I've been wanting to jump to an Ubuntu-based laptop for a while now, but I can't find anything that beats (or is comparable to) a Retina Macbook Pro. I tried a Lenovo X1 Carbon and was underwhelmed.
I'm using a Sager - you should check them out! The best part is that you custom order it - the way you want it. I configured mine at reflexnotebook.ca and couldn't be more thrilled with the results, three months into it.
Out of the box all of my hardware is supported, though I'm running Mint 17 (same base). The keyboard is a pleasure to type on, though the laptop is a bit weighty. The trackpad is great under linux, something that was sorely lacking on every single other machine I've tried (System76, IBMs, Dells, everything!). Even the function keys are recognized - which was a pleasant surprise over my System76.
i did this mistake of making a custom laptop from powernotebooks.com. The laptop by itself was a treat however, it was heavy as shit + battery was poor (9 cell battery). The biggest problem i faced was that the laptop wasn't that portable. Imagine carrying ~9 lbs of laptop + a huge charger.
After this, I decided to buy rMBP and to be honest, i am sitll not sure if i am happy with my decision. the biggest issue i am facing is software compatibilities. There aren't much softwares (that I use) are available. Granted its amazing for prorgrammin, but some leisure tasks take forever to finish.
I am also a long time Lenovo ThinkPad fan who switched to Ubuntu. Eventhough I am successfully running 14.04 on my T520 right now, I too have been looking for a Mac alternative. So far, here is my potential line-up:
I was in a similar situation. As a long time thinkpad user, the first thing I did was check out Lenovos current thinkpad lineup and was also very disappointment by the hardware and screen quality.
After several weeks of comparisons I simply decided to buy an rMBP, and I couldn't be happier.
EDIT: Installing Ubuntu shouldn't be a problem on an rMBP, but you'll probably run into issues where you'll have to fiddle with font-size settings.
Uh.. What the actual #%&@ ?? no no suggestions you're not going to be happy with anything.
You need to ask yourself why you want this..
You have to realize you aren't going to ahve the same level of display. Switching to Ubuntu you are going to have to make a lot of consessions.
What is that you like about the Macbook Pro Retina? The display? the weight? the size? Go find a laptop with the specifics you like and install ubuntu on it.
If you want a MacBook pro buy a MacBook pro. The "beats or comparable to" game is a fucking waste of time, because people assign different values to different features, including brand name, weight, battery life, computational power, screen size, keyboard layout, upgradeability, warranty support. hardware certification, etc. etc.
Dell Precision mobile workstations such as the m6800 are Ubuntu Certified. [1]
Out of the box all of my hardware is supported, though I'm running Mint 17 (same base). The keyboard is a pleasure to type on, though the laptop is a bit weighty. The trackpad is great under linux, something that was sorely lacking on every single other machine I've tried (System76, IBMs, Dells, everything!). Even the function keys are recognized - which was a pleasant surprise over my System76.