5 ms·

This is a usually cited concern for so many people and I'm curious to know why because I rarely unplug my laptop, like most people I know.

by plafl 4y ago

notemaker 4y ago
This mindset is similar to what people with wired headphones think of Airpods et al. It's not an apparent benefit when you're in the bubble of thinking it's normal to have a wire going across your torso all day and hearing the thuds and bumps propagate through the wire to your ears. But when you buy a pair of wireless buds and have them for a week - you don't go back. You've discovered freedom. Likewise, with battery, you don't think it's an issue now because you know your laptop's limitations and therefore rarely unplug it. But when you get the ability to do so - you'll start to adapt to your new freedoms.
- mackrevinack 4y ago
  i had wireless headphones and true-wireless ones later on and i still went back. i mostly use my wired headset now and have a fiio bluetooth receiver for the times i would prefer to be more mobile. i switch between two computers, a phone and a tablet quite a bit during the day, so having to fiddle with bluetooth settings every time i switch is more of a deal-breaker for me than some microphonic noises from the cable
- atoav 4y ago
  As an audio guy I tried, but I don't like the sound. My Sennheiser HD-25 cans are perfect for the road. The cable and the cups are propperly decoupled from the headpart, the cable comes as a plug and play replacement should it fail after 3 years of rough (including sports) use. I have had one pair of these headphones for 16 years now. I wonder how airpods would compare in terms of pure surviveability.
  - abxytg 4y ago
    I stopped traveling with my ath m50s when I got a half decent pair of noise cancelling cans.
    - atoav 4y ago
      The hd-25 are not noise cancelling, but they have such a good attenuation that I can easily use them as a hearing protection when I forget mine when at band practise with a loud drummer. This might also be the reason why they are quite popular with DJs
  - sturza 4y ago
    I have the 1st gen and the Pros. The 1st gen lasted 2 years on the mark until they started switching off without warning. I used them for music/audiobooks/calls. Now, i cannot really count on them for anything so i use them when i get (rare) gsm calls. I got a pair of 40€ airbuds from amazon wirh great battery life and sound(although i use them just for calls - i am in calls 10h per day and use just one at a time) but i cannot pair them to more than 1 machine. For other cases i use the pros.
- DoingIsLearning 4y ago
  > Likewise, with battery, you don't think it's an issue now because you know your laptop's limitations and therefore rarely unplug it. No I rarely unplug it because I need the screen real estate and the decent keyboard experience that I get at a workstation. There is maybe 30% of my work where I can afford to work on a small screen and just work on it from the garden or a cafe. Company issued laptops have become the norm but other than the occasional travelling scenarios most people still need workstations to get things done.
- hef19898 4y ago
  >> wired headphones think of Airpods et al. Funny, people accept limited (I don't use Bluetooth headsets, but I assume battery life isn't an issue in real life) battery life for fancy headsets but complain about it with laptops. I'm the opposite, I embrace the limited battery life of my laptop (running purely on the nVidia GPU and sporting a i9, on Linux, the most I get out of it are 6 hours, less when playing games), but use wired headphones. Not judging neither side, just a funny when you think about it.
- JodieBenitez 4y ago
  While I do share the general idea and I do enjoy the battery life of my M1, I can't relate about earbuds, at least not those I tried. Until then, I'm happy to keep my DT-770 wired.
- Okawari 4y ago
  I don't think this is true for a large majority of us. Use cases and therefore priorities differ, its not that we just haven't "seen the light". My laptop lasts a good 6-7 hours doing normal tasks, but I hardly ever use more than an hour or two at most as that is as much time as I usually spend in meetings. Anything above that is wasted on me as I prefer my dual monitor and keyboard setup too much and subsequently can keep it connected pretty much 24/7. It's much similar in the case of wired headphones. I bought a wireless headset many years ago. As the battery has deteriorated a bit since then I feel that I too often had to stop listening to music during work hours because they needed to charge. If I forgot to charge them when not at work, they would have to charge during work hours when I would much rather use them. I decided that this annoyance was greater than having a cable that I didn't notice was there. The sound is better too so yay
- plafl 4y ago
  I actually have wireless keyboard, mouse and earphones, both for work and for sport. But like other commenter says I need nevertheless an space for a 27" monitor, keyboard/mouse and a comfortable office chair. I don't think I have a "mindset", I'm all about improving my day to day, I spend an insane amount of hours in front of my computer. I have been told that my next work computer is going to be a MacBook Pro so I will get a taste of the Apple experience.
- COM2323 4y ago
  Both wireless headphones and laptops have downsides that you pay for the convenience of portability/ease of use. Sometimes it's worth it, sometimes it's not. I use laptop only when I don't have any other option (traveling, meetings) and there is no way in hell that I'm going to work on a unplugged laptop for more that few hours simply because I don't like the ergonomics, performance and lack of "monitor space". This means that "battery life" after certain treshold (few hours) is useless for me and not something I would consider while buying one. I understand that different people have different workflows and battery life is crucial for some of them, but it's not something everybody needs.
- avl999 4y ago
  > This mindset is similar to what people with wired headphones think of Airpods et al. It's not an apparent benefit when you're in the bubble of thinking it's normal to have a wire going across your torso all day and hearing the thuds and bumps propagate through the wire to your ears. But when you buy a pair of wireless buds and have them for a week - you don't go back. You've discovered freedom. What is abnormal is that in 2022 people think it is acceptable to be forced to use wireless headphones and have to constantly have to think and worry about keeping them charged, esp when they are used in a context where you quite possibly have them plugged in your ear all day. Wireless headphones have their place (primarily in outdoor active settings in audio only contexts for small periods of time). But if you are sitting in front of your computer all day, there are these magical devices called wired headphones with infinite "battery life" and world class sound quality that you don't have to worry about being out of charge in the middle of an important meeting. Unlike wireless ones they also guarantee audio always being insync with video if you are watching a video regardless of the type of device/machine/operating system you are using them on, something I have never been able to get consistently working to my satisfaction with bluetooth headphones.
  - l30n4da5 4y ago
    i mean, as far as wireless headphones/headsets are concerned, my counter-argument is this: I really don't like having a wire constantly tethering me to my desk. With my wireless headset, i can get up, walk around my office, throw something away, or walk out to the other room and grab a coke from the refrigerator; all without pausing my music or taking my headset off. I charge it at night and it is good all day. no worries here.
    - avl999 4y ago
      I don't want to have to keep track of charging yet another device, esp one as important and frequently used as headphones. Heck, some days I forget to plug in my phone to charge let alone headphones. Not worth the headache esp when there is another version of the device available with "infinite battery life". If some people prefer wireless and don't mind having to deal the potential inconvenience of always having it charged then more power to them... my problem is when companies try to push wireless headphones on us by taking away the 3.5mm jack.
faeriechangling 4y ago
When I owned a Mac laptop a decade ago, I always had my laptop positioned near a power outlet. When I got laptops with more battery life, the charger is now used to charge the laptop overnight so I can use it throughout the next day. If you never use your battery, why own a laptop at all? Why not buy a Mac mini or an iMac?
- plafl 4y ago
  > If you never use your battery, why own a laptop at all? Why not buy a Mac mini or an iMac? Sometimes I need to move, for example while travelling, otherwise I would use a desktop computer.
  - dialogbox 4y ago
    > This is a usually cited concern for so many people and I'm curious to know why because I rarely unplug my laptop, like most people I know. > Sometimes I need to move, for example while travelling, otherwise I would use a desktop computer. People travels often. I do everyday. I have one corp laptop and I don't have charger in my home. I don't want to have one more power brick for my 16 inch M1 macbook so I usually borrow a line from my wife's M1 Macbook Air but that rarely happens like only during weekend. After switching to M1, I feel very safe to be unplugged. Even if I need to charge it, some 20W level of phone chargers can charge my mac while I'm using it. This guy only uses around 15~20W even with tons of chrome tabs + zoom meeting. It is using 9W ATM. This is really a game changer for me.
- pmontra 4y ago
  A battery is nice as an integrated UPS, to be able to move the machine between rooms, put it into a bag for hours and resume from suspend in a different place without having to restart every single application, same thing over a night. About Macs, in my case I never liked their GUI since the very first Mac (the top bar, the menu, etc) and that's an instantaneous show stopper.
  - csdvrx 4y ago
    > About Macs, in my case I never liked their GUI since the very first Mac (the top bar, the menu, etc) and that's an instantaneous show stopper. I'm a huge fan of the modern UI seen in Windows and Gnome where the "wasted" space of the title bar can show open tabs in Windows Terminal or Edge: with a minimized taskbar, the browser and the terminal can be used in fullscreen with 0 vertical space lost.
brimble 4y ago
You can just get up and go and not even think about power. You can even take an overnight trip and not bother to bring the power brick. It's very nice. ... plus, crazy, excessive-seeming battery life at purchase means you still have "all-day" battery when the device is 5 years old and the battery has significantly degraded.
- csdvrx 4y ago
  > when the device is 5 years old and the battery has significantly degraded When the battery has significantly degraded, I usually buy a new one. Changing the battery in a Thinkpad is not very hard.

This is a usually cited concern for so many people and I'm curious to know why because I rarely unplug my laptop, like most people I know.

by plafl 4y ago

This is a usually cited concern for so many people and I'm curious to know why because I rarely unplug my laptop, like most people I know.

notemaker 4y ago

This mindset is similar to what people with wired headphones think of Airpods et al. It's not an apparent benefit when you're in the bubble of thinking it's normal to have a wire going across your torso all day and hearing the thuds and bumps propagate through the wire to your ears. But when you buy a pair of wireless buds and have them for a week - you don't go back. You've discovered freedom. Likewise, with battery, you don't think it's an issue now because you know your laptop's limitations and therefore rarely unplug it. But when you get the ability to do so - you'll start to adapt to your new freedoms.

mackrevinack 4y ago
i had wireless headphones and true-wireless ones later on and i still went back. i mostly use my wired headset now and have a fiio bluetooth receiver for the times i would prefer to be more mobile. i switch between two computers, a phone and a tablet quite a bit during the day, so having to fiddle with bluetooth settings every time i switch is more of a deal-breaker for me than some microphonic noises from the cable
atoav 4y ago
As an audio guy I tried, but I don't like the sound. My Sennheiser HD-25 cans are perfect for the road. The cable and the cups are propperly decoupled from the headpart, the cable comes as a plug and play replacement should it fail after 3 years of rough (including sports) use. I have had one pair of these headphones for 16 years now. I wonder how airpods would compare in terms of pure surviveability.
- abxytg 4y ago
  I stopped traveling with my ath m50s when I got a half decent pair of noise cancelling cans.
  - atoav 4y ago
    The hd-25 are not noise cancelling, but they have such a good attenuation that I can easily use them as a hearing protection when I forget mine when at band practise with a loud drummer. This might also be the reason why they are quite popular with DJs
- sturza 4y ago
  I have the 1st gen and the Pros. The 1st gen lasted 2 years on the mark until they started switching off without warning. I used them for music/audiobooks/calls. Now, i cannot really count on them for anything so i use them when i get (rare) gsm calls. I got a pair of 40€ airbuds from amazon wirh great battery life and sound(although i use them just for calls - i am in calls 10h per day and use just one at a time) but i cannot pair them to more than 1 machine. For other cases i use the pros.
DoingIsLearning 4y ago
> Likewise, with battery, you don't think it's an issue now because you know your laptop's limitations and therefore rarely unplug it. No I rarely unplug it because I need the screen real estate and the decent keyboard experience that I get at a workstation. There is maybe 30% of my work where I can afford to work on a small screen and just work on it from the garden or a cafe. Company issued laptops have become the norm but other than the occasional travelling scenarios most people still need workstations to get things done.
hef19898 4y ago
>> wired headphones think of Airpods et al. Funny, people accept limited (I don't use Bluetooth headsets, but I assume battery life isn't an issue in real life) battery life for fancy headsets but complain about it with laptops. I'm the opposite, I embrace the limited battery life of my laptop (running purely on the nVidia GPU and sporting a i9, on Linux, the most I get out of it are 6 hours, less when playing games), but use wired headphones. Not judging neither side, just a funny when you think about it.
JodieBenitez 4y ago
While I do share the general idea and I do enjoy the battery life of my M1, I can't relate about earbuds, at least not those I tried. Until then, I'm happy to keep my DT-770 wired.
Okawari 4y ago
I don't think this is true for a large majority of us. Use cases and therefore priorities differ, its not that we just haven't "seen the light". My laptop lasts a good 6-7 hours doing normal tasks, but I hardly ever use more than an hour or two at most as that is as much time as I usually spend in meetings. Anything above that is wasted on me as I prefer my dual monitor and keyboard setup too much and subsequently can keep it connected pretty much 24/7. It's much similar in the case of wired headphones. I bought a wireless headset many years ago. As the battery has deteriorated a bit since then I feel that I too often had to stop listening to music during work hours because they needed to charge. If I forgot to charge them when not at work, they would have to charge during work hours when I would much rather use them. I decided that this annoyance was greater than having a cable that I didn't notice was there. The sound is better too so yay
plafl 4y ago
I actually have wireless keyboard, mouse and earphones, both for work and for sport. But like other commenter says I need nevertheless an space for a 27" monitor, keyboard/mouse and a comfortable office chair. I don't think I have a "mindset", I'm all about improving my day to day, I spend an insane amount of hours in front of my computer. I have been told that my next work computer is going to be a MacBook Pro so I will get a taste of the Apple experience.
COM2323 4y ago
Both wireless headphones and laptops have downsides that you pay for the convenience of portability/ease of use. Sometimes it's worth it, sometimes it's not. I use laptop only when I don't have any other option (traveling, meetings) and there is no way in hell that I'm going to work on a unplugged laptop for more that few hours simply because I don't like the ergonomics, performance and lack of "monitor space". This means that "battery life" after certain treshold (few hours) is useless for me and not something I would consider while buying one. I understand that different people have different workflows and battery life is crucial for some of them, but it's not something everybody needs.
avl999 4y ago
> This mindset is similar to what people with wired headphones think of Airpods et al. It's not an apparent benefit when you're in the bubble of thinking it's normal to have a wire going across your torso all day and hearing the thuds and bumps propagate through the wire to your ears. But when you buy a pair of wireless buds and have them for a week - you don't go back. You've discovered freedom. What is abnormal is that in 2022 people think it is acceptable to be forced to use wireless headphones and have to constantly have to think and worry about keeping them charged, esp when they are used in a context where you quite possibly have them plugged in your ear all day. Wireless headphones have their place (primarily in outdoor active settings in audio only contexts for small periods of time). But if you are sitting in front of your computer all day, there are these magical devices called wired headphones with infinite "battery life" and world class sound quality that you don't have to worry about being out of charge in the middle of an important meeting. Unlike wireless ones they also guarantee audio always being insync with video if you are watching a video regardless of the type of device/machine/operating system you are using them on, something I have never been able to get consistently working to my satisfaction with bluetooth headphones.
- l30n4da5 4y ago
  i mean, as far as wireless headphones/headsets are concerned, my counter-argument is this: I really don't like having a wire constantly tethering me to my desk. With my wireless headset, i can get up, walk around my office, throw something away, or walk out to the other room and grab a coke from the refrigerator; all without pausing my music or taking my headset off. I charge it at night and it is good all day. no worries here.
  - avl999 4y ago
    I don't want to have to keep track of charging yet another device, esp one as important and frequently used as headphones. Heck, some days I forget to plug in my phone to charge let alone headphones. Not worth the headache esp when there is another version of the device available with "infinite battery life". If some people prefer wireless and don't mind having to deal the potential inconvenience of always having it charged then more power to them... my problem is when companies try to push wireless headphones on us by taking away the 3.5mm jack.

faeriechangling 4y ago

When I owned a Mac laptop a decade ago, I always had my laptop positioned near a power outlet. When I got laptops with more battery life, the charger is now used to charge the laptop overnight so I can use it throughout the next day. If you never use your battery, why own a laptop at all? Why not buy a Mac mini or an iMac?

plafl 4y ago
> If you never use your battery, why own a laptop at all? Why not buy a Mac mini or an iMac? Sometimes I need to move, for example while travelling, otherwise I would use a desktop computer.
- dialogbox 4y ago
  > This is a usually cited concern for so many people and I'm curious to know why because I rarely unplug my laptop, like most people I know. > Sometimes I need to move, for example while travelling, otherwise I would use a desktop computer. People travels often. I do everyday. I have one corp laptop and I don't have charger in my home. I don't want to have one more power brick for my 16 inch M1 macbook so I usually borrow a line from my wife's M1 Macbook Air but that rarely happens like only during weekend. After switching to M1, I feel very safe to be unplugged. Even if I need to charge it, some 20W level of phone chargers can charge my mac while I'm using it. This guy only uses around 15~20W even with tons of chrome tabs + zoom meeting. It is using 9W ATM. This is really a game changer for me.
pmontra 4y ago
A battery is nice as an integrated UPS, to be able to move the machine between rooms, put it into a bag for hours and resume from suspend in a different place without having to restart every single application, same thing over a night. About Macs, in my case I never liked their GUI since the very first Mac (the top bar, the menu, etc) and that's an instantaneous show stopper.
- csdvrx 4y ago
  > About Macs, in my case I never liked their GUI since the very first Mac (the top bar, the menu, etc) and that's an instantaneous show stopper. I'm a huge fan of the modern UI seen in Windows and Gnome where the "wasted" space of the title bar can show open tabs in Windows Terminal or Edge: with a minimized taskbar, the browser and the terminal can be used in fullscreen with 0 vertical space lost.

brimble 4y ago

You can just get up and go and not even think about power. You can even take an overnight trip and not bother to bring the power brick. It's very nice. ... plus, crazy, excessive-seeming battery life at purchase means you still have "all-day" battery when the device is 5 years old and the battery has significantly degraded.

csdvrx 4y ago
> when the device is 5 years old and the battery has significantly degraded When the battery has significantly degraded, I usually buy a new one. Changing the battery in a Thinkpad is not very hard.