Edit: Jesus Christ, people. If you buy a $150 Thinkpad made by slave labor instead of a $1,200 MacBook made by slave labor, you’re still supporting a capitalist economy based on slave labor. We all do. We have no choice. The number of smug liberals in the comments saying “well I buy a cheap used laptop” or “well I buy coffee beans and make my own coffee” are completely missing the fucking point.
Don’t tell yourself your consumption is moral. All of us make unethical choices every day because there is no ethical consumption under capitalism. Accept your shame and guilt and let it drive you to do better.
I’ve only ever seen the last panel of this, delightful.
This is really daft.
It’s possible to participate in society in such a way as to uphold our beliefs about how society ought to be.
If you want to complain about Apple’s abuse of employees, don’t buy their stuff.
If you want to abolish slavery, don’t own any slaves.
If you want to smash capitalism, buy a used thinkpad.
Sure, there are some instances where this just isn’t possible in a complete and absolute sense. For example, I despise google, have invested a lot of effort in degoogling, but there remain some google components I rely on.
However, the existence of these instances does not mean we don’t need to invest any effort in supporting the changes we want to see.
I agree, that comic is bullshit. Acknowledging that the world we live in isn’t the one we want but that we can make a garbage system less garbage is absolutely valid. There are initiatives like Right to Repair that bring us closer to our goals while also actively making the existing system suck less, so why not take the money you would have spent on Apple products and put it towards the cause instead?
Paying $7 for very shitty coffee is still a strange decision to me, but I understand
Pretending you forced to and comparing it to slavery is even stranger
Different people like different shit. Live and let live.
It’s because they aren’t using a used ThinkPad
I AM using an old thinkpad! Huzzah!
Asus > Lenovo
They’re very similar, but you get to support Taiwan with Asus. You don’t have a pointing stick, though; if that’s something you care about. The hardware is also similar, but Lenovo generally has better cases/ outershells, but Asus also outperforms them on price point and internal hardware and software.
Are there Asus laptops out there that support the same level of reparability/upgradability as ThinkPads?
Yes! Here’s one example: https://www.asus.com/us/laptops/for-students/br-series/asus-br1402c/
Like I said, they don’t offer as many external accessories, but they’re pretty close.
This is coming from someone who grew up using thinkpads. If I were to buy a used laptop for something personal, I’d go with a thinkpad. If I have to buy something new, it’s Asus.
Cool but kinda slow. Would be okay as a Linux machine I imagine, but so would a used ThinkPad.
That’s kind of neat. At that price point it seems kind of in between a ThinkPad and Framework laptop.
Not really supporting either business by buying a used laptop tho?
When people make memes about you using it, you’re supporting the company with good exposure. They should be grateful.
I’m down with that, too. Depends on your needs, though.
But Apple is one of the good embodiment of capitalism. It is a symbol of excessive consumption, surveillance for profit, and customer abuse.
That being said, is not like most popular alternative is any better. If people don’t have time to switch to or even heard about better alternatives (upgradeable open hardware running an open community-driven OS), I guess it is not their fault.
is not like most popular alternatives are any better
Not in the ways you mentioned. Apple is the most profitable of them all though (due to their horrendous prices, duh), which doesn’t fit an anti-capitalist attitude. I guess, it could be a second hand laptop but they are still supporting that ecosystem.
spoiler
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… or maybe she thought it’s an edgy sticker and fits her style?
Idk. But if you really were serious about smashing capitalism, it’s kinda irrelevant how much stuff you buy, there’s a lot of groundwork to be done, organizing and educating. For all we know, that may be what she’s doing in that photo.
If she dressed in rags, owned nothing and was homeless, I fail to see how that would accomplish anything more.
Although I prefer to support local businesses, not a fan of massive corporate chains. My city has dozens of local coffee shops that serve fair trade products. I can walk to a half dozen of them, whether or not I bring my ancient 2011 laptop. But I do love my principles being questioned by smug internet randos so 🖕
Eh, never fear your principles being questioned even by “smug internet randos”. Lest you become the smug internet rando yourself.
Introspection is a never ending task.
Also a product isn’t a bad product, just because it is produced under capitalism. A computers ability to compute does not depend on its mode of production.
“It’s okay to resist capitalism on an iPhone. The feudal lord who owned the pitchforks the peasants killed him with probably observed the irony too.” -Ben Stiller
Like fighting against the fur trade in a Canada Goose jacket.
i understand what you’re saying, but technically a computers computing ability is entirely dependent on how it’s produced. Especially in the case of apple, where with intel they really like not giving you any cooling at all, i guess they thought it was funny or something? Or with the new M series macs where they dont give you any ram, because god forbid people use normal amounts of ram.
Damn you capitalism for forcing me to buy a mac!
I’m no Apple fan but I’m scratching my head at this comment. Would any other brand of laptop be “less capitalist” somehow ? Just because they are less overpriced than macs ?
Apple is by far the most monopolistic tech company you can choose from.
But… While capitalism naturally leads to monopolies, capitalism can’t function under monopolies, so I guess supporting the most monopolistic company is going against capitalism…
Framework perhaps
Also, having seen new macs, if I wasn’t into gaming the m chip macs seem better for the price than anything else on the market. 🤷♂️
Performance wise? No not any more. Price wise? Again no. Screen quality wise? Only on the Pro. Battery life wise? Yes, with very few exceptions. There are also the software compatibility issues that made me sell mine.
Really? I thought I saw multiple benchmarks with the m-chips blowing all the other Intel and AMD chips out of the water.
I think you have been looking at Apple Benchmarks. M-series isn’t the fastest in multi-core now or when it was released, though it might have been fastest when the first Max chip came out, hard to tell. They had a small lead in single core at one point though I think. It might be faster than the latest AMD by a small lead depending which benchmarks you look at.
https://nanoreview.net/en/cpu-compare/intel-core-i9-13900k-vs-apple-m3-max
https://nanoreview.net/en/cpu-compare/apple-m3-max-vs-amd-ryzen-9-7945hx
https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/compare_cpu-apple_m1-vs-amd_ryzen_7_4800h
Ah okay! Thank you for providing sources. It still seems like a competitive chip, but I see I was wrong about it being outright better.
I think the first two comparisons are a little unfair (unless I’m mistaken) since those are both desktop spec chips and apple doesn’t realllyyy do desktops anymore.
The second one is a laptop chip, you maybe need to brush up on CPU naming. I actually meant to have a laptop chip for the first as well but I made an error. M3 Max is used in both desktop and laptops. Stop thinking of M series in terms of desktop or laptop, it’s meant to be a multi purpose chip. Even with Intel and AMD you see chips and dies getting reused between desktops and laptops.
Anyway here is one with an Intel laptop chip: https://nanoreview.net/en/cpu-compare/intel-core-i9-14900hx-vs-apple-m3-max
Although if we are comparing desktop only chips then AMD have Threadripper Pro and Apple has M3 Ultra. I am pretty sure I know who comes out on top (hint: it’s the one with up to 96 cores)
Apple definitely does desktops as M Ultra is only available in desktops and is too hot for Apple Laptops. Although to be fair I could see one of the gaming laptop companies maybe finding a way to make it work.
When I went through college I had to get a MacBook as part of my kit
Literally couldn’t use a different device if I wanted to because of forced app usage (when there were cross platform alternatives that would work just fine)
I’ve also worked somewhere that forced a MacBook onto me as a work device but also allowed us to sticker it up if we wanted cuz they weren’t gonna take it back until it was basically useless anyway
Many places one can get a mac, a couple of them are actually forced on you
Could’ve been a gift
Im not judging her because of any hypocrisy. Im judging her because she’s a mac user.
We are the same.
maybe its got linux ?
Then they would be a femboy with striped socks, and drinking a home made coffee in their basement
most effective with arch
And still wouldn’t be using a MacBook as the hardware unless it was an older one they fished out of a dumpster.
low key, this comment has done more to make me want to try linux than like 95% of the comments here advocating in favor of it. GJ.
If you ever decide to open that door, install Ventoy on a USB stick and then copy a few different Linux distributions’ ISOs onto said stick. You can try them all out easily and without risk that way, it’s pretty cool.
I’ll probably take this advice but I was probably also just gonna go with linux mint
So I just need the socks, then?
Lemmy moment. And I’m all for it.
Yes you truly need Starbucks and labtops to live
Generally most people need a computer these days, yes.
As for the Starbucks not my thing, but people also need sources of enjoyment and sometimes that can be from a sweet drink.
Life isn’t about only food and water.
I have bought plenty of things that I don’t really need, but I don’t act like capitalism made me do it and I would die without them.
No one does.
Criticism of capitalism is far beyond purchasing simple goods.
Did you read the same thing I did? Its saying you either participate in capitalism or die. The “participating” its referring to is a macbook and Starbucks.
You don’t need a Mac though, in fact in most circumstances using a Mac actively makes performing computer necessary tasks harder than just using the local library computers.
Mac is the bougie flex of choosing to be less productive for the sake of brand clout.
You can use a Mac, and that’s fine too.
Not everyone is a Linux power user, get over yourself and your elitist computer ideology.
I use a Thinkpad with Windows because it’s cheaper and works better
If I want to use Linux I set up a VM for it to use for dev and IT busnasty
Or use what you have.
A Mac works just as well as windows, there is no “better”, only one’s preference.
Seriously get over yourself, instead of attacking such a minor thing as the brand of computer being used, focus your outrage on the system that treats the world like shit.
See you might have had a point there if Macs weren’t literally proven to be a shittier alternative.
Security classes don’t even teach about Maca because the only security advice worth giving to Mac users is “switch to Windows or Linux, it’s cheaper than anything that could be done to make this thing even remotely secure.”
This reads like something out of the comment section for a “I’m a Mac/I’m a PC” ad 15 years ago. Things have changed since then.
As someone who has worked a help desk for nearly a decade now, and hates Mac’s and Apple with a general burning passion:
Suggesting that modern windows 11 is any more usable than MacOS for a general “browse thw web and check email” user, is ridiculous.
Furthermore, some educational programs, jobs, courses, software, may in fact mean that a person has a requirement for a Mac, even if they can’t afford the Mac. >!Though I imagine your response to this will simply be “just dont do the things that need a Mac if you want to complain about capitalism 4head”!<
You use a mac because of clout and a bougie flex.
I use a mac because I get it free as a hand-me-down from work every tech refresh.
We are not the same.
I use a Thinkpad actually.
Why don’t you carve into clay tablets with reeds? You don’t need a bougie Thinkpad.
Imagine being so offended on behalf of a shitty overpriced brand of computers used as bougie status symbols that you compare a different brand to clay tablets and reeds.
Completely blinded by hubris
What are you talking about? Macs are wildly popular dev machines.
I’ve been in a dev environment and have literally seen nothing of the sort
Also, wildly popular doesn’t mean wildly effective, even if that was true
When I did dev for middleware it was all on Mac’s
I am a dev, and use a MacBook.
… to SSH into my GNU/Linux build machine
Everywhere I’ve worked for the last 8 years has used Macs for developers. One place I was at started with Windows and people jumped at the opportunity to switch to a Mac when they got the option.
Macs have been standard for my software development career for more than a decade, yes.
They have a lot of Unix stuff but are pretty standardized and widely supported.
Everyone uses docker, which isn’t super great on Mac.
If everyone is going to be paid fairly for their labor, plenty of electronics are going to dramatically rise in price, as they rely in materials that are often obtained through people working in miserable conditions, sometimes reaching extremes such as child slavery.
I for one am willing to pay more if that means we fight against the abuse generated by this system.
On the other hand producing a smaller variety of modular devices means you need less people overall supporting the same level of industry. Making designs open source and parts available means devices can be made to last longer than they previously did, requiring less manufacturing in the long-term. While I’m not sure where the equilibrium between this and other factors comes down, it ultimately leads to better working conditions and better devices so I’ll take it.
Needs more words
Bait post
And additionally progress of society has always to be driven by immanent critique, wich is critique from inside the given historical social order.
Who would criticise human society if not its humans? How would any will to change it ever emerge?
“artificially inflated in value”? I’d like to see someone’s proposal for how they plan on making a high end laptop and a fancy drink made by someone else, which also comes with wifi and a nice place to sit any cheaper.
I wouldn’t buy them but they’re not artificially inflated.
Edit: wait where is the Starbucks? I don’t see it in the pic
“fancy drink”
Bitch it’s a latte, it’s bean water and milk
these starbucks mfs are always putting weird stuff in their drinks. I bet it’s almond milk and cream on top or something
Bean water and nut water
“what are you drinking?”
“Mostly water”
Bean Water and Moo Juice
Artificially inflated as in the way that the price of a taco at Taco Bell has doubled since 1990 when accounting for inflation. If things were more expensive to pay workers better, people wouldn’t care. But the federal minimum wage is currently set at 2 McDonald’s hashbrowns an hour and prices have increased faster than inflation in most sectors in the chase of infinite growth.
