Xiaomi’s first laptop is a Macbook Air rival
#272Earlier quoted context omitted.
Windows power management is no where near as good as OSX, but that's always going to be an issue with horizontally integrated systems. However Windows PM is light years ahead of Linux.
In large part because the Linux devs have to keep patching around Windows-isms (useless ACPI tables for example), and outright bugs that the OEMs paper over with their drivers for Windows. Frankly PC hardware is going through a drawn out second system period. First there was ACPI replacing APM, and now we have UEFI replacing the BIOS. In both case we have simple and straight forward systems that can hardly be impleme…
Your argument ignores a number of truths.
Much of the original BIOS was being replaced with proprietary extensions by vendors to overcome it's limitations and it was in dire need a replacement. At one point Western Digital was shipping what was basically a boot sector virus to overcome the Hard Drive size limitations imposed by the BIOS.
ACPI doesn't just replace APM, but also PnP and MPS. None of which support newer buses or interfaces and would have to be patched or extended to do so.
Microsoft has no love for ACPI and even went so far as to disable ACPI by default and only enable it for a small whitelist of machines with earlier OSes. Vista was the first OS from Microsoft to actually require ACPI, that means it took them over a decade to come to terms with it.
UEFI was meant to replace both ACPI and the BIOS but hasn't replaced either. Unfortunately vendors have been using UEFI to just load BIOS and ACPI implementations. This isn't at all how it was intended.
You can't blame Microsoft for these standards because PnP and APM are the only ones they had a hand in implementing. It also sounds like they're the ones you actually prefer which is funny. If there's anyone you should be blaming then it's Intel because they championed all of them.
The whole setup is a house of cards and no one seems to like it. Why you choose to blame Microsoft for it is beyond me.
Re: Xiaomi’s first laptop is a Macbook Air rival
#273Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Buying a new Air doesn't make sense since it's outdated a bit and doesn't fit most of what I want. Um, this is what _you_ said -- "Currently, only Air fits the bill, but it's getting old." Sorry, I still have no idea why are you're looking for a MB air replacement instead of upgrading to a newer model.
'Newer model' was last updated year and a half ago.
Re: Xiaomi’s first laptop is a Macbook Air rival
#274I've been looking for a new laptop recently, but I can't seem to find a good. My primary concerns are: - not to have open it up and clean from dust. That's what all of my laptops, except Air, suffered from. They get dust inside and then get hot and loud. I move around a lot and it's inevitable. I don't want noise and I want as little heat as possible. - Multitouch Trackpad like on Macbook Air. It's wonderful! - Long…
Pros:
- Almost unbeatable specs for the chassis size
- 14" display, which seems to be getting rarer now, but I really appreciate the extra inch of screen space
- High quality display, if you get a good IGZO panel. Some panels have color issues, but this seems to be common to all IGZO type panels--my Nexus 6 has the same issue. You can return it until you get a satisfactory panel.
- Can dual boot to Windows and play modern games at high quality if that's your thing
- Clean and simple chassis (excluding the silly bright green logo)
- Excellent Linux compatibility
- You can purchase an aftermarket SSD and upgrade it yourself if you're OK with voiding your warranty
- Very nice trackpad with multitouch that even works in Linux. It has physical buttons which I personally prefer, and that's also getting harder to find
Cons:
- Absurdly expensive
- Parts are proprietary so you have to mail the unit in for even the most basic repairs (changing the battery for example), and repairs are expensive
- Matrix-green keyboard and logo color scheme is a little silly and might not look professional. I put a matte black round sticker over the lid logo which helps
- A poster below mentioned screws falling out; I've noticed this with mine too. I think since the chassis is aluminum and is itself part of the system's heat sink, the heating and cooling expands it and gradually pushes the screws out. But pulling out your Torx screwdriver once every few months is enough to fix the issue
Overall I very much like the machine and even moreso since it supports Linux without headaches.
Re: Xiaomi’s first laptop is a Macbook Air rival
#275Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have met several former Macbook owners who swear by their MS Surface Pro units. Usually the Pro 3, not a lot of talk with people with 2s or 4s yet.
Definitely considering one, but I have yet to see one in person :/
Re: Xiaomi’s first laptop is a Macbook Air rival
#276I've been looking for a new laptop recently, but I can't seem to find a good. My primary concerns are: - not to have open it up and clean from dust. That's what all of my laptops, except Air, suffered from. They get dust inside and then get hot and loud. I move around a lot and it's inevitable. I don't want noise and I want as little heat as possible. - Multitouch Trackpad like on Macbook Air. It's wonderful! - Long…
I have a 2015 Razer Blade that I really like. I use it as a my daily Linux work computer and it runs Ubuntu great (with the caveat that I don't use sleep, hibernate, or the nvidia card; and the webcam doesn't work). Pros: - Almost unbeatable specs for the chassis size - 14" display, which seems to be getting rarer now, but I really appreciate the extra inch of screen space - High quality display, if you get a good IG…
Re: Xiaomi’s first laptop is a Macbook Air rival
#277I've been looking for a new laptop recently, but I can't seem to find a good. My primary concerns are: - not to have open it up and clean from dust. That's what all of my laptops, except Air, suffered from. They get dust inside and then get hot and loud. I move around a lot and it's inevitable. I don't want noise and I want as little heat as possible. - Multitouch Trackpad like on Macbook Air. It's wonderful! - Long…
Is a high powered CPU, and the fastest, most dense storage really that high of a priority for a mobile device? Your target should be portability, and battery life. Not something easily achieved with your list of requirements. Nothing you listed sounds particularly resource intensive.
I'd get a new MBA if there were a new one with updated specs and a better screen.
Re: Xiaomi’s first laptop is a Macbook Air rival
#278I've been looking for a new laptop recently, but I can't seem to find a good. My primary concerns are: - not to have open it up and clean from dust. That's what all of my laptops, except Air, suffered from. They get dust inside and then get hot and loud. I move around a lot and it's inevitable. I don't want noise and I want as little heat as possible. - Multitouch Trackpad like on Macbook Air. It's wonderful! - Long…
Apple is rumored to release updated MacBook Pros at the September event. I would wait for that before making a decision.
Re: Xiaomi’s first laptop is a Macbook Air rival
#279Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have a 2015 Razer Blade that I really like. I use it as a my daily Linux work computer and it runs Ubuntu great (with the caveat that I don't use sleep, hibernate, or the nvidia card; and the webcam doesn't work). Pros: - Almost unbeatable specs for the chassis size - 14" display, which seems to be getting rarer now, but I really appreciate the extra inch of screen space - High quality display, if you get a good IG…
Wait, If sleep/hibernate, nvidia, and webcam don't work, how does it have good linux compatibility?
In this case the machine is excellent and compatibility could be much worse. Wifi, Bluetooth, multitouch trackpad, touchscreen, etc., all work out of the box. The Nvidia card might also, I just don't use it at all so I don't know.
Re: Xiaomi’s first laptop is a Macbook Air rival
#280Earlier quoted context omitted.
'Newer model' was last updated year and a half ago.
and still... you can't find something better than it in its category ;)