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0 pointspclowes9mo ago0 comments

I just don't see the value add anymore and the company appears to have lost its product vision and the design sensibilities are slipping. Apple is controlled by a geriatric board and a logistics expert and it shows.

I feel I am more frequently encountering software bugs, vaporware,(dESiGnEd fOr ApPle InTelLiGeNce), and ridiculous "innovation" (genmoji). I feel the hardware advances are not very relevant to me, I don't need VR or augmented reality. I want a computer to get out of my way and solve problems for me so I can spend time in plain old reality. The hardware upgrades I DO care about are ridiculously overpriced (Ram upgrades are abusively expensive).

While I prefer my computer to be a tool to get a job done and don't want the computer itself to be a hobby. I also do not want to be forced to use AI. I also dislike the rent seeking and toolbooth behavior of iMessage and the App store. Now that linux has more paved paths, things increasingly "just work" and hardware has basically caught up I don't see a good reason to support Apple's non-vision with my money.

0 comments

scarface_749mo ago

What Linux computer can you buy with the battery life, quietness, lack of heat and speed of a modern ARM based Mac?

As far as phones - your alternative is to buy an Android phone with an operating system by an ad company that is also pushing AI just as hard.

And you still end up getting most apps from the Google Play Store.

By the way, iMessage supports SMS/MMS/RCS for interoperability. What else do you want?

microtonal9mo ago

What Linux computer can you buy with the battery life, quietness, lack of heat and speed of a modern ARM based Mac?

Battery life, probably none. For the rest it's pretty ok now - I recently got a ThinkPad T14. Performance-wise it's in M1/M2 territory and yes the fans can spin up, but they are not very loud.

I have used MacBooks since 2007, but I have started using the ThinkPad more and more. Why?

I put in 64GiB RAM and a 2TB SSD and it cost me almost nothing. The laptop plus these expansions was 1400 or 1500 Euro, a MacBook with 64GiB RAM and 2TB SSD would cost me 5000 Euro. When the battery has had its time, I can replace it by removing a few screws. I added a PCI cellular modem. The expandability and maintanability is just great.

Even though the GPU in my MacBook Pro (M3 Pro) blows away the ThinkPad's GPU on paper, the ThinkPad with Wayland actually renders everything super-smoothly on my 120Hz 4K screen, while on the MacBook the difference between 60Hz and 120Hz is barely noticeable. On the ThinkPad I can run NixOS, which is generally much nicer than macOS.

The primary thing that my MacBook has over my ThinkPad are battery life and a bunch of really good Mac applications like the Affinity Suite. But since more and more applications are switching to Electron, it has become less of a problem. Heck, I even have 1Password with fingerprint unlock, etc. like if it was a MacBook.

As far as phones - your alternative is to buy an Android phone with an operating system by an ad company that is also pushing AI just as hard.

Or I don't know, you buy a Pixel, install GrapheneOS, and you have better privacy than on an iPhone? And no F1 movie ads too.

scarface_749mo ago

And no mainstream apps…

1 more reply

pclowesOP9mo ago

I think there are a lot of offerings out there now. Maybe not to the minute with respect to battery life but Apples chip advantage is steadily evaporating. I typically don't need more than 8 hours of battery personally.

Have heard good things about framework computers. As a more efficient chip or battery comes out you just upgrade that component if your use case requires it.

scarface_749mo ago

It’s never been “just the chip” for major architectural changes even within x86. It’s replacing the entire motherboard and surrounding components.

What offerings are out there for speed/no fan (quiet)/and lack of heat with battery life?

1 more reply

prmoustache9mo ago

Most people don't really need more than 2 hours of battery life anyway[1] as their laptops barely ever leave the house. >8H of battery is nice to have but it is really an important parameter for a specific population while for others it is just convenience. I wouldn't trade an OS/desktop I don't like over my linux setup just because it last longer when I never need more than a couple of hours on battery[3].

[1] which means you need a 4 to 6h range when new if you don't plan to replace the battery too often

[2] students, construction companies, people who are always on the road...

2 more replies

ndiddy9mo ago

I have an Asus Vivobook S14 laptop with an Intel Core Ultra 258v processor. In Linux, it gets 12-15 hours of real usage (i.e. not manufacturer "playing videos off local storage with wifi off and the screen all the way down" battery life numbers). If I'm doing something like web browsing or streaming videos, the laptop doesn't get hot and the fan doesn't turn on. I've only had the fan turn on when I'm doing something intensive like compiling GCC or video encoding. It feels just as fast as my ARM Macbook Air.

xet79mo ago

> What Linux computer can you buy with the battery life, quietness, lack of heat and speed of a modern ARM based Mac?

M1 Air or M2 Air, running Asahi Linux. I am posting this using my M1 Air, running Fedora Asahi.

> As far as phones - your alternative is to buy an Android phone with an operating system by an ad company that is also pushing AI just as hard.

I use Fairphone 4 with Ubuntu Touch.

scarface_749mo ago

And you lose the battery life advantages by putting Linux on the Mac. Why even buy a Mac?

As far as the Fairphone - poor battery life, bulky, poor camera, and the IP rating of 55 for water? Well at least it runs Linux.

silon429mo ago

I'd sacrifice some battery life to have a Thinkpad (example: T14 gen 5), with the superior keyboard, Touch point and smaller touchpad (the Mac one is annoyingly too large).

pastage9mo ago

I have stopped caring so I caved in to work policy and got an iPhone, and I really do not see the point. It is just a thing no better or worse than an Android...

Spooky239mo ago

So you’re making voip calls on your thinkpad?

That’s cool, but you represent a tiny slice of the market that as devices get more powerful, isn’t addressable in the low volumes needed to make you happy.

When the chips needed to make a phone are priced like toys, maybe you’ll find the product for you.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

scarface_749mo ago

What Linux computer can you buy with the battery life, quietness, lack of heat and speed of a modern ARM based Mac?

As far as phones - your alternative is to buy an Android phone with an operating system by an ad company that is also pushing AI just as hard.

And you still end up getting most apps from the Google Play Store.

By the way, iMessage supports SMS/MMS/RCS for interoperability. What else do you want?

microtonal9mo ago

What Linux computer can you buy with the battery life, quietness, lack of heat and speed of a modern ARM based Mac?

Battery life, probably none. For the rest it's pretty ok now - I recently got a ThinkPad T14. Performance-wise it's in M1/M2 territory and yes the fans can spin up, but they are not very loud.

I have used MacBooks since 2007, but I have started using the ThinkPad more and more. Why?

As far as phones - your alternative is to buy an Android phone with an operating system by an ad company that is also pushing AI just as hard.

Or I don't know, you buy a Pixel, install GrapheneOS, and you have better privacy than on an iPhone? And no F1 movie ads too.

scarface_749mo ago

And no mainstream apps…

1 more reply

pclowesOP9mo ago

Have heard good things about framework computers. As a more efficient chip or battery comes out you just upgrade that component if your use case requires it.

scarface_749mo ago

It’s never been “just the chip” for major architectural changes even within x86. It’s replacing the entire motherboard and surrounding components.

What offerings are out there for speed/no fan (quiet)/and lack of heat with battery life?

1 more reply

prmoustache9mo ago

[1] which means you need a 4 to 6h range when new if you don't plan to replace the battery too often

[2] students, construction companies, people who are always on the road...

2 more replies

ndiddy9mo ago

xet79mo ago

> What Linux computer can you buy with the battery life, quietness, lack of heat and speed of a modern ARM based Mac?

M1 Air or M2 Air, running Asahi Linux. I am posting this using my M1 Air, running Fedora Asahi.

> As far as phones - your alternative is to buy an Android phone with an operating system by an ad company that is also pushing AI just as hard.

I use Fairphone 4 with Ubuntu Touch.

scarface_749mo ago

And you lose the battery life advantages by putting Linux on the Mac. Why even buy a Mac?

As far as the Fairphone - poor battery life, bulky, poor camera, and the IP rating of 55 for water? Well at least it runs Linux.

silon429mo ago

I'd sacrifice some battery life to have a Thinkpad (example: T14 gen 5), with the superior keyboard, Touch point and smaller touchpad (the Mac one is annoyingly too large).

pastage9mo ago

I have stopped caring so I caved in to work policy and got an iPhone, and I really do not see the point. It is just a thing no better or worse than an Android...

Spooky239mo ago

So you’re making voip calls on your thinkpad?

That’s cool, but you represent a tiny slice of the market that as devices get more powerful, isn’t addressable in the low volumes needed to make you happy.

When the chips needed to make a phone are priced like toys, maybe you’ll find the product for you.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse