Everything Apple (the Mac heads thread)

Not sure judging an entire ecosystem based on a single data point (your short, bad experience) is fair.

Windows is a terrible mess, not sure how anyone could advocate using that OS, for anything.

I'd also agree with @grams that there is still a market for high end Intel Macs and you could get your £2.1k.

Not sure judging an entire ecosystem based on a single data point (your short, bad experience) is fair.

I'm judging my experience on my experience.

But of the two problems I've experienced in my first 5 months of owning the most luxurious and expensive laptop out there:

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/mac/comments/gp5b1z/usb_20_issues_on_new_macbook_pro_13_2020/ this is still ongoing, there are comments showing it still happens in Big Sur.
   
2. https://www.reddit.com/r/gadgets/comments/jupvdz/macos_big_sur_update_bricking_some_older_macbook/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/mac/comments/k0ad9y/big_sur_bricked_my_2020_mbp/
   
   

I'm hardly a single data point.

Windows is a terrible mess, not sure how anyone could advocate using that OS, for anything.

OS choice is often like bank choice. There are bad experiences with all of them. If any single one was perfect then most people would use it. Most of the time they're good enough.

My order of preference for my desktop would be Linux, Mac, Windows, however:-

• Linux as a desktop is slightly flawed. I find video on some sites just won't play as it does on Windows/Mac and I don't want to have to find which random codecs/packages I need to install just to view a website. I also need a Windows VM for various bits of software which are Windows only. Drivers are a lottery.
  
• Macs are lovely, but expensive. I can spend half the amount of a decent Thinkpad for the same performance. I don't need M1 type of performance. Still need a VM for some bits of software.
  
• Windows is clunky in places but generally just works for my needs.
  
  

I use a Linux desktop in the office (although I haven't been there since March) and Windows laptop for WFH. Have had a Mac as a home desktop in the past but recent purchases have been generic Windows laptops because cheaper.

Most of my work is a browser and connecting into other machines via ssh/putty, VNC or RDP. I've spent most of my day today on systems running AIX, Solaris and zLinux (Linux on big bastard mainframes).

I've never minded Windows as an OS, I still know it far better than Mac OS despite having used a Mac since 2016. What I absolutely can't stand is the hardware that Windows comes on - shit Dells that flex like a trampoline when you try to type on them for e.g.

Mac hardware, therefore, is what got me to swap, and the integration with iPhone and iPad is now something that acts to keep me. I still find the "where the fuck have you put the file" game that you have to play with Mac incredibly frustrating, but YOLO.

Two different control panels with two different UIs is inexcusable (Windows 10).

Meh, I don't find it constructive to argue about look and feel... none of the OS are consistent.

But given Apple produce their own hardware and have a limited numbers of SKUs that they are targeting and it's all known hardware to their software engineers... then the USB issues I encountered and the bricking of laptops by an OS upgrade is indefensible.

Windows and Linux should be doing a worse job across the board, forever... and yet I've never had any interruption to my professional work like I've had with Apple.

Your experience isn't the majority though, it's a small percentage, not that makes it excusable, I'd prob bin the whole thing off too if I experienced the same (and made switch to Linux?).

Well that's OK, I'm not asking you to give up your Apple devices... I'm just saying that given my experience - if this is what the best they have to offer is (and my experience says it is) - then I'm giving them up. You don't have to take it personally... it's just some hardware, I've lots of other computers and the money is a pain but it's just money, so I'm going to be OK not using Apple devices and leaving this one to age into landfill material in a cupboard.

You don't have to take it personally... it's just some hardware,

But that's thing for many mac users, they do take it personally (probably those who were using them before they became the laptop/phone of choice for the majority of the western world)
There's still a cultlike aspect to being in the mac ecosystem, which is difficult to explain, a bit like trying to explain to star wars bods that you're okay with not loving the films, and them not being able to get their head around that and trying to convince you they are the best thing to happen to cinema since the invention of special fx.

My mac seems to be taking the mic this week, now one of my USB-C im guessing thats a full logic board if it is broken? Not sure how it could have broke as it was working I think.

Not to get all holier than thou or judgy, but I'm just going to say it. £2k is a meaningful amount of money, albeit less than £3k. It seems a waste just putting it on top of a wardrobe.

Why not sell it so someone else can use it and give the money to charity?

Given your social and professional connections, £5 says that if on the off chance you need use of a mac at some point you'll have use of one <48hrs of asking.

Dibs

It's been my experience that the batteries can get so fully discharged that they destroy themselves. I leave my very elderly Mac laptops plugged in permanently rather than risk it.

I'm judging my experience on my experience.

But of the two problems I've experienced in my first 5 months of owning the most luxurious and expensive laptop out there:

https://www.reddit.com/r/mac/comments/gp­5b1z/usb_20_issues_on_new_macbook_pro_13­_2020/ this is still ongoing, there are comments showing it still happens in Big Sur.
https://www.reddit.com/r/gadgets/comment­s/jupvdz/macos_big_sur_update_bricking_s­ome_older_macbook/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/mac/comments/k0­ad9y/big_sur_bricked_my_2020_mbp/

I'm going to go out on a late-night limb here and say that to a certain extent you may have to bear some responsibility for these issues. You bought a £3k laptop and your USB 2.0 mouse didn't work with it. Why not just change your mouse? Or buy an apple trackpad and bathe in its awesomeness.

And then you install the very first version of a new OS which has been designed primarily for the Apple M1 SOC. Yes, it shouldn't brick your machine but you didn't need to upgrade, certainly not before checking if there were going to be issues.

Both Windows and Linux offer far more stable and predictable experiences with more longevity and productivity than Apple.

God knows I'm livid with Apple for their T2 chip (edit: and Bog Sur bypassing the firewall) but I can't quite agree with this; in fact it's the reason I'm still with OSX despite Apple being dicks about dropping support for Nvidia GPUs and Linux.

you may have to bear some responsibility

Now there's some backwards thinking

Velocio was describing his experiences.

The point is that life is not something that just happens to you, it’s something you create.

There may be a market for hight end intel 13" as they don't sell them anymore.

Definitely.
As nice as some benchmarks of the M's seem to look right now some people will opt for an Intel machine, if only for the next couple of years.
Apple are still going to release new Intel based models.
That high end 13" is still a wonderful machine for a lot of people.
I struggle to understand how putting it in a drawer is the best solution here frankly.

life is not something that just happens to you, it’s something you create

that's deep yo

In other news I did upgrade my 16" to Big Sur, but reverted back to Catalina before even checking if all programs I need work properly.

What the fuck is wrong with tha GUI.
It looks like Windows 10 with rainbow colours, all the things are floating around in space, combining this with that new way font smoothing makes me feel I'm high just looking at it.
Mail is probably the worst, seriously what were they thinking?

Deep

The point is that life is not something that just happens to you, it’s something you create.

Wow, victim blame much?

Not at all. Two events happened which were definitely unfortunate and had negative consequences on you.

Is there anything you could have done differently when faced with either before or after these situations which would have resulted in a different outcome for you?

This is sadly familiar from your last amazing piece of advice which was "learn to type differently" when people mentioned the keyboard design that Apple have now deprecated being a sub-optimal experience.

Is there anything you could have done differently

Had lower expectations?

Not gone out in the dark?