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StarBook 14-inch

starlabs.systems

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Re: StarBook 14-inch

#81

Post by Klonoar »

goosedragons wrote: post #78
carlycue wrote: post #77

Apple Silicon MacBooks instantly made high end Windows laptops become paperweight. Why buy $1000+ Windows laptops with loud fans and much worse battery life, build quality and trackpad? Desktop PC's are a different story.

You don't have to run macOS. There's full support for Windows and Linux and x86 applications. This is also upgradable. Run out of storage? You can replace the drive! Add more RAM! Choice is good.

Asahi's making decent enough progress that, eventually, you may not need to run macOS to enjoy macOS hardware.

Why would I pay ~$930 for this, instead of buying an M1 Air? The comment you're responding to hit the nail on the head - once you've gone fan-less and sleek, it's really hard to go back.

Few vendors, if any, hit the quality feel of Apple's products.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#82

Post by kelnos »

3np wrote: post #35
CaptainMarvel wrote: post #14

This is like the Framework laptop but it's a UK-based company that has been around for years, and with an explicit focus on Linux compatibility to boot. I'm surprised I haven't come across them before as I've been looking for Linux-compatible laptops for years. They do some things better than Framework such as supporting Ryzen processors, and seem a bit cheaper overall. The battery life seems like it would be better.…

> The biggest disadvantage seems to be that the screen is bog-standard 16:9. Bigger than that IMO is 14" @ 1080p. It's just too little for daily use for me. Framework are so far the only ones in this market segment who have ever marketed >1080p laptop displays AFAIK. I have a hard time understanding why there is such a lack of higher-res panel options across the market, even when seemingly all other relevant specs ar…

> Framework are so far the only ones in this market segment who have ever marketed >1080p laptop displays AFAIK.

Dell has sold their Linux-ready "developer edition" XPS 13 with a UHD+ screen for quite a few years now. (They max out at 16GB of RAM, though, unfortunately.)

Dell isn't quite as "open" as something like Framework or System76 (or Star Labs), but they at least sell their Developer Edition laptop with Ubuntu preinstalled, at your option, and claim the hardware is supported properly in Linux.

(I say "claim", because I have the 2018 model, with a fingerprint scanner with no Linux driver.)

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#83

Post by Animats »

Pricing looks OK.

1 year warranty? The EU requires 2 years, and they're based in the UK. But the UK dropped out of the EU, and that lost consumers EU rights.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#84

Post by kelnos »

kajaktum wrote: post #62

Damn, I wished I had bought the mini-PC from them instead! I really don't understand the appeal of laptops, it only makes sense for the people that is really on the move like university students or blogger. Even then, they only need cheap laptop for browsing (cue memory hod jokes). That or you prefer to do your work at public spaces like libraries or cafes. What's the point of spending huge sums of money on a laptop…

I haven't regularly sat at a desk using a computer in years. My most common locations are on the couch or in bed. Anything but a laptop would be incredibly awkward.

And yes, I do more than just web browsing. Mid-range gaming (no, I can't play the latest graphics-heavy titles on this kind of hardware, but I don't mind), development, etc.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#85

Post by goosedragons »

Klonoar wrote: post #81
goosedragons wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't have to run macOS. There's full support for Windows and Linux and x86 applications. This is also upgradable. Run out of storage? You can replace the drive! Add more RAM! Choice is good.

Asahi's making decent enough progress that, eventually, you may not need to run macOS to enjoy macOS hardware. Why would I pay ~$930 for this, instead of buying an M1 Air? The comment you're responding to hit the nail on the head - once you've gone fan-less and sleek, it's really hard to go back. Few vendors, if any, hit the quality feel of Apple's products.

32GB of RAM? Good Linux support today? Don't have to pay $400 for 1TB storage?

Kinda a bad move to buy something that may or may not down the line do what you need to do today. I need features like USB 3 and DP USB output today not 6 months or 2 years from now if it even happens.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#86

Post by kelnos »

p1mrx wrote: post #48

Do I understand correctly that this is capable of charging over USB-C, and includes a USB-C power supply, but the default charging cable is USB-C -> DC barrel jack? So you can charge over USB-C, but only if you buy a C-to-C cable and tie up the single USB-C port.

I think it's good that they have the barrel-jack option for people who want to use the USB-C port for something other than charging, but I would just prefer they ditch two of (or even all three) USB-A ports and have 3 or 4 USB-C ports instead.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#87

Post by kelnos »

kragen wrote: post #72
X-Istence wrote: post #64

Why only a single USB-C port? Almost everything I buy these days has only USB-C ports/cables/charging. It's gotten to the point now that I am increasingly frustrated with the fact that there are no good USB-C capable hubs that take a USB-C USB 4 and turn it into an 8 port USB-C hub. With a mix of 10 Gbps/5 Gbps/480 Mbps speeds. I can get plenty of USB-C to USB-A hubs, but that is not what I want.

On the plus side it does have three USB A ports, and it has a barrel charging port instead of one of those shitty USB-C ports for power. And you can plug USB-C-charging things into a USB A port with just an adaptor cable.

It's funny; my reaction is the opposite. Yes, I think the barrel charging port is good to have, but only because there is just a single USB-C port. I don't want a barrel port! I have USB-C chargers littered around my house already! And that's how I like it!

And I definitely don't want my default to have to be using adapters for my USB-C devices, so they can be plugged into the USB-A ports.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#88

Post by abdulmuhaimin »

kajaktum wrote: post #62

Damn, I wished I had bought the mini-PC from them instead! I really don't understand the appeal of laptops, it only makes sense for the people that is really on the move like university students or blogger. Even then, they only need cheap laptop for browsing (cue memory hod jokes). That or you prefer to do your work at public spaces like libraries or cafes. What's the point of spending huge sums of money on a laptop…

space - you have to have at least 1 dedicated desk for your desktop.

mobility - You can do your work in places other you workplaces/home. Change of scenery/environment is trivial. even inside your own house, you can work from your own bedroom, kitchen, lounge, garden, wherever you want.

Your last point is baffling, really. Just treat it like any PC. If you dont want to use the screen/keyboard/trackpad just connect what you want to the laptop.

Actually I dont see the point of mini PC. Theyre just desktop that you can lug without monitor and any input devices. What's the point of spending huge sums of money on a mini PC that performs 1/2.9 compared to its PC equivalent?

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#89

Post by tomrod »

burnt_toast wrote: post #66
tomrod wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Likewise, 2021 Dell XPS 15. Had to retire it very early -- trackpad issues, then frame deformation caused by moving the laptop would cause the RAM or the CPU to crash. Framework working great now.

> 2021 Dell XPS 15. Had to retire it very early -- trackpad issues Me over here with a 2021 XPS 15 using a mouse 24/7 because the touchpad lags hard on linux but refuses to admit I got burnt lol. I'd be over the moon if framework released a 15" model.

Not going to lie, I was worried about the lack of a 15" model. But, working great for me even so.

I just couldn't be productive with the laptop, ya know? You gotta be able to move!

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#90

Post by zucker42 »

carlycue wrote: post #77

Apple Silicon MacBooks instantly made high end Windows laptops become paperweight. Why buy $1000+ Windows laptops with loud fans and much worse battery life, build quality and trackpad? Desktop PC's are a different story.

First, the article is about a Linux laptop, not a Windows laptop, and the reference to Apple Silicon is a bit of non-sequitur anyways. so I feel like your comment lacks relevance to the OP.

Secondly, the reasons one would want to choose a Linux/Windows laptop over an Apple Silicon are so obvious I'm sure you know them already. Many people use software that runs best (or only runs) on Windows or Linux or any x86 computer. Also, Apple's default software is undesirable to some people for a plethora of reasons that have been repeated ad nauseam on HN. And the raw performance of Intel/AMD processors better than that of equally priced Apple alternatives, with comparable performance at iso-power (see e.g. [1] or numbers from [2][3]).

Apple Silicon's success has been very impressive, and Apple laptops are well built, but they hardly makes its competitors obsolete as Apple's greatest proponents seem to want people to believe. The fact of the matter is that an Apple silicon laptop is useless to someone who does not want to commit to the Apple ecosystem.

[1] https://youtu.be/X0bsjUMz3EM

[2] https://www.notebookcheck.net/These-Apple-M1-Cinebench-R23-s...

[3] https://youtu.be/edpdmbmYOj0?t=429

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