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Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

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Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#651

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not going to test this, but I seriously doubt it. My 13" MacBook is very light, and I can even lift it half way with the USB-C cable. Pretty certain it would fly to the floor if my feet swept the cable that way. Of course, I don't have it set up so that can happen.

Good point about the MacBook - they're much lighter than my MacBook Pro. I'm surprised you can actually pick it up by the cable, however! The fit of the power cable in the USB-C ports on my (2017) 13" Pro is very loose - in fact, sometimes the power cable slips out on it's own with even a small movement. Maybe this has changed in the 13" MacBook?

I can't fully lift it off the table, but it gets pretty close.

The fit of my TOTU dongle cable is pretty tight, I guess, now that I think about it.

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#653

I see many people complain about Apple products recently, but very few actually moving away to alternatives. It seems many are caught in the comfort zone of that walled garden, not to say locked in. This is why I started avoiding Apple products many years ago. Watching things evolve "from the outside" now I find it sad and funny at the same time.

It is possible for something to be simultaneously (a) crappy; (b) expensive; and (c) the best option available.

Prior to 2006, I was a hardcore Linux (and then FreeBSD) fan, but I had to use Windows for a lot of work- and school-related tasks. When Mac switched to x86, I felt less nervous about investing in it, knowing I could go back to Windows/Linux if I wanted.

When I switched, what I came to realize was that Apple - and Jobs specifically - was mostly not content to just be the best option available. They thought through the last little details. They added accelerometers to hard drive enclosures to stop the disk if the laptop fell. They made power cables attached by magnets so you wouldn't send your laptop flying if the cord was pulled. They had a philosophy that the computer should Just Work and - for the most part - their execution showed how dedicated they were to that.

Apple is no longer in that league. Hardware failures, design failures, software failures including goto fail and root password vulnerabilities... Apple simply isn't a perfectionist company anymore. Sure, there is a litany of "What about..." comparisons you can make from times Jobs got defensive instead of being a perfectionist, but this is different. It used to be the exception. Now it's the rule.

That's why people are upset. Something that used to be reliably great is now merely better than the rest - a low bar.

For many, there isn't a better option to turn to. If you want a mostly hassle-free Unix experience with wide COTS software support, macOS is your best choice. But it's a lot sloppier than it used to be and that justifiably causes some angst.

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#654
post #553

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's wrong with the large trackpad?

Yeah I dislike the bigger trackpad. There’s nowhere to comfortable rest my hands on it. At work they gave me a 2018 MBP and after 2 weeks of suffering I returned it for a 2015 version.

I prefer to rest my hands on either side of it, simply to prevent ulnar deviation style wrist angle.

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#655
post #17

Once I got used to the new keyboards, I actually far prefer them. Ditto with the TouchBar. Yeah, I'm a heretic I suppose. Keyboard: pleasant clicky-ness and little movement required. Thin AF. TouchBar: customized with BetterTouchTools to be a hybrid of my most often-used shortcuts (expand menu, alfred, fantastical, window management, and 1password on the left, notification center and lock screen on the right) and mus…

I've tried BTT, but the biggest issue is you're trading touch typing for contextual hunt and peck, even worse if you're opening one of those submenus. You can fit 100x the shortcuts in the same real estate with f1~12 + modifier keys, and you don't have to look down from the screen.

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#656

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That portrayal has been making them good money.

Because, believe it or not, many people are happy with Apple's designs. And it's not just sales; Apple generally ranks at the top or near the top in customer satisfaction surveys as well.

Oh I don't need any convincing that many people are happy with Apple's designs. People are happy to carry dongles to compensate for miniscule no. of ports, deal with accidents due to removal of magsafe, getting rid of escape key, bad keyboard (never thought developers would be ok with the last two) etc etc while insisting on continuing to buy fairly expensive Apple products. It pretty much underlines that Apple can basically get away with murder.

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#657

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But the bulblet and bought a used 2013 15” MBP after a year in Lenovo exile. Cost me $600 for a six year old computer, but it feels great.

Man you guys really have Stockholm syndrome.

Could say that just as well for people who willingly put up with Microsoft.

For many of us, Apple is an escape from that hell.

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#658
post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People should really stop complaining about the dongle situation. Just about any portable device can be bought with USB-C or wireless. For fixed desk hardware (keyboard, mouse, monitor, ethernet) you should use a TB dock anyway. Yes, if you do presentations you probably need a dongle for the projector, but that has always been a mess anyway (VGA, HDMI, DP, DVI, it's never the same connection as your laptop). Yes, if…

People should really stop defending the dongle situation ... My 4K monitor bought in 2016 doesn't have a USB C input so I need to purchase a $20+ USB-C to HDMI or DP cable if I want to use a monitor? My iPhone SE bought in 2016 uses Lightning so I have to buy a $20+ Lightning to USB C cable to charge that as well? I guess I should throw out all of the other Lightning to USB-not-C cables I've had to purchase over the…

This is not an Apple situation. I own a Lenovo laptop and I also had to invest in ~450 euro in peripherals (TB dock, extra chargers, cables). That's just the reality if you want multiple places (work, home, on the road) to work comfortably with a laptop.

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#659
post #610

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't want a sexy svelte fragile expensive luxury status symbol. I want a rugged capital good that will reliably allow me to work for the next half-decade. Then why are you looking at Apple products at all? You're looking for a ThinkPad or an EliteBook. Fragile expensive luxury status symbols are exactly what Apple makes and always has ever since Jobs. Now they're just more blatant about it.

That's just plain nonsense, and reveals that you've never actually supported 100 or 1000 laptops at once and become familiar with real-life failure rates of PC laptops from 2005-2015 vs. Macs.

If you have good statistics on real-life failure rates between Macs and ThinkPads/EliteBooks that contradict me (hopefully going past 2015, when Mac build quality really went down), by all means share them. I don't work in IT support and never claimed that I did.

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#660
post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most products hit a point where the design space has been explored and there are only a few reasonable options. Outside of the recent touchbar and keyboard missteps apple picked up on the notion that people want laptops that are thin, and light with low bezel screens and big touchpads, a battery that works for the whole day and performance sufficient for huge numbers of tabs. They've run with that design philosophy f…

> I've been looking for a Linux laptop with similar specs to an mbp but it simply doesn't exist. I don't believe you've been thorough enough in your search. Great Linux laptops are often deceivingly marketed as Windows laptops, and you should expect the pricing to be similar to the MacBook.

The two closest options I've seen are the razer 13 and xps 13 but both aren't quite as thin or light as the mbp, or they have smaller trackpads etc.

Did you have something in mind?

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