11 ms·

MacBook Air 2018 Teardown

131 points by nnx 8y ago

wild_preference 8y ago
Interesting that the keys now have a little skirt to apparently stop particles. Though I had to use my 2013 Air recently while my 2017 MBP was in the shop (keyboard aka whole front panel + battery replacement) and wished they'd just kept the high-action keyboard that could weather the grime between cleanings.
- ksec 8y ago
  This has been the case with all the new 2018 MacBook Pro. Its called 3rd Generation Butterfly Keyboard. It is new so we are still waiting to see if there are reports of Key malfunctioning after some longer period of use.
thecatspaw 8y ago
thats a 3/10? That seems like a low score given the rest of the article
- lukifer 8y ago
  It's actually a step up: the 2016-2018 MacBook Pro series scores 1/10.
- sudhirj 8y ago
  Think a 10/10 would be a computer with every part (including RAM, SSD, CPU) user-replaceable with no specialized equipment.
  - falcolas 8y ago
    And no consumable components that need to be replaced in the process of a repair (i.e. the adhesive strips holding down the batteries and speakers).
  - esmi 8y ago
    No need to guess. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg97ovaD-b4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg97ovaD-b4 What Does it Take to get a 10 out of 10 iFixit Repairability Score? They've even issued a few. This one is for a phone. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/11/ifixit-gives-modular-fairphone-2-a-rare-10-out-of-10-for-repairability/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/11/ifixit-gives-modular...
- Eric_WVGG 8y ago
  This is mostly due to the keyboard still being part of the chassis. If the keyboard fails, everything needs to be dismantled, and most of the laptop case needs to be replaced. It sounds like the new keyboard is more reliable, but IMO this is an unacceptably bad design. I say that as a person who really likes the "feel" of the new keys, incidentally. I've been harping on about this for years now: If it's true that Apple sees Macs as "like trucks" (and thus iOS devices as the cars that most people need), they need to make Macs… like trucks! [edit] these "pull-able glue strips" are a big step back in the right direction, at least
  - danieldk 8y ago
    This is mostly due to the keyboard still being part of the chassis. And they mention having to remove the logic board to replace the battery as a downside.
TazeTSchnitzel 8y ago
Easily repairable Thunderbolt ports is great news. My 2013 MacBook Air's is busted now and that means no external display output, and a knock to resale value or hope of donating this machine to a friend when done with it (I wouldn't want to give them a computer broken in this way).
knolan 8y ago
I recently had to swap out the screen in my mother’s much abused 2015 12” MacBook. That machine was a nightmare to work on with many components attached to the bottom cover and flimsy ribbons connecting top to bottom making basic access challenging. It’s nice to see this machine have a more sane design.
komali2 8y ago
Wait, does the Air actually have more ports than the MacBook? What's going on? I thought the MacBook replaced the air, an the MacBook pro is a merger of the MacBook and MacBook pro? Have the MacBook and MacBook air "switched"?
- mbreese 8y ago
  Yes. The MacBook has one USB-C port, has a smaller 12" screen, and is lighter (2 lbs). The MacBook Air has two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, has a 13" screen, is heavier (2.75 lbs), and has more CPU power than the MacBook. The MBP w/o touch bar has two Thunderbolt (USB-C) ports, a 13" screen, is heavier (3 lbs), and more CPU power than the Air The MBP w/ touch bar has four Thunderbolt (USB-C) ports, a 13" screen and has more CPU power (options) than the MBP w/o touch bar (same weight). (I intentionally left out the 15" MBP)
  - xeeeeeeeeeeenu 8y ago
    Also, as opposed to MBA, MacBook is fanless.
    - std_throwawayay 8y ago
      It needs air.
      - woah 8y ago
        I think we’ve solved the mystery here
      - gumby 8y ago
        I can confirm -- mine was caught in a rainstorm and drowned.
    - htk 8y ago
      This is a great point that a lot of people seem to miss (or just don't care). I do care because I don't like to worry about dust accumulating internally, noisy/malfunctioning fans, etc.
js2 8y ago
> Soldered, non-serviceable, non-upgradeable storage and RAM is a serious bummer on a $1,200+ laptop. I don't mind the RAM. There's only two options upfront: 8GB and 16GB and I know what I need. The non-serviceable storage however, even with the Thunderbolt 3 ports for external storage (because who wants external storage on a laptop), is a bummer. I just recently upgraded an 11" Air from 128 GB SSD to 1 TB SSD. It seems that storage demands only go up over time; that's much less so the case with RAM or CPU these days.
- jandrese 8y ago
  Also, after the fans the storage is the most random (not from abuse) failure prone part on most laptops. Well, I guess the keyboard on the MBPs might edge it out if you don't count "not only using it in a cleanroom" as abuse. It has been getting better as people work the bugs out of their SSD controllers, but it does mean the whole laptop is garbage if the MLC flash chip craps out.
  - Scoundreller 8y ago
    Someone will realize they can create a business around hot-airing MLC flash chips from otherwise working logic boards.
- ww520 8y ago
  The soldered RAM is really bad, making adding RAM impossible. I get it. They want you to buy a new Mac every couple years. It's really annoying. I've considered adding SDXC 512GB card to the SDXC slot to expand storage, less thing to lug around than an external Thunderbolt drive.
  - balladeer 8y ago
    So can I just use the card reader slot (mid 2012 MBA) to boot it on one that has a faulty storage (died after 4 yrs) instead of going for the costly flash drive replacement?
    - 8y ago
kiddico 8y ago
It's good to see that the battery isn't glued to the top case. I'm not sure if the airs have ever had it glued, but the pros sure did. It was always a bummer to tell people that a bad battery meant replacing the entire upper case.
- jandrese 8y ago
  They used epoxy? Usually when companies glue parts together inside electronics they use rubber cement, which can usually be peeled off without damaging the component or the housing. It's an inconvenience, not a roadblock to repair.
  - dnhz 8y ago
    When my retina-display macbook pro battery swelled, they replaced the entire top case. It appears to be policy that the top case and battery are one piece.
    - raincom 8y ago
      Yes, they replace the battery and the top case together during the battery replacement.
    - jandrese 8y ago
      Probably the difference between having Apple replace it and doing it yourself with a $20 battery you bought off of the Internet. Well, that and a few hundred bucks. I can see why they wouldn't want the techs doing that in the store, one of the failure modes if you screw it up is a lithium fire. Also, if the battery had started to swell up it may have bent the case. Apple doesn't leave much room for expansion with their batteries anymore.
      - hectormalot 8y ago
        I think it’s the default policy. My rMBP from 2012 started to have battery issues and I got a $300 quote for replacement that included a new top car. Got the $80 battery from ifixit and replaced the battery relatively easily. It did have me pour generous amounts for aceton (nail polish remover) into my MacBook to unglue the battery though, was happy that everything still worked after.
yakshaving_jgt 8y ago
Welp. There goes the last laptop Apple makes without a garbage keyboard.
- olibaw 8y ago
  I'm weirdly ashamed to say I don't hate the new keyboard... I'm just not a keyboard connoisseur, it seems.
  - yakshaving_jgt 8y ago
    I guess the way it feels is subjective — and I certainly have strong opinions about that. The two class action lawsuits against Apple for the butterfly switches however is some objective proof that something has gone terribly wrong.
    - neolefty 8y ago
      Filing class action lawsuits is not proof of legitimacy, for example https://www.keytlaw.com/blog/2010/07/apple-sued-because-ipad-doesnt-work-just-like-a-book/ https://www.keytlaw.com/blog/2010/07/apple-sued-because-ipad...
    - sagichmal 8y ago
      That was for the previous Butterfly design, the new one (on the Air and now most Pros) purports to solve the problems.
      - yakshaving_jgt 8y ago
        As far as I know, there is no new design. They just now stick a plastic film under the keys to stop dust getting in and destroying your entire machine.
        sagichmal 8y ago
        Does it work?
gcbw2 8y ago
So the air have tons of ports, function keys, escape key, touch ID, a fan not connected to anything thermal! and is heavier. while the "PRO" macbook have a single usbC on 12", no fans, no f-keys, no escape key. Apple is now a true Mainstream Consumer PC manufacturer! The models means nothing! Now you have to dive in model numbers and specific production runs to get what you want, just like buying Asus et al.
- ricardobeat 8y ago
  You’re mixing up the “MacBook” with the MBP. Pro is 13”, has four USB-C ports and fan cooling. Function keys optional on the (quite crappy) base models.
  - nil_pointer 8y ago
    The 13" MBP has two USB-C's, not four. The 15" has four.
    - wodenokoto 8y ago
      You and parent are mixing up the 2 lines of 13" MBP. Non-touch bar has two ports. Touch bar has four. https://support.apple.com/kb/SP775?locale=en_US https://support.apple.com/kb/SP775?locale=en_US
illwrks 8y ago
...and here I am with my 2010 13' core2duo. 16gigs of ram, an SSD a variety of ports and flying along nicely. Still on the original battery and getting about 5-6 hours on a full charge.
- dijit 8y ago
  Surely that speaks to the build quality of the devices?
  - illwrks 8y ago
    Yes, but also the upgradability! If I was stuck with the original 120gb HDD and the stock 4gb of RAM it would be in no way 'usable' as it is now.
- whalesalad 8y ago
  I had a 2012 model I just replaced with a new MacBook Pro for a variety of reasons. Mine only had 8gb of RAM. I replaced the battery once (very easy job) and it was hands down my favorite computer of all time. The laser thin bezel on the front is perfect for typing. Happy with the new MacBook Pro (32gb of ram!) but part of me regrets not waiting a few weeks and grabbing the new Air.
- JMiao 8y ago
  i have one of those i should upgrade and give away. can you recommend your ram and ssd?
  - illwrks 8y ago
    I went to Crucial.com, downloaded and ran their little spec checking tool and then maxed out what I could. I was lucky in that the model I had allowed an EFI upgrade (I think?) a few years ago which enabled the 16gb ram. I use a new 15' Macbook in the office and I have with-drawl symptoms with that new keyboard. Nice machines though, just a pity they are not serviceable.
spiderfarmer 8y ago
It's amazing. Everyone I spoke to, everyone who reviews Macs for a living and everyone who comments on it seems to agree: Apple makes a long, confusing list of Macbooks that all seem to compromise on the features that made them popular in the past. There's not a single Macbook that's universally loved by its target audience and that's quite a feat.
- save_ferris 8y ago
  This just shows just how much has changed in the last few years. Their push to increase revenues on a per-unit basis as opposed to reaching more customers will leave them incredibly exposed when someone else finally comes along and builds a laptop that developers are happy with at a fraction of the cost of whatever the next gen-MBPs are priced at. It might not be next year, but they're not gonna be beloved forever if they keep this up.
  - mediocrejoker 8y ago
    Until a team with resources comparable to the OS X team puts in the effort to polish some Ubuntu derivative and make it work flawlessly with one or a few particular hardware configurations, Apple will still have an advantage that many are willing to pay a premium for.
    - noir_lord 8y ago
      I have a T470P (the i7-7700HQ with 2560x1440@14" came in about half of a Macbook Pro in my country), I've genuinely had to do nothing to make Fedora 26 (then 27) work on it perfectly since I got it. It of course came with Windows 10 and that's the rub, it's a crap shoot since I knew I'd be able to get Linux to work fine I just didn't know how much work (if any) would be required. I was pleasantly surprised.
    - cma 8y ago
      Windows subsystem for linux has pretty much achieved this.
  - 8y ago
lostgame 8y ago
The fact that we are still seeing 128GB non-upgradeable SSD’s on a base-level Mac is insanity. For any poor soul who has had to do mobile development work on one of these, the ‘you are low on risk space’ notification is like a spectre that haunts dreams. The environmental impact alone of non-upgradeable units is a serious issue in my eyes. Previous Macs have lasted me up to 8 years or so with nice and consistent upgrades over the years. The small amount of thinness or whatever it is has been the trade off is not worth it. We’ve lost the exterior battery button, we’ve lost MagSafe, the butterfly keyboards have had scathing reviews at best, and, in what seems like the most open statement of ‘we’re not even the same company any more’, they’ve even removed lost the trademark glowing Apple on the back. It has moved beyond the point where I need to draw the line and will be building the most compatible hackintosh I can as my next laptop.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- kristianp 8y ago
  It's not exactly a development machine, with a 7W processor. But if you want to do dev on one, you can buy one with a 256GB (or more?) SDD.
  - lostgame 8y ago
    I think you’re missing my point that as time goes by, the need for storage space has a tendency to increase, and thusly, without the ability to upgrade, and with asinine prices from Apple for their SSD’s instead of about half that for a very nice quality SSD of the same capacity, I’d prefer to buy a baseline 8GB/128GB unit and upgrade it myself for 1/3rd of the price like I have for every other single Mac I’ve bought in my 15+ years of purchasing them. Furthermore, a MacBook Pro, which one could certainly call a development machine, still starts with a baseline, non-upgradeable 128GB unit. Virtually no ‘pro’ task, Image Editing, Software Develoment, Video Editing, Audio Editing, that Macs have typically and historically been used for, are suited to these 128GB drives and create machines that need to be thrown out and add to e-waste instead of having any meaningful longevity. I know this because I do these types of tasks all the time, and was forced into a 2017 13” MBP with a 128GB SSD and paltry 8GB of RAM earlier this year due to having it given to me as a work machine. Using it was an unpleasant experience unlike any computer I’d used, much less a Mac. And why? For aesthetic purposes? For greed/profit? What’s the use of their ‘all-aluminum’ eco-friendly goals, if they create machines that intentionally have a 3-4 year shelf life baked into them? It’s mind-boggling. We pay a premium for Apple devices, and more and more, especially as the prices seem to constantly be creeping upwards at this point, the conscessions we need to make to use them have become far greater than the benefits. RIP Apple computers. Hello, Apple, Inc.
syntaxing 8y ago
Macbook aside, I always wondered how many laptops it takes IFIXIT to determine how to take the laptop apart. Is there always a sacrifice laptop where they dissemble regardless of breaking stuff? Then they take what they learned on the "real" laptop?
- fermienrico 8y ago
  Exactly none. I think you’re overestimating the difficulty of taking things apart.

131 points by nnx 8y ago

Interesting that the keys now have a little skirt to apparently stop particles. Though I had to use my 2013 Air recently while my 2017 MBP was in the shop (keyboard aka whole front panel + battery replacement) and wished they'd just kept the high-action keyboard that could weather the grime between cleanings.

ksec 8y ago
This has been the case with all the new 2018 MacBook Pro. Its called 3rd Generation Butterfly Keyboard. It is new so we are still waiting to see if there are reports of Key malfunctioning after some longer period of use.

thecatspaw 8y ago

thats a 3/10? That seems like a low score given the rest of the article

lukifer 8y ago
It's actually a step up: the 2016-2018 MacBook Pro series scores 1/10.
sudhirj 8y ago
Think a 10/10 would be a computer with every part (including RAM, SSD, CPU) user-replaceable with no specialized equipment.
- falcolas 8y ago
  And no consumable components that need to be replaced in the process of a repair (i.e. the adhesive strips holding down the batteries and speakers).
- esmi 8y ago
  No need to guess. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg97ovaD-b4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg97ovaD-b4 What Does it Take to get a 10 out of 10 iFixit Repairability Score? They've even issued a few. This one is for a phone. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/11/ifixit-gives-modular-fairphone-2-a-rare-10-out-of-10-for-repairability/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/11/ifixit-gives-modular...
Eric_WVGG 8y ago
This is mostly due to the keyboard still being part of the chassis. If the keyboard fails, everything needs to be dismantled, and most of the laptop case needs to be replaced. It sounds like the new keyboard is more reliable, but IMO this is an unacceptably bad design. I say that as a person who really likes the "feel" of the new keys, incidentally. I've been harping on about this for years now: If it's true that Apple sees Macs as "like trucks" (and thus iOS devices as the cars that most people need), they need to make Macs… like trucks! [edit] these "pull-able glue strips" are a big step back in the right direction, at least
- danieldk 8y ago
  This is mostly due to the keyboard still being part of the chassis. And they mention having to remove the logic board to replace the battery as a downside.

TazeTSchnitzel 8y ago

Easily repairable Thunderbolt ports is great news. My 2013 MacBook Air's is busted now and that means no external display output, and a knock to resale value or hope of donating this machine to a friend when done with it (I wouldn't want to give them a computer broken in this way).

knolan 8y ago

I recently had to swap out the screen in my mother’s much abused 2015 12” MacBook. That machine was a nightmare to work on with many components attached to the bottom cover and flimsy ribbons connecting top to bottom making basic access challenging. It’s nice to see this machine have a more sane design.

komali2 8y ago

Wait, does the Air actually have more ports than the MacBook? What's going on? I thought the MacBook replaced the air, an the MacBook pro is a merger of the MacBook and MacBook pro? Have the MacBook and MacBook air "switched"?

mbreese 8y ago
Yes. The MacBook has one USB-C port, has a smaller 12" screen, and is lighter (2 lbs). The MacBook Air has two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, has a 13" screen, is heavier (2.75 lbs), and has more CPU power than the MacBook. The MBP w/o touch bar has two Thunderbolt (USB-C) ports, a 13" screen, is heavier (3 lbs), and more CPU power than the Air The MBP w/ touch bar has four Thunderbolt (USB-C) ports, a 13" screen and has more CPU power (options) than the MBP w/o touch bar (same weight). (I intentionally left out the 15" MBP)
- xeeeeeeeeeeenu 8y ago
  Also, as opposed to MBA, MacBook is fanless.
  - std_throwawayay 8y ago
    It needs air.
    - woah 8y ago
      I think we’ve solved the mystery here
    - gumby 8y ago
      I can confirm -- mine was caught in a rainstorm and drowned.
  - htk 8y ago
    This is a great point that a lot of people seem to miss (or just don't care). I do care because I don't like to worry about dust accumulating internally, noisy/malfunctioning fans, etc.

js2 8y ago

> Soldered, non-serviceable, non-upgradeable storage and RAM is a serious bummer on a $1,200+ laptop. I don't mind the RAM. There's only two options upfront: 8GB and 16GB and I know what I need. The non-serviceable storage however, even with the Thunderbolt 3 ports for external storage (because who wants external storage on a laptop), is a bummer. I just recently upgraded an 11" Air from 128 GB SSD to 1 TB SSD. It seems that storage demands only go up over time; that's much less so the case with RAM or CPU these days.

jandrese 8y ago
Also, after the fans the storage is the most random (not from abuse) failure prone part on most laptops. Well, I guess the keyboard on the MBPs might edge it out if you don't count "not only using it in a cleanroom" as abuse. It has been getting better as people work the bugs out of their SSD controllers, but it does mean the whole laptop is garbage if the MLC flash chip craps out.
- Scoundreller 8y ago
  Someone will realize they can create a business around hot-airing MLC flash chips from otherwise working logic boards.
ww520 8y ago
The soldered RAM is really bad, making adding RAM impossible. I get it. They want you to buy a new Mac every couple years. It's really annoying. I've considered adding SDXC 512GB card to the SDXC slot to expand storage, less thing to lug around than an external Thunderbolt drive.
- balladeer 8y ago
  So can I just use the card reader slot (mid 2012 MBA) to boot it on one that has a faulty storage (died after 4 yrs) instead of going for the costly flash drive replacement?
  - 8y ago

kiddico 8y ago

It's good to see that the battery isn't glued to the top case. I'm not sure if the airs have ever had it glued, but the pros sure did. It was always a bummer to tell people that a bad battery meant replacing the entire upper case.

jandrese 8y ago
They used epoxy? Usually when companies glue parts together inside electronics they use rubber cement, which can usually be peeled off without damaging the component or the housing. It's an inconvenience, not a roadblock to repair.
- dnhz 8y ago
  When my retina-display macbook pro battery swelled, they replaced the entire top case. It appears to be policy that the top case and battery are one piece.
  - raincom 8y ago
    Yes, they replace the battery and the top case together during the battery replacement.
  - jandrese 8y ago
    Probably the difference between having Apple replace it and doing it yourself with a $20 battery you bought off of the Internet. Well, that and a few hundred bucks. I can see why they wouldn't want the techs doing that in the store, one of the failure modes if you screw it up is a lithium fire. Also, if the battery had started to swell up it may have bent the case. Apple doesn't leave much room for expansion with their batteries anymore.
    - hectormalot 8y ago
      I think it’s the default policy. My rMBP from 2012 started to have battery issues and I got a $300 quote for replacement that included a new top car. Got the $80 battery from ifixit and replaced the battery relatively easily. It did have me pour generous amounts for aceton (nail polish remover) into my MacBook to unglue the battery though, was happy that everything still worked after.

yakshaving_jgt 8y ago

Welp. There goes the last laptop Apple makes without a garbage keyboard.

olibaw 8y ago
I'm weirdly ashamed to say I don't hate the new keyboard... I'm just not a keyboard connoisseur, it seems.
- yakshaving_jgt 8y ago
  I guess the way it feels is subjective — and I certainly have strong opinions about that. The two class action lawsuits against Apple for the butterfly switches however is some objective proof that something has gone terribly wrong.
  - neolefty 8y ago
    Filing class action lawsuits is not proof of legitimacy, for example https://www.keytlaw.com/blog/2010/07/apple-sued-because-ipad-doesnt-work-just-like-a-book/ https://www.keytlaw.com/blog/2010/07/apple-sued-because-ipad...
  - sagichmal 8y ago
    That was for the previous Butterfly design, the new one (on the Air and now most Pros) purports to solve the problems.
    - yakshaving_jgt 8y ago
      As far as I know, there is no new design. They just now stick a plastic film under the keys to stop dust getting in and destroying your entire machine.
      - sagichmal 8y ago
        Does it work?

gcbw2 8y ago

So the air have tons of ports, function keys, escape key, touch ID, a fan not connected to anything thermal! and is heavier. while the "PRO" macbook have a single usbC on 12", no fans, no f-keys, no escape key. Apple is now a true Mainstream Consumer PC manufacturer! The models means nothing! Now you have to dive in model numbers and specific production runs to get what you want, just like buying Asus et al.

ricardobeat 8y ago
You’re mixing up the “MacBook” with the MBP. Pro is 13”, has four USB-C ports and fan cooling. Function keys optional on the (quite crappy) base models.
- nil_pointer 8y ago
  The 13" MBP has two USB-C's, not four. The 15" has four.
  - wodenokoto 8y ago
    You and parent are mixing up the 2 lines of 13" MBP. Non-touch bar has two ports. Touch bar has four. https://support.apple.com/kb/SP775?locale=en_US https://support.apple.com/kb/SP775?locale=en_US

illwrks 8y ago

...and here I am with my 2010 13' core2duo. 16gigs of ram, an SSD a variety of ports and flying along nicely. Still on the original battery and getting about 5-6 hours on a full charge.

dijit 8y ago
Surely that speaks to the build quality of the devices?
- illwrks 8y ago
  Yes, but also the upgradability! If I was stuck with the original 120gb HDD and the stock 4gb of RAM it would be in no way 'usable' as it is now.
whalesalad 8y ago
I had a 2012 model I just replaced with a new MacBook Pro for a variety of reasons. Mine only had 8gb of RAM. I replaced the battery once (very easy job) and it was hands down my favorite computer of all time. The laser thin bezel on the front is perfect for typing. Happy with the new MacBook Pro (32gb of ram!) but part of me regrets not waiting a few weeks and grabbing the new Air.
JMiao 8y ago
i have one of those i should upgrade and give away. can you recommend your ram and ssd?
- illwrks 8y ago
  I went to Crucial.com, downloaded and ran their little spec checking tool and then maxed out what I could. I was lucky in that the model I had allowed an EFI upgrade (I think?) a few years ago which enabled the 16gb ram. I use a new 15' Macbook in the office and I have with-drawl symptoms with that new keyboard. Nice machines though, just a pity they are not serviceable.

spiderfarmer 8y ago

It's amazing. Everyone I spoke to, everyone who reviews Macs for a living and everyone who comments on it seems to agree: Apple makes a long, confusing list of Macbooks that all seem to compromise on the features that made them popular in the past. There's not a single Macbook that's universally loved by its target audience and that's quite a feat.

save_ferris 8y ago
This just shows just how much has changed in the last few years. Their push to increase revenues on a per-unit basis as opposed to reaching more customers will leave them incredibly exposed when someone else finally comes along and builds a laptop that developers are happy with at a fraction of the cost of whatever the next gen-MBPs are priced at. It might not be next year, but they're not gonna be beloved forever if they keep this up.
- mediocrejoker 8y ago
  Until a team with resources comparable to the OS X team puts in the effort to polish some Ubuntu derivative and make it work flawlessly with one or a few particular hardware configurations, Apple will still have an advantage that many are willing to pay a premium for.
  - noir_lord 8y ago
    I have a T470P (the i7-7700HQ with 2560x1440@14" came in about half of a Macbook Pro in my country), I've genuinely had to do nothing to make Fedora 26 (then 27) work on it perfectly since I got it. It of course came with Windows 10 and that's the rub, it's a crap shoot since I knew I'd be able to get Linux to work fine I just didn't know how much work (if any) would be required. I was pleasantly surprised.
  - cma 8y ago
    Windows subsystem for linux has pretty much achieved this.
- 8y ago

lostgame 8y ago

The fact that we are still seeing 128GB non-upgradeable SSD’s on a base-level Mac is insanity. For any poor soul who has had to do mobile development work on one of these, the ‘you are low on risk space’ notification is like a spectre that haunts dreams. The environmental impact alone of non-upgradeable units is a serious issue in my eyes. Previous Macs have lasted me up to 8 years or so with nice and consistent upgrades over the years. The small amount of thinness or whatever it is has been the trade off is not worth it. We’ve lost the exterior battery button, we’ve lost MagSafe, the butterfly keyboards have had scathing reviews at best, and, in what seems like the most open statement of ‘we’re not even the same company any more’, they’ve even removed lost the trademark glowing Apple on the back. It has moved beyond the point where I need to draw the line and will be building the most compatible hackintosh I can as my next laptop.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
kristianp 8y ago
It's not exactly a development machine, with a 7W processor. But if you want to do dev on one, you can buy one with a 256GB (or more?) SDD.
- lostgame 8y ago
  I think you’re missing my point that as time goes by, the need for storage space has a tendency to increase, and thusly, without the ability to upgrade, and with asinine prices from Apple for their SSD’s instead of about half that for a very nice quality SSD of the same capacity, I’d prefer to buy a baseline 8GB/128GB unit and upgrade it myself for 1/3rd of the price like I have for every other single Mac I’ve bought in my 15+ years of purchasing them. Furthermore, a MacBook Pro, which one could certainly call a development machine, still starts with a baseline, non-upgradeable 128GB unit. Virtually no ‘pro’ task, Image Editing, Software Develoment, Video Editing, Audio Editing, that Macs have typically and historically been used for, are suited to these 128GB drives and create machines that need to be thrown out and add to e-waste instead of having any meaningful longevity. I know this because I do these types of tasks all the time, and was forced into a 2017 13” MBP with a 128GB SSD and paltry 8GB of RAM earlier this year due to having it given to me as a work machine. Using it was an unpleasant experience unlike any computer I’d used, much less a Mac. And why? For aesthetic purposes? For greed/profit? What’s the use of their ‘all-aluminum’ eco-friendly goals, if they create machines that intentionally have a 3-4 year shelf life baked into them? It’s mind-boggling. We pay a premium for Apple devices, and more and more, especially as the prices seem to constantly be creeping upwards at this point, the conscessions we need to make to use them have become far greater than the benefits. RIP Apple computers. Hello, Apple, Inc.

syntaxing 8y ago

Macbook aside, I always wondered how many laptops it takes IFIXIT to determine how to take the laptop apart. Is there always a sacrifice laptop where they dissemble regardless of breaking stuff? Then they take what they learned on the "real" laptop?

fermienrico 8y ago
Exactly none. I think you’re overestimating the difficulty of taking things apart.