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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

#281

Post by magic_hamster »

taylodl wrote: post #277

It's been 11 years since Apple first released non-upgradeable laptops. Can we get over it already? If you want a laptop that you can upgrade then don't buy an Apple. If you don't like Apple's ecosystem then don't buy an Apple. This has been the advice for over 10 years now. There's nothing new here.

Obviously anyone will get the computer they want, well at least when you can. Sometimes you get stuck with a choice someone else made, like a company device. However, it is still useful to voice and especially to listen to criticism. Apple should be thankful that a lot of people are voicing their opinions. Getting this kind of feedback is priceless if they want to appeal to more people and grow their user base.

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#282

Post by nullwarp »

Reason077 wrote: post #203
goosedragons wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes? You don't need to move from the keyboard at all, you get physical buttons too. Your wrist is never misinterpreted as a mouse movement either. It's just better unless your workflow heavily involves the use of 3+ finger gestures. Which I don't personally care about but seems like a necessity to not go insane on macOS.

> "Your wrist is never misinterpreted as a mouse movement either." This just doesn't happen on Mac trackpads: they have pretty sophisticated and effective palm rejection.

As someone with slightly larger than average hands - Yes it does, it happens all the time on both of mine.

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#283

Post by ghostpepper »

qball wrote: post #205
mort96 wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is the trackpoint really that important when you have a trackpad which doesn't suck with associated drivers and software which doesn't suck? I've never been using a Mac trackpad and felt the need for something trackpoint-like. I understand the desire for a trackpoint on laptops with non-Apple trackpads though.

>Is the trackpoint really that important Yes. The arguments for it are the exact same ones Vim evangelists make (ergonomics, speed), but having the TrackPoint there applies those advantages to every other program on the system as opposed to just the one.

I’ve had thinkpads for years, first a T420 and now an X1C (and I use vim a lot) and I can’t seem to integrate the track point into my workflow.

Either it’s too fast and it overshoots, or it’s too slow and it distracts from what you’re trying to actually do.

How long did it take you to become proficient with it to the point you prefer it over a mouse / trackpad?

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#284

Post by taylodl »

magic_hamster wrote: post #281
taylodl wrote: post #277

It's been 11 years since Apple first released non-upgradeable laptops. Can we get over it already? If you want a laptop that you can upgrade then don't buy an Apple. If you don't like Apple's ecosystem then don't buy an Apple. This has been the advice for over 10 years now. There's nothing new here.

Obviously anyone will get the computer they want, well at least when you can. Sometimes you get stuck with a choice someone else made, like a company device. However, it is still useful to voice and especially to listen to criticism. Apple should be thankful that a lot of people are voicing their opinions. Getting this kind of feedback is priceless if they want to appeal to more people and grow their user base.

It's the same feedback Apple has been getting for 11 years now. There's nothing new here. I think Apple is well-aware that there are people who prefer an upgradeable laptop and not having to participate in the Apple ecosystem. I suspect Apple has data showing even more people prefer having a more reliable laptop (upgradeability tends to decrease reliability) and the perceived benefits of the Apple ecosystem - otherwise why would they have continued on this path for 11 years now whilst having very vocal critics of this approach the whole time?

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#285

Post by taylodl »

javaunsafe2019 wrote: post #279
taylodl wrote: post #277

It's been 11 years since Apple first released non-upgradeable laptops. Can we get over it already? If you want a laptop that you can upgrade then don't buy an Apple. If you don't like Apple's ecosystem then don't buy an Apple. This has been the advice for over 10 years now. There's nothing new here.

But as it’s bad for the environment it’s even more important in 2023 to keep complaining about it.

But as it’s bad for the environment

Is it? Thanks to the increased reliability that non-upgradeability confers I'm still using my 2012 MacBook Pro as my daily driver. I suspect there's a lot of minutia to tease out to verify whether this claim is actually true in the global case.

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#286

Post by selectodude »

kuschku wrote: post #255
ihateolives wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> c) want to be unable to charge other devices from your laptop. You just charge them with battery pack.

The whole point of a laptop is that I can use it on my lap, on public transit. That's not possible with your recommendation.

Having a cable go from my laptop to a battery in my bag isn't the biggest issue, even on my lap, but maybe things are different for your use case. Granted, since my laptop lasts >12 hours, I never really worry about battery life too much anymore anyway.

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#287

Post by briffle »

chinamn425 wrote: post #11
junipertea wrote: post #8

I love thinkpads but the T480 is basically objectively worse in every single aspect except price and repairability. I don’t think I can go back from all day battery and quiet CPU during high loads. I could definitely use my T450 for however long I need and know I can replace parts, but I’d rather have macs for 5 years and upgrade for another performance bump. Some things are just nicer

Lenovo warranty is fantastic.

Their everything is covered enterprise warranty does not cover roadside bombs in war zones :) That was an interesting call with some of our auditors in Bagdad... Thank goodness for online backup software.

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#288

Post by nafizh »

I bought a framework laptop 1 year ago, and trust me when I say I tried everything out there to improve the battery life on Ubuntu. It was still so bad I was always worried about the battery draining out, not to mention, just closing the lid doesn't work. Eventually switched to an m2 mac air. I barely have to think about the battery now, so I can focus on the actual work, and when work finishes I just close the lid.

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#289

Post by gen220 »

I was a ThinkPad maximalist in my personal computing life for the last 5ish years.

This year, I needed to interview for jobs without having access to a "work" laptop for the task (i.e. an overspecced MacBook Pro).

Faced with the prospects of subjecting my ThinkPad/vim machine to video calls, I more or less immediately decided to fork over the money for an M2 MacBook Air.

Unfortunately for my identity as a person invested in my principles, it's been a delightful experience. I'm glad that I have my ThinkPad (and its stack of batteries) in the closet – it'll always be there, and work exactly as I want it to. But I can already tell I'm going to drive this MacBook into the ground over the next 10 years.

I know that I won't be able to repair it when it (eventually) degrades, but the diff of convenience in day to day ops pays for that inconvenience, in my experience. YMMV.

Re: Replacing my MacBook Air M1 with a ThinkPad T480

#290

Post by notjulianjaynes »

Anyone with a T480 or similar gen Thinkpad should make sure the thunderbolt drivers are up to date, there was a firmware bug that caused the USB-C chip to be overwritten everytime a new device was plugged in, causing premature failure. The thunderbolt/c port is part of motherboard and not replaceable by itself.

I own a T480 and only one of the C ports is usable even to charge due to this.

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