Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

docgerrard

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 21, 2011
257
0
I am trying to decide between the two.

don't do anything processor intensive, except stream videos and webcam. don't need more storage than 128

With a SSD, webcam and bluetooth, the X220 may be similar in price, but most probably cheaper.

the MBA is half a pound lighter. awesome, but not a deal breaker.

the MBA is thinner, but this scares me in terms of durability
on the other hand, the X220 is such a rugged machine. incredible build quality (not saying the MBA doesn't)

the MBA has a higher resolution screen, but its not an IPS... and I have seen many people having problems with viewing angles in the new one

aesthetically, the MBA is the most magnificent piece of technology i have ever seen
 

nebulos

macrumors 6502a
Aug 27, 2010
555
0
i have a thinkpad, and the X220 is a good machine, which you can get crazy battery life from if/when needed, but to me the only reason to go thinkpad over mac is to get a tablet. the Air is hard to beat. remember the awesome trackpad and other Lion touches!
 

docgerrard

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 21, 2011
257
0
i have a thinkpad, and the X220 is a good machine, which you can get crazy battery life from if/when needed, but to me the only reason to go thinkpad over mac is to get a tablet. the Air is hard to beat. remember the awesome trackpad and other Lion touches!

wow..

Intel Core i5-2410M Processor (2.3GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64
12.5" Premium HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 2x2 Antenna
4 GB DDR3 - 1333MHz (1 DIMM)
No Fingerprint Reader
720p HD Camera
128gb SSD
ThinkPad Battery 29++ (9 cell)
Country Pack North America with Line cord & 65W AC adapter
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (2x2 AGN)
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable

for 1000

i think im going to go with the macbook air. i definitely don't mind the 300 premium for it, considering all of its benefits

but if i have any of the problems others have been having, like fan running like crazy, im going to have to return it and go for the x220

anyways, do the new ones get hot at all?
 

s.hasan546

macrumors 6502
Feb 26, 2011
457
7
NY
wow..

Intel Core i5-2410M Processor (2.3GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64
12.5" Premium HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 2x2 Antenna
4 GB DDR3 - 1333MHz (1 DIMM)
No Fingerprint Reader
720p HD Camera
128gb SSD
ThinkPad Battery 29++ (9 cell)
Country Pack North America with Line cord & 65W AC adapter
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (2x2 AGN)
Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable

for 1000

i think im going to go with the macbook air. i definitely don't mind the 300 premium for it, considering all of its benefits

but if i have any of the problems others have been having, like fan running like crazy, im going to have to return it and go for the x220

anyways, do the new ones get hot at all?

you have to add the ssd option to make it comparable tho. I think the x220 is gonna be my next windows laptop for work. It still is expensive tho. With the options i need it's almost $1600.
 

docgerrard

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 21, 2011
257
0
you have to add the ssd option to make it comparable tho. I think the x220 is gonna be my next windows laptop for work. It still is expensive tho. With the options i need it's almost $1600.

no the 1000 is with the ssd option!

So basically, for $300, I am...

getting:

Extremely thin and lightweight computer
Excellent resolution screen
Incredible trackpad

losing:
IPS screen
Unbeatable durability

Maybe its worth it. I'm going to do it anyways. One of the biggest complaints other users have about Apple computers is nonupgradeable parts but i haven't once upgraded my laptop so this is not a big issue for me.
 

Philflow

macrumors 65816
May 7, 2008
1,276
3
If you don't mind the looks of the Lenovo it seems like the superior machine to me.

Personally I think the aluminium and design of the Air look much better. Lenovo is not a serious option for me. Even though the build quality may be great, it looks like a plastic laptop to me.
 

tbobmccoy

macrumors 6502a
Jul 24, 2007
967
216
Austin, TX
no the 1000 is with the ssd option!

So basically, for $300, I am...

getting:

Extremely thin and lightweight computer
Excellent resolution screen
Incredible trackpad

losing:
IPS screen
Unbeatable durability

Maybe its worth it. I'm going to do it anyways. One of the biggest complaints other users have about Apple computers is nonupgradeable parts but i haven't once upgraded my laptop so this is not a big issue for me.

Personally, the IPS screen is the noticeably sad loss in the MacBook Air, and I noticed it for the first day or so I had my MacBook, but after that, I was fine with the screen. The high resolution matters more to me as this MacBook Air just looks beautiful on a 1440 x 900 display for 13".

As for heat and durability, I have a time machine backup going right now and the CPU temp is at 49C. The most I've gotten it up to on normal use was 82C working on some iMovie files. It's surprisingly cool for the size of the notebook! Durability seems pretty great to me now; I don't feel uncomfortable doing anything with my MBA (including picking it up from an edge of the case, moving it around, etc). I've got a soft slip-case that I'll use for it, so I guess that might help, but I feel like the unibody aluminum build helps the Air a lot.
 

Typswif2fingers

macrumors 6502
Feb 17, 2010
373
6
Dubai, UAE
docgerrard, tbh I don't know about the other notebook, but MBA is more than sufficient for what you wrote.

Noted there are some reports of fan noise, heat etc. in relation to MBAs but, I really don't think that it will be a problem when it comes to doing what you wrote, and more.

I got an i7 13" MBA and the only time I heard the fan was when I opened all the apps and utilities yesterday, kind of "just to see what happens"...

All day today I've been doing my normal stuff, web, MS Office, grappler, VLC, and a little bit of Rome total war (which is the only game I play... it seems that I have sick perverted fantasy of being an emperor of Rome :) ).

The temperature during the game was up around 80dC and the rpms at ~4200, but during other tasks it was in the lower 40ies range at ~3000. Worth also saying I have smcFan Ctrl. and the lower setting is at 3000 rpms..

Did not feel any (concernable, uncomfy) heat, and that was at all times.

Not sure what others do with their MBAs. Obviously some tasks will generate heat and to mitigate the fan will be operating at higher rpms than normally.

Unfortunately, I cannot compare both machines, but, such is life.

As far as sturdiness is concerned, MBA looks fragile, but that is due to the design, it is a bloody thin machine... unbelievably thin and light.

I believe it to be durable, and well made. Also, I generally don't drop my notebooks :)

Not sure what else to tell you..

Good luck making a decision.

Enjoy.
 

Lord Appleseed

macrumors 6502a
Nov 7, 2010
682
37
Apple Manor
So you need help deciding between this:

Lenovo-ThinkPad-X220-Review-1.jpg


and this:

macbook-air-13-inch.jpg


???
 

oBMTo

macrumors 6502
Oct 12, 2010
271
0
The x220 is a timeless design. The MBA will loophole and old dated when the redesign happens next year.
 

nebulos

macrumors 6502a
Aug 27, 2010
555
0
... meant to come back and maybe revise my initial statements. in fact, as i was always pricing the tablet, i guess i overlooked the price difference between the non-tablet and the Air.

still, it's a tough sell. personally, i'd be much happier with the Air. it sounds like you would too.

as for looks, Thinkpads have stuck to their now 'classic look'. timeless? well, they have ignored time, yes. i think most people would agree it's not a beautiful machine, while most would agree the Air is. it's a matter of opinion. saying the Air is going to look foolish next year isn't much too different from saying the X220 looks foolish now.

personally, i think the Air is very slick physically, and again, i find the trackpad (plus gestures) to be one of the defining features of a mac, which, knowing its out there, is hard to pass up. ... and yeah, better resolution compared to the X220 is big for me also.

my vote is MBA, but if you're taking votes here, you might as well just get the MBA now. ;)
 

TJ391

macrumors newbie
Jul 22, 2011
4
0
CPU Performance: X220
Battery Life: X220
Price: X220(maybe lower a little bit)
OS: X220(for someone, win7 is already there)/Air(new Lion)
Portability: Air
Appearance: Air
Customer Service: Air(Apple)

That's what came into mind
 

revelated

macrumors 6502a
Jun 30, 2010
994
2
Oh god...

I am sorry.. I know it is all subjective...

But...

That is one ugly notebook..

Just to interject here for some conflicting opinion.

I don't personally find the Lenovo physically appealing either. However, that's not the question, nor is it the consideration of the OP.

He didn't ask anyone about the most good looking laptop because he wants to impress people at Starbucks. He has identified concerns:

- general durability and build quality. In this arena I would give the edge to the Lenovo if for no other reason than the fact that despite the aluminum, the MacBook Pro and Air have been frequently known to dent when dropped. Once the thing is dented it loses all aesthetic advantage, evident by the substantial numbers of people who have mistreated theirs listed on eBay and Craigslist. Also not everyone wants a thin machine.

- Like-for-like specs. Functionally the Lenovo is identical except for certain things such as the ability to add mobile broadband, which some might consider an advantage. It also contains a SSD at the current spec. Can't see the graphics card from this thread and I'm not going out to the site because it's effectively moot.

- Windows. Maybe they prefer Windows. Maybe they don't care about Mac OS. This needs to be considered.


My suggestion to the OP is to consider usage type and software availability. If you're a casual user, you might lean towards the Lenovo. Mind that Lion's software support appears to be lacking at this stage. It will improve obviously, but there are likely to be applications that just don't work right. Whereas Windows 7's support is already there for the variety of applications most people use. Of course you can run Windows in Bootcamp or VM, but be mindful of issues people have had with VMWare on Lion.

I was on a plane last night where I tried to access a site in Safari and it kept redirecting me to the mobile site. Google Gears doesn't even see Firefox 3.6 on Lion as a "supported browser" even though it clearly says that 3.6 is supported. Lots of other quirks. Be mindful of these, and see if some are absolute dealbreakers if you need a machine now.


Ultimately, determine what you need to be doing and pick the machine that will do them when you buy it.
 

Lord Appleseed

macrumors 6502a
Nov 7, 2010
682
37
Apple Manor
Just to interject here for some conflicting opinion.

I don't personally find the Lenovo physically appealing either. However, that's not the question, nor is it the consideration of the OP.

He didn't ask anyone about the most good looking laptop because he wants to impress people at Starbucks.

I see where you come from. But the X220 is just too ugly to ignore.
 

docgerrard

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 21, 2011
257
0
New consideration.

I am going to medical school.

I will have to watch a lot of lectures and animations. My guess is that most of these will be in flash.

Should this be a major consideration? I have heard the airs are terrible at flash.
 

nebulos

macrumors 6502a
Aug 27, 2010
555
0
... I don't personally find the Lenovo physically appealing either. However, that's not the question, nor is it the consideration of the OP.

He didn't ask anyone about the most good looking laptop because he wants to impress people at Starbucks.

read:

... aesthetically, the MBA is the most magnificent piece of technology i have ever seen

OP is the one who brought up looks.

you are the one who brought up Starbucks.


He has identified concerns:

- general durability and build quality. In this arena I would give the edge to the Lenovo if for no other reason than the fact that despite the aluminum, the MacBook Pro and Air have been frequently known to dent when dropped. Once the thing is dented it loses all aesthetic advantage, evident by the substantial numbers of people who have mistreated theirs listed on eBay and Craigslist. Also not everyone wants a thin machine.

you have not argued that the Air is more or less durable, only that it may dent when dropped. the fact they still work after such drops may in fact say something about their durability.


- Like-for-like specs. Functionally the Lenovo is identical except for certain things such as the ability to add mobile broadband, which some might consider an advantage. It also contains a SSD at the current spec. Can't see the graphics card from this thread and I'm not going out to the site because it's effectively moot.

the X220 is not identical. it uses a full voltage CPU. there is no dGPU, so the IGP is, of course, the Intel 3000 HD.

one big advantage to the X220 is battery life. you can get a 6-cell or 9-cell and opt to use buy/use a detachable 'slice' battery that brings battery life to something crazy like 20 hours.

read this review for more info.
 

revelated

macrumors 6502a
Jun 30, 2010
994
2
read:



OP is the one who brought up looks.

you are the one who brought up Starbucks.

The point is that his decision is not based on how pretty the damn thing is. He observed it; he doesn't require it. Learn the difference.



you have not argued that the Air is more or less durable, only that it may dent when dropped. the fact they still work after such drops may in fact say something about their durability.

The question wasn't "will it still work after a drop?" Because the majority of notebooks with SSDs will still "work" after a drop. Durability is, how sensitive is it to DAMAGE. Lenovos are tanks; you can drop them and have nary a scratch. The Air falls from 3 feet and falls "just right" and BAM, a corner is dented in.

In the general durability arena, the Air falls short compared to Lenovo.


the X220 is not identical. it uses a full voltage CPU. there is no dGPU, so the IGP is, of course, the Intel 3000 HD.

You do realize that to a regular customer, what you said is all gibberish, right? PEOPLE DON'T CARE. Functionally, they are identical except that one is cheaper, one is uglier, one is Windows and one is Mac. Stop trying to push your agenda with meaningless specs.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.