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Trying out the Pinebook Pro – a $200 ARM Laptop

jeremymorgan.com

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Re: Trying out the Pinebook Pro – a $200 ARM Laptop

#81

Post by p1itopre »

smacktoward wrote: post #2

Seeing all that empty internal space makes me wonder if they couldn't increase the device's appeal by fitting it with a bigger battery. 8-10 hours of charge time is good, but a $200 laptop that could go for (say) 20 or 30 hours on a charge would really turn heads. I suppose it's possible that would require some kind of custom battery, and this is just the most appropriate battery for this enclosure they could get off…

The other way to go about it is to shrink the screen from 14" to 12". I would prefer this configuration.

Re: Trying out the Pinebook Pro – a $200 ARM Laptop

#82

Post by zerealshadowban »

nwah1 wrote: post #65
zerealshadowban wrote: post #62

This bodes well in terms of lower prices, better battery longevity, and incredible performance for the soon-coming ARM MacBooks.

Macbooks aren't primarily priced according to the cost of production. They command a huge producer surplus from brand loyalty, vendor lock-in, etc.

Yes, supply and demand are both relevant.

On the supply side, the very high cost of Intel CPUs has been adversely constraining the pricing flexibility of Mac computers. Apple sells orders of magnitude more iOS devices, all ARM-based; if they could sharply increase the sale of Mac computers, it would also be profitable for them -- and it might unify+simplify their software development efforts.

Re: Trying out the Pinebook Pro – a $200 ARM Laptop

#84

Post by war1025 »

reaperducer wrote: post #80
war1025 wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn't fit in a super-thin form factor for one.

And since they're mechanical devices, they have to be cleaned and maintained more than most people want to. Reminds me of the days of cleaning mouse balls. Man, those things get covered with the grossest stuff.

I was just noticing the other day how disgusting my laser mouse is.

Thought briefly about cleaning it, but then went back to my blissful ignorance.

Re: Trying out the Pinebook Pro – a $200 ARM Laptop

#85

Post by opwieurposiu »

qubex wrote: post #74
thom wrote: post #42

I've been tempted by these as semi-destructible machines for my young kids to cut their teeth on. The oldest has a Chromebook but reinstalled with GalliumOS which has been perfectly adequate so far. I'd be intrigued to see a direct comparison between these as two ultra-cheap Linux options.

Why are children these days ‘allowed’ to ’destructive’? I was using my mother’s NeXT Cube back in the early nineties when I was about eleven or twelve and it’s still in mint condition. It was made very clear to me that allowing me to use it was an enormous privilege and that if I had in any way damaged it there would have been hell to pay and I have absolutely no doubt that my arse would’ve been kicked into tomorrow…

I also got to play around on a NeXT cube as a kid. I had no idea they were so expensive! Wikipedia says a NeXT cube cost around US$10,000 (equivalent to about $19,600 in 2019.)

For that price I am amazed we had one in our house at all. I think my dad was trailing it or something, we did not have it very long.

Re: Trying out the Pinebook Pro – a $200 ARM Laptop

#87

Post by rchaud »

kube-system wrote: post #11
jolmg wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an 10,000 mAh battery, though. That's huge, isn't it? I don't know any other laptop that has a battery that big. Looking online, Macbooks seem to have around 6,000 mAh.

You'd want to compare watt-hours for an equal comparison of energy for batteries of different voltages. 38Wh is fairly small for a laptop battery.

Laptop batteries are powering Intel/AMD x86 processors which are much more power hungry than an ARM proc I imagine. Also, Macbooks and other premium laptops have 2k or 4k screens, while this one should be more energy efficient at 1080p.

Re: Trying out the Pinebook Pro – a $200 ARM Laptop

#88

Post by rchaud »

therein wrote: post #44
davidhyde wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the technical specs it looks like it is powered via a 5V port: "Barrel Power (5V 3A) Port" That would mean that you could plug in a battery powered portable USB charger (power bank) to increase its capacity perhaps. If 10000mAh at 5V gets you 8 hours then you you could easily extend the capacity with a couple power banks.

Right but you can do that for many other notebooks as well.

I didn't know that. What kind of power bank would you need for a Macbook or PC laptop?

Re: Trying out the Pinebook Pro – a $200 ARM Laptop

#89

Post by johnchristopher »

AgloeDreams wrote: post #16
kube-system wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'd want to compare watt-hours for an equal comparison of energy for batteries of different voltages. 38Wh is fairly small for a laptop battery.

I like how we all commented at the same time. poor OP...

Happens often. What's the etiquette ? Answer to each replies ? One single reply that address everyone's point(s) ?

Re: Trying out the Pinebook Pro – a $200 ARM Laptop

#90

Post by rchaud »

lanewinfield wrote: post #10

An "annoying touchpad" is likely a dealbreaker for me. It's the holy grail for Linux to me and I feel like it's never been solved by anybody but Apple (w/o Linux). That being said, I could exist in the command line most of the time...

Is it really that much of a dealbreaker at $200? I use a MBP as my main device which I'm told has the best trackpad. I still prefer to use an external wireless mouse.
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