The only thing that can spoil this laptop is if it is getting hot... otherwise on paper and probably in reality is excellent machine.
As a developer, I don't need pro, it is more expensive, heavier, bulkier, hotter.
MacBook Air with M5
431–440 of 531 posts
Re: MacBook Air with M5
#432Earlier quoted context omitted.
What would you do if your non-Apple computer was having performance issues?
I'd say this. I haven't had a Windows desktop computer with serious problems since 2007. I had a long string of Windows laptops that were basically OK from maybe 2013 to 2023 except for problems with USB that got progressively worse over time (for each machine.) I think some of them were were real hardware problems but I think also the USB 3 spec doesn't guarantee that you can plug in very many devices and have it wo…
I had a run of I think 4 laptops that I never paid for. I bought a spendy windows surfacebook back in the day, and opted for the extended warranty. The screen went out about a week before the warranty expired, they couldn't replace the screen, and so refunded me the entire purchase price, plus the cost of the warranty... which then went to the next laptop.
That cycle repeated itself either two or three more times, up to today, and my current laptop is I think going to be the one that finally last long enough that I'll have to actually pay for my next upgrade.
Re: MacBook Air with M5
#433The one thing that interests me most when it comes to laptops these days is weight. So I jumped right into the tech specs section and looked it up. Since this is the "Air" laptop of the company that is popular for thin and lightweight devices, my hopes were high. But ... The 13 inch version is heavier than a ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Which has a 14 inch screen and can run Linux.
I bought a ThinkPad X1. Had to send it back for repairs three times in the first year, including a complete motherboard replacement, and it died again immediately after the warranty expired. Been a $2800 door stop since then. The case is flimsy plastic that gets beat to crap easily. The trackpad is over-sensitive in all the wrong ways which makes it hard to use as an actual laptop. Plus it's weaker and slower than an…
> but no one except Apple makes a laptop worth a damn.
That's pure nonsense. I'm a fan of the Asus ExpertBooks myself which seem to be largely ignored in these discussions. They weigh about 2 pounds, 15mm thick, they don't overheat, about 15 hours of battery, and pretty damn durable.
Re: MacBook Air with M5
#434This is the best laptop for the general consumer around $1k. - it has no annoying fans, it is completely silent - a high res display with no PWM flickering and reasonable response times, no burn-in issues, enough brightness for outdoor use - best-in-class hardware, very very efficient, amazing single thread performance, good multi thread, very good GPU - no Microsoft Windows annoyances, ads, bloatware, broken stuff a…
> no Microsoft Windows annoyances, ads, bloatware, broken stuff all the time MacOS absolutely has annoyances, ads, and broken stuff all the time. When macOS shows an ad, it is sometimes harder to get rid of or disable than the ads built into Windows. For example, the ads to upgrade iCloud to a paid account. I regularly run into bugs in macOS, both visual/cosmetic and functional, some of which have existed for multipl…
Agree. I use both windows and mac daily, and I don't think Mac is much better in terms of annoyances and bugs.
Re: MacBook Air with M5
#435Earlier quoted context omitted.
And if you are comparing against an M1 or M2 you can find numerous PC laptops that will beat that out in performance and still have a quiet/cool/long battery life operation. Yes, the MacBook Air is unique-ish for having no fan at all, but a slow running fan that you can barely hear is going to get you more performance with basically zero added cost or compromise. And for those users who don’t need top performance and…
Wait, my M3 MacBook Air nags me about Apple subscription services? Where? When? And you're right, I can't uninstall Stocks or News, but I if I never open them, does it matter?
Apple Music, iCloud
Re: MacBook Air with M5
#436Earlier quoted context omitted.
> My 32-core HEDT workstation outperforms anything Apple branded Your high end hardware is not their target market / competition until you get into very purposeful tasks. The market segment that exists for Macbook Pro is one where competitors battery life sucks, windows isnt the preferred OS, and high performance on a portable device on battery is beneficial. Its one where they have acceptable performance vs a dedica…
> Your high end hardware is not their target market / competition until you get into very purposeful tasks. Here's the kicker: it cost about the same as the highest end Macbook pro before the RAM madness. > The market segment that exists one where battery life sucks, windows isnt the preferred OS, and some high performance on a portable device on battery is beneficial. I agree the market exists, but think it's much s…
Thinking no one leaves their house to work is some serious projection dude.
Re: MacBook Air with M5
#437This is the best laptop for the general consumer around $1k. - it has no annoying fans, it is completely silent - a high res display with no PWM flickering and reasonable response times, no burn-in issues, enough brightness for outdoor use - best-in-class hardware, very very efficient, amazing single thread performance, good multi thread, very good GPU - no Microsoft Windows annoyances, ads, bloatware, broken stuff a…
"it has no annoying fans" I beg to differ ;)
Shots fired!
Re: MacBook Air with M5
#438Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not true. Mac OS does not nag you about subscription services. What are you talking about? Windows is offensive, insufferable trash. From its CONTINUAL hounding about "your Microsoft account" to its bug-riddled, regressive, and shambolic UI. Things Windows users took for granted 40 years ago are simply gone. Example: Select three PNGs in Explorer and right-click on them, and look for "Open with..."
Literally the moment you buy a Mac. Apple hardware comes with 3 month trials of various subscriptions, and you get a notification about it. They try to get you to sign up in hopes you’ll forget to cancel. When I bought my iPhone 17 the sales associate even tried to pitch signing up for the trial in person as he guided me through the purchase process. When you cancel the trial it ends it immediately instead of ending…
[deleted]
Re: MacBook Air with M5
#439Earlier quoted context omitted.
studio with m5 ultra this week might have me pulling the trigger.
You think they will skip M4 ultra? May be they slowly plan to launch ultra chips alternate years since the development costs are high and demand is niche. If they do a 1TB m5 ultra, I too would be configuring one for sure.
I hope so! I already have the M4 mini pro - would like to bump up the prompt processing time and the memory bandwidth at the same time with the new M5 matmul changes.
Re: MacBook Air with M5
#440Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Your high end hardware is not their target market / competition until you get into very purposeful tasks. Here's the kicker: it cost about the same as the highest end Macbook pro before the RAM madness. > The market segment that exists one where battery life sucks, windows isnt the preferred OS, and some high performance on a portable device on battery is beneficial. I agree the market exists, but think it's much s…
Thinking no one leaves their house to work is some serious projection dude.
> Thinking no one leaves their house to work is some serious projection dude
>> I don't get why prosumers would marry themselves 24/7 to a single portable device...
I quite clearly was talking about personal devices; are you in the habit of buying computers for your employers? Or perhaps you carry your personal laptop to work. I do neither, excuse my projection if you do either of those things.
Edit: are you kad that I have a remote job? Your tone is really salty for some reason.