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Comment by patrickfatrick | Hacker News Reader

This is all highly subjective yet you state it as fact. There’s nothing wrong with prioritizing portability in a laptop. I for one prioritize usability over almost anything else and Apple’s ethos fits pretty squarely with that, between the portability, the OS, and the trackpads. Sometimes form _is_ function.

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There is no additional function afforded by making the laptop thinner through the implementation of a defective keyboard and reduced battery volume.

Nice strawman, but portability has long since been achieved.

You say you prioritize usability but then defend an idiotic and regressive design that impedes usability so disgracefully that even Apple has had to admit failure.

The trackpads are another failure, being way too big and thus suffering from spurious contacts from the heels of your hands. Why didn't Apple at least make the giant trackpads useful by having the Pencil work on them?

Lighter is better for me, as I carry my laptop all the time. The laptop I had before my Mac was really heavy, bulky, caused back pain and limited what else I could carry. Lighter the better please.

I like how the modern solution for weak back/core musculature is to buy an expensive laptop that excessively sacrifices repairability and upgradability.

Please don’t troll on HN. There are plenty of other places to trash.

I'm not trolling. I just think it's insane he needs a 4 oz lighter laptop because his back hurts which is most likely due to weak core/back muscles. It's such a clear sign of the times that people are more willing to pay 1000+ for a quick fix which numerous other downsides rather than addressing the real issue. Not sure how that's trolling. Are you trolling?

In Alaska, I drove everywhere and my computing setup was just right (a 12.9" iPad Pro, smart cover, and Magic keyboard). Here in Europe, I walk a lot more, and my giant iPad is heavy for me. Also, a small, light bag is a blessing: buses in the morning are packed.

I'd bet that things like having or not having a car dictate a lot of our everyday carry choices - it has for me. Now I'm wondering if an iPad Mini is too small...

That’s a good point. I walk all the time, travel by train a lot, don’t own a car, and thus weight (and volume, btw) are really important. Probably if you’re not carrying a lot of stuff in a single bag and walking everywhere with it, you care less.

The issue though is that Apple are prioritising thinness, not lightness.

Of course, one is sometimes a proxy for the other, but it's not a given.

I also travel a lot, and want a thin, lightweight laptop - but it must be functional, reliable and have excellent battery life; I don't care a jot if the next generation is 1mm thinner than the last if it means sacrificing keyboard usability and reliability, battery life and cooling.

We past the point where thinness was an issue a long time ago. Now it's just a pissing contest.

Thinness really matters to me. My last laptop was much thicker than a MacBook and it limited what I could fit in my bag. I’m comparing with a standard dell or whatever, not a MacBook-like Lenovo etc.

There's a big difference between a workstation like an HP zBook and a MacBook Pro, but that's not what I mean. I'm talking about the trend of sacrificing utility to shave practically microns off an already very thin machine. Shaving another 1mm off the thinness of the MacBook Pro isn't going to matter a jot to anyone.

In what way was that a strawman? Honestly.

I’m not defending the design, I’m defending Apple’s prioritization of portability in their laptop lineup. The fact Apple is retreating on the keyboard design is evidence enough that that particular design choice was a failure. Doesn’t mean their priorities are wrong though even if you _personally_ disagree with it.

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