Why the new site

This is a new site that is being built to support my pending move away from MacOS. MacOS is great but current Apple MacBook Pro hardware isn’t. I have been using a MacBook Pro 17″ (I bought one of the last ones), with a Core i7 and an AMD graphics card. Over time, I have upgraded the RAM from 8gb to 16gb, replaced the 750gb HDD with a 1tb SSD, and replaced the DVD drive with a 2TB hybrid drive. Unfortunately, the MacBook Pro (“MBP”) 17″ is no longer supported by Apple. This means it cannot use new OS updates. The effect is that as software applications update to fix bugs or maintain OS compatibility, they stop working because a current MacOS version is often needed.

While I know I need to replace my MBP 17, I don’t think it will be replaced with a new MBP. The current MBP lineup does not allow any user upgrades, so you have to purchase with the future in mind. Additionally, everything is expensive at the time of purchase. For example, Apple only has storage options for the current MPB15 in 512gb, 1tb, 2tb and 4tb levels. The base 512gb is about 1/6th of the current storage space I use. To migrate everything from my current MBP to a new MBP will require the 4tb option. The 4tb option is a $2800 added fee on top of the $2800 base cost of the laptop. Of course memory costs more as well. Additionally, the current MBP’s, while thin and beautiful, have sub-par thermals compared to high end PC laptops resulting in thermal throttling of the CPU, so performance suffers. To top it all off, the new MBP keyboard is a known problem, everyone I know that uses an MBP regularly with the built in keyboard has had problems and most have had at least one keyboard replacement.

So to replace my current MBP 15 and have sufficient space to hold all of my current files, it will cost at least $5599 before Apple Care. If I up the RAM to 32gb to prepare for the future, the cost jumps to $5999. If I up the graphics card to a Vega 20 to help future-proof the system, the cost jumps to $6349. Add Apple care, because nobody but Apple can fix these systems, and the price jumps to $7,283.06 (using the Apple Store online as of 5/11/2019). That is crazy expensive, particularly for a non-upgradable laptop, with thermal throttling issues and a keyboard prone to failure. Don’t forget the new MBP only comes with USB-C connectors so dongles for USB-C to USB-A, USB-C to HDMI, and USB-C to Ethernet would also need to be purchased.

I don’t hate Apple, I have owned an Apple //e, a Mac 512 (in 1984), a Mac SE, two iMacs, four MacBook Pros, and two Mac Minis. It is just that the evolution from Apple Computers to Apple has resulted in the company abandoning its hobbyist roots in favor of consumer devices. The focus is no longer on creation, but on consumption.

So where to from here, probably a Thinkpad X1 Extreme core i7 4k. I can buy it with 16gb of RAM now and it is user upgradable to 32 or 64gb. I can get a small NVME SSD, then upgrade it myself to a 1TB NVME SSD for $150-250 depending on brand, and I can use a second NVME for a 2tb SSD from WD for under $250. The X1 Ex with 4k, 32GB of RAM, and a 1tb drive is $2350 new. Add a 2tb second M.2 drive for $240 and the total jumps to $2590 (3tb total). Add a three year warranty for another $255, and the total investment jumps to $2845. The Thinkpad has a great keyboard, a dedicated Nvidia graphics card, built in ethernet, built in USB-C, built in USB-A, built in HDMI. Also, multiple testers report thermals are under control with little throttling.

So $7283 vs $2845. Ok if I went to 4tb on the Thinkpad it would be $3085 but I can add the additional TB later, something the Apple can’t do.

It may be a pain to go back to Windows as my primary OS (the OS seems to grow in size and complexity, and slow down over time), but the price difference is staggering. Also, I am not entire sold on the Thinkpad and I am looking at a few others, but the Thinkpad is the front runner.