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Why I switched to MacBook from Regular Linux Laptop?

I have been a Linux user from my college days, and credit goes to my college faculty. He pushed us towards the open-source world. I loved Linux every day.

When I bootstrapped our company, we ensured that every team member worked on Linux. Every member loved Linux and kept our computers safe from viruses & costly licenses.

In 2016 we acquired a few MacBooks to keep rolling apps on the iOS platform. Many of our team members used these MacBooks but remained in love with Linux.

When the M1 MacBook launched, I got influenced by opinion over the internet and tried my luck over MacBook. I failed to work over MacBook miserably (partially responsible was the new M1 architecture). I was longing for my previous laptop and quickly went back.

Over the year, small things irritated me now and then in my laptop -

  1. The best laptops in the market did not have good in-built Mic
  2. Webcam quality was poor, even in a proper light.
  3. I used to put the laptop in standby mode, It failed frequently and the battery died silently)
  4. The laptop battery never lasted long, a maximum of 2-3 hours.
  5. Ubuntu runs over low frequency to save power but destroys the performance of the laptop.
  6. Wireless headphone with a mic does not work, as expected. Results in loss of many minutes in every meeting.
  7. Nobody creates a native app for Linux. We have to rely mostly on browsers.
  8. If you have a non-standard display configuration, it will break on most updates.
  9. My old laptop had 32 GB ram and the latest processor yet the machine behaved underpowered.

I realized that the core of the problem is

A generic laptop with a generic operating system.
It works everywhere but not at its best.

In contrast, the MacBook has

specialize-software built for specialize-hardware.

So I decided to try my luck again with the latest m1 MacBook. This time I invested myself into the ecosystem and purchased iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods, and MacBook together.

Later I discovered the best experience of my digital life -

  1. Best In-built microphone. (Critical for frequent online meetings)
  2. My Bluetooth headphones now work seamlessly
  3. Connecting the additional monitor was very quick and easy.
  4. WebCam Quality is superior and works in any lighting conditions.
  5. MacBook goes to Standby mode instantly and with failures
  6. Battery mostly gives me a run time of 6-8 hours (my docker machines draws a lot of power)
  7. Performance is unmatchable whatsoever.
  8. The best part of the Apple ecosystem is devices works with each other seamlessly

Bonus

  1. Access to many Native Apps, which works without a glitch.
  2. Access to your phone Call / Message / WhatsApp apps
  3. The touchpad is the gem of the MacBook.

Downside: The MacBook keyboard is excellent, but my subconscious is having trouble switching to command button shortcuts.

I reflected on my whole journey and found out the reasons for my failed attempt.
I was successful this time because -

  1. I used the native keyboard, not an external Old regular keyboard
  2. I used the trackpad actively for window management.
  3. I used an external high-precision Bluetooth mouse.
  4. I adapted myself to MacBook, not vice-versa.
  5. I invested myself in the whole Apple ecosystem.

Closing thoughts

MacBook is the best usable form of Linux
with tested and premium hardware and a seamless experience.

What was the trick which worked for you ? I would love to know.

on November 8, 2021
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