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My 2014 MacBook Pro died a few weeks ago. The logic board fried when waking from sleep after a battery replacement. There are no official replacement batteries.

My 2014 MacBook Pro died a few weeks ago. The logic board fried when waking from sleep after a battery replacement. There are no official replacement batteries. I'm trying to find a suitable computer to switch to. 2014 MacBook Pro: + Repair parts are easy to find + Skilled repairers can fix the logic board (e.g. Louis Rossmann, Paul Daniels) + Retina screen, good webcam + Full size USB, HDMI, SD card slots. + SSD upgraded to 4 TB, currently possible up to 8 TB, presumably more in future. - Original batteries swollen. Replacement batteries broke 3 logic boards in a week due to power surges when waking from sleep. - Not sure who to trust in order to replace the battery safely. 2016-2020 Intel MacBook: + AppleCare would allow me to have it fixed for another 3 years. - No full-size USB, HDMI ports. - I can't upgrade the SSD, or remove the SSD and recover data elsewhere - Important chips for repair, e.g. ISL9239, are not available. https://youtu.be/gmRd9IVE6dc?t=490 https://youtu.be/gmRd9IVE6dc?t=490 - No MagSafe 2020 ARM MacBook: + M1 chip is very fast. + Good battery life - Cannot boot into Linux or Windows, which I will need for work. - No more Target Disk Mode - Cannot sync iPhone over USB (contacts, calendars, music, bookmarks, photos) Non-Apple: - No Time Machine - Software compatibility: AppleScript, Office, Keynote/Numbers/Pages, Skype - Cannot sync iPhone over USB (contacts, calendars, music, bookmarks, photos) - Generally heavier, worse webcams, non-replacable batteries - No leaked schematics, boardviews, parts, iFixit guides for repairers. Even though the repairers (especially Rossmann) say many terrible things about Apple, I still think the documentation and parts are easier to find for old Macs than for average PCs. It's been 6 years though, and I don't think Apple are going to change their mind. I want to be able to move away, but it's really hard to find a decent alternative.

athms 6y ago
>No Time Machine There are plenty of ways to sync files or clone disks, either natively or using third party applications, both free and commercial. >Software compatibility: AppleScript, Office, Keynote/Numbers/Pages, Skype Office and Skype are available for Windows. Windows has PowerShell and it is cross platform, available on both MacOS and Linux. >Cannot sync iPhone over USB On Windows, you can use iTunes or SMB via Files. >Generally heavier, worse webcams, non-replacable batteries That depends on the brand and model. There are many laptops that are lighter than the MBA and offer more ports. Apple's 720p webcam in their laptops is not that great, it is a decade old at this point and on par with many other laptops. You can find Windows laptops with 1080p webcams, but they are usually on premium models. Brands Dell, Lenovo, and HP (and other brands) have replaceable batteries which use screws and brackets to hold them in place. You might mean user replaceable and this is the same as Apple, the manufacturer will only allow authorized service for battery replacement. Unless you have an onsite service (which many brands offer), you need to mail the laptop to the manufacturer for a battery replacement. That said, there are plenty of third party sellers of batteries for Windows laptops. >No leaked schematics, boardviews, parts, iFixit guides for repairers. Dell, Lenovo, and HP (and other brands) have freely available hardware support documentation on their websites. You can find repair guides for many of these laptops that available from third party sites including iFixit and YouTube.

athms 6y ago

>No Time Machine There are plenty of ways to sync files or clone disks, either natively or using third party applications, both free and commercial. >Software compatibility: AppleScript, Office, Keynote/Numbers/Pages, Skype Office and Skype are available for Windows. Windows has PowerShell and it is cross platform, available on both MacOS and Linux. >Cannot sync iPhone over USB On Windows, you can use iTunes or SMB via Files. >Generally heavier, worse webcams, non-replacable batteries That depends on the brand and model. There are many laptops that are lighter than the MBA and offer more ports. Apple's 720p webcam in their laptops is not that great, it is a decade old at this point and on par with many other laptops. You can find Windows laptops with 1080p webcams, but they are usually on premium models. Brands Dell, Lenovo, and HP (and other brands) have replaceable batteries which use screws and brackets to hold them in place. You might mean user replaceable and this is the same as Apple, the manufacturer will only allow authorized service for battery replacement. Unless you have an onsite service (which many brands offer), you need to mail the laptop to the manufacturer for a battery replacement. That said, there are plenty of third party sellers of batteries for Windows laptops. >No leaked schematics, boardviews, parts, iFixit guides for repairers. Dell, Lenovo, and HP (and other brands) have freely available hardware support documentation on their websites. You can find repair guides for many of these laptops that available from third party sites including iFixit and YouTube.