[tn890]

I own an M1 MBA with 16GB of RAM and it's a lovely little machine. I generally do SRE work and it works out ok for that for the most part. Intellij Idea, VS Code, a terminal and a browser.

Coming from an i9 16" mbp the difference in usability is massive, I hated those fans so much. I do miss the larger screen size though; that, coupled with the lack of ports (just 2 Type-C, would like more) made me consider getting one of the new 14". The battery life is so insanely overkill in this laptop that I'd be willing to compromise on it for a bigger display, perhaps for the first time ever.

Would highly, highly recommend it for traveling though.

[csdvrx]

> Would highly, highly recommend it for traveling though.

I travel with a thinkpad nano: smaller, lighter, and it has cellular wireless.

Yet it can be stuffed- I put a 2Tb NVMe (Sabrent) in mine, and I'm now waiting for larger NVMe to hit the market

[tn890]

I suppose it all falls down to OS preference more than anything. I've been using macOS for a long time and wouldn't feel comfortable with something else.

Owning an iPhone and iPad don't help escaping the walled garden for sure.

[synergy20]

90% of the time is spent on browser and editor these days, the OS is not a major factor for me to choose computers anymore.

[raihansaputra]

I admit that is true, but I tried switching to PopOS and failed.

Non-software: - Trackpad quality

- Screen quality (I was given a 1080p 13 touchscreen. The res should be enough, the digitizer grid is bad)

- meme but no audio

- Not as great battery life

Software:

- so much shortcut switching. Will probably be better with time, but still a problem.

- No default menubar (I realize I can swap DE but.. ain't got time for that)

- no GPU accel on browsers. YouTube stuck on 720/1080.

- Karabiner is a hard luxury to give up, finally found kmonad. ~equal?

- having to find replacement for all my QoL utilites (Alfred, Amethyst, Caffeine/Amphetamine, Quick Look)

[joconde]

UI slowdowns, awkward multiple desktops, and general slowness is definitely a factor that made me leave Windows though.

[csdvrx]

We must live in a different world then. I love how windows works with different DPI screens, or remember the screen layouts. Add to that WSL and AHK, and I have no shame to say Windows is the OS I'm the most productive with (even if I'm trying Linux again during this long weekend! I want to give it a chance!)

The deal breaker: I love Wireless projection (Shortcut: Win-K) that works all the time, unlike filmsy HDMI / micro HDMI / DP cables that require switching the input on the screen.

Believe me or not, but at a recent meeting we had to use Zoom locally because none of the 3 laptops (2 macs, and my windows thinkpad) could reliably project to the big screen next to the drawboard.

[joconde]

A few specific issues I had all the time:

- Alt-Tab takes between 0.1 and 2 seconds to work, apparently at random. Windows are skipped, also at random, so I can't predict which window I'll get. I can't even switch to another window and back; most of the time, the order will get messed up.

- Bringing up the notification pane and the overview with all desktops sometimes works instantly, sometimes stutters and takes 3 seconds. The animations are always half-baked and awful to follow.

- Switching desktops with Ctrl+Win+Arrows sometimes seems to re-organize all windows at random, for no reason at all.

These issues usually happen a few weeks of heavy use after install. I don't have any third-party software that messes with Explorer. Re-installing fixes them for a few days or weeks. That was on a Dell XPS 15 with a Core i7 and 16GB of RAM, and it also happens with my larger, well-cooled workstation at the office.

macOS has its own multiple-desktop weirdnesses, but in general it's polished and works predictably on my M1 MBA. Windows was just painful to use, mostly because of the above issues. It seems like UI features have a lot of inefficiencies that Microsoft can't or won't factor out.

Also, Windows 10 desktops can't be re-organized, which I imagine would be trivial to implement, and makes the macOS desktops much more practical.

[thrashh]

Maybe your time…

[kitsunesoba]

I too have an X1 Nano and it’s a nice machine in a lot of ways — feels well built, light as a feather, looks nice, great matte 16:10 (!!) screen, great keyboard, and the trackpoint is excellent for mousing in space constricted settings (like planes). I too like that its storage can be expanded (though I wish the WWAN slot could be used for a second NVMe SSD, as it can on other machines).

The only complaint I have with it is battery life and its propensity for getting warm when doing anything even remotely demanding. I even went with the slower, lower power CPU and its battery life is still middling, and plugging it into an external display is enough to make it fire up its fans.

I wish I could swap its CPU out for something more efficient. Tiger Lake is supremely mediocre relative to current Ryzen and M-series offerings.

[csdvrx]

> though I wish the WWAN slot could be used for a second NVMe SSD, as it can on other machines

I'm working on that. 2 options: removing the whitelist from the BIOS, or hacking a NVMe firmware to impersonate a whitelisted WWAN (a small boottime delay to answer requests could also be sufficient)

The latter might be easier, as the firmware update seems to have more vulnerabilities. Also NVMe are cheaper in case I mess up and can't reflash with flashrom for a reason or another.

If anyone here works for a storage company and could make a firmware with a given PCI id or a 10 seconds delay before showing up on the bus, please get in touch!

> I wish I could swap its CPU out for something more efficient. Tiger Lake is supremely mediocre relative to current Ryzen and M-series offerings

Same, I want a X12 with an AMD, or a Xeon because even if the latter is a power hog, at least I'll have ECC!

[synergy20]

Had a mac pro 32GB for job(use it like a desktop basically).

And a few Lenovo carbon x1 that can be carried around(including travel).

Carbon X1 is 14", which is large enough for real coding on the road, Nano is 13" seems a bit too small for coding to me though. I feel 14" is the perfect size for both daily work and travel.

[csdvrx]

I have a P1 Gen3 (because it's OLED and 4k) and while I love it at home or in the office, I don't like travelling with it. 14 is just too big.

I may be smaller than you but to me, 12" is the ideal for travelling as the laptop fits in my purse!

I'm thinking about getting the X12 detachable as my next travel computer, but I'm waiting for next year revision in the hope it'll get Xeon or AMD cpu options.

[Liron]

I got one and it’s so effortlessly fast, I can just open it and do stuff in one smooth motion