6 ms·

I'm actually tempted to get one of the new Macbook Airs. There's something intriguing and fun about navigating the brokenness of a new ecosystem. Does anybody k

by shiado 6y ago

I'm actually tempted to get one of the new Macbook Airs. There's something intriguing and fun about navigating the brokenness of a new ecosystem. Does anybody know how Steam handles the new macs?

arthurcolle 6y ago
> intriguing and fun ఠ_ఠ
syas 6y ago
That’s why I got the Pro (also my laptop is from 2013 and I’m desperate). I love and use Docker every day, and know it’s a mess right now, but I’m still excited to jump in head first. Edit: This is my personal laptop fwiw. My work one is still Intel.
- hammock 6y ago
  What is the difference between the M1 Air and the M1 Pro 13"? From what I can tell, they are basically the same spec except for small differences like slightly bigger battery life, active cooling and touchbar in the Pro. Is that worth $300, for a larger form factor?
  - threeseed 6y ago
    400 nits versus 500 nits brightness is another minor difference.
  - AgloeDreams 6y ago
    Form factor is similar. Brightness is better as stated. I believe you get better speakers in the Pro, the charger is higher wattage and the GPU in the high end air and Pro is 8 cores while the GPU on the base Air is 7 cores.
  - soneil 6y ago
    The Air is passively cooled, so the theory is it won't sustain higher workloads for as long as the Pro should be able to. From what we know right now - same processor, different thermal envelope.
  - bengale 6y ago
    Higher sustained speeds, larger battery, brighter screen, better mic/speakers, Touch Bar.
freehunter 6y ago
This is exactly the reason I picked up an iPad Pro earlier this year. I have ADHD that flares up pretty bad when I’m wading through the boring parts of a project and flipping through open windows, the Dock flashing at me, update notifications popping in randomly, and all the complexity that comes with a desktop OS just wore me down. Add in all the fun stuff 2020 has to offer and I just couldn’t take it anymore. Not that the transition has been seamless, but I’ve only had to fall back to my Macbook once in the past three months. There’s something about shaking up the routine, plus the forced simplicity and single-tasking has majorly helped my focus. I just wish Cloud9 or Codespaces worked better on an iPad...
- esclerofilo 6y ago
  This sounds like you would actually _like_ the incompleteness of most linux window managers. On i3 you don't get update notifications, because by default notifications don't work!
  - freehunter 6y ago
    I’ve been down that road and combining ADHD with an infinite amount of buttons to press and dials to turn is a recipe for disaster. I just can’t help but push all the buttons and turn all the dials until something breaks, and then I have to spend all day trying to fix it.
user5994461 6y ago
>>> Does anybody know how Steam handles the new macs? Games are mostly C++, based on my experience with C++ codebases I'd say there's about zero chance that a game could be (easily) recompiled and made to work on ARM. And games won't be ported anyway because it's too much work for too little sales, even if a developer really wanted to make it work they'd need a $2000 new mac to be able to compile/test in the first place.
- runjake 6y ago
  $2,000 is a stretch. You can get the high-end M1 Mini for about $1,200. A high-end M1 MBP for under $1,800.
  - user5994461 6y ago
    The Macbook Pro that is $1200 in the US is £1300 in the UK and 1449€ in France. Apple products are way more expensive outside of the US. Plus another 100 or 200 in adapters. It's beyond me why they would make a laptop with zero USB and zero HDMI ports. Total is $2000 when converted back in USD.
    - Symbiote 6y ago
      A business doesn't pay the VAT, so the $700 basic M1 Mini is £583, which is $772. The 10% might still be to account for the instability of the GBP.
    - ericpauley 6y ago
      The new MacBooks have 2 USB ports.
      - dan1234 6y ago
        One of them is used for charging, so you really only have one useable port. Still, TB3 dock should be able to provide enough ports for most people (at the expense of portability).
martinpw 6y ago
Are the old x86 Macbook Airs already discontinued or are they still available via some less obvious page on Apple's site? I picked one up last month since I liked the form factor and needed x86. Seems like I may have got it just in time?
- xsmasher 6y ago
  They're available refurbished. https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/mac/macbook-air https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/mac/macbook-air I've bought a lot of Apple refurbs, they are like new in every respect.
mhh__ 6y ago
If you can burn the cash then go for it, but unless these laptops can support something other than MacOS I'm (with a sad expression) staying away from them. Obviously if you just make websites it doesn't matter but if I'm buying an ARM device I want to play with the bare metal (you can't even access performance counters in MacOS IIRC)
- djxfade 6y ago
  > Obviously if you just make websites it doesn't matter Websites in 2020 is not that simple. At my workplace, we use Docker extensively in our build pipelines
  - mhh__ 6y ago
    It's probably apples #1 tooling priority right now, though
- Seb-C 6y ago
  May I ask what do you enjoy with a Macbook not running MacOS? I don't like Apple devices myself but I understand that some people like the ecosystem as a whole. However I don't understand the point of a Mac without MacOS. The hardware is pretty much garbage compared to any laptop of the same price range, let alone high-end laptops like Thinkpads. (this is a honest question and I am not trying to troll or make fun of anyone, in case anyone doubt of the tone of my post)
  - redvenom 6y ago
    Install Linux on them when MacOS is no longer supported on your machine, perhaps? If your laptop still works, you should still be able to use it even if it is no longer supported. Also, many people like to work with dual boot devices. And no, virtualization is not the same. The hardware is also not garbage. It may not be competitive, but it is well made.
  - totalZero 6y ago
    Apple hardware is pretty nice. Spec out a top-of-the-line Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen8 against a top-of-the-line MBP13, and you definitely pay more for the MBP13, but it gives you more and superior RAM, more and superior SSD...the configurable ceiling and hardware quality are higher. The X1C-8 gives you more screen resolution, 4G LTE (not that you would need it if you have mobile hotspot with 5G), more ports, WiFi 6....but the central nervous system of the MBP is arguably better. To answer your question, I don't see much reason to buy a MBP and run it without MacOS, because -- although the build quality is sensational and the MBP travels well -- I'd rather just buy a Lenovo with Windows 10 Pro from the factory, get their top-tier service and repair plan, and still come out cheaper than a new MBP. However, I could see myself converting an old MBP for use as a Windows machine.
Areading314 6y ago
> intriguing and fun about navigating the brokenness of a new ecosystem Funny how far we've gotten from "It just works"
anentropic 6y ago
I don't know about Steam specifically, but in the Apple keynote they said that existing games can run under Rosetta 2 and that some of them even have higher frame rates due to M1 speed despite emulation

by shiado 6y ago

I'm actually tempted to get one of the new Macbook Airs. There's something intriguing and fun about navigating the brokenness of a new ecosystem. Does anybody know how Steam handles the new macs?

arthurcolle 6y ago

> intriguing and fun ఠ_ఠ

syas 6y ago

That’s why I got the Pro (also my laptop is from 2013 and I’m desperate). I love and use Docker every day, and know it’s a mess right now, but I’m still excited to jump in head first. Edit: This is my personal laptop fwiw. My work one is still Intel.

hammock 6y ago
What is the difference between the M1 Air and the M1 Pro 13"? From what I can tell, they are basically the same spec except for small differences like slightly bigger battery life, active cooling and touchbar in the Pro. Is that worth $300, for a larger form factor?
- threeseed 6y ago
  400 nits versus 500 nits brightness is another minor difference.
- AgloeDreams 6y ago
  Form factor is similar. Brightness is better as stated. I believe you get better speakers in the Pro, the charger is higher wattage and the GPU in the high end air and Pro is 8 cores while the GPU on the base Air is 7 cores.
- soneil 6y ago
  The Air is passively cooled, so the theory is it won't sustain higher workloads for as long as the Pro should be able to. From what we know right now - same processor, different thermal envelope.
- bengale 6y ago
  Higher sustained speeds, larger battery, brighter screen, better mic/speakers, Touch Bar.

freehunter 6y ago

This is exactly the reason I picked up an iPad Pro earlier this year. I have ADHD that flares up pretty bad when I’m wading through the boring parts of a project and flipping through open windows, the Dock flashing at me, update notifications popping in randomly, and all the complexity that comes with a desktop OS just wore me down. Add in all the fun stuff 2020 has to offer and I just couldn’t take it anymore. Not that the transition has been seamless, but I’ve only had to fall back to my Macbook once in the past three months. There’s something about shaking up the routine, plus the forced simplicity and single-tasking has majorly helped my focus. I just wish Cloud9 or Codespaces worked better on an iPad...

esclerofilo 6y ago
This sounds like you would actually _like_ the incompleteness of most linux window managers. On i3 you don't get update notifications, because by default notifications don't work!
- freehunter 6y ago
  I’ve been down that road and combining ADHD with an infinite amount of buttons to press and dials to turn is a recipe for disaster. I just can’t help but push all the buttons and turn all the dials until something breaks, and then I have to spend all day trying to fix it.

user5994461 6y ago

>>> Does anybody know how Steam handles the new macs? Games are mostly C++, based on my experience with C++ codebases I'd say there's about zero chance that a game could be (easily) recompiled and made to work on ARM. And games won't be ported anyway because it's too much work for too little sales, even if a developer really wanted to make it work they'd need a $2000 new mac to be able to compile/test in the first place.

runjake 6y ago
$2,000 is a stretch. You can get the high-end M1 Mini for about $1,200. A high-end M1 MBP for under $1,800.
- user5994461 6y ago
  The Macbook Pro that is $1200 in the US is £1300 in the UK and 1449€ in France. Apple products are way more expensive outside of the US. Plus another 100 or 200 in adapters. It's beyond me why they would make a laptop with zero USB and zero HDMI ports. Total is $2000 when converted back in USD.
  - Symbiote 6y ago
    A business doesn't pay the VAT, so the $700 basic M1 Mini is £583, which is $772. The 10% might still be to account for the instability of the GBP.
  - ericpauley 6y ago
    The new MacBooks have 2 USB ports.
    - dan1234 6y ago
      One of them is used for charging, so you really only have one useable port. Still, TB3 dock should be able to provide enough ports for most people (at the expense of portability).

martinpw 6y ago

Are the old x86 Macbook Airs already discontinued or are they still available via some less obvious page on Apple's site? I picked one up last month since I liked the form factor and needed x86. Seems like I may have got it just in time?

xsmasher 6y ago
They're available refurbished. https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/mac/macbook-air https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/mac/macbook-air I've bought a lot of Apple refurbs, they are like new in every respect.

mhh__ 6y ago

If you can burn the cash then go for it, but unless these laptops can support something other than MacOS I'm (with a sad expression) staying away from them. Obviously if you just make websites it doesn't matter but if I'm buying an ARM device I want to play with the bare metal (you can't even access performance counters in MacOS IIRC)

djxfade 6y ago
> Obviously if you just make websites it doesn't matter Websites in 2020 is not that simple. At my workplace, we use Docker extensively in our build pipelines
- mhh__ 6y ago
  It's probably apples #1 tooling priority right now, though
Seb-C 6y ago
May I ask what do you enjoy with a Macbook not running MacOS? I don't like Apple devices myself but I understand that some people like the ecosystem as a whole. However I don't understand the point of a Mac without MacOS. The hardware is pretty much garbage compared to any laptop of the same price range, let alone high-end laptops like Thinkpads. (this is a honest question and I am not trying to troll or make fun of anyone, in case anyone doubt of the tone of my post)
- redvenom 6y ago
  Install Linux on them when MacOS is no longer supported on your machine, perhaps? If your laptop still works, you should still be able to use it even if it is no longer supported. Also, many people like to work with dual boot devices. And no, virtualization is not the same. The hardware is also not garbage. It may not be competitive, but it is well made.
- totalZero 6y ago
  Apple hardware is pretty nice. Spec out a top-of-the-line Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen8 against a top-of-the-line MBP13, and you definitely pay more for the MBP13, but it gives you more and superior RAM, more and superior SSD...the configurable ceiling and hardware quality are higher. The X1C-8 gives you more screen resolution, 4G LTE (not that you would need it if you have mobile hotspot with 5G), more ports, WiFi 6....but the central nervous system of the MBP is arguably better. To answer your question, I don't see much reason to buy a MBP and run it without MacOS, because -- although the build quality is sensational and the MBP travels well -- I'd rather just buy a Lenovo with Windows 10 Pro from the factory, get their top-tier service and repair plan, and still come out cheaper than a new MBP. However, I could see myself converting an old MBP for use as a Windows machine.

Areading314 6y ago

> intriguing and fun about navigating the brokenness of a new ecosystem Funny how far we've gotten from "It just works"

anentropic 6y ago

I don't know about Steam specifically, but in the Apple keynote they said that existing games can run under Rosetta 2 and that some of them even have higher frame rates due to M1 speed despite emulation