I’m a recovering Apple user, and the Apple tax is absolutely a thing.
Yeah, the hardware lasts. In my little office I currently have a 2011 MacBook Pro running Arch(btw), a 2014 Mac mini running Mint, an M1 mini, and an M2 Air. That '11 Pro refuses to die. However I’m under absolutely 0 illusions that I’ll get the same lifespan from the M1 and M2. The hardware may well last as long, but them being effectively locked down right to macOS means that when Apple decide they’re done, they’re done. I could run Asahi on them, but that comes with a bunch of annoying compromises that aren’t the fault of the Asahi devs, but are as a result of Apple trying to lock down the Mac platform in the same way they have iOS.
And sure, the entry level hardware can be cheap. The M4 mini is an astonishing deal. But they’re betting on locking you in with iCloud Drive subscriptions, and the like. Then, after a few years, when your Mini goes obsolete, you’ll either upgrade to a new one or have to spend a bunch of time trying to work out how to shift your online storage to another provider.
And not to mention things that they’ve branded that are commonly available for free elsewhere. “Buy into the Apple ecosystem to get Universal Control!” or just install Deskflow on the shitty old ThinkPad you already have, because the function of the software is exactly the same. “Apple’s Continuity stuff is super neat!” Aye, and so is KDE Connect. Which is free and runs on any device this side of Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine.
You pay a lot for Apple hardware, and yeah, that money gets you great hardware, but the value proposition is getting slimmer every year.
That’s a really good explanation of current cirumstances with Apple. It is really good hardware and is in my opinion worth it, but yeah they engage in a lot of meaningless greed when it comes to protecting their ‘copyright’
I’m a recovering Apple user, and the Apple tax is absolutely a thing.
Yeah, the hardware lasts. In my little office I currently have a 2011 MacBook Pro running Arch(btw), a 2014 Mac mini running Mint, an M1 mini, and an M2 Air. That '11 Pro refuses to die. However I’m under absolutely 0 illusions that I’ll get the same lifespan from the M1 and M2. The hardware may well last as long, but them being effectively locked down right to macOS means that when Apple decide they’re done, they’re done. I could run Asahi on them, but that comes with a bunch of annoying compromises that aren’t the fault of the Asahi devs, but are as a result of Apple trying to lock down the Mac platform in the same way they have iOS.
And sure, the entry level hardware can be cheap. The M4 mini is an astonishing deal. But they’re betting on locking you in with iCloud Drive subscriptions, and the like. Then, after a few years, when your Mini goes obsolete, you’ll either upgrade to a new one or have to spend a bunch of time trying to work out how to shift your online storage to another provider.
And not to mention things that they’ve branded that are commonly available for free elsewhere. “Buy into the Apple ecosystem to get Universal Control!” or just install Deskflow on the shitty old ThinkPad you already have, because the function of the software is exactly the same. “Apple’s Continuity stuff is super neat!” Aye, and so is KDE Connect. Which is free and runs on any device this side of Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine.
You pay a lot for Apple hardware, and yeah, that money gets you great hardware, but the value proposition is getting slimmer every year.
That’s a really good explanation of current cirumstances with Apple. It is really good hardware and is in my opinion worth it, but yeah they engage in a lot of meaningless greed when it comes to protecting their ‘copyright’