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Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

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Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#61

Post by Octabrain »

I needed a new laptop and due to that, I've recently spent quite a lot of time browsing reddit, various forums and this sacrosanct place, trying to find information about experiences with laptop's brands and configurations. I ended up purchasing a Lenovo P15v AMD due to its upgradability and internal ports (RAID capability, non-soldered RAM memory) but was very close to get a Mac M1/2 laptop. I ditched the idea in the end because I want a fully functional Linux system on it. I don't like MacOS at all (I have enough having to deal with it on my company assigned computer) but I have to admit that the quality of their devices is beyond anything on the market, also the simplicity of their product lines.

Anyways, if one day Linux reaches the point where it's fully compatible with the M* series I am not gonna have second thoughts on purchasing one, right away.

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#62

Post by iakov »

me551ah wrote: post #18

The thing that annoys me the most about M1 Macbooks is the lack of gaming ability. Even a basic windows laptop can play games like DOTA, Age of empires etc and so did the older macbooks. With M1, almost none of my games work.

It's really annoying given the fact that hardware is more than capable of running some oldies. Hell there is an official WoW build which runs super well, but no other blizz games are ported.

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#63

Post by rozenmd »

Benjamin_Dobell wrote: post #53
chinamn425 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lenovo warranty is fantastic.

Be that as it may, the author is in Australia. All MacBooks have minimum 2 years warranty. Display recently died on my MacBook Pro (M1 Max). Having to talk to a Genius rather than being able to book in the service online or via phone was infuriating. However, aside from that, warranty repair process was a breeze. They confirmed with me that all replacent parts have a minimum of three years warranty from the date of r…

was* in Australia.

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#64

Post by kylec »

I'm all for pushing back on the idea that just because it's "old", that it's useless and needs to be replaced. Lots of old machines are still perfectly good at a lot of stuff, and can be had and upgraded for cheap, which is awesome!

However, there's no way to slice going from a M1 MacBook Air to a ThinkPad T480 as anything but a downgrade. The screen is worse, the CPU is worse, the battery is MUCH worse, it's thicker, heavier, the list goes on. If the author of the post is happier with his new laptop, that's great, but this isn't really a path it makes sense for anyone else go follow him down.

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#66

Post by ihateolives »

kuschku wrote: post #54
ostenning wrote: post #20

I've owned an upgraded T480 since they were released, run archlinux on it. It was a decent computer, but despite having upgraded the battery to the largest possible configuration and using all the tricks in the book to maximize battery life in linux - it sucked. The reality is these Intel processors are just a big inefficient hot mess. I ended up upgrading to the 14" M1 Max, and there is literally no way you can make…

> screen quality > battery life > speakers > trackpad All things you can replace with the T480. Which I've done, and can just recommend. There's much better options than the ones shipped by default, including trackpads rivalling the M1, a screen that beats the M1, and a battery that has 20h+ capacity and can be swapped with a second one to double the capacity in seconds.

> a battery that has 20h+ capacity and can be swapped with a second one to double the capacity in seconds.

And which basically doubles the size and weight of the laptop.

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#67

Post by ge96 »

bogantech wrote: post #44
scandox wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know I've run Arch on Thinkpads forever and I never got one head turn from even one neckbeard. It's one of those dreams that never comes true.

It happens! Whenever I see a Thinkpad I start thinking I should buy one even though I have an M1 MacBook Pro. I'm sure I'm not the only neckbeard lusting after Thinkpads.

I like the Carbons but I also have a Mac/use all three OS's

It's hard for me buy a brand new device though idk... What sucks about used devices is the battery and replacements are usually fake.

Funny M1 has been pretty good (cool) but with rider it was getting warm, open up htop and all cores working.

I'm a fan of the screen the most on Macs.

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#68

Post by KyeRussell »

Dalewyn wrote: post #49
noja wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and getting head turns from neckbeards Where is all this hate coming from? It seems unjustified.

Receiving headturns from neckbeards is a whole lot better than getting headturns from youngsters sipping latte at Starbucks.

Resorting to silly Mac user stereotypes that were barely true when they dropped in 2008 is a good way to tell people you’ve never used a Mac or been to a Starbucks in a decade.

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#69

Post by weego »

rozenmd wrote: post #32
thom wrote: post #17

I too don’t value my time very highly.

Care to elaborate?

Ok here's the thing. I used to build PCs, and I'd tinker with linux distros on laptops. Things would be flakey, need maintenance and upgrading and that was fun.

That's fine when you're laser focused on your career and are in 'career as personality' part of your life, which is essential imo and I'm not sneering at it by making reference to it in that way.

But ultimately, I now need to get to my desk just on time, know my machine will work and not just be an opportunity cost sink, and get what I've scheduled done and then clock off when I need to.

Now, that can happen with custom bits and tinkery bobs, but I'd much rather have the insurance policy of using what I personally have experienced as the most solid and reliable hardware/software combo in the business and not concern myself with the other stuff, even if sometimes it's more fun. I work on a 13" 2013 mbp i7/16g ram and 2021 13" m1 / 16gig ram and have never had a single issue with either that cost me work time. Having to install more stuff to then claim "it just works" isn't just working, it's adding more "oh it now doesn't work for some esoteric reason" to the chain.

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#70

Post by sgsag33 »

I would never buy a Apple laptop.

You don't know what it does as its a closed system. But even heavier for me counts the fact that you can't replace its hdd which will fail after years of usage no matter what. Also you will not receive any security updated after seven years.

Don't give up your freedom just because of laziness!

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