But is it what we want?
1. S3 standby/sleep support required
2. low weight for luggability, 2.5lb maximum
3. survives table-to-floor falls
4. always-on-AC battery deaths unacceptible
5. survives being in a bag, accidental activation
6. Linux support for all hardware
7. trackpads on par with Apple, at least
8. keyboards with clear actuation, spill resistance and backlighting
9. kill switches or modular hardware for camera and mic
10. bright matte screens, with vertical space
11. memory and I/O performance approaching Apple's M1 SoC
12. HDMI, USB-A, 3.5mm, 10gbE, SD, USB-C periferals are what people own, support that
13. trackpoints are great for text-editing
14. quiet operation, no blinken-lights
15. prefer no webcam over shitty webcam, no BT/WiFi over shitty BT/WiFi
16. USB-C charging, Thunderbolt 4 both sides, GPU that can be turned on and off
This list is compiled from an Ask HN two days back https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28861949
And here are some laptops mentioned as OK in that thread:
0. MacBook Air M1 (newcomer), Framework (if you can get one)
1. Old school ThinkPads (some of them, like X220), X1 gen9 Carbon ThinkPads
2. MacBook Pros 2013-2015
3. Dell XPSs aimed at developers (some of those), HP Elitebook 840, Asus Zephyrus G14
4. MacBooks before touchstrip, Purism/Librem 14
5. Chrome-books (some of those), Lenovo Yoga 7 PRO, ASUS Zenbook Flip
As for myself, I see Apple moving in a direction I don't care for. Both the hardware and the software.
I'm not buying a laptop this year, again.
Please share your thoughts, and favourite laptops.