[edflsafoiewq]

That is not what he means by "Laptops don't change". He means

> A 2015 research paper discovered that the embodied energy of laptops is static over time.

> Improvements in functionality balance the efficiency gains obtained in the manufacturing process. Battery mass, memory, and hard disk drive mass decreased per unit of functionality but showed roughly constant totals per year.

> New laptops may be more energy-efficient per computational power, but these gains are offset by more computational power. Jevon’s paradox is nowhere as evident as it is in computing.

[Miraste]

2015 was the nadir of processor improvements. At that point, Intel had effectively used the same processor in every laptop since 2008. I would like to see this analysis post-Ryzen and Apple Silicon.

[jwells89]

Yes, I previously owned a pre-touchbar 15" MacBook Pro (the last "good" Intel model) and though it was a great laptop, my M1 Max MBP is dramatically better across the board. Way more power, far better battery life, much less heat and fan noise, and a significantly better screen and speakers.

Granted, leaps like that aren't a given but they can and do happen sometimes.

[DeathArrow]

Well, go to Geekbench and compare CPUs from 2015 with CPUs of today.

[photonerd]

So… you can do more, faster, for longer, then?

Sounds like a good argument for upgrading

[croes]

The article author is a journalist, I bet his speed depends on his speed of typing and not the speed of his laptop.

He could to more, faster and longer but if he doesn't the extra costs are useless.

[VBprogrammer]

I suspect the next big laptop update I have will be whatever lets me run GPT-4 size models natively.

[littlestymaar]

> more, faster

Not in the world de live in: https://jmmv.dev/2023/06/fast-machines-slow-machines.html

[photonerd]

Maybe not your world, but mine? Definitely true.

[dijit]

Until software causes performance improvements not to be worthwhile.

Though nobody can argue that battery lives haven't improved.

[marcus0x62]

The author is choosing to optimize for environmental impact over raw performance.

[photonerd]

Given newer MacBooks are also both highly recyclable AND made of mostly recycled material… also seems an incorrect statement then

[marcus0x62]

You have a laptop x that already exists.. At what point does buying laptop y, which needs to be manufactured, have the lower environmental footprint?

[dehrmann]

I didn't find that point all that interesting. Once laptops got as small as is practical (full-size keyboard, just thick enough for a USB port), we continued cramming in as much tech and battery as it would fit and not get too hot. This shouldn't be a surprised.