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Apple Engineers Its Own Downfall with the Macbook Pro Keyboard

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Re: Apple Engineers Its Own Downfall with the Macbook Pro Keyboard

#271

Post by namibj »

resonious wrote: post #139
mushufasa wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

System 76 (the small linux-only hardware manufacturer) just refreshed their Oryx Pro last month, which looks pretty capable and looks from afar to be really good build quality. https://system76.com/laptops/oryx I haven't found many/any reviews of it since the refresh -- does anyone on HN have one who can attest?

I have a new Oryx Pro. I'm not an expert on laptop build quality but to me the Oryx Pro looks and feels great. It is in fact a Clevo P955ER, which I know I could get for cheaper, but personally I want to support System 76's selling and supporting Linux laptops. I'd actually be interested to see if a straight-up Clevo P955ER with Pop!_OS installed is any more or less stable than an Oryx Pro. Anyways here are my though…

No _need_ to reboot. Restarting the Xorg/Wayland server, maybe. You might be able to fool it into thinking you just hot-plugged the GPU, at least as far as the screen layout is concerned.

Remember: the only reason you need to reboot linux is to get a new kernel, or because the kernel FUBAR'd and corrupted data.

Re: Apple Engineers Its Own Downfall with the Macbook Pro Keyboard

#272

Post by BinaryIdiot »

stefanfisk wrote: post #214
Arn_Thor wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who'd been in the Mac ecosystem and paid the price in time and expense of leaving for a PC a few years back, I'm starting to lean back toward the Mac side. The amount of fiddling and headaches I'm dealing with on Windows is just a huge waste of time. Had to reinstall all my programs after a recent Windows update ruined the OS.

this is what's keeping me from switching. every time I try spending a day on Windows I remember just how much macOS "just works", even if it has warts all over the place.

See, I've always used both and I just don't understand this whole "I have to spend a day on Windows making X work". I haven't experienced this in at least a decade. Windows 10 "just works" with every device and software I've thrown at it.

Re: Apple Engineers Its Own Downfall with the Macbook Pro Keyboard

#273

Post by namibj »

tdumitrescu wrote: post #205
mushufasa wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

System 76 (the small linux-only hardware manufacturer) just refreshed their Oryx Pro last month, which looks pretty capable and looks from afar to be really good build quality. https://system76.com/laptops/oryx I haven't found many/any reviews of it since the refresh -- does anyone on HN have one who can attest?

I have a System 76 laptop from a few years back (not Oryx Pro), and while it's still my main home comouter, it's definitely a lot flimsier and heavier than any macbook. Battery life was never great, and by now it's shot far enough that I only use it while plugged in. That being said, it's remained a reliable system and I wouldn't mind upgrading to a newer model.

Consider asking for a new Battery next gift-giving holiday (Christmas?). If it's not that much, it's likely worth it unless it'd be of no use.

Re: Apple Engineers Its Own Downfall with the Macbook Pro Keyboard

#274

Post by SyneRyder »

thirdsun wrote: post #230
dingo_bat wrote: post #121

> In the meantime, let’s give some other companies a shot. Dell and HP have gorgeous, reliable, repairable flagship laptops that are getting rave reviews. Right now, I think they’ve done more to earn your business than Apple has. The laptop mentioned in the "rave review" link is an elitebook 840 g5. I have been using the 840 g1 as my primary laptop for the last 4 years and it really is a sturdy device. The hardware i…

I'd have absolutely no problem using PC hardware. I'd love to be able to pick my components and build a better desktop for half of the price - in fact I already have such a machine for gaming purposes. However unless I can put macOS on it that hardware is useless to me. As a web developer I want a unix environment and I'm not sure if Windows' subsystem for Linux is going to cut it. However I also use a lot of audio s…

I agree that Linux doesn't it cut it for audio, but that situation seems to be improving - I was surprised to see Bitwig, Renoise & Pianoteq all have Linux versions, and the JUCE SDK that many VST plugins use also supports Linux.

And with macOS deprecating OpenGL, which many VST plugins currently rely on for their interface, I'm concerned about the future of music on the Mac & how long I'll be able to use those older VSTs.

Re: Apple Engineers Its Own Downfall with the Macbook Pro Keyboard

#275

Post by willtim »

_hardwaregeek wrote: post #103
manigandham wrote: post #79

Apple biggest UX failures always stem from putting form before function. There is a lower limit to thinness/lightness before consumers just don't care, and it was passed long ago. There was great progress made with the unibody Macbook Pros and the Macbook Airs but these latest models are so thin that it's actually annoying and leads to issues like poor battery life, lack of repair-ability, and malfunctioning keyboard…

On one hand I'm inclined to agree with you. Thin is not always better. On the other hand I'm holding my 3 pound Macbook Pro comfortably and easily. It's light enough that I don't have to think about slipping it into my day bag (something I did think about with the previous iteration) and thin enough to easily grip with one hand and walk around. When I was traveling, there wasn't even a question about whether I would…

Weight is not the same as thinness. The X1 Carbon is substantially lighter than the MacBook Pro, but with a much better keyboard and much more repairable.

Re: Apple Engineers Its Own Downfall with the Macbook Pro Keyboard

#276

Post by analogmemory »

tedmiston wrote: post #213
deathanatos wrote: post #170

> [Apple quietly announced][1] that they were extending the warranty on their flagship laptop’s keyboard by four years. No, they didn't. If you read the very source the article cites for this, you find, > The program covers eligible MacBook and MacBook Pro models for 4 years after the first retail sale of the unit. The original warranty was 1 year[2]; this is a three year extension. "Extending by 4 years" is just too…

FWIW AppleCare for this price of machine has been the same duration and roughly the same price since forever, even before MBPs. What they have quietly changed is now you can only buy it in the first 60 days instead of the first year which was a big surprise to me buying a new MBP. It had been the first year for a very, very long time — since inception IIRC. Of course I learned of this change after I'd already had my…

Oh damn, I've waited too long now

Re: Apple Engineers Its Own Downfall with the Macbook Pro Keyboard

#277

Post by tfolbrecht »

yonkshi wrote: post #264
dleslie wrote: post #252

I like machines that are built to take a beating. My penultimate laptop was an HP Mini 101; I only replaced it on a whim, and still use it from time to time. The keys have been worn to be smooth, concave and most are missing the printed text. When I last opened it up to add an SSD a suprising amount of sand came pouring out; having been taken to many beaches, tossed in bags, and generally used outdoors it had accumul…

How’s the Linux battery management for laptops? This and driver compatibility are usually my biggest concern. I remember 2/3 windows laptops I used were having trouble sleeping/waking up when lids were shut

Stock Debian Stretch on my Lenovo works very well. Battery time estimation is dead on, suspend is very low power (days). You can set the lid shut behavior through the gnome admin tools.

Check it out!

Re: Apple Engineers Its Own Downfall with the Macbook Pro Keyboard

#278

Post by fyfy18 »

yonkshi wrote: post #264
dleslie wrote: post #252

I like machines that are built to take a beating. My penultimate laptop was an HP Mini 101; I only replaced it on a whim, and still use it from time to time. The keys have been worn to be smooth, concave and most are missing the printed text. When I last opened it up to add an SSD a suprising amount of sand came pouring out; having been taken to many beaches, tossed in bags, and generally used outdoors it had accumul…

How’s the Linux battery management for laptops? This and driver compatibility are usually my biggest concern. I remember 2/3 windows laptops I used were having trouble sleeping/waking up when lids were shut

No issues on my X250, everything worked out of the box with Fedora.

Battery life under Linux compared to Windows 10 seems slightly better - I guess it’s because I’m using MATE, so it’s a less resource hungry DE.

Re: Apple Engineers Its Own Downfall with the Macbook Pro Keyboard

#279

Post by papaf »

yonkshi wrote: post #264
dleslie wrote: post #252

I like machines that are built to take a beating. My penultimate laptop was an HP Mini 101; I only replaced it on a whim, and still use it from time to time. The keys have been worn to be smooth, concave and most are missing the printed text. When I last opened it up to add an SSD a suprising amount of sand came pouring out; having been taken to many beaches, tossed in bags, and generally used outdoors it had accumul…

How’s the Linux battery management for laptops? This and driver compatibility are usually my biggest concern. I remember 2/3 windows laptops I used were having trouble sleeping/waking up when lids were shut

I switched from Windows to Linux on my work Dell and battery life is the same.

I go to standby on lid closed and shutdown at the end of the day. Bootup to login takes 20 seconds so I don't bother with hibernate.

Re: Apple Engineers Its Own Downfall with the Macbook Pro Keyboard

#280

Post by workinthehead »

manigandham wrote: post #111
_hardwaregeek wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On one hand I'm inclined to agree with you. Thin is not always better. On the other hand I'm holding my 3 pound Macbook Pro comfortably and easily. It's light enough that I don't have to think about slipping it into my day bag (something I did think about with the previous iteration) and thin enough to easily grip with one hand and walk around. When I was traveling, there wasn't even a question about whether I would…

You wouldn't notice if it was 5lbs either, the human body is much more capable than that unless we're talking about small children. People routinely carry much bigger and heavier things. Perhaps if it was still a netbook/macbook air product then it would make sense, but we also have iphones and ipads now which actually seem to be getting bigger so there's no reason why the most mobile powerful computing device must b…

Incorrect. Having owned both the previous, 5-pound version and the current, 3-pound version, the difference is night and day.
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