Why the restriction to laptops? I don't get why prosumers would marry themselves 24/7 to a single portable device, when their conflicting requirements vary by task and circumstances: portability, high performance, low energy usage, and low noise aren't permanent requirements.

Sure, there's no single device that has Apple's blend of attributes, but who need that in this age of VMs and broadband Internet? My 32-core HEDT workstation outperforms anything Apple branded. I have a Chromebook when I need to be unplugged (<10% or the time)

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anakaine 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> My 32-core HEDT workstation outperforms anything Apple branded

Your high end hardware is not their target market / competition until you get into very purposeful tasks.

The market segment that exists for Macbook Pro is one where competitors battery life sucks, windows isnt the preferred OS, and high performance on a portable device on battery is beneficial. Its one where they have acceptable performance vs a dedicated desktop but remain portable and a good expected lifespan, as a portable.

	▲	overfeed 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> Your high end hardware is not their target market / competition until you get into very purposeful tasks. Here's the kicker: it cost about the same as the highest end Macbook pro before the RAM madness. > The market segment that exists one where battery life sucks, windows isnt the preferred OS, and some high performance on a portable device on battery is beneficial. I agree the market exists, but think it's much smaller than it appears: most people do not work under these constraints most of the time; a cheap laptop + beefy desktop could do a better job in aggregate, wirh greater flexibility, especially for people who spend most of their time at the desk with their computer plugged in - which is most people. I suspect the portability requirement is sometimes aspirational, similar to the people who buy trucks overestimating the number of times they'll need to cary stuff on the truck bed.

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freeone3000 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> but who needs that?

I’m really happy with bringing my local workstation with me to a cafe, a coworking space, or on a trip. I love conveniently having one device for nearly everything, from AI fine-tuning to general development to gaming. And I love having a 12-hour battery life under normal use and USB-C charging. The screen is beautiful and great for watching movies on, too.

If you want one computing device, in total, a MacBook is a great choice. It’s overkill in most areas for most people, but it’s not deficient for anyone, and that matters a lot.

	▲	overfeed 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> I’m really happy with bringing my local workstation with me to a cafe, a coworking space, or on a trip You can, with Tailscale! I had edited my original comment to remove how I occasionally[1] remote to the workstation, but I found out empirically that I typically don't do anything that needs more than 2 cores at a cafe - a $300 Chromebook or $100 second-hand laptop will do. By all means, if the Macbook hits your sweet-spot of trade-offs, more power to you. Car brand A may have the quickest, most-fuel-efficient, all-wheel drive, convertible coupé, but there are other vehicle types. Perhaps a bicycle and an SUV is a better combination for some other people. 1. I'd say abuut once per year.

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fundad 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

It's great that there is choice in the market isn't it?

	▲	overfeed 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Absolutely! I wasn't arguing for the elimination of choice.