Ask HN: Feasible Alternative to the MacBook Pro?

I am looking forward to the launch of the new Surface products next week. I will very likely be replacing my 2013 MBP with one of these options. Specifically, I am looking hard at the 15" laptop right now because AMD and apparent ease of repair.

Worst case scenario, I might just get a cloud Mac for iOS development concerns and VNC/SSH into it from whatever machine. It will actually be a bit of a shock for me to go full-time Windows 10, as I alternate between OSX/WIN10 at a rate of about 30/70 on a daily basis. I really have no strong allegiance either way. Both operating systems are incredible, but I will have to award some bonus points to Apple for that extra bump in UX quality. You can almost constantly feel as if OSX and the hardware were designed by the same engineer when you use things like their touchpad.

One other thing I would say is that if Apple released a clone of this exact machine I have today (the late 2013 13" retina MBP) with modern CPU/Memory/GPU/SSD and maybe USB-C, I would be stoked and would likely purchase it immediately. The changes made to the newest models are dealbreakers for me - Particularly the touchpad & keyboard (AKA the most important aspects).

He has developed a following because of his repair videos. He is an advocate for repairing your own stuff, has put out hundreds of videos teaching people board repair and has even put out an extensive guide for beginners: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PkeO_lC5WTPScSV3ZzEE...

And he is internationally renowned for Macbook board repair and literally receives and fixes laptops from all over the world. He actively tells people to not watch his videos on YouTube and prefers Vimeo. I have no proof but I'd bet that his revenue from his YT channel is a small fraction of his overall income from his repair business and online e-store.

Since you made an analogy, it's worth going back and reading In The Beginning Was the Command Line. Mac OS X is a hermetically sealed german car, Linux is an M1 abrams tank that gets 100MPG.

(I also find many Dell and Thinkpad models to be as good as if not better laptops than MacBooks).

The Dell XPS 15 is a remarkable piece of hardware and at least on par with the MBP. A nice smooth trackpad, crystal clear display that plays well with Linux drivers, and a reliable keyboard.

I, too, was fed up with Apple’s rising MBP prices and flimsy design. I need a functional and long-lasting dev machine. The XPS (and probably Precision) series checked the boxes. It has ports when I need them. Easy to take apart and upgrade. Form, but not at the cost of function.

I've been considering buying a Lenovo ThinkPad Extreme X1 Gen 2 as my 2015 MBP has simply outlived its good years, and I can't wait or bet on a first gen Apple MBP replacement, especially not with the extremely poor decision making they've had over the past few years with those keyboards...

The biggest turn-off really is the nVidia graphics chip (which I really don't want, but all models seem to have) and gen 9 processor (which is probably why they don't offer the machine without a discrete GPU). The price is also a little on the higher end of what I'd like to spend, but on the flip side of that, Lenovo has an excellent warranty program including battery replacement and accidental damage replacement options - as it's likely the trend of me holding on to laptops for longer periods of time will continue, that's a really nice to have selling point.

And sadly, for me, that's as close as I can get to a machine I find acceptable... which is why I haven't pulled the trigger on buying one yet. It feels awful walking into a compromise purchase simply because laptop manufacturers have completely given up on you. So awful I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it, despite my Macbook Pro's decrepit state.