Not jumping ship, but waiting til they make a laptop that seems solid. I’m just reformatting my 2015 yearly to keep it speedy for now. Sold my Mac Pro trashcan and built a hackintosh so not worried about that side of things.
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Anyone else abandoning ship?
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You mean like the Dell XPS 13 which goes for 979, uses a SSD, has upgradeable ram, storage and batteries, and doesn't use a butterfly keyboard that Apple bizarrely tells us to hold at a precise angle to clean it?
I understand you, like many others prefer macs, that's fine, but its kind of silly to paint all non-macs with such inaccurate broad strokes that only communicates that you've done zero research and a blindly dissing anything without a fruit logo.
Well in that case you're free to take your $1000 to Apple and buy a laptop. Oh, wait...
I have a late 2013 MacBook Pro which I use daily at home. I would liked to have upgraded to a modern MacBook Pro but I don't think the 2018 model is an upgrade. It's the same thing, just slightly refined & a lot more expensive! Apple haven't bothered to innovate and the bottom line is that the MacBook Pro is no longer the class leading computer that it used to be.
So, I bought a Surface Laptop 2. It was an impossible deal to turn down with a £200 discount over Christmas - £999 for the i5/8GB/256GB model. It's an incredible machine and yes it has some negative points, but it's a thin & light quad-core beast that weighs next to nothing & does everything I need it to do.
Most machines are simple a gateway to the internet so it doesn't matter what OS it runs!
I don't see myself ditching all my Macs any time soon, but I bought my first Windows device in nearly 9 years and couldn't be happier with it.
So, I bought a Surface Laptop 2. It was an impossible deal to turn down with a £200 discount over Christmas - £999 for the i5/8GB/256GB model. It's an incredible machine and yes it has some negative points, but it's a thin & light quad-core beast that weighs next to nothing & does everything I need it to do.
Most machines are simple a gateway to the internet so it doesn't matter what OS it runs!
I don't see myself ditching all my Macs any time soon, but I bought my first Windows device in nearly 9 years and couldn't be happier with it.
Good for you, but saying 2018 models are a slight "refinement" is an understatement.
They pack ridiculously more CPU power and have crazy good SSD speeds, incredible external connectivity, and to configure a Surface Book 2 to anything near that performance it will cost you the same.
Surface 2 13" i5 is not a quad, it's a dual core (with hyperthreading), and MacBook Pro 13" i5 quad with hyperthreading is so ridiculously more powerful it doesn't even compare.
Surface 2 is good for many things, but raw computing power is not one of them.
I don't mean to embarrass you with your complete lack of knowledge, but the Surface Laptop 2 has a i5-8250U CPU (Kaby Lake R). It's a quad core CPU with 8 threads:
https://ark.intel.com/products/124967/Intel-Core-i5-8250U-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3-40-GHz-
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/surface/devices/surface-laptop-2/tech-specs
Not sure why you are talking about the Surface Book 2, I don't have one of those.
A llama with freckles.... I love llamas, but have been lucky not to be spit on by any ;-)
Paint me embarrassed.
I'm talking about the Surface Book 2 because Surface has a line up that's just as confusing as the iPad lineup or the MacBook Pro lineup.
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wow, 3:2 aspect ratio. cool
Surface line-up is easy to understand.
Surface Go (cheap version of the Pro)
Surface Pro (laptop/tablet hybrid)
Surface Book (premium laptop/hybrid with bells & whistles)
Surface Laptop (premium clamshell notebook)
Surface Studio (all-in-one PC) - makes the iMac look like a relic from the 1980s
What Microsoft must do is standardise on USB-C and drop the mini-display port as it's just not useful. Other than that, the Surface Laptop 2 is a stunning device. And that 3:2 screen...!
Thanks!
How is windows treating you?
I'm too locked into Apple to consider switching, since Logic Pro X is my main DAW, and all alternatives are still terrible.
If they stop showing love to Logic, i doubt i'll stay either.
I remember surface studio when it came out with the dial thingie, and was impressed even then
I'll jump ship the day they switch their computers to ARM... until then I'm relatively happy. If I end up upgrading (probably during postgrad if my data analysis gets more complex...) it'll be to one of those new mac minis or a 5,1 Mac Pro I think. For now the set up I have works perfectly. I have my main desktop, an overpriced notebook/dual monitor (iPad pro), and a MacBook air to go along with it. 
That being said, I'll avoid the Touch Bar and butterfly mechanisms till the death of me...
That being said, I'll avoid the Touch Bar and butterfly mechanisms till the death of me...
God. I gave Bill Gates so much of my money anytime I have to (anymore) it pains me. I have a cheaper Dell for accounting. Hate the OS. In fact, I spent a few hours trying to the Mail to work with my hosting company (Siteground) and gave up. I haven't done "research" in the classical sense, but just my own experience has been one of more not less frustration. My wife feels the same way but we are both pushing 60 and to carry our dog up and down two flights of stairs (our desks are in our attic due to the small size of our house) isn't always easy (or safe) and we are fit!
I had hoped after almost four decades Windows might be functional (for me). I know a huge chuck on the world loves Windows and they are obviously smarter than me and I am happy for them, but honestly I have so little left in the can for tinkering with settings ad nauseum I'm trying to figure out how to stick with Apple until they get better leadership and clean up their act.
I'm happy the Surface is good for you, but some of us are having different results and do more than web browsing. In my case I was a publisher/writer/photographer. Still am just not needed as much. I can't get email to work let alone InDesign, and the thought of file management, font management, and cross-platform and OS learning curve issues is daunting. Just my $.02 on the whole "board brush stroke" feeling Windows users might think some of us have....
I earn my living using Microsoft products & technologies so I will just tell it as it is.
Windows 10 started off badly. It was a clearly unfinished OS full of problems. That was 3 years ago & Windows 10 is now a fine OS. I am running the very latest release (1809) on my Surface & work machines, never had a single problem. I've even ditched buying AV software on my personal devices as the built-in Windows Defender & firewall does a solid job (don't listen to the reviews, they mark it down on purpose as most AV software reviews are paid for). BitLocker encrypted my drive by default which was nice as I thought it was only reserved for Pro & Enterprise versions of Windows 10, so it's good to have that extra layer of security.
Edge is still a steaming turd and I don't touch it. OneDrive integration is seamless & files on-demand (coming soon to Mac) is how a cloud service should be, i.e. exceptional.
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What? Can't get your email to work? Sounds like an issue with your provider. I've never heard of Siteground but their website is a car crash.
https://www.siteground.com/tutorials/email/
Should be straight forward, but I'd contact them for help if I were you.
Minor detail, XPS 13 RAM is not upgradable. The XPS 15 is. But still, Dell even has a manual how to work on your computer and replace most parts yourself.
https://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/xps-13-9360-laptop_service-manual2_en-us.pdf
Now there's a visual
ha ha.There's always some issue with browsers. The web is a wasteland of mixed tech. I'd hate to be a programmer of browsers. Talk about a nightmare!
When you mentioned the "firewall does a solid job" it reminded me of back when I desperately wanted Windows to work. I lost so much personal time trying to get my machine to work I felt like an IT intern for Petes sake.
The fact that in this day and age we, as consumers or workers in other fields besides data security, need to even know what a firewall is, let alone have the time or capacity to know whether or not it is doing a "solid job" is why Apple still exists, but I sense they are getting closer to Windows than even they know it!
Point is we all can't know systems and firewalls and discs and so forth. Too much going on here in this forum just to figure out what to do let alone learn machine language and how to fight the hacker community....
You're right, I leaped before I looked.
Regardless, I think my point remains that there are plenty of non-fruit computers out there that meet or exceed what apple offers in form, function and quality. Its up to the consumer to pick what works best for them. For many people they love Apple's MacBook Pros, that's great. As long as you're happy with the purchase that's all that matters to but to paint the non-mac category with such broad strokes saying anything that's not apple is crap, at best misguided.
Completely agree with your point. Just wanted to makes sure people were not disappointed with this limitation of the XPS 13.
Most of the developers I work with used to always have MacBooks. But, lately they have moved on to Windows based laptops. They like the upgrad-ability/repair-ability of some windows systems, and the native ability to run Linux and Windows in dual boot. Also, for the Machine Learning types, an Nvidia GPU is a must.
Absolutely.
There were some amazing machines at CES this year:
Yoga S940 was my pick:
New XPS 13 was at the usual high standard we expect:
ThinkPad X1 Yoga:
Asus Zenbook S13:
Huawei Matebook 13:
Just curious if you every looked at Adobe Audition? I do a lot of recording and use Audition. I like being able to record and edit the same projects on either Windows and Macs.
Thank you for the link Steve. I'm 56 and as much of a moron as I may sound like I am, I am indeed capable enough to seek help by going to my ISPs site, as you have.
I have configured our email accounts, and we have multiple domains and WP sites I have done over the past years, since Hot Dog and hard coding days, but honestly the Windows default (not Outlook) mail program didn't allow for specific port settings for in or outgoing smtp servers, etc.
I tried, as mentioned upthread, unsuccessfully, to do what I do regularly on my Macs and IOS devices (whenever I change a password, for example), to get IMAP to work on the Windows laptop. I'm sure if I delve deeper, like I am in responding to the possible innuendo that I am both lazy and stupid, and possibly even a liar... but it's just my own experience with Windows, and hate to break this to you, Steve, but last time Imch died, we are entitled to our opinions here, no?
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Sorry for the knee-jerk. Just tired is all Steve....
Yeah, Surface Book 2 is the one model that did not get refreshed in the fall, expect to see Surface Book 3 this year with updated CPU/GPU and hopefully (finally) TB3.
Love 3:2 aspect ratio, but Apples 16:10 is good as well
yeah, did a full length documentary with it as a test-ride.
It falls short at more specific tasks, such as MIDI implementation, multitrack editing, time-warping and an intuitive music-focused audio routing/mixer.
I also have Cubase and Pro Tools... (both corss-platform) but ugh... UGH.
If I go back to windows I'll probably switch to Cubase.
I used Cubase before migrating to Logic Pro 8 ten years ago.
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Love 3:2 aspect ratio, but Apples 16:10 is good as well
I'm on UltraFine 4K 16:9 and I miss the taller screen of the MacBook. 3:2 seems amazing. I don't know what 16:9 is good for really
One thing about the Windows Mail program is that I believe it pretty much just mirrors Outlook in a simplified format, so whatever you configure in outlook gets mirrored in Mail. In other words, I think if you sort out the port settings and smtp servers in Outlook, Mail will mirror what is received.
It is good for widescreen movies. I don't spend much time watching movies on my laptop, so I don't have much interest in it. But if you do, laptops such as the Lenovo X1 Extreme with Dolby Vision HDR display and Dolby Atmos sound, deliver about as good an experience as you will find in a laptop I believe. I had a good trial run with the X1 Extreme and watching 4K movies with the Atmos sound on my headphones was engaging.
Edit: I am not much of a gamer. Do games use 16:9? ¯\_(⊙_ʖ⊙)_/¯ . Asking for a friend
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I have a 2012 non retina 13" MBP that I only started using in February after I sold my 15" 2015 MBP. I'm gonna keep using this until it dies and then I'll probably move onto a Windows laptop. The only reason I sold the 2015 MBP was that it fell off my bed 3-4 times and the lid no longer stayed closed all the way and the cord had a split from the falls when it landed on that end of the computer in the falls.
I already bought a Dell Ryzen desktop almost a year ago that I mostly just use for when I need to user my printer/scanner and for when I want to do something with one of my Android phones, so much easier on the Dell. I just don't like all the Windows updates. Since I only use the Dell once or twice a month, it seems there's always an update that needs to finish before I can use that computer.
I also still have a 2012 i7 mini that I use just to browse or serve iTunes movies from although my MBP does most of that now.
I already bought a Dell Ryzen desktop almost a year ago that I mostly just use for when I need to user my printer/scanner and for when I want to do something with one of my Android phones, so much easier on the Dell. I just don't like all the Windows updates. Since I only use the Dell once or twice a month, it seems there's always an update that needs to finish before I can use that computer.
I also still have a 2012 i7 mini that I use just to browse or serve iTunes movies from although my MBP does most of that now.
That dell doesn't even have anything more than a 1080p display. At least Apple is giving info on how to resolve the issue before taking it to the Apple store. That reminds me is there a dell store?
Oh no they just have mail in options. One more benefit to Apple. I enjoy your point of view though. Cheers.[doublepost=1548086677][/doublepost]
Absolutely.
There were some amazing machines at CES this year:
Yoga S940 was my pick:
New XPS 13 was at the usual high standard we expect:
ThinkPad X1 Yoga:
Asus Zenbook S13:
Huawei Matebook 13:
How many of those have anything higher than 1080p on its base entry level model?
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I have and always will be team Apple.