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Ask HN: What best alternatives for Macbook Pro 2015?

3 points by niuzeta ↗ HN
I've never actually purchased a Macbook - Companies I've worked at mostly provided it to me. I've been using Macbook without actually buying one.

Lately, I feel that my usage on this machine has advanced beyond work that it warrants purchasing it for my own. 1) Personal writing 2) Personal development/research for fun.(I haven't done this on company's laptop for obvious reasons, but the desire has been growing) 3) "the" laptop of the house - it's the central hub that most of my bluetooth devices connect, I do my e-mails on it, I manage my NAS on it, etc.

Essentially I'm looking for a lifestyle laptop - one you take to the coffee shop. to The issue is that I don't feel like purchasing any of the newer model beyond the 2015 (one with lightning ports and USB-2.0 ports). To me, that was the peak macbook - both in build quality and usability. I strongly dislike the touch bar, flimsy keyboards, lack of ports, magsafe, and so on. It would need to be durable and supportable.

The issue is the alternative and the longevity of it after 3-4 years. I clearly do not agree with the Apple's philosophy with their new line of products and I doubt they'll change course.

1) What current alternative to Macbook Pro(2017) do I have at the similar price point?

2) Has Linux improved substantially since 2016 in terms of usability?

- Obviously yes, but how much of "hand-wrangling" do I need to go through to make it usable?

3) I can't imagine I'm the only one in this shoe. What has everyone's experience been?

4) Specifically, I'm looking for this spec - https://support.apple.com/kb/SP715

Is there a version that is more recent than this version, while maintaining the same quality(ports, good keyboard, no touch bar, etc)? Also, is it worth getting a 15 inch?

I'll leave the previous discussions from HN as a postscript and my thoughts why I felt the need to post a new question.

2 comments

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niuzeta
Postscript - Previous discussions on this topic that I found useful while posting this question -

1)"Ask HN: Is Dell XPS Developer Edition a Good Replacement of Macbook Pro?" - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12820778

I decided to discard this one as this was posted in 2016 - 3 years old and most products mentioned were outdated.

2) "Ask HN: Are there any reasonable alternatives to MacBook Pro for developer?" - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16785507

I felt many of my frustrations echoed in the thread. There were a lot of mentions of Thinkpad and Lenovo series with linux - As a proud Dell owner for 7 years(may its rusty soul rest in peace) I am certainly intrigued and wanted to get a fresh take on it.

3) "Ask HN: Is the new MacBook Pro worth its value for a developer?" - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17894252

This thread essentially re-affirmed my aversion to the latest Macbook Pro models. I saw new hires using the later versions and I can repeat most sentiments expressed in that thread in my voice.

4) "Ask HN: Best robust laptop for everyday software development" - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18022809

PascLeRasc's comment (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18024812) pretty much echos my sentiment and my reasoning to get a 2015. I wanted to see if there were other alternatives or if it makes sense to get a 4-year-old model in 2019.

Thanks