[toni-a]

Looking for a laptop with a good color display my choices are narrowed to few options and one of them is suprisingly macbook air
price gap isn't big and the offer looks good.
I am between macbook air and Lenovo yoga 7
both cover 100% sRGB and have good screen and ergonomics, but retina display is tempting 
Does MAC use ressources more effectively and thus both are equivalent perfomers or I am better with a PC for the same price since Lenovo Yoga 7 has a far faster CPU, more RAM, and more storgage.
Moving apple would be a total change of environment for me who have been using PC since the 90s and have been through  DOS, windows 3.1, windows 95. windows XP, windows 7, windows 8 and windows 10.....

[Klaus]

I don't think that there's a relevant performance difference between the two.
If you want to do imaging, then 16GB RAM is a must though.

The effective performance depends on whether the application is running natively on Apple Silicon (GPU/NeuralEngine). DxO does, for instance.

I use both Windows and MacOS - and switching between the two during the day is a pain. ;-)
If I had no constraints, I'd be on MacOS (but I won't purchase an iPhone).

FWIW, there's a rumor that the Air 15" will be release in a couple of months.

[stoppingdown]

It's a tough question, Toni. I got rid of Windows in 2005 (apart some virtual machines in case a project requires me to deal with it) and I moved to MacOSX/macOS. Excellent o.s., but I'm not happy with Apple anyway: increasing prices and decreasing quality of hardware. Basically all my latest laptops had hardware problems within one/three years:

• one had a famous issue with the discrete graphic card that caused it to hang; after a class action in USA Apple paid for the repair, but two repairs faulted after a few months, forcing me to buy another laptop before the programmed phase out (four years);
  
• another had the screen coating "peeling off" with no apparent reason up to a point that it became unusable with a strong light at the back;
  
• the current one had one of the four USB-C ports broken after less than one year (and I couldn't have it repaired in warranty because it happened a short time before the warranty period expiration AND we were in covid lockdown at the time, so I couldn't go to the repair shop).
  

In general with Apple I advice buying the warranty period extensions.

Also investigate about technical support (whose quality I suppose changes from country to country). In my case for every problem that requires investigation they can take up to two weeks to give you a feedback — which is way too long. Yes, I have a cloned laptop (the one with the faulty screen coating, which is fine for all the other things), so I wouldn't be unable to work, still it's crazy.

[Klaus]

FWIW, I had a dead screen on my old MB Pro 2017 - while still under an extended warranty.
They replaced the whole screen, the keyboard and the battery - all included in the warranty repair. Took about 3 days.
So yes, paying for the extended warranty may be a good idea for a high-priced Macbook.

[unreal7]

Hi. As any user of technology, sooner or later you will face the need to replace something important. But my MacBook, unlike yours, is not under warranty. It all started when my MacBook started showing strange symptoms. Disassembly with service at the master revealed the need to replace several parts. The decision was made: I need new parts. Can I replace them myself?

[stoppingdown]

It's complex and subjective. It depends on the parts and the model. For what I've learned in my latest model (which already is a few years old) — I only open it for cleaning dust from the vents — most parts are so small (e.g. connectors) that I even have problems in seeing them in detail. Probably the only thing I could replace is the SSD.

[borisbg]

The assembly technology used by Apple (or Foxconn) as of late is glue and a most if not all of components are soldered to the motherboard. I am not sure how many components you can replace yourself with a screw driver only. I would not mess with it.

[davidmanze]

It's worth watching some utube third party repair videos if you want to know what sort of repair techniques are required for fault finding and solving issues with modern Apple computers ..... there are some great talented repair guys out there who are geared up for it, you need to be ...... hot gun float solder and desolder techniques, thermal cameras for determining short circuits, microscopes and all sort of other gear plus of course many years of experience of diagnosing problems. 
 Common issues are short circuit micro capacitors found using thermal cameras, 
 spares are often scrounged from other scrapped laptop boards .... I was an electronics engineer for some years but this is another ball game entirely !!

  What with Apples reputation of legal battles trying to ban third party repairs and their penchant for quoting outrageous prices for replacing unnecessary components all cited by fresh faced youngsters "groomed by Apple" who prefer to sell you a new one .........
    .... are more than enough reasons to have the longest extension on the guarantee as possible.  

  Strangely my now aging HP laptop is still plodding along with just a keyboard and battery change ......

[mike]

The effective performance depends on whether the application is running natively on Apple Silicon (GPU/NeuralEngine). DxO does, for instance.

Is that still a thing? Around 2k I had a imac when I worked at Sony. I basically used a windows emulator on it all the time. Hardly any of the software I needed to use ran natively. 

It's been a long time since I used a mac, so take this with a grain of salt. 

I felt windows is more customizable and easier to navigate around. Plus it's easier to get into the nuts and bolts. Apple seemed to me to be more of a do it their way or hit the highway. But I tend to be a super user.

It seems the mac warranties aren't what they used to be. People I know who've had to use the warranty the last few years also had to fork out a sizable sum of cash to get their item fixed or replaced. They're enamored by apple products, fwiw. 

Finally, I'm cheap. I can't see spending extra on an apple anything. The quality and performance isn't outdoing their competitors (not sure it ever did). I'll add that my Dell laptop is 7 years old, heavily used, and never had an issue.

[liripoop]

With portability and a quality display as top priorities, the MacBook Air presents a compelling option despite your long history with Windows machines. geometry dash
While the Lenovo Yoga 7 matches it on paper for sRGB coverage and resolution, Apple's Retina displays have outstanding color accuracy, brightness, and vibrance that bring content truly to life. This matters for photo/video work, but also general use. Once accustomed to a Retina display, it's hard to go back.
Processing power is not the priority here, and the M1/M2 chips in the Air punch above their weight class, compensating for lower cores with excellent optimization. The efficiency pays dividends through extraordinary battery life as well - easily getting 15+ hours for web browsing and office work. Lenovo's battery life is solid but not mind-blowing.
The seamless Apple ecosystem is also a major perk if you use an iPhone. Airdrop for instant file sharing, Handoff to start an activity on one device and pick up on another, shared clipboard, tighter Messages and FaceTime integration, and more perks enhance the experience.
Storage options are limited on the Air, but external SSDs are affordable to expand. And the ultra-slim, lightweight chassis makes it an everyday carry dream. It's smaller in every dimension than the Yoga 7 while offering a bigger 13.3" screen.
There will be a learning curve switching operating systems, but macOS is designed for consumer simplicity despite the power under the hood. And you can still run Windows via Bootcamp if needed temporarily.
Considering your primary uses - portability, display quality, and ecosystem integration - the MacBook Air gives you more of what matters. The power efficiency and optimization provide a bigger experiential bang for buck compared to Windows counterparts with higher specs but poorer integration. It's a big switch, but you may find the Air delightful.