I was in a similar position. I've bought new MacBooks from Apple, refurbs, as well as specific almost-new but near topped systems used.
Went through the first core 2 duo MBP, then Santa Rosa white MacBook I maxed out, then in 2012 picked up a 2011 BTO model, which I upgraded RAM, converted to SSD + second drive, then went to look at a 2016 model.
Had been desperately hoping for a 32GB RAM option, rest could almost be the same other than moving up in storage size. Would have bought the day they came out, but ... ...
Instead, no 32GB option. We got 'thinner', less ports, a 'look, it's thinner!' keyboard and OMGWTF - Touch Bar and no ESC key = no chance. Don't care about it, want it, and worse, no ESC etc. = this causes problems. Total fail to meet ANY of my actual needs. Checked out possible options, but - Apple literally had nothing to sell that I would pay for in a laptop.
Bought someone's year old higher spec 2015 MBP15 instead. Not a huge difference vs the upgraded 2011 honestly, although it had a retina screen. Yes on faster, just not amazingly so overall.
The 2015 served me pretty well, other than being unable to expand RAM or storage. I might even still be using it if I hadn't nearly maxed the 1TB SSD at some 950GB, and were able to upgrade it to 32GB RAM. The combination of low free SSD space + routinely maxing out the RAM meant a growing # of beachballs as I couldn't even use virtual memory/swap to the extent it was becoming needed.
Note - everyone's situation is different - that 2015 MBP15 with a clean OS install and wipe of my files, etc.. would be perfectly fine for MANY users for years to come...just for my use of RAM AND storage...I hit the limits.
While this was becoming obvious, I kept looking at new MBP models. Saw the crap keyboard issues; no thanks. Still no sanity on Touch Bar, dongle hell, the 'brave' BS comment followed by 'too thin to add HDMI or any other port' while my work-issues Surfacebook clone 'somehow' managed to fit one without issues on a thinner chassis.
I was getting pretty pissed off, and wound up having to use my Surfacebook clone more and more for work, while at every release Apple made - nope, still nothing for me. Yeah, I could have added external storage and it would have likely made the machine usable for me for a while longer, but it would have made it more difficult to disconnect from home office setup to head to the office, etc. An iMac or mini, or even over-priced Pro had the same issue. At this point, I pretty much need a single beefy laptop to be my 'good enough' portable workstation, docked at home and and work to external KB, 38" LCD at home or 2x27" LCDs at work, and be able to travel as is, etc.
Had to replace my wife's earlier 13" MBP, replaced hers with an Air, sadly before the keyboard change/latest update. Hopefully fine for her, but not possible for me to use as my daily personal and work system.
When the 2019 MBP16 came out...I had started traveling more for work, while I stopped traveling with my MBP15.
I did note - they finally reversed course, if only a little bit, and made the Touch Bar less stupid, splitting out an actual ESC key and going 'back' to a non butterfly keyboard. I'd had nearly all Pros in the past, including some with 'problematic' discrete GPUs, but no issues - possible because I dock my MBP at home and at work on a stand with some air below it, have numerous meetings spanning locations so do from desk instead of bouncing to meetings rooms often, and don't often go in/out of backpacks hot, basically more 'portable workstation occasionally used on the go/travel' versus some others - dunno.
Had the upcoming MBP '14' come out, offering 32GB RAM as an option, 2TB SSD, no dGPU, normal keyboard, and with any chance of driving my external displays without sounding like a jet plane - I may well have gone for that. I finally got pissed off enough at not being able to use my MBP15 I picked up a MBP16 a month back - 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD, 2.4GHz CPU, 8GB dGPU.
It's a
nice system. Keyboard is fine, with an ESC key.
Yes, the dongle stupidity is there, but I already had dongles for the surface book pro dell clone, and basically said screw it, bought a CalDigit dock (the pro, not TS3+, one step down), plugged my 10 port USB-A hub into it (keyboard, ten key, scanner, headset charger, some charging ports), DisplayPort to 38" home external display, and I finally have a single cable solution on a nice system.
I still don't give a crap about the Touch Bar. Touch ID is fine-ish although lame it's still not integrated fully throughout the OS/apps (enter password vs touch id), and it would be better of it were positioned at the bottom of the keyboard or on the side of the case, for my use (when on a stand next to my external display), but fine for most I'm sure. It's sort of useful when plugging into an external device as it gives the display options for mirror, extend, etc. when connecting the cable. Maybe others get use out of it, so basically - I wouldn't pay for it as an option, EVER, but it finally doesn't bother me.
Anyways - personally I'd either consider an MBP16, or wait for the presumed MBP14 model upcoming. No, you won't get back FN keys, but you can use an external KB or consider remapping the Fns you use the most to hotkeys. The ESC key is back...finally. The keyboard is quite usable. Or for your use, possibly even an upgraded new MBA.. ?
[automerge]1587826767[/automerge]
Ohhh thx for advice. I even didn't think about Linux as solution.
I would think about it.
I can't back to Windows after Mac/Unix terminal. I think doing things in Windows min 2x slower for me.
So - I REALLY am not a Windows or MS fan. They used to try to recruit me, but finally got the message as my response literally was always - not if you were the last company left on Earth.
But...some things have gotten better. The Windows Linux subsystem is basically a ubuntu system in a shell, none of the old-school broken 'almost unix' utilities of the past (e.g. Cygwin, MKS, ..). It's a step between running a full Linux VM on top of Windows. Of course, on MacOS - I just run an iTerm2 with macports and pretty much have most things I need, while I have Windows and Ubuntu VMs on hand for when I specifically need them.
I'd still consider the newest MBA, upcoming MBP14, or an MBP16 before I'd buy a Windows system, however.
Thinkpad keyboards are fine - they've always been pretty good. So have Apple's 'normal' laptop keyboards. I'd certainly not choose an entire OS and system change on that alone, though. Now the 'magic keyboard' is back, plus I use an external UHK mechanical switch KB whenever docked - yeah, I just wouldn't but a laptop/OS because of it, although the butterfly keyboard + lack of ESC key did indeed prevent me from buying a newer MBP sooner...thankfully now corrected.
