Apple isn’t much better. Microsoft screws you on the software, and Apple screws you on the hardware (and a little on the software too).
Apple products are pretty much unrepairable at this point, and Apple seems to be doubling down when they can. From cryptographic parts pairing to banning manufacturers from selling chips to moving core components to the SOC (e.g. SSD controller), it’s usually cheaper to replace than repair, which is just bonkers when the part needed would only cost $20 but Apple will only fix it with a $1k+ board replacement.
And there’s little software things where they try to lock you in to their ecosystem.
That said, I’m not sure which is worse here. Pick the tradeoffs that work best for you. I’m just glad that Linux works well enough for my use case that I don’t need to choose between them.
That’s all definitely true, but when it comes to software, the shenanigans are all reserved for iPhone, iPad, and the like. MacOS is still really, really great IMO as it’s not as locked down as the mobile devices… it’s still very Linux-esque.
And all the devices are more repairable than people seem to think. Upgradeable? No. Repairable. Yes.
But yeah, I really wish more developers would make native Linux versions of their software available… then it’s an easy choice.
Hard disagree there. I use macOS at work and I’m constantly running into things that aren’t issues on Linux. For example:
docker containers run in a VM on macOS and as processes on Linux - result is much better perf and fewer bugs on Linux (I have to restart docker almost daily due to bugs)
two major package managers (homebrew and macports), yet neither is as nice as on Linux because they don’t manage system packages; I prefer macports, but both are a pain at release upgrade time, and I often need to “hide” outdated system stuff (e.g. Python and Ruby)
can’t replace the stuff I care about - desktop environment, init system, etc
drivers are only available if Apple says it’s okay - good luck with peripherals, which mostly just work on Linux
hardware choice is limited - can use Apple hardware or try your luck with a hackintosh
It’s way better than Windows, but it’s really not a Linux-like experience at all. And that’s preferable for some, and not for others.
And all the devices are more repairable than people seem to think. Upgradeable? No. Repairable. Yes.
Source?
Look at Louis Rossmann’s videos (a MacBook repair person) about this topic and tell me again that they’re repairable. With a straight face.
They’re really not. Here’s how they seem to handle stuff:
charge port goes bad? Board replacement.
water damage? Board replacement.
drive fails? No data recovery, and send it in for repairs.
screen cracks? Entire top assembly replacement.
display cable breaks? Entire top assembly replacement.
On pretty much any other, somewhat non-hostile product:
charge port goes bad? Replace charge port daughter board, or solder on a new chip/port.
water damage? Authorized repair person can attempt board level repair without a full replacement (much cheaper)
drive fails? User serviceable (could send in busted drive for recovery if you want)
screen cracks? Buy new glass and/or screen.
display cable breaks? Buy a new one for like $15.
native Linux versions of their software available
Or even just test it in WINE. Getting it to work properly with WINE is probably easier than supporting native Linux versions. That’s certainly the case for games, and probably the case for desktop software.
They can even distribute Appimage or Flatpak if they don’t want to deal with variations between distros.
Apple isn’t much better. Microsoft screws you on the software, and Apple screws you on the hardware (and a little on the software too).
Apple products are pretty much unrepairable at this point, and Apple seems to be doubling down when they can. From cryptographic parts pairing to banning manufacturers from selling chips to moving core components to the SOC (e.g. SSD controller), it’s usually cheaper to replace than repair, which is just bonkers when the part needed would only cost $20 but Apple will only fix it with a $1k+ board replacement.
And there’s little software things where they try to lock you in to their ecosystem.
That said, I’m not sure which is worse here. Pick the tradeoffs that work best for you. I’m just glad that Linux works well enough for my use case that I don’t need to choose between them.
That’s all definitely true, but when it comes to software, the shenanigans are all reserved for iPhone, iPad, and the like. MacOS is still really, really great IMO as it’s not as locked down as the mobile devices… it’s still very Linux-esque.
And all the devices are more repairable than people seem to think. Upgradeable? No. Repairable. Yes.
But yeah, I really wish more developers would make native Linux versions of their software available… then it’s an easy choice.
Hard disagree there. I use macOS at work and I’m constantly running into things that aren’t issues on Linux. For example:
It’s way better than Windows, but it’s really not a Linux-like experience at all. And that’s preferable for some, and not for others.
Source?
Look at Louis Rossmann’s videos (a MacBook repair person) about this topic and tell me again that they’re repairable. With a straight face.
They’re really not. Here’s how they seem to handle stuff:
On pretty much any other, somewhat non-hostile product:
Or even just test it in WINE. Getting it to work properly with WINE is probably easier than supporting native Linux versions. That’s certainly the case for games, and probably the case for desktop software.
They can even distribute Appimage or Flatpak if they don’t want to deal with variations between distros.