Updated: Date, Year
Every week, I go about my tech reading, and I discovering a fresh piece of news about some Windows 11 nonsense. A broken patch, a new photos app that no one asked for, some new addition or restriction that makes fun of paying customers. And every week, I look at my Macbook Pro, and it stays quiet. It does not prod, it does not ask, it does not suggest. Nor does it beg, cajole, try to trick me, or anything of that sort. It does what the operating system should do - stay out of the way.
Indeed, welcome to my third report of this machine! I've had it for some time now, and I'm pleased. Yes, it's expensive, yes Apple has its own methods and ideas, but no, you don't really have to play ball. By and large, you can tweak the system however you like, and you have a great deal of freedom to get things done. And quiet, lots and lots of quiet. Well, while the title of this article is sort of a giveaway, still, let me tell how I fared since my last report, and what has changed.
Updates
A few days ago, my system received its macOS 26.6 upgrade. Not a single question was asked, not a single tweak undone. I let the update process ran, I went to have lunch, and by the time I've returned, the machine had rebooted, completed its patched, and it was waiting for me to continue my work. No "AI", no crap.
Tiny problems and some small-ish annoyances
I was really looking for some extra flesh for this article. I did finally manage to find a couple of minor faults. One, once, the file manager did not restore its tabs. I logged in, and I had an empty Finder. I had to reopen about a dozen tabs. Two, a couple of times, TextEdit lingered as an open program after reboot, even though I had quit it. Yes, proper quit. Still, it was there, showing an empty, new, unsaved document. This issue isn't constant or consistent, and it only happened on a handful of occasions.
Firefox, at some point, or perhaps it's macOS, prompted me whether I'd like to save passkeys. Nope. Now, I've already disabled the option for passwords in Firefox from the get go, so this prompt is ultra-annoying. Not only am I not interested in the technology, offering it when the settings are already toggled to OFF makes it feel desperate, and definitely not in the user's favor. Why such fixation on passkeys, hm?
Spotlight annoyed me, too. I got a "tip" on how to use it. What. Nope. I don't need tips. But then I went into the settings, and noticed an option called "Show related content". Definitely nope. I don't know if and how and when this is activated, or how it works, but I sure do know I don't need any related content from anyone. I've already toggled "improve search" to off. I can't recall if this was there from the beginning, and I somehow missed it, but this spoils the perfect clean record I've enjoyed so far with this operating system.
Performance, battery
Still amazing figures. I barely need to charge the machine, but, once, for a change, the case actually got warm-ish during a charging cycle. This happened while I was updating the system, so the combination of CPU activity, disk activity, fast charging, and a pretty high ambient temperature resulted in this Macbook showing considerable warmth under my fingers. Not scalding, not unbearable, not alarming, but a significant jump from its usual cool runnings. See what I did there?
What else?
Well, there's little else to say. The bloody thing works! The highest compliment one can give a computer.
Conclusion
This is bound to be a boring article. Technically, I'm telling you, all is good, no drama, no worries. Not the kind of reading people want. Everyone needs their rollercoaster, their anger and conflict. Alas, I cannot provide any today. I must gush and be nice. For a grumpster, it's a rather alien feeling. But yeah, the Macbook does its job impeccably, exactly as one would want or expect. It's been so long since I used a maintenance-free operating system, I forgot that this is how it should be, and none of that unpaid-sysadmin nonsense that you get elsewhere.
For those of you wondering or thinking, no I've not abandoned Linux. Quite the opposite. I'm using Linux more than ever before, but the Macbook gives me the peace of mind I need for certain scenarios where I can't 100% rely on Linux, or use specific Linux systems, due to finicky hardware. C'est la vie. If anything, I've reduced my Windows usage to a bare minimum. I only use it for occasional gaming, plus an odd Word document that nothing else can render correctly. But then, I have Word in CrossOver on the Macbook, too. Either way, these are my old pre-cloud-nonsense licenses, and I've no intention of buying any new ones ever again, so. My world of Windows will slowly fade into the background.
So yeah. Good times, good fun. And with these strangely optimistic words, I say bye, for now.
Cheers.