Anyone else abandoning ship?

[PaladinGuy]

Just got back from picking up my 4 month old MBA 2018 from keyboard replacement. The genius point blank told me the keyboard is awful and very prone to breaking. He said there’s nothing I can do to better prevent it.

Of course, my MBA is not even covered under the keyboard replacement program... Really debating now if I should sell this while it’s mint and get a Surface Laptop or something. Just NUTS for Apple Genius to admit to me that it’s prone to breaking...the keyboard! I’ve never had a single keyboard break in my whole life.

 

[ATC]

Just got back from picking up my 4 month old MBA 2018 from keyboard replacement. The genius point blank told me the keyboard is awful and very prone to breaking. He said there’s nothing I can do to better prevent it.

Of course, my MBA is not even covered under the keyboard replacement program... Really debating now if I should sell this while it’s mint and get a Surface Laptop or something. Just NUTS for Apple Genius to admit to me that it’s prone to breaking...the keyboard! I’ve never had a single keyboard break in my whole life.

I have a SL2 and from the hardware POV, it's fantastic. The screen is great and the KB is very good. I still much prefer macOS to W10 personally but the hardware is done right on the SL2.

 

[Queen6]

No of course not, but many long term apple fans are tired of over paying for a class of a machine that has many problems. Why spend 3k on a machine that apple made an apology for, when you can buy a faster, more durable machine for around 1,000 less.

As I see it, apple used to provide a great design, with a well made laptop that ran an OS that is written for the hardware. The benefits are a well running smooth computing experience. I'm not seeing much improvements on software side, I see a high number of people complaining about bugs and issues with every annual release of the OS. (I know MS has had their share of problems with the bi-annual release). On the hardware, with the risk of beating a dead horse, the keyboard, flexgate, staingate, etc, etc. Are these the qualities and experiences you expect when buying a premium product? For me its not.

I've been quite pleased with how solid the Thinkpad has been, its keyboard has been joy to use and windows has been rock solid. There are things I miss with with macOS but not at the price that apple is charging.

Let me just add, I totally understand my opinion is unpopular and in the minority here as its an apple fan sight. I'm not looking to convince anyone, rather just post about my experiences, choices, and opinions.

Apple has lost my business, both professionally and privately, as it has very much removed the Mac from what one can considered to be a professional product...

Nice Ultrabook's that fully deserve all the scorn they get. Works to be done and the hardware needs to deliver, Apple has painted itself out of the equation by focusing on pretty toy's, not solid tools, all for the sake of a few mm and grams.

As ever you reap what you sow...

Q-6
[doublepost=1556322544][/doublepost]

I agree. My Macbook Pro early 2013 is still going strong. It is a bit slow and only has 16gb of ram. I need at least 32gb.

I built a hackintosh and used it for over a year. I ended up getting an iMac Pro (basically an even power between the two) because I got tired of dealing with OS updates. I usually use my Linux laptop (Dell XPS 9560/Ubuntu 18.04) when I need to go mobile.

The OS is a tool. Whether it's Mac Os, Windows, or Linux I don't care as long as I get my work done and play games when I want. With VM's on any of the 3 OS's, I can get done whatever I need to do regardless. I'm not sure why people get so militant about the operating system.

I will end up buying what makes sense based in price and quality. I am hoping that Apple fixes the keyboard and cooling solutions for their MacBook Pros. I really like my old Macbook Pro but for that price I expect zero issues and that includes not throttling.

Apple; Cape of Good Hope, Bob Hope and no hope. Best thing Apple sells is, well Apple, little else...

Q-6

 

[Mockletoy]

I just bought a new MSI GE75 from Microcenter.

With 32GB of RAM, 2x512GB NVME SSDs, and a full Geforce RTX 2080 it cost me $2399 + tax (on sale, down from $2749). The build quality is great, and the keyboard is fantastic. My gaming desktop has a GTX 1080 and a 4790K CPU and watching a relatively thin and light gaming laptop beat the crap out of it is really something to see. 1.1" thick, under 6 pounds, 17" screen w/ a thin bezel allowing it to fit into what is essentially a 15" chassis. If it ran macOS it would be amazing and, yes, I'd happily have paid more for it.

But Apple has decided not to make a notebook for folks like me, so, it is what it is.

I still have my 13" 2016 MacBook Pro, so I haven't jumped ship, but until Apple moves away from the butterfly keyboard design I will not be plopping down thousands of dollars for another Mac notebook.

Having to carry a bluetooth keyboard with me every time I go on a trip because the keyboard might flake out (again) sort of neatly negates all the weight savings their precious thin keyboard design delivers ...

 

[Queen6]

I just bought a new MSI GE75 from Microcenter.

With 32GB of RAM, 2x512GB NVME SSDs, and a full Geforce RTX 2080 it cost me $2399 + tax (on sale, down from $2749). The build quality is great, and the keyboard is fantastic. My gaming desktop has a GTX 1080 and a 4790K CPU and watching a relatively thin and light gaming laptop beat the crap out of it is really something to see. 1.1" thick, under 6 pounds, 17" screen w/ a thin bezel allowing it to fit into what is essentially a 15" chassis. If it ran macOS it would be amazing and, yes, I'd happily have paid more for it.

But Apple has decided not to make a notebook for folks like me, so, it is what it is.

I still have my 13" 2016 MacBook Pro, so I haven't jumped ship, but until Apple moves away from the butterfly keyboard design I will not be plopping down thousands of dollars for another Mac notebook.

Having to carry a bluetooth keyboard with me every time I go on a trip because the keyboard might flake out (again) sort of neatly negates all the weight savings their precious thin keyboard design delivers ...

Exactly, this is where the MBP should be.

Apple has reduced the MBP to be little more than an overpriced Ultrabook, with questionable reliability. It's just a joke these days, what shame, pity FarceBook is already taken...

My passively cooled on the go 2 in 1 has a more efficient cooling system than the MBP, as it has yet to show any throttling tendency. At this point in time one can only conclude Apple is either taking the piss, or simply inept take your pick...

Q-6

 

[bbates123]

Serious question, is there a Windows laptop with a trackpad as good as MacBook? It's just silky smooth, it's the thing I love the most about this laptop. My wife's Surface Pro is good but not as good as my Mac.

 

[maflynn]

Really debating now if I should sell this while it’s mint

That's what I did. I figured the problems were not going to go away and the value of the laptop will only decrease as time goes on.

I opted for a thinkpad, in really impressed with the quality of the keyboard

 

[kis]

Serious question, is there a Windows laptop with a trackpad as good as MacBook? It's just silky smooth, it's the thing I love the most about this laptop. My wife's Surface Pro is good but not as good as my Mac.

Surface Book 2 - it’s different but not worse. Actually Apple’s touchpad took me quite some getting used to when I moved back to a MacBook Pro

 

[SDColorado]

Serious question, is there a Windows laptop with a trackpad as good as MacBook? It's just silky smooth, it's the thing I love the most about this laptop. My wife's Surface Pro is good but not as good as my Mac.

I don't know if there are any Windows laptops with trackpads as good as the MacBook. I would say Macbook is tops in that category. There are some like the Surface Book 2 which are quite good though and many with better keyboards than the MBP imho.

 

[PaladinGuy]

That's what I did. I figured the problems were not going to go away and the value of the laptop will only decrease as time goes on.

I opted for a thinkpad, in really impressed with the quality of the keyboard

Do you find windows 10 to work well? I don’t have any experience with it. I’ve only used Windows 8 and older. Obviously, Windows 8 is terrible.

I am not sure how much I’d miss continuity and other macOS features. I’ve honestly started finding iWork to be to simple. The only reason I use it is for continuity. I’d rather not pay an office360 subscription though, when I already pay for iCloud, Apple Music, kindle unlimited, Netflix, etc.

Sorry, loaded post.

 

[ipponrg]

I’d rather not pay an office360 subscription though, when I already pay for iCloud, Apple Music, kindle unlimited, Netflix, etc.

Some employers offer a significant discount on MS Office offline. For example, I paid $10 for the last years’ office.

 

[PaladinGuy]

So, this is great. After my keyboard repair this week, now my MacBook Air won’t turn on. I just picked it up yesterday. This might be my last straw with Macs. Clearly things have totally gone down the drain. I’m not taking my computer back in for another week of repairs for something else to be screwed up by them.

 

[agaskew]

Do you find windows 10 to work well? I don’t have any experience with it. I’ve only used Windows 8 and older. Obviously, Windows 8 is terrible.

I am not sure how much I’d miss continuity and other macOS features. I’ve honestly started finding iWork to be to simple. The only reason I use it is for continuity. I’d rather not pay an office360 subscription though, when I already pay for iCloud, Apple Music, kindle unlimited, Netflix, etc.

Sorry, loaded post.

If iWork is too simple, you'd be paying for MS Office regardless of platform anyway. Same for Apple Music, Kindle, Netflix. IMO iWork is restrictive.
Windows 8 was awful. Windows 10 is much better. There are ways to achieve things like continuity, but its a much more open playing field. Some prefer the choice, others just want the perceived simplicity of all-in-one-ecosystem.

 

[maflynn]

Do you find windows 10 to work well?

I personally find it works really well. I don't get any crashes, many of m apps actually run better in windows imo and there's more windows apps, though if you look at the windows app store, you'd be surprised at how awful it is.

I’ve honestly started finding iWork to be to simple

I never like iWork, While it could create nice looking documents, using the apps was another thing. For instance, trying to enter formulas into Numbers is an exercise in frustration, its so much easier in Excel. Using large spreadsheets and entering lots of data are two other examples, and the number of formulas in Numbers is shockingly low in comparison.

’d rather not pay an office360 subscription

Yeah, me to, I hate the subscription, but its way of life now a days. I could be wrong, but MS might offer office with a perpetual license, though that won't be cheap I'm sure.

 

[SDColorado]

I could be wrong, but MS might offer office with a perpetual license, though that won't be cheap I'm sure.

I believe the closest that MS has to that is Office Home & Student 2019. Which is OK if all you need is Word, Excell and Powerpoint. Cost is $149.

It lacks Outlook, Publisher, Access and One Drive

 

[_Kiki_]

with such limits its kinda not even a real feature ? more yeah we can do that for this this and this file type only and it takes 5 clicks to change and is all but worthless BUT we have it kinda well for 3 file types !
also they are not reliable when moving to other computers etc..
also no colors for quick visual
OS X one click I can also tie the option to keyboard shortcut and I can even drag and drop to tag
and more important I can setup finder the way I want to really be able to use those tags etc..

file explorer has so many issues ?
and before you defend the file explorer its about as bad as windows implementation of tagging to manage files once you use both or leverage both 🙂

tagging changes all the time on a project and should be like the macs super fast easy to tag any file and/or change do multiple tags etc.. and also find quickly once tagged
[doublepost=1555352178][/doublepost]

since you said you can tweak things the way you want I wish that were true ?

example customize the file explorer like you can easily in OS X (right click or dragging easy)

and maybe you can but I have never found anyone anywhere that can do this like in OS X

show me how to remove everything BUT
a few folders I want up there
and just our 3 computers as single icons not buried under the networking and then not seeing all the other useless stuff they put in
only the main drive ? again on its own single icons on the left not buried
then a list of our tags about 12 of them

no other items !

bonus would be to then be able to drag files onto those tags on the side bar to tag ?

also truly customize the top the way I want it ?

true column view ? not part of the choice sadly
color tagging ? again not available
[doublepost=1555353237][/doublepost]agree both have pros and cons and one is always better than the other for that user !!! never in a absolute way

you can replace Windows Explorer by XYplorer which has options of colour tags and tree view, there is no compulsion to use Windows Explorer

 

[maflynn]

I believe the closest that MS has to that is Office Home & Student 2019. Which is OK if all you need is Word, Excell and Powerpoint. Cost is $149.

It lacks Outlook, Publisher, Access and One Drive

Ok, Since i'm sing the subscription, I was unaware of the details.

replace Windows Explorer by XYplorer

Ooh, that looks interesting. I'm downloading that right now.

 

[PaladinGuy]

So, this is great. After my keyboard repair this week, now my MacBook Air won’t turn on. I just picked it up yesterday. This might be my last straw with Macs. Clearly things have totally gone down the drain. I’m not taking my computer back in for another week of repairs for something else to be screwed up by them.

Update: spoke with a senior advisor this morning, and they are replacing my computer. I’m pleased that they’re doing that, but I’m not sure if I’ll use it or sell it.

 

[maflynn]

Update: spoke with a senior advisor this morning, and they are replacing my computer. I’m pleased that they’re doing that, but I’m not sure if I’ll use it or sell it.

Nice, its great to see apple step up to the plate like that.

 

[Sciomar]

So, this is great. After my keyboard repair this week, now my MacBook Air won’t turn on. I just picked it up yesterday. This might be my last straw with Macs. Clearly things have totally gone down the drain. I’m not taking my computer back in for another week of repairs for something else to be screwed up by them.

Your issue is with inept repair people, not every Geek Squad or Genius Bar employee actually has the experience you'd hope they have to do necessary repairs. In fact, it's cheaper to hire a random off the street and train them up to do repairs than hire someone with actual credentials to perform repairs. So you get part swappers.

 

[jeremiah256]

For at a few months now, I've been playing with a spare PC for personal use, since I'm seriously looking at no longer using Macs as laptops. I've always kept PCs are home, for various reasons, but haven't used one as my main computer since 2001. But, I do use Windows PCs at work, everyday.

What I've discovered is that while I have no problem at all using Windows in a work environment, I find it annoying as a personal OS. At work, I'm either in a Microsoft Office app, Adobe DC, or a browser. That's the vast majority of where I get things done and I have no problems. At home, the apps I use, and the things I do, are much more diverse. And like I've found with my comparison between Android and iOS, Mac apps, combined with macOS, enables a more refined workflow. Its just small things, nothing is a deal breaker. I can do everything I need in Windows, but it seems slightly more clunky.

So, for me, 'abandon ship' means using iOS as my portable daily driver and a desktop Mac as my workstation.

 

[pshufd]

Serious question, is there a Windows laptop with a trackpad as good as MacBook? It's just silky smooth, it's the thing I love the most about this laptop. My wife's Surface Pro is good but not as good as my Mac.

I've read that Macs are the best here but have seen some reviews where there are Windows laptops that are close. I use an external mouse the vast majority of the time so I could live with a subpar Windows trackpad. I use a mechanical keyboard most of the time too so the keyboard wouldn't matter that much. Of course there are times when I don't have a desk or table handy and have to use the built-in.

I have an old XPS 13 that I rarely use but the trackpad is a disaster compared to the Mac.

 

[PeterJP]

As for the registry it has become the new propaganda tool for putting down Windows, now that the blue screen of death is fading into history. I don't really understand the mentality behind trying to find something wrong with Windows in order to justify using Mac.

You are obviously right. It's not that I'm looking at Windows problems to justify a Mac. I've used several types of computers and all of the recent OSses for plenty of use cases, including hobbies, entertainment, but also for servers, development, as the base for new camera systems, and much more.

When you're using computers for several technical purposes for a long time, you start noticing when something behind the scenes is badly implemented. The registry isn't beautiful, but it doesn't bother 99,99% of the users. Or more.

Aside from that aspect, I still like the user interface and included tools (Time Machine!) of macOS much better than Windows.

 

[badsimian]

Aside from that aspect, I still like the user interface and included tools (Time Machine!) of macOS much better than Windows.

This is where I am, from mail clients, preview, handling of images, lots of stuff works more nicely for me in macOS. I use Windows a lot especially in my day job but I really miss macOS day to day.

It's just whether it is worth me buying a second hand 13" 2018 model now with Applecare vs waiting and seeing if anything new appears at WWDC. If anything then it sounds like it would be a 15" anyway. Against that are the list of issues such as keyboard, T2 chip/bridge OS.

 

[maflynn]

Aside from that aspect, I still like the user interface and included tools (Time Machine!) of macOS much better than Windows

TM is definitely better then any of the solutions I've seen in windows. I'm mostly on OneDrive at this point and so much of my data is in the cloud and so a backup solution like TM is less of an issue.