If Apple notebooks were built like Thinkpads, I would own one

[DevilsRejection]

Before I get called a heretic, I became a switcher a month ago. I am the proud owner of a 20 inch iMac and I love it.

Safari is a pain in the ass sometimes, but this thread isn't about Safari.

Back on topic: my other computer is an IBM Thinkpad X40, my friend has a T60, and honestly I can't see myself getting a MacBook Pro or a regular MacBook after using what I think is the pinnacle of notebook design.

Yes they look sexy, and this one girl who sits 2 rows in front of me in microbiology has a MBP. I've talked with her over coffee about it and she hates the heat, she doesn't get the whine but she heard abut it.

Second, don't blame Intel and hot chips. Remember my friend's T60? It has a core duo hip inside and it's cool to the touch on the bottom, only having a slightly warm left palm rest. Not even close to the temperature of the MBP.

Don't even throw out the excuse of first generation product. My thinkpad x40 is first generation, my friends t60 is first generation. my mom's dell 9300 is first generation, and we don't have these issues. the one thing that annoys me to no end is any self respecting mac geek will tell you to avoid first generation notebooks from apple, yet he doesn't see anything wrong in that statement.

you're explicitly telling people not to buy a product just because it's the first iteration, which happens to be crap. how can you say that with a straight face and still claim you have a better product?

my rant is over, will it accomplish anything? not really

will apple portables get better? god i hope so because right now they are weak sauce.

i love os x, i love my imac, i dislike apple notebooks, and i love my ultra-portable thinkpad x40

make me fall in love with your notebooks dammit

 

[pknz]

*cough* heretic *cough*

Sorry, but what on earth is that?

Doorstop wedge, or computer?

 

[dpaanlka]

I had a ThinkPad once. ThinkPads are my favorite PC laptops by far.

However, they are really old-skool looking and don't run OS X. Two huge reasons I like my PowerBooks and MacBooks. Although, i like the old-skool klunkyness of the ThinkPads, but in a different way.

Macintosh style is best described as "elegant" - ThinkPads are best described as "utilitarian"

 

[rhsgolfer33]

I also agree that ThinkPads are some of the best Windows machines, but they are godawful ugly. I've also heard reports of their quality dropping of in recent years.

 

[benthewraith]

I also agree that ThinkPads are some of the best Windows machines, but they are godawful ugly. I've also heard reports of their quality dropping of in recent years.

Not only did they begin being produced in China, but IBM gave the laptop development (and I think their whole computer development), to Lenovo, a Chinese company. So not only are they made in China, but made by a Chinese company. And this is what we trust our government data on? Well, that and Dell.

 

[wmmk]

iv always wondered why IBM doesnt even put their chips in their own laptops! also, what is that "access IBM" button that's on all thinkpads? what does it do?

 

[wako]

Not only did they begin being produced in China, but IBM gave the laptop development (and I think their whole computer development), to Lenovo, a Chinese company. So not only are they made in China, but made by a Chinese company.

Umm....


Most if not all Mac computers are made in China...

Many computer you buy now a days, whether it is branded with the name of Dell, Compaq, HP, eMachine, etc etc, are more than likely made in China. And guess what? These computers arent made by the factory named Dell, Compaq, or whatever. It is a another Chinese company that makes the system and then brand it as whatever the brand should and may be.

And when the Thinkpad was labeled under IBM, I believe those systems were also made in China as well.

 

[wmmk]

Not only did they begin being produced in China, but IBM gave the laptop development (and I think their whole computer development), to Lenovo, a Chinese company. So not only are they made in China, but made by a Chinese company. And this is what we trust our government data on? Well, that and Dell.

Very true. The FBI's server's have been hacked many times. I believe they run debian. If I were the head of IT at the FBI, I'd go with Darwin.

 

[DevilsRejection]

Lets drop my thinkpad from 6 feet and your macbook pro, and see which one breaks more

So what if they look like they're from the 80's?

Porsche's haven't changed their look for a good 10+ years yet every year they sell more and more because they get built better, faster, and more utilitarian. Fast engine, great handling, that's what it's all about. Not who can make a crazier design ferrari or lamborghini

my thinkpad is a notebook that i am confident playing with no matter where i am, the mac books are fragile, heavy, heat, and have poor battery life.

my notebook is 2 years old and would you believe i still get 7.5 hours of battery life? when i got it 2 years ago it lasted 10

 

[rockstarjoe]

I sold my thinkpad and bought my first mac (a macbook). I don't regret it, but I agree with the OP that the thinkpad is built like a tank. I seriously think that thing could have stopped a bullet. Plus, I love the red nubbin thing on the keyboard... not a big fan of trackpads in general.

 

[colinet]

Go an buy and old Powerbook 2600 if you can find one. Only sold in the US and Japan. They were made by IBM for Apple. Mine was a lovely little machine - smaller than an 12" iBook.

 

[YS2003]

Not only did they begin being produced in China, but IBM gave the laptop development (and I think their whole computer development), to Lenovo, a Chinese company. So not only are they made in China, but made by a Chinese company. And this is what we trust our government data on? Well, that and Dell.

I heard Lenovo kept the most of the IBM Thinkpad team after they bought that division from IBM a few years ago. So, I believe the design and functioinality of the Thinkpad line would stay for the short term. Also, I doubt Lenovo will trash the Thinkpad brand by start making shoddy products.

 

[wako]

Porsche's haven't changed their look for a good 10+ years yet every year they sell more and more because they get built better, faster, and more utilitarian.

ROFL... Porches are utilitarian vehicles? Thats like Bill Gates and other billionaires live a normal life

 

[rhsgolfer33]

Porsches and Lambos/Ferrari's arent really even in the same category when it comes to cars. I see atleast one 911 everyday, but Ive seen very few lambos and a few more ferraris in my whole life. Ferrari and Lambo are exotic, while Porsche is much more mainstream. Porshce has gone through quite a few changes as well, Carrera GT, Cayenne, Boxster. The body style may have remained simillar on the 911s but theyve change internally somewhat. Id hardly call a Porsche utilitarian, they have as many, prolly more options than a Ferrari, or any other car on the market for that matter. If you want utilitarian, at least inside, look at a Lotus.

Id put Apple's laptops in the Lambo/Ferrari category, sure you might pay more, but it looks more exotic and is more exotic than the ThinkPad, or Porsche(I cant believe Im comparing a ThinkPad to a Porsche, my favorite car company). If anything the MBP is the most utilitarian of all laptops, straight silver. So I guess what Im saying is that although a Mac is exotic, its design is also utilitarian.

As for the macbooks/pros being fragile, heavy, and having poor battery life: The regular macbooks push 6 hours, not bad for running with a coreduo. It weighs 5.2 pounds, that hardly heavy. Personally Im not scared to drop mine or to play with it anywhere. Id be just as scared with any other computer, including a ThinkPad. The pro can push 4-5 hours, not bad (imo) for a computer with an X1600, a 2.0ghz core duo, and a 15" superbright screen. And who drops their computer from 6 feet? I dont carry it on my head, it's carried in a case, by my side, its never more than about 3-4feet off the ground.

 

[generik]

Actually I don't find the Thinkpad design ugly at all. Contrary I find it very nice, those machines look so serious and blends in everywhere, unlike those wannabe spaceage HPs and Compaqs with their SHINNNNY SILVER top casings.

Needless to say the AlPB look is nice too, but try using it as a door wedge and you see the door tear through the aluminium like it is not even there

The Al look does not justify its fragility. If I want a tin can (correction, a weaker than tin can) metal to form the casing of my computer I will just settle for a tin can instead.

 

[Chrispy]

Thinkpads are nice computers. I would trust one of them more than an Apple laptop at this point in time.

 

[generik]

Thinkpads are nice computers. I would trust one of them more than an Apple laptop at this point in time.

Seconded, at least they don't whine or moo. The overheating is ridiculous too.

Come on Apple! Stop being so anal about your stupid aesthetics, nobody is going to complain if your laptops vibrate a bit from time to time when a fan activates to vent all the heat inside, however most people I know do like their balls, and they won't be too happy when those gets toast

 

[benthewraith]

Seconded, at least they don't whine or moo. The overheating is ridiculous too.

Come on Apple! Stop being so anal about your stupid aesthetics, nobody is going to complain if your laptops vibrate a bit from time to time when a fan activates to vent all the heat inside, however most people I know do like their balls, and they won't be too happy when those gets toast

Actually, all current computers with the Duo Core do whine. Where'd you hear they didn't?

 

[generik]

not everyones macbook or macbook pro have the whine, get hot, or moo.

That assertion is patently different from "everyones macbook or macbook pro does not have the whine, nor get hot, nor moo."

When you happen to get a lemon (and that is VERY likely, because forumers here have been known to go through THREE replacements to face the same issues) would you want to waste the time talking to some indian across the ocean?

I wouldn't.

 

[Chrispy]

All I know is that of the 3 macbooks I have actually used, all had the whine and moo. All macbook pros on display at my Apple store (5 of them total) had the whine so loudly that I could hear it in the store. Not good statistics for me right now.. After seeing my roommate's 5 day old macbook start mooing like crazy and whining louder every day, I am officially scared away from apple laptops for awhile

 

[sushi]

Thinkpads are nice computers.

Yes they are.

Ugly, but work great.

Don't like their point much.

 

[Chrispy]

Yes they are.

Ugly, but work great.

Don't like their point much.

Agreed on the trackpoint thingy... I really don't like those. Some people swear by them but I prefer the touchpad.

 

[dpaanlka]

Lets drop my thinkpad from 6 feet and your macbook pro, and see which one breaks more

So what if they look like they're from the 80's?

Well, that's just you assuming that everyone in the world wants a laptop that will hold together if you drop it from six feet.

I have never dropped a laptop ever, and wouldn't want to sacrafice the extremely thin and elegant look of my PowerBook just for that.

If my Tahoe Z71 slammed into you're Porsche, do you think the Porsche would hold up? I don't think the Tahoe would even have a dent in it.

So make up your mind. Do you want a bulky ThinkPad or an elegant Porsche. You're contradicting yourself there, and a Porsche was by far the worst car you could pick for an analogy to support your opinion. You should have picked a Hummer. The Apple is the Porsche, not the ThinkPad.

EDIT: I actually liked the TrackPoint on my ThinkPad 770E.

 

[DevilsRejection]

looks are subjective, what you think is beautiful i might think is feces.

i'm not saying the apple portables are ugly, they're just ... the build quality is what i have issues with.

a thinkpad is gorgeous to me because it isn't screaming LOOK AT MY GIANT LOGOS AND LIGHTS AND Obscene AMOUNTS OF PLASTIC

The macbook, seriously, look at that damn border around the screen, what a waste of space, i wish they made the damn thing smaller.

One more thing, don't knock a thinkpad until you've used one

 

[dpaanlka]

One more thing, don't knock a thinkpad until you've used one

I owned a TP770E for many many years (was my last and final PC actually). I can knock it all I want. It was built like a tank, and was about as attractive as a tank, and about as fast as a tank.