You wouldn't trust a pro-level laptop as your primary computer?
I'm curious as to what you do with your computers.
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M4 Macbook Pro as the primary computer?
- Thread starter dizmonk
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I'm curious as to what you do with your computers.
This statement doesn't make any sense without some qualification. The M4 Pro is insanely powerful and capable of serving the needs for the majority of users. The M4 Pro exceeds M1/M2 Max performance for both single- and multi-core. Unless you need an insane amount of graphics power or specifically the dual video encoders in a Max chip, the M4 Pro will more than suffice for primary computer duties for many years.
I wouldn't want to use a battery powered computer as my main one. You will put a lot more wear on the battery and keyboard and it will depreciate far faster than a lightly used one. You will also be racking up the hours on the screen and it will burn out faster.
I don't buy things to not use them. Whether desktop or laptop, computers are tools for getting work or activities done. Considering that I've had MacBooks last me 10 years (on the original battery), I got more than my money's worth in productivity out of it. At the end it still had trade-in/resale value so that was just icing on the cake.
The battery concern was more valid before Silicon Macs. I generally don't pamper my tools, but I got so tired of destroying batteries over and over again that I did start practicing measures to limit battery strain. Ever since I got a Silicon Mac, battery management isn't really a concern anymore.
I'm curious about the fear of the screen burning out. That's not something that even crosses my mind. In 40 years of using computers heavily, I've lost one CRT screen and one LCD screen and neither was due to exhaustion. They were just defective.
Buy an external keyboard if you're worried about the keyboard wearing out. I mostly use an external because I like nice keyboards and I have mechanicals that are perfectly tweaked to lay on top of my laptop. Of all the things that can wear out, the keyboard is the one I worry least about. If it dies, I still have a perfectly usable laptop.
My keyboard wear and screen wear are primarily assigned to my external mechanical keyboard and 34" widescreen monitor. As @smirking stated, battery management with these new systems has removed my concerns (what little I had) with that. So I'm happy to have both a great desktop AND mobile experience when I need them.
That's funny, I have my MBP hooked up to an external keyboard, mouse, and monitor right now.
Is it your assumption that people with laptops never use external accessories?
I buy things to use them too. But we all know laptops tend to have more problems than desktops do, regardless of the brand.
Pro-level doesn't mean anything to me. A laptop is a laptop. They have higher failure rates than desktops do.
True but I still wouldn't use a MBP as my primary and only computer. More can go wrong when everything in enclosed into a tight enclosure. It's even worse when you consider everything is soldered on. No repairability.
I think that's over generalizing if we're talking about laptops of recent vintage. If it's a given that those laptops you're sheltering are going to break down if anyone actually uses them to their potential, they wouldn't have great resale value.
I’m currently switching back to having a laptop as my primary personal computer. I like the idea of a desktop machine, but in practice, I don’t have much interest in spending more time at my desk after the workday has ended, so I’d only use it occasionally and it got to where it felt like I was wasting the Mac Studio. (I use a work-provided MBP for the day job). So, we’ll see if my theory bears out that I will get more use out of a portable machine. Getting 2TB storage was key, however. Having to attach an external drive was going to kill the likelihood of a portable changing my personal Mac use.
Dang. What does that look like? 8tb x 4? Or some other solution for storing multiple smaller drives? I do tinker with the idea of setting up a base Mac Mini as a server with some attached storage. I’ve flirted with just doing a NAS from time to time but haven’t come around to it yet.
By M4 Pro I guess you mean M4 Macbook Pro (MBP), yes? If so, where does your lack of trust come from? MBPs are superb computers fully capable of doing full-on desktop duty since 2011 when MBPs brought Thunderbolt to the world.
Please, WTF is an "M4 Pro" in this conversation? To me M4 chips come in base, Pro and Max levels. Mac laptops come in Macbook Air and in Macbook Pro versions, with various chips. "M4 Pro" refers to... ???
Deep six and you seem to be using the same term to mean different things. Sounds like you are using it like I would: to refer to the M4 Pro chip version as opposed to the base M4 chip or the Max M4 chip.
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I think you are wrong. And all laptops are not similar quality.
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Nothing in your argument makes sense. Also note that the battery in a laptop rocks for power outages. No need to buy a separate UPS and always be plugged in to it.
Not all of us have the luxury of being able to afford two computers, especially higher-end models.
I've owned nine Apple laptops in twenty years, only one has failed on me, and that was after four years.
I like to have just one box for everything. This is why I have a new MBP M4 MAX 14. I use it for everything and picked the pro for the monitor quality. Typically I keep them for a longer time. I like the size and capabilities very much.
I'm on my second MacBook in 13 years. I upgraded to my M3 Pro MacBook Pro last year because my 2012 i7 11" MacBook Air was getting too slow to work on the AutoCAD files I work on. Now it's still chugging along, and my brother is using it to study. It still looks pretty sharp too.
After a year on my new MacBook Pro, it's as good as new. Battery life is great, screen is great, keyboard shows no signs of wear. I'm hoping I get to keep using this until it's fully depreciated. The Apple M13 aught to be rather amazing. None of the Apple Silicon machines I have seen have ever given me any cause for concern. They're great machines.
The only reason my M1 MBP is not my primary computer is because I've had a custom desktop since Jan 2020. I did have a Late 2015 MBA as my primary computer from 2017-Dec 2019.
Do yourself a favor and look through that user's post history. It'll save you a bunch of time.
They also believe a 15" MBA is too cumbersome to carry, despite being lighter than the 14" MBP.Do yourself a favor and look through that user's post history. It'll save you a bunch of time.
My wife carries her 15" MBA in her big purse.
When you sit in tight places you need space to move your hands and arms when typing. I am often onboard trains and aircraft trying to type on my 14 inch. It feels like the maximum workable size in Economy or 2nd class. I am aware how nice screen size is, and depending on the software used it might be just needed, but due to limited real world space I'd go small.
I used my M2 Max as my main Mac for over two years, and when I traded it in, the battery health was still at 95%. Battery degradation and screen burnout will not happen as fast as you seem to think it will.