I was stupid and did not pay attention to these nuances of laptops. Suffered after purchase

Over the past 10-12 years, there have been at least seven laptops in my constant use. The last five are MacBook Air and MacBook Pro in different sizes, generations and trim levels. I’ve been using Apple’s latest “airy” laptop for a couple of years now and I’m just thinking about replacing it. There are a couple of reasons for this: firstly, he was tired mentally and physically; secondly, it would be desirable the hardware “fatter”. Actually, that’s why I decided to share my opinion about choosing a new laptop. There are several not so obvious nuances that I recommend to consider. Since I have been using Apple laptops lately, I will give examples on them.

Screen brightness should not be lower than 500 nits

I am writing this text on a 2020 MacBook Air based on M1 – the brightness of its screen is at 400 nits. It would seem that the indicator is quite nothing. However, today this is no longer enough. I am sure that now it is important to be able to solve all professional issues using a laptop in absolutely any place – even in the office, even on the street table of the nearest coffee shop. The second scenario is not comfortable on a screen with a maximum brightness of 400 nits – literally a couple of conditional clicks on the increase button are missing (even in a cafe near the window during the day there is not enough brightness). However, when using a 2017 MacBook Pro, which is also at hand, the problem described above simply does not exist. He just has a screen of 500 nits – right now I consider this level to be minimally comfortable.

▶︎ Fact: Apparently, Apple has always been well aware that 400 nits for a laptop screen, which is often used on the street, is extremely insufficient. I explain this by increasing the brightness to 500 nits when switching to a new generation of MacBook Air – we are talking about the 2022 model based on the M2 chipset. Previously, brightness was one of the dividers between the Air and Pro models, nothing more.

There should be no decorative coating on the body

I will not write that I prefer well-built metal laptops – I choose modern MacBooks, so this fact is obvious. However, there are also nuances here. The main thing for me today is the absence of any decorative coating. With intensive use of the device, it is systematically erased – especially under the arms and in other areas of intensive contact with anything. Apple only has a classic uncoated silver body. On the rest, the company applies a decorative layer using anodizing. As personal practice shows, it does not stand the test of time. By the way, it is erased extremely ugly – lighter stains gradually appear under the palms.

Avoid Experimental Keyboards

I used a keyboard with a butterfly mechanism. Apple used it from 2015 (it first appeared in the 12-inch MacBook) and up to 2019 – it was characterized by an extremely low travel height. I confess that I have always liked working with text on such a keyboard – it seems that it was even faster to type it. It’s a pity, but more than two years of intensive use in my “butterfly” mode simply does not stand up. Individual keys either simply stop responding to pressing, or simply stick. I stepped on this rake twice, so today I strongly advise you to figure out how reliable the keyboard is in the laptop. Still, a computer is usually bought not even for a couple of years, and replacing the one that is out of order is often too troublesome.

The minimum number of ports is a disadvantage

I have had laptops with and without a wide variety of ports for every taste. I remember feeling the difference especially vividly when I moved from a 2015 MacBook Pro with full connectivity to a 2017 MacBook Pro with 4 USB-Cs (two each on the left and right sides). Until recently, Apple was praised on every corner for such an aggressive move that forced the industry to actively switch to one universal connector. However, I changed my mind when I got my hands on a MacBook Pro 14″ with HDMI, MagSafe magnetic charging, and even a memory card slot. A laptop that is designed for professional tasks must be universal. Fiddling with multiport hubs to make it this way is a last resort.

Today, 8 GB of RAM is not enough

Of the five Apple laptops that I have used, absolutely all were equipped with 8 GB of RAM. A couple of years ago, when I bought a MacBook Air on the M1, I also abandoned the idea of ​​choosing a 16 GB model. I do not regret this decision, but my next laptop for professional tasks will have exactly this indicator. It’s hard to say whether my tasks have become more complex or whether the steadily increasing workload of the software has reached the next step. However, the fact is there. I felt the lack of RAM when I started programming for the web. My tools are quite simple so far, but their abundance on a separate macOS desktop and permanent activity make themselves felt.

▶︎ Fact: it is curious that in the case of Apple, the choice of a custom configuration for the same MacBook Air (we are talking about a model on the M2) is not fully justified today. The increase in volume and storage leads to a cost that is already comparable to the MacBook Pro 14″. He wins over his younger brother in almost everything.

Strong biometric authentication is essential

There is a feeling that on a laptop today there are no less important confidential data than on a smartphone – at least on my MacBook there is absolutely everything, except, perhaps, banking applications. My account is certainly protected with a more or less strong password – the laptop is always with me, so there is a high risk that it will fall into the wrong hands. For quick unlocking, my 2020 MacBook Air on the M1 has a Touch ID fingerprint scanner. Not so long ago I tried an older model of an Apple laptop without it and made sure that the thing is very important today. A modern portable computer must have a convenient mechanism for biometric authentication – otherwise the temptation to disable the password and leave your data unprotected is too great.

Autonomous work should ± be enough for a working day

I have nothing against Windows laptops, but in the coming years I will hardly choose any of them for my intensive professional activities. It’s all the fault of Apple’s transition to chipsets of its own production based on the ARM architecture. They made all current MacBooks optimal in terms of performance and autonomy – at least for my tasks. By and large, all current Apple laptops can work without big problems and at least all day long. This does not mean that you do not need to take a charger with you to the office. No, but you don’t have to connect your laptop to it as often, which takes the usability of a laptop to a whole new level. Even if you are constantly sitting in the office, using a laptop without a “tether” is great.

▶︎ Fact: I noticed that lithium batteries deteriorate systematically, even if they are not used (after 2 years and ≈200 charge cycles, the battery condition of my laptop dropped below 85%). Therefore, I used to try to connect my MacBooks to the network as often as possible, but recently I simply let go of the situation: I almost always work without a wire.

It makes no sense to overpay for extra technologies

A touch strip instead of a row of function keys (hello, Touch Bar), a touch screen to control the taps system, a transformer design, an additional display in the keyboard unit – all this is absolutely superfluous. Firstly, all this is most often absolutely inconvenient to use. Secondly, in the vast majority of cases, you also need to pay extra for it. Then what’s the point?! Today, he himself is absolutely sure that a laptop should remain a laptop, and not try to pretend to be something else. It would be nice if there was a place in it for everything that is listed above, but the extra is not needed.