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Apple Sucks Now, Here’s a ThinkPad Buyer’s Guide

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Re: Apple Sucks Now, Here’s a ThinkPad Buyer’s Guide

#61
post #35

I made a fair attempt to work on MacBook Pro a year ago and was underwhelmed. Glitches aside, i felt like Apple is trying to convert me to their religion and the view of the world through Apple's glasses. After about 6 month of struggle and I am happy Pro Lenovo user. Having said that - Apple's smartphone offerings are superb and intuitive - exactly how it should be.

> felt like Apple is trying to convert me to their religion and the view of the world through Apple's glasses

I regularly use both macOS and Windows, and I don't see what you mean. Can you elaborate?

Re: Apple Sucks Now, Here’s a ThinkPad Buyer’s Guide

#62
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except that you still don't know which generation of processor the MBP has- I still see tons of deceptive Craigslist ads for MBPs that have a "2.0Ghz" processor, with no indication that it's a model from 2011, which is not at all comparable with a "2.0Ghz" processor from 2015.

What are you doing that you would even notice? Honest question. I can't recall a single instance where my 2012 rMBP slowed down due to its age. I mainly code, open tons of browser tabs, and listen to Spotify. Once I got a laptop with built-in SSD, everything just seemed to run at the speed of thought. That has not changed in four years or three operating systems.

Not everyone is a webdeveloper that has to link some pngs into some text file and MAYBE batch process some images. There's people with heavy workloads who notice. I really don't understand that attitude. "Because I don't need it, nobody would need it."

Re: Apple Sucks Now, Here’s a ThinkPad Buyer’s Guide

#63

"Here are the names Apple still uses for their laptops (and yes, these are the actual model names): 13-inch MacBook Pro with 2.0GHz Processor and 256GB Storage 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and Touch ID, 2.9 GHz Processor and 256GB Storage 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and Touch ID, 2.9GHz Processor and 512GB Storage The ThinkPad naming convention makes marketing easier, product differentiation simpler, and…

My first car was a 1986 Toyota MR2.

It was not a Beige Toyota Sports Car with 1.6L 4 cylinder gasoline engine and 5-speed manual transmission, 14" wheels, sunroof, and cassette player

Re: Apple Sucks Now, Here’s a ThinkPad Buyer’s Guide

#65
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except that you still don't know which generation of processor the MBP has- I still see tons of deceptive Craigslist ads for MBPs that have a "2.0Ghz" processor, with no indication that it's a model from 2011, which is not at all comparable with a "2.0Ghz" processor from 2015.

What are you doing that you would even notice? Honest question. I can't recall a single instance where my 2012 rMBP slowed down due to its age. I mainly code, open tons of browser tabs, and listen to Spotify. Once I got a laptop with built-in SSD, everything just seemed to run at the speed of thought. That has not changed in four years or three operating systems.

What kind of code? I live in C and C++. Processor speed matters when compiling. Of course it doesn't matter if you're writing e.g. js...

Re: Apple Sucks Now, Here’s a ThinkPad Buyer’s Guide

#67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why I'm probably going to opt for a maxed out 2015 Macbook Pro. Yes, I know I'm paying for "old" hardware but I don't use VMs or compile anything heavy so it should last me a while. After selling my current one it should come out to about $1000 so not too bad. I'm just too invested in macOS in terms of apps, comfortableness, muscle memory, etc. I actually really like it as well.

> I'm just too invested in macOS in terms of apps, comfortableness, muscle memory, etc. I actually really like it as well. I never thought I'd compare new Apple hardware versus Thinkpads to a presidential election, but here we are.

Not sure what you mean? I really hate the new Macbooks but I do like macOS and I'm quite productive and happy with it.

Aside from a Hackintosh my only choice is a maxed out 2015 one that should last me about five years, if not more, with my current usage. It's not the choice I wanted to make but I'm not getting a $2000+ laptop without any ports I can use without adapters.

Re: Apple Sucks Now, Here’s a ThinkPad Buyer’s Guide

#68
post #38
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Debian Testing (Stretch) with all its defaults, including its default desktop environment (Gnome 3).

I admit it's a few years at this point I don't use a Linux box as my desktop. Is it at a point where, to do all the obvious things like, use Skype, configure a printer, have a decent presentation or video editing software, update my system without hacking with the drivers, I can just have it? My fear is that I'll not be able to do everything I do with my Mac now. A solution could be to install Windows 10 in dual boot…

As for video editing software: this may sound strange, but I've seen several people, some of them VFX professionals, recommend Blender as a very good tool. (Perhaps it's not so surprising when you consider it's been used for editing several feature-length movies.)

For presentation software: personally I've completely switched to HTML5 based presentations (with reveal.js generated from markdown with pandoc), because even in 2016 I still see professionals at big conferences fail at playing back videos, or just plain hanging their Windows computers, when using PowerPoint. But when was the last time a video failed to play in your browser?

Re: Apple Sucks Now, Here’s a ThinkPad Buyer’s Guide

#69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not Linux?

Worse battery life. Really though, the applications you need should dictate the OS you use. If Linux works for you, by all means, use it.

I didn't downvote you, but even my Macbook friends were jealous of my 20+ hours on a Thinkpad x250 (9-cell).

The default power settings on Linux are pretty bad, though. Anyone with Linux on their laptop should create a boot service that runs this command:

    powertop --auto-tune
...and observe battery time increase by ~25%.

Re: Apple Sucks Now, Here’s a ThinkPad Buyer’s Guide

#70
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They didn't do that on Thinkpads, though.

It's the same company though. I have two Thinkpads (I'm typing on a T520 right now) and today I wouldn't buy another. Even if you want to give them a pass for unethical behavior, Lenovo still installs a lot of extra software that you don't really need. If you do buy a Thinkpad, I recommend reformatting the machine and doing a stock Windows install.

Personally, I've found the Thinkpad windows build to work better for me by far than a vanilla one (especially the projector stuff, which generally makes me a very happy bunny at conferences).

However, given there's a recovery partition and you don't wipe it while doing a stock install, "try both and see which you prefer" is clearly an option.

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