[NFBCS] Laptop Recommendations

[Doug Lee]

In the past, my issue with using a Mac for Windows was getting the keyboard, including Bluetooth solutions
like Logitech K380, to map keys normally, including the Windows key. I edited a VMware config file to let my
K380 attach directly to a Fusion VM, but then it was not available at all to the host OS. I knew of Sharpkeys
but don't know if that's still a solution or if there is a better one. I like the long battery life though. I
have not tried Parallels, but I would probably want MacOS and Windows to run at the same time mostly. As it is
now, I handle that with a Dell Windows laptop and a Mac Mini.

On Wed, Oct 08, 2025 at 12:36:25PM -0400, NFBCS mailing list wrote:
   Elijah,


   Do we have it on good authority that the Optima is finally coming next
   year?


   I’m always intrigued by the prospect of running Windows on a Mac. I
   hear conflicting information about VmWare, but my research says
   Parallels is a smoother experience. Putting aside the subscription
   model of Parallels, what are your thoughts there?


   If Mike’s priority is battery life, do you think M4 Pro Max would be
   advisable considering the way it would devour battery? Wouldn’t M4 Pro
   be a more reasonable compromise if paired with sufficient unified
   memory? I’m interested enough to hold out for M5 since we’re already so
   close to a release date.


   I recommended the Lenovo ThinkPad series to Mike off list. It’s served
   me well, good steady product line. The Carbon One is a good model, but
   honestly, for the price difference, the T series is not bad. The Carbon
   One is just their luxury business package.


   Joe

   On Wed, Oct 8, 2025 at 12:44 AM Elijah Massey via NFBCS
   <[1]nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:

     I think it would be a good idea to consider the Framework laptops,
     because when you have hardware problems you can likely fix them by
     replacing parts. You can even upgrade the motherboard and CPU
     without buying a new laptop if you want to upgrade the hardware; the
     processor cannot be separated from the motherboard but everything
     else can be replaced and the motherboard can be swapped. You can get
     Intel or AMD processors up to the most powerful laptop models, and
     up to the maximum amount of RAM the motherboard can hold. Also, if
     you don't need a screen, when the Optima comes out next year you
     could transition to that possibly reusing a lot of parts since its
     based on the Framework, and get something more portable but just as
     powerful. When I look up what the battery life is, people get widely
     varying results, but mostly people seem to say it lasts at least 6
     or 8 hours.
     Also, I know you mentioned you need an X86 processor, but for others
     reading this I would also recommend looking at the MacBook Pro,
     which is based on Apple Silicon (which uses the ARM archetecture).
     It gets up to 24 hours of battery life, probably more than any X86
     laptop, and the M4 Max is significantly more powerful than the Intel
     Core I9-13900K, the most powerful Intel desktop processor, in both
     single-core and multi-core benchmarks according to Geekbench. You
     can run Windows and Linux in virtual machines using VmWare Fusion or
     UTM, and MacOS and Windows both have good built-in X86 emulators
     that can run most X86 applications well, and there are a few high
     performance X86 emulators for Linux as well.
     Sent from my iPhone
     > On Oct 7, 2025, at 15:41, Michael Forzano via NFBCS
     <[2]nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
     >
     > 
     > Hi All,
     >
     > I've been using HP Elitebook 840 laptops for work for years, and
     have had to replace one on average once a year due to various
     hardware failures (USB C ports, headphone jack, and keyboard were
     the most recent). I have the opportunity to purchase something
     different and wanted to ask for recommendations from fellow blind
     developers. I feel like I've heard good things generally about
     ThinkPads so was primarily looking at those though i'm open to other
     suggestions. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon seems to have good reviews
     across the board, but I'm concerned it won't be powerful enough for
     developer use cases. I use VSCode primarily and typically have up to
     2 or 3 workspaces open at once, and I tend to have a lot of browser
     tabs open at any given time. Good battery life is important to me
     (at least 4 hours with practical usage). I also took a look into the
     T14S (Intel version as an Intel processor is a requirement for me)
     and the reviews from PCMag etc. were mixed.
     >
     > Does anyone have personal experience with these, or other premium
     laptops in a similar class that they can share?
     >
     > Thanks,
     > Mike
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-- 
Doug Lee                 dgl at dlee.org                http://www.dlee.org
"Maturity is knowing that the world owes you nothing. Freedom is knowing you owe it the same. Character is how
you respond to the knowing." --Jack Kincaid