
Apple Sucks Now, Here’s a ThinkPad Buyer’s Guide - dragonbonheur
http://hackaday.com/2016/10/28/apple-sucks-now-heres-a-thinkpad-buyers-guide/
======
mmmpop
The glory days of the IBM T-series are over and I can't trust Lenovo to not
spy on me, so I moved on from Thinkpads. My ASUS Zenbook has been a nice
change of pace and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to get away from the
Apple ecosystem. Windows has improved a good bit since I last worked in it ~5
years ago and while not nearly perfect, Bash on Windows by Ubuntu or whatever
they call it is a pretty solid replacement for Putty :)

------
gambiting
"I need to edit video or do other work that is CPU and memory intensive

A laptop is not for you. Here’s PCPartPicker. Build your own desktop. It’s
like Lego, but for adults."

Yeah, cool, let me know when I can take a desktop in my hand luggage. There
are people who legitimately need a lot of CPU power and lots of ram in a
laptop - and there are products for them (
[http://www.eurocom.com/ec/configure(2,270,0)ec](http://www.eurocom.com/ec/configure\(2,270,0\)ec)
) being dismissive is not helpful.

------
sangnoir
> Eventually everyone gets used to it, and admittedly they are trying to
> simplify the keyboard IMHO

No, not everyone. I remember the time Apple "simplified" Final Cut Pro "X".
The professional users moved on to other products and never looked back.

~~~
nicky0
This seems rather a generalisation. I wonder how true this really is.

------
vladimir-y
Lenovo laptops suck more than Apple, they not even able to plug Thunderbolt 3
port into the laptop, not a single port. No frame less laptops like Dell XPS
or HP Spectre x360 (both have been recently updated to the Kaby Lake CPU).
Lenovo is outsider.

------
pyrophane
I've been disappointed by the lack of true MacBook Pro 15 alternatives, and it
doesn't seem like Lenovo offers one in the ThinkPad line, either.

What I want: Quad-core CPU, decent-ish discrete graphics, a great screen, a
somewhat compact case that doesn't weight a ton.

What I get: An endless supply of 13" ultrabooks, 6+ lb. gaming laptops with 2
hour batteries that sound like an airline taking off on startup, sub-$800
junkers, and the "mobile workstation" that still has an optical drive.

Afaik, only the XPS 15 and Razor Blade (14") really come close to the sweet
spot. The XPS 15 is still awaiting its Skylake update, and the Razor, while
nice, is a bit too gamey for me.

Of course, I'd want to run Linux and with the mishmash that is the current
state of linux HiDPI support and uncertain future of Weyland nvidia and ati
drivers, I'm not really sure where that leaves me.

~~~
phaedrix
XPS 15 9550 has Skylake:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_XPS#XPS_15_.28Touch.29.5B...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_XPS#XPS_15_.28Touch.29.5B20.5D_.289530.2F9550.29)

------
electic
Nuff said. [1]

[1]
[http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/19/technology/security/lenovo-s...](http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/19/technology/security/lenovo-
superfish/)

------
extr
Thinkpads definitely get over-recommended on the internet, but I have been
really pleased with my X220. I bought a corporate refurb on ebay a year ago
for about $200. It has sailed along since then. Any problems I have I am
confident I can repair and parts are cheap and plentiful. At one point I
replaced the DC jack and WiFI card in an hour or two with a screwdriver and a
youtube video (total cost: $25). It runs linux flawlessly with plenty of
horsepower despite the 2012 era CPU. RAM is easily upgradeable and it has a
2nd drive bay.

If you are comfortable with putting together your own PC (which I suspect most
of the HN audience is), you will get way more mileage out of it than buying a
newish chromebook for a similar price. I've heard rumors of a "thinkpad
classic" machine in the same form factor with an upgraded CPU, USB 3.0, and
high res screen, which I would love.

~~~
post_break
I have an X201 sitting next to me. It could heat my office or dry my hair when
idling. I wish I could just plop in a better cpu and keep the chassis.

------
hxegon
Anyone tried have one of the new razer blade stealths? I'm eyeing one (16gb,
kaby lake i7, 500+gb ssd) for 1400, and curious what others experiences are.

------
antisthenes
My recent experience with Lenovo shunned me away from Thinkpads for the
foreseeable future and from Lenovo in general as a customer.

After placing an order for a Thinkpad that I needed urgently, they, without
explanation or email canceled the order the next day.

Trying to contact customer service, I found out that their online chat
employees have no access to customer order history, because "the functionality
isn't there yet". Direct quote from support.

2 months later I got an email from them, asking how I like my purchase (7
weeks into using a Dell laptop)

Not to mention their site being unusable in 3/4 browsers I tried to order.

The level of incompetence from them is just staggering.

~~~
hxegon
Seriously, why is their site such a trash fire? Across 4 computers I've not
once seen it work well. I'm thinking about getting a new computer, but even
though I loved my old x230 I'm not thinking about getting a lenovo now because
I can't research the laptops on lenovos own site!

~~~
detaro
Yeah, the site is horrible. Everybody I know orders their Lenovos from
resellers because of it (added bonus that you can get better/cheaper
configurations Lenovo doesn't sell, swap 3G modules for extra SSDs and stuff
like that)

------
api
Lenovo installs malware by default, so nope.

------
nodesocket
I'm growing so tired and weary of complaining and the continuous cycle of
outraged on the internet. The latest example is Apple and the new MacBooks.

Tim, this is why leadership of companies at the top by "committee" doesn't
work. You need a strong leader (type A) that is a dictator to silence the
masses and guide the company forward. Otherwise, you get a million different
voices speaking up thinking they are somehow instantly experts in a field.

------
rayiner
Lenvo sucks now too. Their flagship laptop, the T460s, now has a non-removable
battery. Their shtick has always been "yes, it's a bit bigger and heavier than
a MBP, but it's expandable!" Now the T460s isn't any more expandable than the
13" rMBP, and has a lot less battery life.

You can drop down to the T460, but it's not made of the same premium
materials, and also doesn't even come with the high-resolution screen option.
People are flipping out about the escape key, but Lenovo won't sell you a 14"
laptop that has both a high-res display and a battery big enough to run it!

~~~
basch
the T460s is the slim model, the flagship standard T460 still has a removable
battery. They should make the S as thin as possible, so they can keep the
standard model without compromise.

The s series is the compromised T460 for slimness, cant have it both ways.

~~~
rayiner
The T460s is the flagship. It's built with better materials
([https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/466bb9/t460_vs_t4...](https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/466bb9/t460_vs_t460s_build_quality/d02tcnv)),
and also has the WQHD display option which the T460 does not.

I'm not sure what it was like in older Thinkpads, but for the last few cycles
(T450s, T440s), the 's' series has been strictly better: same guts, but
lighter and thinner by virtue of a more expensive chassis. The "Carbon" series
was always the "super thin and light" option.

------
dewiz
I was very disappointed too, however I've seen similar disappointments when
Apple dropped CDROM, usb, audio jacks etc. Eventually everyone gets used to
it, and admittedly they are trying to simplify the keyboard IMHO. I'm super
happy to have bought a maxed out mbp15 before not too long ago, so I won't
have to deal with the devices/adaptors market catching up to Apple. And BTW,
looks like the disappointment is all around the keyboard. FWIW I use an
external KB most of the time so I wouldn't care even if I upgraded and lose my
Fx keys. Anyway Linux is not ready to replace MacOS simply because it lacks
many apps, Windows...well that's a joke for your battery and its Bash
implementation is still too young, let's see in 3 years from now. My 2 cents,
ymmv

~~~
andromeduck
Yeah I've really yet to see a credible iTerm 2 like alternative on W10 even if
WSL works out.

~~~
Eridrus
Assuming WSL works out, what do you find lacking?

------
gesman
I made a fair attempt to work on MacBook Pro a year ago and was underwhelmed.

Glitches aside, i felt like Apple is trying to convert me to their religion
and the view of the world through Apple's glasses. After about 6 month of
struggle and I am happy Pro Lenovo user.

Having said that - Apple's smartphone offerings are superb and intuitive -
exactly how it should be.

~~~
actuallyalys
> felt like Apple is trying to convert me to their religion and the view of
> the world through Apple's glasses

I regularly use both macOS and Windows, and I don't see what you mean. Can you
elaborate?

------
drinchev
I said this in another thread. Will say it again.

Whenever your boss comes and asks you "What would you like to be your primary
machine?". I bet you will reply "Latest MacBook Pro". Yeah sure it will be
kinda hard for you with 16 gigs of RAM, but nonetheless much easier than
having a Hackintosh.

~~~
danjoc
>I bet you will reply "Latest MacBook Pro".

My reply was a Razer Stealth, but I was told I had to get an Apple. So, I'm
getting a $2800 dual core laptop, because I need F-keys. At least I'll be
allowed to install Linux on it.

------
jpm_sd
I have a W550S that is the best laptop I've ever owned... and I think I've had
at least 15 laptops, two of which were Macs

------
unicornporn
Such a good timing. I've been using Macs for over ten years now, but I bought
an x220 for $130 a couple of weeks ago and it's been my favorite laptop yet.
Super serviceable and works so well with Ubuntu MATE. The display sucks though
(didn't get the UPS version). Just go ahead!

------
bobbygoodlatte
These are all entirely fair points. I agree ThinkPads offer better value for
the money in terms of hardware.

But I care a lot more about the OS and the software I use than the relative
price value of the hardware I'm using.

OS X is a far superior operating system from Windows. Even if Lenovo offered
computers twice as fast for half the price I won't switch until the user
experience of Windows improves.

------
therealmarv
Was thinking about Lenovo X series 3 years ago... until I've found out that
their IPS display is not that good, it's comparable with a good Macbook Air
display (although that is a TN one). For the price of a new X series better
get a Macbook Air, it's the more comparable one (also nearly same price
region) to Lenovo than the Macbook Pro (this is another league).

~~~
stevenhubertron
What about the razed blade stealth? It seems fantastic but I don't know anyone
using it.

~~~
therealmarv
wow, the razor blade stealth looks actually incredible from first view. But...
my requirement was either Linux or macOS. I don't use Windows for anything
(and I'm not a gamer).

------
qwertyuiop924
If I get one, I'm installing Linux, FreeBSD, or OpenBSD on it. ME is bad
enough, and I don't trust Lenovo after what they did.

------
platz
my goto is used thinkpads—the X220 vs T420 was a tough call. Went with T420;
even though X220 is a bit more portable and nicer in a few attributes, just
felt the 12.5in panel not ideal for complex app UIs, whereas 14in is pretty
comfortable with any work environment I can throw at it.

------
lcbiazon
I often read about happy x220 and x230 users, but the newer x240/x250/x260 are
not mentioned as much. Did the build quality decline after Lenovo took over?

~~~
camgunz
Keyboards after the x220 are chiclet, which is sacrilege to most ThinkPad
users (me included). x240 really messed up the mouse buttons that you'd use
with the TrackPoint: they're touch instead of click and poorly executed. x250
and x260 fix that problem more or less, and the keyboard on the x260 is
appreciably better than the x240, but it's still chiclet.

The main draw of the ThinkPad is that it's an unparalleled input system
(TrackPoint means never leaving the home row, keyboards are second to none),
they're very tough, have great battery life, very serviceable, and you can get
amazing deals on eBay or through outlet/refurbishing. If you go with the X
series, they're also the only < 13" machines that have replaceable batteries,
a full complement of ports, reasonable specs, etc. In other words, they're the
perfect dev machine. The cons are pretty bad screens, thickness, and
relatively poor trackpads.

------
jwatte
Just get a Razer Blade. It's the same weight and form factor as a MBP, but
black and with a real GPU.

Run Windows 10 if you just want to get work done, or Debian or something if
you need metal Linux (as opposed to VMs)

~~~
hxegon
Also take a look at the razor blade stealth for something cheaper, if you
don't need a dedicated graphics card. (although you can hook up a razer core
if you need one)

~~~
sliken
Ugh, wish they did the same thing as apple. Use the previous generation
skylake with a decent GPU. qhd (let along 4k) is quite a few pixels for such a
weak GPU.

------
jagermo
I hab an x220. Such a cool machine. EBay has them for 160 euros, i might just
get one as a travel system.

------
kinkdr
Lenovo lost me when the did the exact same mistake and decided to replace the
exceptional Thinkpad keyboard for an inferior one.

~~~
slededit
Despite not being as good as the old IBM keyboards, can you name a laptop with
a better one? It seems all the manufacturers make terrible keyboards.

~~~
CrazedGeek
The Razer Blade Pro has a mechanical keyboard:
[http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade-
pro](http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade-pro)

~~~
tetraodonpuffer
it's also 17", has an nvidia 1080 (!) and comes with 32gb of RAM, that is
definitely the type of specs that would be nice to have in a development
machine... wonder what the battery life will be for it as there are currently
no reviews available yet that I could find.

~~~
sn0v
I don't think the machine is out yet, which probably explains the lack of
reviews.

------
dgudkov
I really miss the ThinkLight in new Thinkpads. It's so convenient.

------
macawfish
I've been on x220T/x230T for 3 years now. These are wonderful computers!

------
ladzoppelin
+1 on the XPS 15. Windows 10 with "Bash for Windows"/WSL flies and looks
amazing. I think Dell's work with any Linux distro as well. Buy from the MS
store and you get a clean version of Windows.

Edit: New Surfacebook also looks nice.

~~~
philbot1008
Buy from the Microsoft Store and you may get a bios-locked laptop that can
only run Windows 10.

[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/53ri0m/warning_micro...](https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/53ri0m/warning_microsoft_signature_pc_program_now/)

~~~
yareally
If you're going to link that, I would suggest also reading the stickied reply
by a moderator of that subreddit[1] that refutes many of the points made by
the OP.

[1]
[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/53ri0m/warning_micro...](https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/53ri0m/warning_microsoft_signature_pc_program_now/d7wekux/)

~~~
philbot1008
My mistake. And thanks for the correction! I read of the story when it broke a
few weeks back, and honestly it didn't surprise me one bit at the time (were
Microsoft have attempted such a maneuver). I quickly posted the link without
following up on the story... only to realize the err in my ways. Good looking
out. Cheers ;)

------
DominikR
Lenovo has some nice hardware, I used it for years, but the problem is that
their own software is unusable and the OS options are lagging, at least for
me.

Yes you can install Linux, but I'm not going to pay a premium price to then
spend my time hunting down the correct drivers and in the end still have some
hardware not supported.

Either all of the hardware that I paid for is fully supported by some Linux
distribution and on top of that I don't have to lift a finger to keep it
updated or I'm not buying at that price.

I pay and you solve my problems, not I pay and you deliver me a bunch of new
problems that I'll have to tinker with.

That's really why I switched to Mac's. I'm also not terribly convinced by the
new touchpad, but maybe it'll grow on me.

------
jimbokun
"Here are the names Apple still uses for their laptops (and yes, these are the
actual model names):

13-inch MacBook Pro with 2.0GHz Processor and 256GB Storage 13-inch MacBook
Pro with Touch Bar and Touch ID, 2.9 GHz Processor and 256GB Storage 13-inch
MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and Touch ID, 2.9GHz Processor and 512GB Storage

The ThinkPad naming convention makes marketing easier, product differentiation
simpler, and by comparison shows us Apple without Jobs the first time was
better than Apple without Jobs the second time."

Uh, no, those names tell you exactly what the product is. Nobody except
extreme aficionados could tell you the significance of 300/500/700 off the top
of their head.

~~~
ch4ch4
Except that you still don't know which generation of processor the MBP has- I
still see tons of deceptive Craigslist ads for MBPs that have a "2.0Ghz"
processor, with no indication that it's a model from 2011, which is not at all
comparable with a "2.0Ghz" processor from 2015.

~~~
slantyyz
This is probably offtopic, but I hate, hate, hate Intel's CPU naming strategy
for the Core i line.

An i7 (U,M) in an ultrabook is vastly different from the i7 (MQ, HQ) in a
gaming laptop.

A lot of people don't realize that, they just assume that i7 means "fastest
intel processor".

It also doesn't help when computer manufacturers say "#th generation Intel
processor". Unless you're keeping up with that stuff, how does a consumer
buying a computer even make sense of that stuff?

~~~
StillBored
Yah, and then consider the m3/m5/m7, x3/x5/x7, Pentium and celeron brands are
all still available.

Its the same with the xeon line, where you really have to dig into the details
to know what the difference is between a E5-46xx and a E7-48xx. Early on it
seemed like intel was going to use E3=1 socket, E5=2 socket, E7>2 socket, but
then they started bluring the lines. And then there are all the secondary
features like extended availability of a SKU which isn't even broken down on
the ARK matrix.

Then of course it changes every month or so when they add a couple new ones
and remove a couple old ones. No wonder everyone is confused, half us here are
computer geeks, and we need the internet to determine the difference between
most of the part numbers. To average users, its complete crap. Worse, since so
many of them are similar, you have to look at heaps of benchmarks to determine
if some random i7 is actually faster than some random i5/whatever..

Basically, it seems to me that intel has far to many people in product
segmentation/marketing and they could use some serious housecleaning. Do we
really need 500 (probably worse that that) SKU's varying in one feature or
another? They could rip out every other clock rate stepping and no one would
really notice, heck they could rip out 1/2 the core count ones too.

~~~
seanp2k2
And now they have the x5 and x7 atoms (formerly Cherry Trail) with things like
the Z series for tablets:
[http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/atom/atom-...](http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/atom/atom-x7-x5-processor.html)

------
Apreche
Since Lenovo preinstalled spyware/malware they can no longer be trusted.

~~~
kyriakos
the problem with this argument is that any manufacturer can be preinstalling
spyware in the future and you won't know until it becomes public. Lenovo did
but apparently stopped after it got caught. My point is that all OEM's are on
the same boat.

~~~
sliken
Lenovo seems pretty unique and adding ugly hacks to their hardware (like
disabling ACHI), and then changing the PCI ID of a "fake raid" chip. So not
only does this break linux, but it also breaks the standard release of
windows.

So even if you want to install MS Windows from official microsoft media, you
can't.

Why would lenovo would disable AHCI (which breaks windows and linux), then
mess with a fake RAID (despite having a single storage device).

Seems like Lenovo REALLY doesn't want consumers reinstalling the OS.... makes
one wonder.

~~~
cheiVia0
Wasn't it concluded that it was to reduce power usage, and it was Intel that
didn't provide a Linux driver?

Edit: [http://lwn.net/Articles/701635/](http://lwn.net/Articles/701635/)

------
gkya
My dream laptop:

\- Remove the function keys, remove escape, and all other ancient stuff like
Sys Rq and Pause / Break, remove arrow keys, remove Page Up etc. Swap the
places of the trackpad and the keyboard so the keyboard is closer to me and
the mouse is farther away. I use the former most of the time, and it's more
ergonomical that way.

\- No moving parts; have a 64GB SSD disk, a 4-8GB RAM, a decent CPU that
supports virtualisation, open-source compatible hardware (i.e. run any Linux
and any BSD systems on it, OpenBSD for me, especially), no cam or mic,
generally no recording devices, have a decent speaker, USB ports, two jacks,
one for the mic one for the earphones.

\- Thin, light, 15.6"-13" in size.

\- Battery that guarantees me at least 3-4 hrs of time, under load. Weight or
thinness can be compromised to achieve that.

~~~
grapeshot
Well I guess I finally know who this was made for:
[http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/31/4380132/acer-
aspire-r7-rev...](http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/31/4380132/acer-
aspire-r7-review)

~~~
gkya
Thanks a lot! I'll see if it's any good in hardware and if it's possible to
swap some things out if need be. I'm curious why home-row-all-the-time people
weren't interested in this, as the palm-resting because of the large gap
between the closer edge of the laptop and the keyboard is not really
ergonomic.

------
thisisrobv
Was really interested in reading this until.. "ditches the Escape key for a
dedicated emoji bar".

~~~
sliken
There's a model with a normal keyboard, including esc. Even features a 10%
larger battery and saves $200.

~~~
vetinari
It also comes with only 2 USB ports, out of which you need one for charging.

~~~
sliken
So? Generally you are either at a desk (often with a display, keyboard, and
mouse), or you are traveling lighter and don't need to connect many usb
devices.

So for each desk get a widget that takes a tb3/usb-c connection and connects
to your mouse/monitor/keyboard.

Basically an instant dock. If you really hook up more than one device, travel
light, _AND_ need more than 10 hours a day buy a little usb hub.

I suspect over 95% of laptop use is either at a desk or requires less than 2
USB-C/tb3 ports.

~~~
vetinari
Nowadays, TB2 hubs are not cheap (200-300 EUR) and I don't expect TB3 to be
cheap either. Just USB3 hub does not cut it, it will be a while until you will
be able to connect displays using USB3.

Even today, I'm using two TB2 ports and one USB port (i.e. three ports on the
computer) because: 1 x miniDP (no, most displays are not TB2 native and cannot
daisy-chain with other TB devices), 1 x ethernet adapter (the Apple one cannot
daisy-chain either), and USB hub for the rest.

~~~
sliken
New (granted not quite shipping) hubs/docks sound like $100 or so. You sit
down, connect the tb3/usbc cable and your mouse, keyboard, and display works.
Of course your laptop is getting charged as well.

Preorder for $105
[http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/10/28/13453274/a...](http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/10/28/13453274/arc-
hub-bourge-design-usb-c-port-apple-macbook)

------
platz
Why did they recommend the T400 over the T420?

~~~
vetinari
Due to Intel Management Engine - basically a binary blob, that you don't know
what it is doing.

T400 is Core 2 Duo machine and works without IME. T420 is i5/i7 machine and
IME is a requirement and you cannot make a BIOS replacement without it.

~~~
platz
I didn't know people felt that stongly about arbitrary binary blobs. I know
this is hackaday and open hardware and all, but if im going to be worried
about binary blobs im going to be worried about a ton of netsec related stuff
in other boxes too. Just wonderin' who this is really biting, assuming the
intended individual was _also_ already a closed-source, secretive apple fan.

~~~
vetinari
It's not an arbitrary binary blob. It's blob that's running at SMM level. A
perfect place for rootkits.

~~~
platz
There was an article the other day about a man who lets his children go on the
top of his roof. He made a calculation that the probability that harm would
occur was low enough to be acceptable. I do a much similar thing; will follow
up with you if/when my bios gets rooted.

------
marklyon
In addition to Lenovo, consider the XPS 13 and 15. While Dell's quality has
been somewhat inconsistent as they launched the line, they stepped up and took
care of the problem I encoutered with my XPS 13 and it's quickly become my
favorite laptop ever.

Great battery life, super portable, an external battery for long flights and
an AMAZING screen. It even supports touch, which I don't use all the time, but
find nice to have.

With either the Lenovo or Dell, make certain to add multi-year same or next
day service. With Dell, it's easier to do that from their small business
sections than from the home section. If you forget, just call and buy
separately. I got my laptop from MS Store due to a sale then called and added
4 years to the warranty. While many rave about the genius bar, I find the
"come to my home or office and fix this" experience far preferable.

~~~
barongrounds
Make sure you replace the worthless Broadcom wifi chip with an Intel. It's
puzzling that Dell would cheap out on an otherwise excellent machine.

At least swapping them out is an easy job.

~~~
vetinari
The Linux version has the Intel wifi by default. Only Windows version has the
Broadcom.

~~~
barongrounds
Is that still true? I thought they'd changed that. I would have the developer
edition myself, but I live in Australia and it's not available here.

The Broadcom chip is equally as bad in either windows or Linux in my
experience.

~~~
vetinari
The latest one (4th gen, late 2016, Kaby Lake) uses Killer Wireless (ath10k)
for both Windows and Linux versions.

Under Linux it works, but from what I hear, it's very slow.

------
antirez
There are many good hardware choices at this point in order to replace a
Macbook. What is entirely not clear is what _software_ to use to replace a
Macbook.

~~~
Matachines
This is why I'm probably going to opt for a maxed out 2015 Macbook Pro. Yes, I
know I'm paying for "old" hardware but I don't use VMs or compile anything
heavy so it should last me a while. After selling my current one it should
come out to about $1000 so not too bad.

I'm just too invested in macOS in terms of apps, comfortableness, muscle
memory, etc. I actually really like it as well.

~~~
slantyyz
I made the switch to Windows, and while it did require some research to ensure
that my workflows stayed pretty much the same, it didn't take long at all
(days, not weeks) to develop new muscle memory. I struggle using a Mac now.

Your real switching cost, however, is in your apps. If you're dependent on
something that is Mac only, it is really, really hard to switch.

Most of my core apps are multiplatform (Sublime, Slack, 1Password, Evernote
etc.) but I was concerned about Terminal and Aperture. Terminal was easily
addressed by Cmder (and now you can use Window's Linux shell instead), and
Apple EOL'ed Aperture, which meant I had to find a new RAW tool (I use DxO
Optics Pro now, which is cross platform).

~~~
adzm
I really hope the Windows Subsystem for Linux continues being expanded; having
Linux natively on Windows approaches the best of both worlds.

