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My Impressions of the MacBook Pro M4

(michael.stapelberg.ch)
240 points secure | 10 comments | 31 Oct 25 10:13 UTC | HN request time: 0.82s | source | bottom
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dr_pardee ◴[31 Oct 25 19:33 UTC] No.45775823[source]▶
> I still don’t like macOS and would prefer to run Linux on this laptop. But Asahi Linux still needs some work before it’s usable for me (I need external display output, and M4 support). This doesn’t bother me too much, though, as I don’t use this computer for serious work.

“I don’t use this computer for serious work.” Dropped $3K on MBP to play around with. Definitely should have gotten MBA

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criddell ◴[31 Oct 25 19:38 UTC] No.45775861[source]▶
If you are going to start making a list of expensive hobbies, $3K for a computer isn't going to be anywhere near the top of the list.
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IshKebab ◴[31 Oct 25 19:51 UTC] No.45776000[source]▶
I think it actually would be quite near the top, in terms of ranking. Most hobbies are a lot cheaper.

Of course, not near the top in terms of money because there are a few hobbies that cost vastly more.

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1. brulard ◴[31 Oct 25 20:28 UTC] No.45776354[source]▶
What do you mean "in terms of ranking" vs "in terms of money"?
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2. IshKebab ◴[31 Oct 25 21:29 UTC] No.45776916[source]▶
I mean if you ranked all the hobbies in terms of cost, casually spending $3k on a laptop would be near the top of the list. But there are a small number of hobbies that are vastly more expensive.

The distribution is highly skewed. Like wealth. The 99th percentile are near the top in rank (by definition) but nowhere near the top in absolute terms.

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3. mingus88 ◴[01 Nov 25 02:16 UTC] No.45778736[source]▶
There’s some nuance to it.

Judging by the authors preference for Linux, I’m guessing this hobby has some professional applications as well.

$3k is the price of a very nice guitar, but I am not about to casually shell out that money every few years.

However, I earn my wage using a computer, so it’s a lot easier to justify staying relatively current on specs.

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4. snowwrestler ◴[01 Nov 25 02:29 UTC] No.45778788[source]▶
Median vs mean, essentially, is how I read it.
5. leidenfrost ◴[01 Nov 25 04:32 UTC] No.45779263{3}[source]▶
I interpreted it as: if you include all hobbies and games made by humans in history, I'm pretty sure most of them involve a set of cards made of paper, some others involving wooden figurines (chess, checkers) or even drawing on dirt with a stick.

A computer is many, many orders of magnitude more complex and expensive than that.

This isn't said with the intention to demonize expensive hobbies if no one is harmed because of it.

But I do sometimes wonder if my hobbies are too dependent of a power plug. Even reading, which I do with a e-reader.

6. brulard ◴[01 Nov 25 09:12 UTC] No.45780287[source]▶
I can not think of many hobbies which are less expensive if you are serious about them. Some hobbies around me, where $3000 wouldn't get you far: Motorcycles, cars, cycling, collecting anything, woodworking, machining, music making, traveling, horses,...
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7. IshKebab ◴[01 Nov 25 15:04 UTC] No.45782186{3}[source]▶
I can think of dozens. Running, dance, knitting, painting, woodworking (you can go very far for much less than $3k), archery, chess, board games, drawing, painting, brewing, darts, cycling, etc. etc.

Obviously you can spend pretty much any amount of money on those if you want (if you are "serious" about it) but you don't have to and most people don't. Also he said this $3k expenditure wasn't for serious work.

8. yayitswei ◴[01 Nov 25 15:12 UTC] No.45782277{3}[source]▶
Some of those, like horses, are 1% hobbies. But many of the others can be done very affordably. Buying used equipment, learning from YouTube and online resources, starting small and scaling gradually make most of those hobbies accessible at a fraction of the cost.
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9. prmoustache ◴[01 Nov 25 19:32 UTC] No.45784583{3}[source]▶
The cycling industry does a hard work making sure people think they need expensive bicycles but you can perfectly enjoycycling as a hobby without spending a fortune on it.

And in contradiction to computers, a bicycle from 40 years ago still does the same job as it did at the time, there is no software making it incompatible and it doesn't feel slower than the more modern stuff. All you need is a set of brake pads, cables, tires, chain and cassette every once in a while. All these consumables are fairly cheap if you aren't chasing the newest/highest end tech and stick to 2x9 / 2x10 speed transmissions.

10. snoman ◴[02 Nov 25 00:13 UTC] No.45786741{4}[source]▶
You could say the same about computing as a hobby. Maybe that’s your point, hard for me to tell. I always compare it as a hobby to golf or hockey- both of which are common where I come from and pretty pricey hobbies.