I have been using Linux systems for about 17 years (about 13 years as the only system). Many distributions. A lot of issues, a lot of work to have a usable system, especially at the beginning. I learned a lot. I like the idea of Linux system, open source, etc. I liked to be a part of it. Three months ago I thought that it’s the best system for me and I couldn’t imagine that I can use another system for programming. Three months ago I thought that I would never use macOS, it’s not for me and I don’t see any point of paying twice much than for “standard” laptop.
About three months ago I decided to buy a new laptop. I found one. Thinkpad, i7-8550u, 32GB RAM, Full HD, 15.6 inch. I almost bought it but… I doubted. I realized that I would like to have a better display than Full HD in 2018 but the Linux system does not have ideal scaling. I don’t want to fight with unsupported hardware. If I buy a laptop with a fingerprint sensor, it should work. If I buy a laptop with two graphics cards, I would like to use them, without any issues. I don’t want to search what software I can use on Linux. I would like to work on battery more than 6h without using powertop or other tweaks.
I heard a lot of good things about MacBooks.
So…
I bought a MacBook, i7, 15.6 inch, 16GB RAM. Pricing? Twice much than Thinkpad.
Do I regret?
NO!
I was afraid of the difference between Linux and macOS. I use a console, a lot. I couldn’t work on Windows, even with that Linux Subsystem but on macOS it’s different. Of course, there is a difference between macOS and Linux but it’s small enough that I can work on macOS with pleasure and without any issues.
Why? Let’s try to point out what I like.
- Build quality. On the one hand I don’t care about it, I want to do my job. On the other, I like it. I feel that it’s different than all my previous laptops. Big satisfaction.
- Display. Big surprise. I thought that I will never back to glossy displays but this retina display is something beautiful. Colors, resolution, scaling. Everything works perfectly.
- Touch bar. It’s not something that I use every minute but I like the idea and I would buy it once again.
- Touchpad. It’s great. I like all those gestures, force click, etc.
- Sound. Very good quality.
- Battery. It can be enough for 8 hours of my work.
- Keyboard. It’s hard to get used to but I’m starting to like it.
- System. I like that everything works. Everything! Not a single problem.
- A lot of applications for MacOS with the best quality.
- Fingerprint sensor? Useful and I like it.
- Camera? A lot of people noticed the improvement in sound and video quality at meetings.
After three months of using my MacBook, I like it and I don’t want back to Linux on the desktop.
Finally, I can focus on my work and on doing what I like. Everything works. Literally, EVERYTHING.
One month ago I bought also a bluetooth keyboard and mouse. The price was also… higher. Do I regret? No! Everything works. I like this keyboard and mouse with gestures.
I don’t want to say that everyone should buy a MacBook. If Linux works for you, OK, use it. If you are a gamer, use Windows. I realized that MacBook works for me better than other laptops with Linux or Windows. Everything just works, it supports all software that I need, I can get it and work on battery for about 8 hours, I can focus on my work. I like how the system works.
I don’t want to say that Linux is a bad system. It depends on what you need. In my opinion, there is a difference between software quality between Linux and macOS but for a lot of people, Linux should meet their expectations.
I hope that in the future Linux will work as good as macOS so I can switch back. I can even pay for it ;-)
I’ve been wondering for some time… If MacBook works for me… maybe I should try to use iPad and iPhone?