this post was submitted on 08 Feb 2025
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Honestly this sounds like a Chromebook to me.
Haven't looked at Chromebooks in a while, but you are right that the use case would be similar.
However I was under the impression that they are mostly competing at a lower price point. So I assume you wouldn't find nice build quality or screens.
Beyond that I am not really familiar with how chromeOS stacks up nowadays or if it would be trivial to install Linux/windows on them. Especially if they still have EOL dates after which they aren't updated with software anymore.
A quick search tells me that Google seems to work on a laptop and plans to merge (?) android and chromeOS more.
So overall again products that share some aspects of what the MacBook Air makes attractive, but doesn't offer the full package.
Does your average non technical user who wants a device like this care if it's not the highest quality screen?
The demographic that is just Apple fanboys and they weren't giving up their overpriced garbage no matter what.
I didn't specify "non technical" as I'd actually like one like it myself and would consider myself at least moderately tech-savvy. I meant average in what many people actually end up doing on their laptop, which is browsing, writing, watching videos and maybe doing some very minor productivity tasks.
That said i would say that yes, even non technical users would appreciate a high quality screen. They admittedly probably wouldn't know to look out for it at purchase or what to look out for on a spec sheet, but in my opinion they would appreciate it during use (more so than some extra unneeded performance)
Yes, apple fanboys will be fanboys, but the M-series Macbook Airs are imo are just a really great piece of hardware. Particularly the M1 when it came out and even nowadays imo is even priced decently for what it offers.
So far i don't know a good non-Apple alternative that manages to fully match the M1 Macbook Air features (sans the non-upgradable storage that Apple charges way to much for and that destroys most of the value proposition).
My DBA has had the same two monitors for a decade and most of the devs just use whatever monitor was on sale.
Technical people are not the people buying Macs. Mac has its place and it hasn't been technical folks since TPM chips and WSL.
If like to see what you think the "features" are that can't be replaced. Literally every single feature of a Mac is implemented better with Windows or Windows with WSL. "It's closer to Linux" No, Linux is closer to Linux and I can't dual boot or WSL on Apple silicone. "Muh security" TPM is 10x more practical and slightly beats out Enclave in performance. "Muh hardware" if you spend that much money on any laptop it'll perform well. If you spend that much on a Windows laptop you'd get even better hardware. You could build multiple Linux machines that each outperform the Mac for the same price. "It just works" I have had multiple hours long troubleshooting call with a Jr Engineer that proves otherwise. "Muh package manager" if you struggle with this, you're not technical. "Muh iOS dev" iOS/Android apps can be tested in a pipeline or through the myriad of tools like Device Farm. Ship it with Fastlane and call it a day. You can handle both app stores this way.
Why do you want a Mac? The only valid choices are aesthetics, brand loyalty or ignorance.
I feel like something got lost in the discussion here. I don't want a Mac, that's the whole point.
I want a device that is like the Macbook air, but without the crap Apple pulls. So with easily expandable storage, ideally expandable RAM and an easy way to run another OS than MacOS on it (i am aware that in theory Ashai Linux is an option for Aplle silicon macs).
Because i do think in this case there are more valid reasons than "aesthetics, brand loyalty or ignorance", simply because the Macbook air to me in many ways seems like a very well rounded, nice package (with the caveat of Apple doing Apple things) and the rest of the market doesn't offer an equivalent. With the Macbook Air M1 being 4 years old by now and options like Intels Lunar Lake existing, it really would be possible to make.
There's no advantage to being Mac like.
You can't pick the most expensive brands and claim they're "well rounded". It's like buying a luxury car and saying it's your reliable little daily commuter.
The point is there is no valid reason besides the three reasons I stated for someone to want to buy a Mac. Either you like the looks, the brand or you just don't know any better and you refuse to learn. Each of those options is valid, but you do have to pick one of them.
What is it about the MacBook Air that makes you feel it is well rounded? Why do you need the compute? Is it for video editing or 3D modeling? Because those run fantastic on midrange hardware now. Are you a developer? Because Mac hasn't been the developer choice in over two decades. You know what's better than being Linux like? Being Linux. WSL and the TPM chip removed anything else that might draw a rational consumer to Apple. Do a little gaming? I've got bad news about Macs. Lol. There's no real reason anymore.
I have installed Linux on a Chromebook, actually. There's a really good guide on MrChromeBox.tech
The screen on my Chromebook was fine, at least by my (admittedly somewhat low) standards.
And yes, the have EOL dates, which sucks. It's why I installed Linux on mine.
I wonder if there is a Linux distro targeted at the average user who just browses the web and needs office software. I guess Mint comes a bit close, but it also has many other apps preinstalled.