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[LowTechMagazine] - How and Why I Stopped Buying New Laptops (solar.lowtechmagazine.com)
submitted 1 year ago by unix_joe to c/sustainabletech
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A classic article from the infamous solar powered LowTechMagazine; the author describes their journey and how they ended up on a laptop from 2006.

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[-] unix_joe 3 points 1 year ago

cost per annum.

I once bought a $5k MacBook Pro. It was very nice. But I like to get $1/day at a minimum from my devices. So I did the math, and it would have been sometime in the mid 2030's before that device met my goals. I couldn't imagine the keyboard lasting that long. Nor could I imagine the T2 chip being unlocked and everything working for Linux by then. And of course, absolutely nothing was upgradable. Fortunately, Apple has a very nice return policy, and so that is what I did. The X280 that replaced it for a fraction of the cost, has been used, abused, upgraded, and is still in use by my kids for school.

[-] lackthought 3 points 1 year ago

I don't upgrade devices until my cost/month comes down to a target I've set at ~$20/month

So if I spend $960 on a used macbook then I must utilize it for at least 48 months before I am 'eligible' to upgrade again

In reality I can get even more usage with some light maintenance

my secondary machine is a 2012 Macbook Air which is the device I drag around the house and it still works great for web browsing, video watching, and light programming tasks! Of course I have needed to replace the battery multiple times, and even the hard drive once

[-] tangled_cable 3 points 1 year ago

I like to get $1/day at a minimum from my devices. I like your mindset, I tend to do this unintentionally, because I run linux and tinker with all my computers and it's more sensible to buy second-hand. But you gave me a specific goal to aim to. Hate the gated garden but Apple does make pretty things. IIRC, there is a 1920x1080 panel swap from … nitrocaster(?) --> thanks for the tip! another thing to try.

this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2023
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