> I really miss my Thinkpad Trackpoint This is one of those comments I will never understand. Every single time I have tried to use one of those things the only thought that goes through my mind is, "This is the dumbest mouse interface I have ever seen. Why would anyone ever use this thing?" And then I see comments like this. I don't get it. The ergonomics of those little nubs are awful .
With a trackpoint you don't need to move your hand to move the mouse, so it's great for people who frequently use the laptop in low-elbow room situations like on a plane or train.
I still use my X61s from 2008. Laptops are not an productive/ergonomic choice and if you have to replace it this often I would opt for a Raspberry 4 or Jetson Nano.
How are thermals though? My xps 13 with 2 fans can get hot enough to be unconfortable, so i can't imagine how it will be with a single fan
I really wish people talked about this stuff more when it comes to laptops. Hot temps and loud fans are a super turn-off for me. I'm willing to compromise performance for a quieter, cooler runtime, but usually all I can find out about a laptop is its processor clock speed and a horribly inaccurate battery life estimate.
Loud fans and hot temps are fine for me, in isolation. But knowing those hot temps (and to a degree those loud fans) are slowly killing my laptop, and likely very quickly killing my battery, much faster than you'd imagine, yeh, it suddenly becomes a bigger priority.
For me, I've never found a laptop as good as the older thinkpads at handling temps.
The baseline, preassembled model starts at $1000. Windows 10 Home, quad-core i5, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB storage, a nice 2256x1504 display, thin and light (1.3kg, 11.7" x 9" x 0.6"). Compare that to your other thin and light options at this pricepoint. XPS 13, $1020 * i5 * 8 GB RAM * 256 GB storage * 1920 x 1200 display * 1.2 kg, 11.6" x 7.8" x 0.6" MacBook Pro: $1300 * M1 * 8 GB RAM * 256 GB storage * 2560 x 1600 display *…
I agree, it’s a no-brainer. Better display, much better performance, twice as longer battery life… not a bad deal.
I've been using Linux Mint on Lenovo since 2011. I've never had a problem installing. The biggest ongoing issue is the Nvidia driver will crap out on some upgrades. Sometimes I can't display on external monitor, sometimes the sound won't go out the HDMI. Hint on all day laptop use:
1. External keyboard. I always use one even when travelling. There are many models like the JellyComb that will allow one to use the same keyboard with multiple laptops, just hit a button.
2. External mouse. If your hands aren't on the laptop then everything stays fresh on the laptop. Spill coffee on your cheap external keyboard or mouse? no problem just replace them.
3. I buy the 5 year onsite warranty for the $500 and it is great here in Maine. The come to the Starbucks and replace the keyboard or screen.
4. I use LVM snapshots and rsync my important files to a second disk and external disk daily/weekly.
So I just wanted to pushback on the notion that Lenovo today is not viable with Linux Mint. I've never had a problem with the installer. I keep up with the upgrades and with major upgrades I install from Live ISO on USB each time and restore my important files from backup.
Maybe I need some convincing here. How is the "modular port" concept any different than a universal port with dongles (i.e., how Macs have been since 2016). To me the fact that the port attachments are recessed is little more than a gimmick. Especially as all of my devices have transitioned to USB-C anyway, dongles/"modular ports" feel more like a stopgap measure than one requiring a permanent form factor change.
I find it hilarious that we spend multiple thousands of dollars on sleek, elegant hardware and then hook up chunky plastic dongles to overcome their bad hardware interfaces. So I love the idea of these ports (agreed, they're basically "recessed dongles"). I couldn't lose them / forget them. They wouldn't take up space in my bag while I'm traveling. I could "set and forget" them to perfectly match whatever desktop / d…
Well, not everyone wants to carry a brick. Sure, Thinkpads are great because they have each port ever invented, but I still prefer a thin laptop (if you have USB-A or Ethernet ports you can't have a thin laptop) with the option of using a dongle once a month if I need it.
Putting upgradeability aside, Macs typically have longer usable lifespans as evinced by their relatively high resale value. Anecdotally, it's common to find 5-7 year old MacBooks being used by their original owners (I'm typing on one right now), and Apple will offer around ⅓ of the original value on a 5 year old machine as a no hassle trade-in because their refurb partners are able to sell them (you can usually get m…
Macs can have a very long usable lifespan - if they don't require a repair. Then even young machines are quickly totaled as soon as they are out of warranty. I wonder how many macbooks ended up in landfill because of broken keyboards which where too expensive to repair (like 600$ ?), though keyboards shouldn't just break and not cost more than 100$ to exchange... My 6 year old iMac has a fan which sounds horrible, wo…
Though apple don't encourage DIY battery replacement it's not that hard. On my old 2013 air it's really easy apart from sourcing a decent battery, and on the new M1 air it seems quite doable if you don't mind glue. https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/675334/Is+it+possible+to...
Macs can have a very long usable lifespan - if they don't require a repair. Then even young machines are quickly totaled as soon as they are out of warranty. I wonder how many macbooks ended up in landfill because of broken keyboards which where too expensive to repair (like 600$ ?), though keyboards shouldn't just break and not cost more than 100$ to exchange... My 6 year old iMac has a fan which sounds horrible, wo…
Though apple don't encourage DIY battery replacement it's not that hard. On my old 2013 air it's really easy apart from sourcing a decent battery, and on the new M1 air it seems quite doable if you don't mind glue. https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/675334/Is+it+possible+to...
Yes, it is possible, a colleague of mine replaced the battery of a 2012 MB Pro. It is possible, but not easy and involved chemicals which should not be handled by anyone without basic lab experience. Things have become somewhat better but still the question is: why isn't it easy and why doesn't Apple offer battery exchange for a longer time?
If they really care about the environment, they should at least offer to fix your old MB at a reasonable price.
(At their typical battery replacement prices, there should be a healthy margin anyway).
No one wants all the different ports though, they usually just want the correct ports. If you're plugging more than 4 things into your laptop at once you should be using a dock.
I don't want all the different ports at once, but I definitely use more than 4 in total. My current laptop the following (and I'd love to have more): - 2 USB-C (1 of which is used for charging, I'll probably have reason to use the other at some point with increasing USB-C adoption) - 2 USB-A (1 for a wireless mouse, 1 frequently used for flash drives and whatnot) - SD (used occasionally - cameras and with an adapter…
If you don't want all the ports at once, then it sounds like modular ports is perfect? You can just attach whichever combination you need on any given day / moment. Or am I missing something?