Moved from Apple to Infinitybook a.k.a Tuxedo a.k.a Ubuntu

calendarJul 19, 2020 · 3 min read · ubuntu tuxedo notebook

I have been using a Mac for over 7 years now, I have used about 3 Mac's where the 3rd one is still working fine. I have kids at home, they feed food to it and because of that the keys on my Mac is out of order. So it was time for me to have some privacy and get one machine for myself.

Looking around the latest iteration of the MacBook Pro 13", the configuration that I could get for the money and more importantly what I will be doing with it actually got me into thinking if I ever need a Mac at all? So I listed down my usual usage:

  1. Browsing
  2. Software Engineering (Running application servers, Kubernetes, Docker images etc.,)
  3. Occasional photo editing
  4. Skype calls

So given those needs above, I realized that a Mac is a bit pricey. So I started to search for alternatives. I could not tolerate a Windows machine, so the only option was to go for a Linux installed device. Fortunately, there are possibilities today to order one such Linux machine and run it out of the box. Yes, it is from Tuxedo computers. I purchased one of their business Laptops the TUXEDO InfinityBook S 14 v5. You can customize the hardware, I maxed out on the RAM as I know this is where my maximum needs are. It came fully pre-installed with their Ubuntu distro, they call it the "Tuxedo_OS 20.04 LTS 64 Bit" which is basically a Ubuntu Linux. Since it is LTS, it is guaranteed to receive updates for the next 5 years.

It took about 5 business days for the machine to reach me and I have it now with me. So far, I really do not miss my MacBook Pro. This machine is wonderful. What is astounding for me is the battery life. I get about 12 to 13 hours of battery life with some moderate usage (videos, browsing, terminal, docker containers etc.,). I'm pretty much satisfied with this as it just costed me 1/3 of the price for a similarly spec'd MacBook Pro.

A quick review of the machine:

  1. The chassis feels flimsy, not sure if it is truly military grade as mentioned in the website from Tuxedo

  2. The Audio quality is poor, the video is kind of Okay. For the intended purpose of this machine, I'm fine with this!

  3. It is very slender and light. I like that

  4. The fan is silent and could not be heard under load

  5. Budgie desktop is pleasing to use and set up

  6. Keys have a nice reflex, and it is really inviting typing, but the keys could have been a bit bigger