Why I switched to The Dark Side

[iRandomize]

Why I switched to The Dark Side

My thoughts behind the 2015 13” MacBook Pro Retina.

Introduction

During my search for a replacement laptop for my ageing Sony Vaio 13" i have been taking down notes of every option and all my thought processes along the way. This turned out to be quite a long one. I do fully understand that people are not willing to read this long thread, but at least read the conclusion before arguing with the title.

My use case scenario and what I’m looking for in a notebook

Since my trusty Sony Vaio 13” from 2008 finally gave up on me, I found myself in the market for a new notebook. The primary purpose of this notebook would be to get me safely through my economics studies. Portability and battery life was a priority, but I can never compromise on the quality of the keyboard – the one thing about the Sony notebook I really loved, and kept it alive for almost 7 years.

 

Like Linus – and many other tech enthusiasts – I put a heavy workload on my ram. I often run 20+ internet taps open, and my economics studies often results in some pretty demanding excel sheets, easily taking up 2+ GB of ram if not more. I therefore often found myself using up most of the 8GB of ram I had installed in my Sony laptop. I also realised that the 7 year old Core 2 Duo was long overdue, and could no longer keep up with my increasingly demanding multitasking expectations. Excel calculations was simply becoming to cumbersome for the aging CPU, bugging down the entire system.

 

Although I would consider myself as a casual gamer, with a long time close relationship to the Battlefield Franchise, I have never found laptop gaming appealing in any way. Gaming is left to my desktop with a dedicated monitor, mouse and keyboard. Gaming was therefore never a priority for my laptop.

In summary my laptop should live up to the following requirements:

• Battery life
• Good quality keyboard
• At least 8GB of ram
• 13” has been the perfect size for me
• My maximum budget was 1500 USD
• A display resolution of 1440x900 or greater

  The laptop market – as I see it

Obviously a lot has happened in the previous 7 years. I have been following the evolution of the notebook computers fairly closely, especially the last 6 months as my current notebook was giving up. The most notable change has been the entry of the Ultrabook. These computers offer long battery life, great portability and performance that puts my trusty old Sony to shame. When you step back, its quite impressive what has happened to power efficient performance, and how much performance Intel has been able to squeeze out of such a tiny power envelope. I was instantly in love with this category of computers, and quickly decided that this would be the primary focus of my computer hunt. Although it seemed that every time I found an Ultrabook that seemed excellent, I could always find that one little flaw, that turned out to be a deal breaker for me. The budget listed above made virtually every Ultrabook an option, and I set out to experience all of them.

  Asus UX-series

This was possibly the most intriguing option in my searches, but I quickly found the series very confusing. There is almost an endless number of different configurations, models and focus area for these notebooks. Every single notebook seemed like a different compromise in my eyes. Either it would have a low resolution display, not being able to fit enough information at the screen at once to make my work comfortable, or it would have some sort of discrete graphics card, ruining the battery life, and make the computer noisier than it had to be. What I needed was a high resolution display, a lot of memory and no discrete graphics, and I could simply not find this option. I was constantly on the lookout for a version of this computer that would fit my needs, but it just never showed up.

  Lenovo Yoga-series

This truly is an amazing machine, everything about this computer seems very well-built and thought through. The keyboard is great, the display is nice and it is an overall nice experience. I couldn’t care less about the 2-in-1’ness, but as a dedicated laptop this one did just fine. The laptop had only one shortcoming – the battery life. Although 6.5 hours was better than my Sony ever did, I decided to keep looking and if nothing else, this would be the one.

  Lenovo X1-Carbon

The Lenovo ThinkPad series has always been known for their built quality, excellent keyboards and overall a great experience (or at least so I’ve heard). But how the hell did they manage to mess this up so badly then? The built quality feels horrible, the keyboard is a mess (I mean seriously, for productivity use, you remove the function keys?). Although it looks nice, weights nothing and has a decent battery life, this computer quickly lost all of my interests. I feel bad for everyone who was tricked into buying this by the Lenovo ThinkPad branding. This computer is just terrible. I’m sorry Lenovo but you need to get back to the drawing board on this one.

  MacBook Air

This notebook had two aspects – I could either run Mac OS X on it, or I could be more reasonable and Bootcamp Windows onto it. Although the entry level model seems very competitively priced, the price quickly gets up there once you choose the mandatory 256GB SSD and 8GB ram (mandatory to me at least). The built quality is excellent though. There is something about this all-aluminium construction that just works. The keyboard I quickly found quite appealing as well, this was an excellent computer in most aspects, and I always jumped the gun on this one, but then the XPS 13 was released.

  Dell XPS 13

This one is interesting. My dad found this and bought it on the spot, although he wasn’t really in the market for a new notebook. This was like love at first sight to me. I had never been to fascinated with HiDPI displays, and always prioritized screen real estate over screen quality. But suddenly the MacBook Air just didn’t seem very interesting anymore. My dad let me use this computer for a huge assignment at school, and this is when the one flaw I just couldn’t get past appeared to me. I could simply not agree with the keyboard. I don’t know if it’s the flex that Linus talked about in his review of this computer, or if it’s just they layout of the keys that messed me up, but I found my fingers to become very fatigued when writing on the keyboard, and I could simply not get used to it. Had it not been for the sub-par keyboard, this would have been the computer for me.

  Why I now love HiDPI displays

My experience with the HiDPI displays – that I had earlier not cared about – I started to value a high resolution display noticeably higher. The main thing is of course the added sharpness to everything. The natural look of text is simply amazing, and hard to live without after having tried it.

I did however underestimate the flexibility of the screen real estate you gain from a HiDPI display. Both Windows and Mac OS X offer different scaled resolution to allow for different levels of screen real estate and readability compromises. The scaling options for Windows are as follows:

• 125% scaling – make everything 25% larger
• 150% scaling – make everything 50% larger
• 200% scaling – make everything 100% larger
• 300% scaling – make everything 200% larger

Scaling on a Macintosh works a little differently. Mac OS X doubles the size of everything by default, making the 2560*1600 display on the 13” MacBook Pro seem like a 1280*800 display. The way Mac OS X handles scaling is through outputting to a larger resolution, and then downscaling or upscaling to the display resolution (a bit like nVidia Dynamic Super Resolution). The options on a 13” MacBook Pro is as follows:

• 2048*1280 – seems like 1024*640 (upscaled to 2560*1600)
• 2560*1600 – seems like 1280*800 (default setting)
• 2880*1800 – seems like 1440*900 (downscaled to 2560*1600, my personal preference, same as the 13” MacBook Air)
• 3360*2100 – seems like 1680*1050

This level of customizability is simply not available in a low-res display. I have seen people scale a 1080p 13” display by 125% in Windows, but its not that common.

  The 2015 MacBook Pro Retina

Having initially ruled out this option, because I didn’t feel I would get what I paid for in this price range, it started to warm up to me. A high resolution display, with great colour reproduction. Performance at a level that exceeded that of an Ultrabook and battery life on par with the Ultrabook counterparts. The decision not to go with dedicated graphics fit very closely with my preferences in a notebook. This seemed to be built for demanding office work like no other notebook on the market. The built quality is immaculate. I quickly fell in love with the form factor as well. What puzzles me the most is that there is simply no Windows counterpart to this computer.

 

After using it, I could not find any flaw with the hardware. They keyboard is great, with just enough key travel to make typing a joy. Performance is great. The computer is silent almost all of the time and the battery life easily gets me through a day of moderate use. Not only is this a great Mac, but it is possibly the best computer in this category when running Windows 10 as well. A point several of my fellow college students have figured out and some are even running Windows 7/8/10 full time on their 13” MacBook’s.

 

Lastly, the configurability options on the Apple website is just unrivalled. As Linus mentioned in his Dell XPS 13 review, not having the option to go with 16GB of ram is just ridiculous. Dell were the inventors of configuration your computer on their website, but today, Apple is in a category of their own in this regard. My MacBook is configured with the stock i5 CPU, 256GB of SSD storage and 16GB of ram – which is just perfect. Other computer manufactures simply have to step up in this regard.

 

The choice of the 2015 MacBook Pro Retina 13” as my new daily driver is therefore made from a purely hardware standpoint, not with a single thought on the operating system. My initial plan even was to just install Windows on the computer, and run that as my daily driver, but even that changed as well.

  Mac OS X

Having worked on a Mac before, I actually do like the operating system. I used to have a white MacBook and was actually decently satisfied with the user experience. The window management is just better than on Windows 7/8, with the virtual desktops and Exposé feature for switching windows. Although Windows has now caught onto those features (finally), I still find the execution on Mac OS X to be better. The multi-touch trackpad is just satisfying to work with, and makes every windows trackpad seem very badly executed. The precision-trackpad initiative by Windows, moving the trackpad features to be a part of the OS instead of the drivers, has been an improvement, but its still not there.

One thing however, has always kept me away from OS X; the Microsoft Office suite. There has always been a huge gap between the quality of the Windows Office suite and the Macintosh counterpart. This, however, has changed. Although I still find the Windows version better than the 2015 version of Office for Mac, the gap has now closed markedly, to a point where I like the two versions equally. This suddenly made Mac OS X a viable option.

 

For now, I am still using Mac OS X as my primary operating system. I rarely find myself booting into Windows anymore. Although Windows 10 has made a giant step, and is by far my favourite version of Windows, some things still annoy me. The default mail application is just terrible. Being a universal app is an inevitable compromise and does not seem to be optimal for use on a notebook. The Apple Mail application is far ahead of the Windows counterpart.

  Conclusion

The 2015 MacBook Pro Retina seems to be the perfect notebook for my use case scenario. I enjoy every moment of working on this notebook and have not had any chance to regret my purchase. Although it was expensive, I really feel like its worth spending the extra money on a nice experience for my primary tool for both work, studying and entertainment.

 

The main frustration behind this thread however, stems from the current direction of the Windows notebook market. The manufactures seem to be increasingly focused on specifications and less focused on the general user experience. With computers pushing screen resolution to meaningless points, and attempting to force 2-in-1 features, discrete graphics and benchmarks down our stomach. These benchmarks does not make a great experience - a nice, well built, thought through computer does!

[Arty]

TL:DR

 

 

but

should install windows on that mac

[iRandomize]

TL:DR

 

 

but

should install windows on that mac

 

After using it, I could not find any flaw with the hardware. They keyboard is great, with just enough key travel to make typing a joy. Performance is great. The computer is silent almost all of the time and the battery life easily gets me through a day of moderate use. Not only is this a great Mac, but it is possibly the best computer in this category when running Windows 10 as well. A point several of my fellow college students have figured out and some are even running Windows 7/8/10 full time on their MacBook’s.

 

 

I expect i will get quite a few of those, however this part may be relevant to your comment.

[Arty]

I expect i will get quite a few of those, however this part may be relevant to your comment.

how long did it take you to make this thread 

[iRandomize]

how long did it take you to make this thread 

About 30 minutes i guess. It was based on notes i have made the last 3 months, so it was mostly a matter of translating it.

[flibberdipper]

I really wish I could at least get a Core 2 Duo-based Unibody MBP, but my lord, the things are stupid expensive. I mean, I have a Latitude E4300 which gets the job done perfectly fine, but it has a freezing issue, and the screen is a bit crap. If I knew what caused the freezing, then I wouldn't need a MBP nearly as much, because I need something reliable for school (FCP wouldn't be a bad thing either).

[Curufinwe_wins]

@iRandomize I'm glad you enjoy it, but the option you were looking for was the UX303LA-US51T

 

Review can be found here: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/430108-asus-zenbook-ux303la-ds52tus51t-review/

 

Can be bought here: http://www.amazon.com/Zenbook-13-Inch-Touchscreen-i5-5200U-Windows/dp/B00YI83REG/ref=cm_cr_pr_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

[iRandomize]

@iRandomize I'm glad you enjoy it, but the option you were looking for was the UX303LA-US51T

 

Review can be found here: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/430108-asus-zenbook-ux303la-ds52tus51t-review/

 

Can be bought here: http://www.amazon.com/Zenbook-13-Inch-Touchscreen-i5-5200U-Windows/dp/B00YI83REG/ref=cm_cr_pr_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

 

I have but two responses:

1: Fuck me...

2: Unfortunately i live in Denmark, and the Danish language requires a non-standard keyboard layout (to support the letters æøå), limiting my options a bit. That specific model is not available in Denmark. For some odd reason, ASUS has decided we should only have the 1080p models with a discrete 940M.

[Curufinwe_wins]

I have but two responses:

1: Fuck me...

2: Unfortunately i live in Denmark, and the Danish language requires a non-standard keyboard layout (to support the letters æøå), limiting my options a bit. That specific model is not available in Denmark. For some odd reason, ASUS has decided we should only have the 1080p models with a discrete 940M.

That's really stupid and unfortunate. Apparently as well that model is like 800 pounds in GB which kills its price to performance ratio.

[Mapsle]

@iRandomize Nice Review 
I´m currently in a similar situation and was hoping you could tell me the reasons that turned you away from the X1 in more detail, as that is my number 1 choice currently.
Better to find out now than later, maybe even change the #1 spot... (the XPS is currently #2 because of the keyboard; The MBP... mixed feelings using it for mechanical engineering and it hasn´t been renewed in quite a while now) 

[CydiaDash]

Big...Wall...Of...Text... 

[SirNumbers]

Macbook is beautiful and i'd buy it because it serves all the functions I could ever need and if not I have my gaming computer. Did I say its a beauty

[iRandomize]

@iRandomize Nice Review 

I´m currently in a similar situation and was hoping you could tell me the reasons that turned you away from the X1 in more detail, as that is my number 1 choice currently.

Better to find out now than later, maybe even change the #1 spot... (the XPS is currently #2 because of the keyboard; The MBP... mixed feelings using it for mechanical engineering and it hasn´t been renewed in quite a while now) 

There are a couple of reasons i was very disappointed with the X1. My friend has one, and within the first week of owning it the screen cracked down the middle, just from carrying it in his bag. And this was literally the first time he ever broke a computer. He has always been very careful. The screen flexes more than i like it to, and the overall built quality just doesn't seem like a ThinkPad to me. Its all made from plastic (with some Carbon stiffening on the inside). Lenovo claims it's the most robust ThinkPad they ever made, but that's really not the feeling i took away from using it.

 

I also had some trouble adjusting to the trackpad clickyness. The TrackPad is responsive and feels great, until you press it. It feels mushy and the travel distance is too long for my taste.

 

Although those multi-function buttons along the top may seem awesome, they are really terrible in every day use. I find myself spending way to much time cycling between the three modes. This feature has however been removed in the newest version.

 

I get that much of this is personal preference, but i could never really fall in love with this notebook. If you go for the HiDPI display, the price is on par with the XPS 13, and the XPS 13 is a far better notebook in my opinion - only let down by its mediocre keyboard.

[TheGeeker]

I personally LOVE the MacBook and how its designed. I am a huge fan of that. Not the software or apple in general but some other people could use tips from them. I hate plastic laptops and the MacBooks feel so solid and nice in the hands. 

[ShadowCaptain]

Whoop 13" retina one of my favourite laptops of all time

[Stefken89]

Thank you for the good review. 
 

Although I am not a fan of macs (especially their iMacs and Mac Pros), it's a fact that their laptops/notebooks/ultrabooks - whatever you want to call them, are fairly competitive, beautiful, well built machines. Seems like you did your research on multiple competitors and thus made the right decision for you. Good for you if you're happy with your choice.

 

I've never extensively used MAC OS, so when I say I don't like it that much, it's probably because of that. My initial impression is that windows is more flexible to use, but that is probably something you get used to after a while. That said, I would definately need to sideload/dualboot windows since a lot of programs have no MAC option, and games usually don't either. 

[ShadowCaptain]

I've never extensively used MAC OS, so when I say I don't like it that much, it's probably because of that. My initial impression is that windows is more flexible to use, but that is probably something you get used to after a while. That said, I would definately need to sideload/dualboot windows since a lot of programs have no MAC option, and games usually don't either. 

 

You should try it sometime, OSX is honestly a fantastic OS (in my opinion) and just as flexible and open as Windows. there are some usability options that just dont exist in windows and work better than 3rd party windows programs

Mission control, spaces, expose, OSX scrolling, pinch to zoom - windows handles these things all so badly, plus OSX just seems to perform so consistently well and is very robust as far as issues go from experience

 

Installing and removing programs is as simple as drag and drop, managing files is so easy with the tagging/search system etc

 

I wish I could use OSX as my main OS, including gaming 

 

One day 

[Stefken89]

You should try it sometime, OSX is honestly a fantastic OS (in my opinion) and just as flexible and open as Windows. there are some usability options that just dont exist in windows and work better than 3rd party windows programs

Mission control, spaces, expose, OSX scrolling, pinch to zoom - windows handles these things all so badly, plus OSX just seems to perform so consistently well and is very robust as far as issues go from experience

 

Installing and removing programs is as simple as drag and drop, managing files is so easy with the tagging/search system etc

 

I wish I could use OSX as my main OS, including gaming 

 

One day 

 

For now, that will be just a dream, I think. :-)

 

But yeah, like I said, it's probably a case of getting used to. Never really used it much, except when helping a friend with something on his mac or hackintosh. 

I have it installed on a VM, but it doesn't run that smooth and I have no real reason to run it... And my build isn't the best for a hackintosh, so dualbooting is not an easy option from what I've read before.

[ShadowCaptain]

For now, that will be just a dream, I think. :-)

 

But yeah, like I said, it's probably a case of getting used to. Never really used it much, except when helping a friend with something on his mac or hackintosh. 

I have it installed on a VM, but it doesn't run that smooth and I have no real reason to run it... And my build isn't the best for a hackintosh, so dualbooting is not an easy option from what I've read before.

 

yeah I wish I could run it natively and it support all my games

 

makes me sad

 

APPLE, release a new mac pro with  upgradable CPU + GPU = instabuy

[Hikaru12]

I'll just thrown in my two cents. I've been a Windows guy all my life and recently bought a Mac Mini. These new generations suck but I bit the bullet anyway. I decided to go with 1TB HDD and 8GB of RAM. It seems to be very slow starting and shutting off but when performance wise for daily tasks and programming, I really like it.

 

I like how Mac is Unix based and contains a lot of programming tools installed by default (like Linux) such as Ruby and Python. Expose and window management is pretty spot on. I still haven't gotten a handle on it's permissions yet as sometimes I get errors when copying things to a flash drive.

 

TL;DR Mac makes nice looking stuff and the OS is really not that bad. They're not going the spyware route that Windows 10 is going as far as I'm aware of and it seems to just work. I don't own a Macbook but I believe it would be just the same experience, if not better. As much as I don't like to say it, I would recommend ponying up the 1k and getting either an Air or a used Pro. Battery life and screens are some of the best in that price range. 

[ShadowCaptain]

SNIP

 

Stick an SSD in the mini! totally worth it

[srolle]

good choice - the 13" MBP is still the best laptop out there.

[Hikaru12]

Stick an SSD in the mini! totally worth it

 

I was thinking about it but then I looked up the installation video and you basically have to tear the whole thing apart to get at the drive. The 2012s were superior in every way but dat Yosemite doe.

[legopc]

 

 

The main frustration behind this thread however, stems from the current direction of the Windows notebook market. The manufactures seem to be increasingly focused on specifications and less focused on the general user experience. With computers pushing screen resolution to meaningless points, and attempting to force 2-in-1 features, discrete graphics and benchmarks down our stomach. These benchmarks does not make a great experience - a nice, well built, thought through computer does!

You read my fucking mind. 

Good review, right on the point.

[nims0c]

I wish I could use OSX as my main OS, including gaming 

 

One day 

 

I'd like this option as well. I've used my MacBook Pro for 5 years now and I like the OS. But I've moved on to Windows for my gaming needs.