iPad Pro LOL, unlearned my iPad Pro in 1 hour today...

[Esoom]

Sooooo... bought a Dell XPS 13” thinking of using it as a base for a stock trading station with a 34” gaming monitor & s couple other monitors. Finally gave up with Dell customer support after an hour & a half of getting nowhere over the stupid Windows setup freezing and learning the power button/fingerprint feels like you’re smashing a grape instead of a button, did a system restore and got around the god awful setup software, got the damn thing to work.

Anyway, used it for an hour, put it away, grabbed my 12.9 iPad Pro, and just stared at it, trying to remember how it works. I’ve used an iPad Pro almost exclusively for 4 years as a laptop replacement, and I caught myself not being able to transition back, was a Windows user for many years & at work.

Still on the fence with Dell, thinking of returning the XPS and getting a Mac Mini.

 

[kissfan]

Once you go Mac, you’ll never go back.

 

[casperes1996]

Once you go Mac, you’ll never go back.

Until you want to play a video game only on Windows, and you dual boot your Mac and you're in the situation of "Windows for games, Mac for all else... Except a few games that also run really well on macOS". And then until you can't afford a replacement for your dead Mac, so you build a Hackintosh and every now and then you have an issue loading macOS so you end up in Windows and use Edge to google the issue cause you spent so little time in Windows you never got Chrome installed. And then you end up so infuriated with Windows you install Linux Mint. And you forget that you missed macOS because Linux Mint is lovely, has a universal Menu Bar and works great. And you use it for hours and hours until you restart, and it boots macOS back up again and all you ever needed to do was just restart, and you sit there thinking "I'm finally home" and you love it... But now you almost miss Linux a little. And suddenly, you have four Linux distros, a BSD variant, Windows for games, your beloved macOS which is of course your main system, and two USB drives labeled "experiments" that constantly get shuffled for new operating systems, like Haiku and a new try at the daily build of GNU Hurd.

Or is that just me?

 

[sparksd]

Have to say that after 3 years of use that I still really like my XPS 13 and have never had an issue with it, same as with my Air 2, 10.5 Pro, and 2018 12.9 Pro.

 

[ruslan120]

I think they both have strengths and weaknesses, and well rounded individuals use both. Mac is great for creative work and ever since Office integration, has become more relevant for business. And Windows has its strengths, with its suite of powerful business tools and exceptional performance when it comes to gaming and new hardware compatibility.


That’s why I exclusively use Macintosh and why it’s the best computer ever and anybody who claims otherwise is a fool.

 

[sparksd]

I think they both have strengths and weaknesses, and well rounded individuals use both. Mac is great for creative work and ever since Office integration, has become more relevant for business. And Windows has its strengths, with its suite of powerful business tools and exceptional performance when it comes to gaming and new hardware compatibility.


That’s why I exclusively use Macintosh and why it’s the best computer ever and anybody who claims otherwise is a fool.

Having differing opinions does not make one a fool.

 

[Esoom]

You-all know I won’t be able to resist trying to run that monitor with the iPad Pro.

 

[casperes1996]

You-all know I won’t be able to resist trying to run that monitor with the iPad Pro.

For most apps there's not much of a point though, since your interaction surface will still be the iPad, and you'll have to look down at its screen. And most apps will have weird aspect ratios on that display. Though for video and games using just accelerometer input and such it could likely work really well. Or if you use a controller - Like Fortnite with an Xbox Controller or Dualshock 4 would likely be well suited to such a setup

 

[ruslan120]

Having differing opinions does not make one a fool.

That was a (poor) attempt at humor on my part

Risky MacRumors post of the day.

 

[aevan]

Or is that just me?

Just you

 

[Digitalguy]

Just you

yeah just you, no interested in Linux, have a mac and several windows PC.
Both have their strengths and weaknesses.
Main weaknesses of Macs for me:
- total lack of LTE (big deal for me)
- lack of touch (I love touch and try to have it on as many devices as possible)
- total dependence on one company (if they screw up, e.g. with their keyboards, you are screwed)
- lack of professional business software (not just games). The main softwares I use for work simply do not exist on mac, and I don't want to run virtual machines on a regular basis, prefer native windows, let alone the poor bootcamp...
My macbook air 11 2013 is basically a consumption device for me (browsing, youtube), but I do love it.

Windows has its drawbacks but I guess many Mac only users (and I guess this blog is full of them) have a distorted and outdated view of Windows. The latest version (1903) has lots of improvements like ability to pause updates, great integration with Android smartphones (similar to iphone and mac) and windows 10 in general has some great features that are extremely useful to me, like the possibility of making any laptop a second wireless mornitor for another PC (I have reconverted some older devices, like a surface pro 3, into external touch monitors).

 

[ruslan120]

yeah just you, no interested in Linux, have a mac and several windows PC.
Both have their strengths and weaknesses.
Main weaknesses of Macs for me:
- total lack of LTE (big deal for me)
- lack of touch (I love touch and try to have it on as many devices as possible)
- total dependence on one company (if they screw up, e.g. with their keyboards, you are screwed)
- lack of professional business software (not just games). The main softwares I use for work simply do not exist on mac, and I don't want to run virtual machines on a regular basis, prefer native windows, let alone the poor bootcamp...
My macbook air 11 2013 is basically a consumption device for me (browsing, youtube), but I do love it.

Windows has its drawbacks but I guess many Mac only users (and I guess this blog is full of them) have a distorted and outdated view of Windows. The latest version (1903) has lots of improvements like ability to pause updates, great integration with Android smartphones (similar to iphone and mac) and windows 10 in general has some great features that are extremely useful to me, like the possibility of making any laptop a second wireless mornitor for another PC (I have reconverted some older devices, like a surface pro 3, into external touch monitors).

I respect your objective analysis and opinion. I slightly disagree on a few of the points and would like to discuss.

- total lack of LTE (big deal for me)

Agreed and disagreed.

I agree that it would be a useful feature. While Apple laptops lack LTE, I think that's mostly Apple's MO when it comes to specialized devices that do things well, rather than casting a wide net. I'm thinking of the iPhone and its LTE radio, with its dedicated team of engineers and R&D that help optimize the hardware for one device in particular, and then having those devices work together (Laptop Wifi + iPhone Tether).

It would be handy to have LTE... handy, but some would also rather have a slimmer laptop and carry a separate, specialized device that does LTE well (if you carry both a laptop and iPhone you're carrying two sets of radios, two antennas, both need to make design compromises for those to work well, etc etc)

- lack of touch (I love touch and try to have it on as many devices as possible)

Same point. For desktop/laptop applications, most (via surveys) would rather have a desktop that's specialized to work as a desktop. Windows has made great strides and I like what they're doing in the space. At the same time, doing so has caused application compatibility and UX changes that some (myself included) are not comfortable with.

- total dependence on one company (if they screw up, e.g. with their keyboards, you are screwed)

Agreed. It stinks.

Why not just spend more money at Apple though?

...

- lack of professional business software (not just games). The main softwares I use for work simply do not exist on mac, and I don't want to run virtual machines on a regular basis, prefer native windows, let alone the poor bootcamp...
My macbook air 11 2013 is basically a consumption device for me (browsing, youtube), but I do love it.

Agreed. Assuming you mean specialized enterprise software than what many will take it to mean (Excel, Word, etc). For this reason I use a company-provided Windows machine. And it's great for business. Why aren't more people comfortable with just using both since they have their respective strengths?

 

[Kal-037]

Once you go Mac, you’ll never go back.

Truth. I haven’t touched a PC in many many moons.

 

[mrklaw]

For windows 10 vs OS X honestly they’re interchangeable for me. OS X doesn’t have the lead it might have had back with winXP.

The question mark for me is longevity. I’ve had small and large issues with consumer windows laptops over the years to the point where - if I want confidence i’ll Get 4-5 years out of something - i’d Probably buy an overpriced MBP. I’ve had Trackpad issues on multiple devices, and a surface book pro that literally stopped accepting a charge and it wasn’t repairable. With manufacturers changing parts out all the time, it just feels like windows laptops are generally more prone to driver/hardware issues than MacBooks.

 

[Digitalguy]

I respect your objective analysis and opinion. I slightly disagree on a few of the points and would like to discuss.



Agreed and disagreed.

I agree that it would be a useful feature. While Apple laptops lack LTE, I think that's mostly Apple's MO when it comes to specialized devices that do things well, rather than casting a wide net. I'm thinking of the iPhone and its LTE radio, with its dedicated team of engineers and R&D that help optimize the hardware for one device in particular, and then having those devices work together (Laptop Wifi + iPhone Tether).

It would be handy to have LTE... handy, but some would also rather have a slimmer laptop and carry a separate, specialized device that does LTE well (if you carry both a laptop and iPhone you're carrying two sets of radios, two antennas, both need to make design compromises for those to work well, etc etc)



Same point. For desktop/laptop applications, most (via surveys) would rather have a desktop that's specialized to work as a desktop. Windows has made great strides and I like what they're doing in the space. At the same time, doing so has caused application compatibility and UX changes that some (myself included) are not comfortable with.



Agreed. It stinks.

Why not just spend more money at Apple though?

...



Agreed. Assuming you mean specialized enterprise software than what many will take it to mean (Excel, Word, etc). For this reason I use a company-provided Windows machine. And it's great for business. Why aren't more people comfortable with just using both since they have their respective strengths?

Thank you for your interesting feedback.
To your first points I would simply reply with one word: choice.
I want choice, that's why I buy ipads with LTE. I only have 2 SIM card, one for my phone and one for my on the go device. I want to be able to choose where I put my second SIM (which shares the unlimited plan of my first one).
The windows 2 in 1 I am using now has LTE, but now my SIM is in my ipad pro and it stays there most of the time. But for a business trip / congress I want to be able to have the comfort of having my laptop always connected.
It's like having the headphone jack, it doesn't prevent me from using airpods most of the time. But when I want to use a specific (high end) wired headphone I can use it without having to remember where I left my dongle...

 

[AutomaticApple]

That was a (poor) attempt at humor on my part

Risky MacRumors post of the day.

We need an award for that.

 

[ruslan120]

Thank you for your interesting feedback.
To your first points I would simply reply with one word: choice.
I want choice, that's why I buy ipads with LTE. I only have 2 SIM card, one for my phone and one for my on the go device. I want to be able to choose where I put my second SIM (which shares the unlimited plan of my first one).
The windows 2 in 1 I am using now has LTE, but now my SIM is in my ipad pro and it stays there most of the time. But for a business trip / congress I want to be able to have the comfort of having my laptop always connected.
It's like having the headphone jack, it doesn't prevent me from using airpods most of the time. But when I want to use a specific (high end) wired headphone I can use it without having to remember where I left my dongle...

How’s the LTE radio on the 2 in 1? In terms of reliability, performance?

“but I heard dongles were the best thing since sliced bread”

We need an award for that.

stupidity award?

 

[Esoom]

For windows 10 vs OS X honestly they’re interchangeable for me. OS X doesn’t have the lead it might have had back with winXP.

The question mark for me is longevity. I’ve had small and large issues with consumer windows laptops over the years to the point where - if I want confidence i’ll Get 4-5 years out of something - i’d Probably buy an overpriced MBP. I’ve had Trackpad issues on multiple devices, and a surface book pro that literally stopped accepting a charge and it wasn’t repairable. With manufacturers changing parts out all the time, it just feels like windows laptops are generally more prone to driver/hardware issues than MacBooks.

Was just authorized to send it back, used Twitter, since customer service by chat or phone was so painful, ordered a I5 desktop with a graphics card from Dell’s scratch & dent corner, I love Apple stuff, but this will be a workstation, want to be able to upgrade graphics card & ram easily, pushing so many pixels is an issue & I’m pretty cheap.

 

[Digitalguy]

How’s the LTE radio on the 2 in 1? In terms of reliability, performance?

“but I heard dongles were the best thing since sliced bread”



stupidity award?

LTE is as good as on ipad, windows 10 will manage it as on a mobile phone, and you can use your laptop as a hotspot too... I don't even have to turn on/off the pc when I insert or remove the SIM card, I just disable cellular (with a click or a touch)

 

[sparksd]

stupidity award?

We'd all deserve/get one. One thing I've learned is to never put out anything after I've had a drink (or two). And that's the first thing I forget after having a drink ... or two.

 

[Dave-Z]

Once you go Mac, you’ll never go back.

I switched back to Windows this year. It would take a lot of talking to convince me macOS is better. That being said, I love iOS but won't use an iPad again until Apple builds more reliable hardware (see here, here, and here) and changes their stance on things like background apps, etc. Lots of potential in iOS but just too many limitations for what I need.

 

[kristalsoldier]

You shoul

For windows 10 vs OS X honestly they’re interchangeable for me. OS X doesn’t have the lead it might have had back with winXP.

The question mark for me is longevity. I’ve had small and large issues with consumer windows laptops over the years to the point where - if I want confidence i’ll Get 4-5 years out of something - i’d Probably buy an overpriced MBP. I’ve had Trackpad issues on multiple devices, and a surface book pro that literally stopped accepting a charge and it wasn’t repairable. With manufacturers changing parts out all the time, it just feels like windows laptops are generally more prone to driver/hardware issues than MacBooks.

d check out the Thinkpad X1 Carbon line. I use a X1C6 and it’s serving me very well, it’s a powerful, yet svelte machine, and it looks good. Needless to say, And in keeping with the Thinkpad tradition, the KB is excellent.

 

[jbs-horn]

One thing that Windows does well is that you can set your LTE connection as a metered connection, which disables software updates, OneDrive sync, and email polling to save data charges. You can override the setting on an applicaton-by-application basis. For PCs without LTE, you can set a tethered connection to “metered” as well. There seems to be no equivalent setting in MacOS.

LTE is as good as on ipad, windows 10 will manage it as on a mobile phone, and you can use your laptop as a hotspot too... I don't even have to turn on/off the pc when I insert or remove the SIM card, I just disable cellular (with a click or a touch)

 

[chikorita157]

I disagree that Windows 10 is a good alternative. I have a good number of issues with Windows in the past, although I work with multiple operating systems since I work in IT. A lot of stuff annoys me with Windows 10 besides the privacy issues is the forced updates, installation of unnecessary apps such as Candy Crush (not an issue with Enterprise version) along with other issues. I worked on my parents computers and they have issues ranging from Windows deactivating itself despite having a legitimate license from the free Windows 10 upgrade, Firefox corrupting profiles, operating system freezing, etc. Keep in mind that I lock these systems down and use Deep Freeze to prevent system changes from saving from reboot if there is user error or malware infection. Windows still have glaring issues, which is why I stopped using it as my main operating system since December 2006. In the end, my mother got my father an iPad Air 3, which doesn’t require as much maintenance compared to his Windows laptop since he only uses the laptop for web browsing and email.

As for me, I never have face as many issues with macOS compared to Windows. Maybe besides the lemon MacBook Pro 2008, which Apple replaced completely with an updated model, most if not all my Apple products still work reliably. While my MacBook Pro 2012 Non Retina still works, my sister’s Dell Precision M4800 dedicated GPU stopped working after 5 years, thus it can only use integrated graphics and it would freeze if you put the laptop to sleep. Sure, people complain about the T2 and keyboard issues, but I have a 2018 MacBook Pro and have yet to experience these issues. I feel that these issues maybe besides the keyboard issues are a bit too overblown from a vocal minority.

Aside from that, I do own a Surface Pro 2 without the touch cover since I wanted a tablet that can run desktop apps and use the pen. Back then, Apple didn’t have the Apple Pencil support out. Sure, the Surface Pro 2 is good on paper, but in practice, not so good. Touch support for desktop apps was a bad experience since these apps are made for a keyboard and mouse in mind. Not only that, Windows 8/10 has a non-existent ecosystem of touch oriented apps you would find on a tablet. Eventually, I stopped using the Surface Pro 2 when i switched to a used iPad Pro 9.7 and eventually got an iPad Pro 11. With iPadOS, I can copy footage from a GoPro to an Hard Drive directly, which I was using the Surface Pro 2 last year for. For me, I think the iPad Pros have gotten better enough to do light productivity on the go. Of course, I still use my MacBook Pro a lot. Also, I find the iPad Pro 11 a joy to use after getting over the bend issue (I use a keyboard case that prevents this from happening), something that I never got when using the Surface Pro 2. Of course, the Surface Pro 2 is now having yellow screen issues.

As for Linux, I don’t consider it as an alternative since it lacks Office and Adobe apps, but it’s still good for server use. Also, I find the open source alternatives vastly inferior to the closed source counterparts. Maybe someday a better alternative will come around if Apple messes something else really badly, but of course, I am deep into the ecosystem and have no intention of switching away because of how well it works. I have tried alternatives like the Surface Pro 2, but it’s still not as good nor it meets my needs today. As they say, use the tools that fit your needs and that grass is not necessarily greener on the other side.

 

[Sikh]

Until you want to play a video game only on Windows, and you dual boot your Mac and you're in the situation of "Windows for games, Mac for all else... Except a few games that also run really well on macOS". And then until you can't afford a replacement for your dead Mac, so you build a Hackintosh and every now and then you have an issue loading macOS so you end up in Windows and use Edge to google the issue cause you spent so little time in Windows you never got Chrome installed. And then you end up so infuriated with Windows you install Linux Mint. And you forget that you missed macOS because Linux Mint is lovely, has a universal Menu Bar and works great. And you use it for hours and hours until you restart, and it boots macOS back up again and all you ever needed to do was just restart, and you sit there thinking "I'm finally home" and you love it... But now you almost miss Linux a little. And suddenly, you have four Linux distros, a BSD variant, Windows for games, your beloved macOS which is of course your main system, and two USB drives labeled "experiments" that constantly get shuffled for new operating systems, like Haiku and a new try at the daily build of GNU Hurd.

Or is that just me?

same boat. Windows strickly for gaming and even at that, its absolute dog **** with the last few updates (home folder corruption, windows sonic turning on, instability, mouse driver ****up, etc). OS X for real work / productivity and Linux for linux dev work, secure stuff and servers.