Is it just me, or is the ergonomics of a laptop (out-of-the-box) basically horrible?
I can only make it work with a bluetooth keyboard at desk height, and the laptop itself sitting on a stack of books to raise the screen to a height where I can look at it without hunching over.
@gregeganSF It’s not just you. They’re awful. I think that their only trick is that they’re easily portable. Everything else is thrown out the window to enable that.
@gregeganSF I reckon they really need a dock with screen & proper keyboard mouse for any longer bouts. I've got that setup at work, and it's great to just be able to unplug one cable and take the laptop to a meeting.
@gregeganSF at the desk, sure.
But they're very convenient to use when I'm lying on the couch. Which is probably really unhealthy but also really comfortable.
@gregeganSF I feel like a 16” MBP is pretty well set up ergonomically? But everyone has different tolerances for screen size, closeness, preferred keyboard usage distance, etc.
I do a fair amount of work with mine on a table at a cafe, or actually in my lap out under a tree in the park. But it also spends a lot of time closed and hooked to the keyboard and external monitor.
There's lots of people that'll sell you a cleverly-designed stand that takes the place of the books and folds down to a laptop-sized package, if you want to take that and the keyboard out somewhere.
@gregeganSF as a long-time laptop user myself I think way to many people get a laptop "just in case". They are usable on a desk IF you treat them like a desktop PC, with a dock, monitor, keyboard and mouse and tucked away in some corner with the lid closed.
@gregeganSF Yes, they're made for portability, not comfort and ergonomics. You're resigning monitor height and input comfort for a machine you can lug on your backpack.
@gregeganSF Laptops are designed to cram as much computing power and screen space in as little space/weight as possible, everything else get damned.
That is why they sell you docks, so you can carry your laptop around and use it comfortably when you are at your desk (and use them uncomfortably anywhere else).
@j_bertolotti@gregeganSF I'm old enough to remember 'portable computers' as opposed to laptops. Their weight was measured by 'mean time between hand changes' when you carried them.
@gregeganSF it's not suitable for long term work at all. Laptop stand, keyboard, mouse/touchpad are all required after the first hour or two. External monitor even better. (Which is why Vision Pro as a display isn't a completely insane idea!)
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