Laptops Are Boring

[a.phoenicis]

I should also point out that I have (and use) both, often in conjunction. Laptop for (primarily) writing—nothing beats a real, full-size keyboard for typing—and an iPad Pro for reading and drawing. Being able to have a reference (like the DSM, for example) open and available on my ipad while working on a write-up on my MBA is really a powerful combo.

They each do different things, and each have strengths.

 

[DavidChoux]

No, I beg to differ.

Rather than raging at you, or suggesting that you duck the (inevitable) oncoming online onslaught, why not admit - or concede - or allow - that there is a perfectly legitimate market for both, namely, that which is boring and that which dares to innovate?

It doesn't have to be one or the other; one can have both, as they each appeal to different demographics, people, markets and needs.

Besides, "boring" is not the worst crime one can commit when one is a vast commerical enterprise straddling continents.

These days, Apple is no longer a niche - and aesthetically stunning - company that designs astounding computers which are a formidable fusion of form and function. Instead, Apple is a vast - immensely powerful company (bigger, and richer than most countries on the planet) - that derives most of its income from other areas (iPhones, Apps, etc etc) and can afford to have its computing arm as a charming loss leader for reasons of optics and nostalgia.

Besides, not all of us are "techbros" and not all of us are addicted to novelty, and what is new and breath-taking; I'm what could be described as "une femme d'une certain âge", and I loathed the iPad, above all, its keyboard (yes, I had a few and gave them away to my brothers).

Now, I write a lot, and, as I was socialised on (heh, yes) manual type-writers, I like the feel of solid keys beneath my questing fingers, and loathe, abominate, detest, and utterly hate glass keyboards. In fact, I have always seen the iPad as something for those who consumed content, whereas serious keyboards are necessary for those who generate content (as in the sort of content that comes complete with words, sometimes, a great many of them).

But, I do recall my awed amazement, outright astonishment (and immediate and passionate desire) when the late Mr Jobs extracted the first ever MacBook Air from an A4 envelope; now, that was something I wanted, and badly.

And I still love that design well over a decade later.

My (quite wonderful, and utterly indefatigable) 11" MBA, has, quite literally, travelled the world with me.

And yes, I was also completely bowled over by the iPod. An astonishing and utterly transformative and quite splendid device.

Your writing style sounds a lot like how Rene Ritchie (God bless him) speaks.

Especially this line: "I like the feel of solid keys beneath my questing fingers, and loathe, abominate, detest, and utterly hate glass keyboards."

Are you really Rene?

 

[BB1970]

A lot of these conversations inevitably turn into an iPad vs MacBook thread on a spec and performance level.
Theres no question a laptop can do more (though “doing” is totally subjective).
I think what I was trying to say is despite it’s limitations, I’d still rather USE the iPad more. In a purely user to usage way, the iPad is not boring to me.
I can do a simple thing like walk and type comfortably, or sit at a desk, or be typing upside down.
Things like formatting an external drive and running some particular software isn’t in the iPad's purview, for now. I understand that. And yet, I'd still want to use the iPad more, even with these inconveniences.
i should point out. I’m not some laptop hater. They’re all fine, and as many have pointed out, it’s a tool and all that. This is and has always been about the visceral reaction. The “joy” if you will. And standing in that Costco, there just didn’t seem any joy in that new MacBook Air. It was just… fine. And even with a 12.9 IPP that been out for a year, it STILL got my attention more.
Thats exciting. To me.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Your writing style sounds a lot like how Rene Ritchie (God bless him) speaks.

Especially this line: "I like the feel of solid keys beneath my questing fingers, and loathe, abominate, detest, and utterly hate glass keyboards."

Are you really Rene?

No, I'm not.

And I feel obliged to ask, to pose the question, (that is, just before I dash away, in pursuit of an answer from Mr Google), who on Earth is Rene Ritchie?

 

[DavidChoux]

No, I'm not.

And I feel obliged to ask, to pose the question, (that is, just before I dash away, in pursuit of an answer from Mr Google), who on Earth is Rene Ritchie?

Stop it. You sound exactly like him.

Our saviour is here everyone.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Your writing style sounds a lot like how Rene Ritchie (God bless him) speaks.

Especially this line: "I like the feel of solid keys beneath my questing fingers, and loathe, abominate, detest, and utterly hate glass keyboards."

Are you really Rene?

No, I'm not.

And I feel obliged to ask, to pose the question, (that is, just before I dash away, in pursuit of an answer from Mr Google), who on Earth is Rene Ritchie?

What did we do before we could seek answers to the most arcane questions online?

A Canadian blogger.

Well, I have learned something new today, and the pursuit of knowledge is often interesting, always rewarding, and almost invariably, is a worthwhile activity in itself.

In pre-internet days, once, while I was grading term papers, I remember having to ask my brother who Darth Vadar was (a student had referenced this individual in an essay, a term paper, and the context made clear that this individual was a power mad, ethics free, person, but the finer points of comprehension of this comparison eluded me. My brother's succinct reply, "He is the baddie in Star Wars" offered some clarification, but not much.)

 

[Isengardtom]

A lot of these conversations inevitably turn into an iPad vs MacBook thread on a spec and performance level.
Theres no question a laptop can do more (though “doing” is totally subjective).
I think what I was trying to say is despite it’s limitations, I’d still rather USE the iPad more. In a purely user to usage way, the iPad is not boring to me.
I can do a simple thing like walk and type comfortably, or sit at a desk, or be typing upside down.
Things like formatting an external drive and running some particular software isn’t in the iPad's purview, for now. I understand that. And yet, I'd still want to use the iPad more, even with these inconveniences.
i should point out. I’m not some laptop hater. They’re all fine, and as many have pointed out, it’s a tool and all that. This is and has always been about the visceral reaction. The “joy” if you will. And standing in that Costco, there just didn’t seem any joy in that new MacBook Air. It was just… fine. And even with a 12.9 IPP that been out for a year, it STILL got my attention more.
Thats exciting. To me.

I fully agree with you. I love my iPad. It's a lot more versatile as home computer than a laptop and it's just more fun to use. you can sit at your desk and use it in the keyboard, or you can take it out and use it in bed or on the couch without it. movies and shows look great on it, and it's also a great companion device to my M1 iMac.

The iMac has always been my preferred Mac. I just don't like laptops, never have, probably never will

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Stop it. You sound exactly like him.

Our saviour is here everyone.

Worse still, I'm afraid, is that I am reliably informed that I speak as I write.

 

[DavidChoux]

What did we do before we could seek answers to the most arcane questions online?

A Canadian blogger.

Well, I have learned something new today, and the pursuit of knowledge is often interesting, always rewarding, and almost invariably, is a worthwhile activity in itself.

In pre-internet days, once, while I was grading term papers, I remember having to ask my brother who Darth Vadar was (a student had referenced this individual in an essay, a term paper, and the context made clear that this individual was a power mad, ethics free, person, but the finer points of comprehension of this comparison eluded me. My brother's succinct reply, "He is the baddie in Star Wars" offered some clarification, but not much.)

Admittedly that wasn't very Rene like. I believe you now.

He is a Canadian blogger, but more importantly he announced the death of the benchmark about a week ago.

 

[curnalpanic]

Same design as 30+ years ago???

What, in the 70’s?

 

[turbineseaplane]

I applaud the OP for presenting a view that she/he knew would be very polarizing and met with much resistance here.

I appreciate that sort of thing
It makes for a more interesting forum to hear some very different opinions

 

[theorist9]

These days, Apple ... derives most of its income from other areas (iPhones, Apps, etc etc) and can afford to have its computing arm as a charming loss leader for reasons of optics and nostalgia.

I enjoyed reading, and agreed with, most of what you wrote in your long (and very well-written) post; but I have to take issue with this view, which dismisses the Mac division as quaint afterthought—a relic of the past. It's a view that's both all to common, and doesn't comport with the facts:

1) While the Mac division only represents about 10% of Apple's revenue, at $35B annually it remains huge. If the Mac division were a stand-alone company, it would rank at about 100 on the Fortune 500. Essentially, the annual revenues of the Mac ($35B), iPad ($32B) and wearables/home/accessories ($38B) divisions are in the same range. So if you're going to dismiss the Mac division based on its size, you'd need to dismiss all three. [The remainder are services ($68B) and iPhone ($192B).] These are 2021 figures. Source:https://statstic.com/apple-revenue-by-product-category/

2) I haven't read Apple's annual report, but I believe the Mac division is quite profitable—it's hardy a loss-leader.

3) The Mac remains central to Apple's corporate identity, and to its brand. It serves as a gateway to many of Apple's other products and services. In addition, the iPad and iPhone would not continue to exist as they are without their respective app ecosystems. And nearly all of the development work for those apps continues to be done on Macs: "Apps for the Apple ecosystem are not currently built in Swift Playgrounds or anything nearly as fun and colorful; they’re largely built and distributed in Xcode, a massive and complicated application that only runs on Macs." [https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/15/22534902/ipad-pro-apple-swift-playgrounds-4-wwdc-2021]

For this reason, while the Mac can survive without the iPad and iPhone, the iPad and iPhone can't survive without the Mac.

 

[theorist9]

To the OP:

I'd say there's three things: The OS, the external hardware, and the internal technology (CPU, GPU, etc.).

1) OS: I don't use an iPad, so I can't speak to this directly. But from what I gather (please correct me if I'm wrong), MacOS is, broadly speaking, more powerful than iOS in the sense that you can do far more sophisticated work with it, especially when it comes to content creation (as opposed to content consumption, like reading books, playing games, watching movies). [The one exception may be touch screen integration. I don't know how doing design work on an iPad compares with doing it on a Wacom connected to a Mac.] It's not that you can't do creation on an iPad. I'm sure you can. Rather it's a matter of the relative power of the two tools.

So how does this relate to boring? Well, I'd say power is exciting. And creation is more exciting than consumption.

2) External hardware. Yeah, there's nothing brilliantly different about the new Mac laptops. So you could say they're boring in that sense. But wouldn't that apply to the iPad as well?

3) Internal tech. Here you definitely do have a lot of new excitement going on. Apple has just done a wholesale switch of its Macs to an entirely new CPU/GPU technology and, a result, has chips in subnotebooks with single-core performance that nearly matches that in the fastest desktop chips. Of course, those same chips are also in the iPad and iPhone, but it's in the Mac that, with the Pro and Max versions, we see this new tech in its full flower. [And even more so in the Ultra, which fuses two Max chips together, but that's not a laptop....].

Yes the internal tech is invisible, but often what's least visible is also what's most significant.

 

[Scott Baret]

I agree that laptops are boring. Here's why...

When Apple's first PowerBooks came out in 1991, the design was what it was. It got some subtle tweaks over the years while in its 100 series incarnation, especially on the lids...enough to make them moderately interesting. Then you had the form factor changes...the 500s, the 5300/190, eventually the G3 line.

The G3 laptops were works of art. If you weren't around when they came out, look up the iBook G3 (clamshell), the Wall Street PowerBook, and the Pismo Powerbook. There was CHARACTER to the designs.

In 2001, the Titanium PowerBook came out. It was cool at the time since it was new. Every laptop since has been based on it though; they've gotten thinner but they're all the same. No cool lid design, no curved contours, not even a light-up Apple logo anymore. The colors have been pretty bland too. Midnight is no blueberry or tangerine.

Nowadays, someone may think a clamshell iBook is bulky, but it sure is ornate and interesting. If you have one, take it to your local coffee shop sometime and see what kind of reactions you get.

When I get my 2007 MacBook out, it doesn't look or feel all that different from the two year old MacBook Pro I'm typing this on. It also doesn't deviate much from the MacBook Air I sold off a few years ago (2014 model). Even the iBook G4 I owned once upon a time is too similar to these other laptops.

Bring back interesting product design. You CAN do it in a thinner design, especially now that an optical drive is no longer necessary, but quit making the same boring slabs that have been on the market for 21 years now.

The same can be said of the iMac design, which is little changed since 2004 in theory (and frankly that design sucked the soul right out of the iMac from its G3 and G4 versions). Mac minis and Studios were never really designed to have personality, but Mac Pros and their PowerMac predecessors went from exciting (blue and white, QuickSilver) to beautiful (mirrored drive doors) to ugly and stale (the various cheese graters since 2003, on and off).

Maybe we just got too used to computers that looked like they had personality. It actually pre-dated the iMac era. Read the book "AppleDesign" and you'll see how there was personality put into models like the Color Classic. Now everything is just boring, lifeless, and drab on screen to boot (I for one am beyond tired of dreary gray in my interface).

 

[madebybela]

I like laptops because when im tired I can take my computer and use it in bed

 

[BB1970]

@theorist9
#1. I think there’s a broad misconception about the iPad in that it’s mostly a Netflix machine. While I certainly use it in that way, I also have MANY music creation apps and plug ins (AUv3) combined with virtual mixers and multitrack recording… with only an interface as my outboard gear. This is an absolute pleasure to use the iPad in this regard, since it’s touch interface “feels” tactile even if theres not physical knobs or buttons.
Yes, this can be done with the laptop as well, but the track pad and keyboard are the middlemen to get to the thing. Using a mouse that represents a curser is just one more layer between me and direct creativity.
When the iPad first came out, I bought it. We've come a long way from that chonk slab. But the experience feels similar to this day. I tried explaining to friends (at the time tablets weren’t really plentiful) and all I can say is that it was like typing inside the internet. As opposed to a laptop which seemed like an observer from outside.
Manipulation between you and the direct thing is the “joy”.

#2 You could say that about the iPad, but there’s a few key differences. The iPad is meant to be held. The laptop is not. So really the only “innovation” one can actively feel is the physical keyboard. And well, while Apple may have some of the best in the business, thats all you sort of notice in a tactile way. Not so with an iPad. From the 1st to the latest the weight and design have changed pretty dramatically. And you feel it. Literally.

#3 Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge proponent of M series in laptops. To finally be free of intels stranglehold on Apple and the industry as a whole. So whatever works in this regard I’m all for in whatever chassis it ends up in. I’m still on a A10x iPad Pro and it still feels snappy and can do a lot (though with more serious tasks especially in audio, theres the occasional CPU overload and it could use more memory.). Still. Not bad for a 2017 tablet. Hence looks forward to the M2 Pro.

I feel like in the end, the iPad is sort of anything I want it to be. While a laptop is (generally) made as a tool for a task. The laptop can be made to do anything etc, no question, but once it’s doing that “thing” it sort of stays in that thing. Why else are most reviews about FCP and Premiere? That’s their thing. iPads for me are consumption, creation, and a host of other things (good portable communication tools), and really anything I wanna throw at it. And I’m doing it all standing up or walking around without being confined to a desk or lap.

These are things that are sort of hard to explain unless you own one. And hopefully dig beneath the surface that it’s only real purpose is binge watching Netflix.
I was immediently convinced after owning the very first iPad.
That opinion hasn't changed. Much.

 

[BB1970]

@Scott Baret An excellent post. My line of thinking as well. The latest MacBook Air kinda brought it all home to me. I’m coming from a perspective though of a guy that doesnt own a laptop or desktop right now. But it hit me that watching any reviews about this stuff is totally unneeded. I can go into a store, blindfolded, and can pretty much guess what it is I’m getting. The ubiquity and looong history of the laptop form has made it a predictable appliance. I don’t feel like that with an iPad.

 

[Scott Baret]

@Scott Baret An excellent post. My line of thinking as well. The latest MacBook Air kinda brought it all home to me. I’m coming from a perspective though of a guy that doesnt own a laptop or desktop right now. But it hit me that watching any reviews about this stuff is totally unneeded. I can go into a store, blindfolded, and can pretty much guess what it is I’m getting. The ubiquity and looong history of the laptop form has made it a predictable appliance. I don’t feel like that with an iPad.

There's one more issue I have with the latest MacBooks: the notch. It works on an iPhone since there is no menu bar. You would think Apple could come up with some great new design to incorporate a better camera, but they instead stuck with the TiBook-based design when something new was desperately needed.

Even General Motors had to eventually ditch the A-Body Buick Century/Olds Cutlass Ciera when new standards (safety, in their case) came about. They were little changed from 1982-1996 and just looked stale by 1996.

 

[BB1970]

There's one more issue I have with the latest MacBooks: the notch.

Ironically, it’s the notch that doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, it sort of makes the Macbook unique. My guess is that it’s going to get FaceID but they started the design language early so when it does, it’s a seamless transition.

 

[planteater]

The idea of this thread is odd.

Boring is a byproduct of the work one is doing on their device. That work may be enjoyable, uplifting, enlightening, or tedious, aggravating, repetitious, or even boring, or something else.

The type of work I do on my laptop is anything but boring, and it certainly can not be done on a limiting device like an iPad, with its lack of multitasking, lack of software tools that I need.

If anyone has a narrow range of needs for a computing device and can get by with the limitations on an iPad, have at it. But to say laptops are boring is to say you have nothing interesting enough to do on one.

My old iPad will soon be recycled since its useless for my needs.

 

[BB1970]

The idea of this thread is odd.

Boring is a byproduct of the work one is doing on their device. That work may be enjoyable, uplifting, enlightening, or tedious, aggravating, repetitious, or even boring, or something else.

The type of work I do on my laptop is anything but boring, and it certainly can not be done on a limiting device like an iPad, with its lack of multitasking, lack of software tools that I need.

If anyone has a narrow range of needs for a computing device and can get by with the limitations on an iPad, have at it. But to say laptops are boring is to say you have nothing interesting enough to do on one.

My old iPad will soon be recycled since its useless for my needs.

Fair enough. However, IF the iPad was capable enough for your needs, would you rather use that or the laptop? The ability and ease of not needing a desk or sitting upright to do those tasks. The “grab and go” of an iPad without the need of a permanently attached keyboard and trackpad.
i get where you’re coming from though.
If all things were equal, I’d prefer the iPad every time.

 

[SpotOnT]

Fair enough. I think it’s a visceral reaction to having both side by side, literally. I’m always in low key awe when I see the iPad with it’s glorious 12.9 mini LED screen as compared to the MacBook Air, and of course FaceID (something I think we can both agree that the MacBook line could use). I think I’m coming from a minimalist angle here as well. Less devices the better. while one could have both, I’m kind of the desert island mentality which is what ONE encapsulates everything (to me) including design language.

I am with you, I am a one device person (well phone and computer, so technically two I guess, but I would choose a laptop over a phone any day of the week). But my reaction is the exact opposite of yours.

I have zero interest, emotional reaction, enthusiasm for the iPads. They just look and feel like giant phones to me. Something designed for content consumption rather than content creation. Put me in front of an iPad and I feel trapped, claustrophobic, stuck looking at the world through a web browser or some commercial App that limits me to a very specific user experience. Put me in front of a laptop and I feel free. Free to move around and create in the computer, to manipulate the content and organize things in a way that is truly me. And yes, when needed, connect to content online. Give me a powerful laptop, and I don’t even feel limited to the laptop. I can expand the device with all sorts of peripherals. I can even build my own custom devices to connect and operate through the laptop.

In short, I don’t feel outdated using a Mac, I feel liberated. Limited only by my skills and imagination.

As others have said, I think a lot of it comes down to what you need/use the device for and I am really glad there separate devices for different people. Apple trying to merge the iPad with the Mac to create some kind of all-in-one device sounds like it would be just a terrible experience for everyone.

 

[planteater]

Fair enough. However, IF the iPad was capable enough for your needs, would you rather use that or the laptop? The ability and ease of not needing a desk or sitting upright to do those tasks. The “grab and go” of an iPad without the need of a permanently attached keyboard and trackpad.
i get where you’re coming from though.
If all things were equal, I’d prefer the iPad every time.

No, I would not because I disagree with your statement. A laptop to me is more portable. Open lid and a full computing environment is there. No need to prop it upright or plug it into a keyboard. Finished, just close the lid and it’s even more portable than an iPad. No need to gather and pack accessories. I have no need or desire to use anything other than the excellent track pad. I like it on desktop systems as well.

 

[theorist9]

One additional bit of perspective: There's something to be said for a design, like the laptop's, that is essentially unchanged after many years. The fact that it has stood the test of time tells you it's a powerfully efficient design that is beautifully suited for its intended purpose. Like, for instance, the bicycle.

 

[planteater]

One additional bit of perspective: There's something to be said for a design, like the laptop's, that is essentially unchanged after many years. The fact that it has stood the test of time tells you it's a powerfully efficient design that is beautifully suited for its intended purpose. Like, for instance, the bicycle.

Agree. See my comment above yours. A laptop is more convenient and more portable.