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Are MacBook Pros as durable/long lasting as Thinkpads?
- Thread starter e5volcano
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My MBP is (one of) the best Win Xp/7 64-bit workstation i've ever used. The MBP, at one point, was the fastest available dual core laptop on Win XP (for certain tests). The only thing you really lose is GPU switching.
The MBP is sexy and well built. But the Thinkpad is significantly tougher and more robust. Not as sexy, but extremely good quality. The new ones can handled you spilling a full glass of water on their keyboards without any issue (built in drains).
While waiting for the new MBP, I'm still using my 6 year old Thinkpad. It only weights 2lbs (12"), has been around the world with me several times, is happily running Windows 7, and has never once broken in any way. And amazingly I still get about 45mins on my original battery.
So it depends what you need and want. The Thinkpad will take a lot more abuse, the MBP will look and feel better.
While waiting for the new MBP, I'm still using my 6 year old Thinkpad. It only weights 2lbs (12"), has been around the world with me several times, is happily running Windows 7, and has never once broken in any way. And amazingly I still get about 45mins on my original battery.
So it depends what you need and want. The Thinkpad will take a lot more abuse, the MBP will look and feel better.
milbournosphere
macrumors 6502a
I bought a thinkpad back when IBM still made them (old i Series). It survived a fall off of a table when somebody snagged the power connector. It still runs today. Not to mention the trackpoint eraser mouse is AWESOME. So much more comfortable than a trackpad.
I bought a Macbook Pro when they first came out (17"). I ran it over with my Jeep (LONG story) a few years ago. With the exception of a dent in bottom case where the hard drive is, it's still trucking along just fine.
I would gladly recommend either machine. It really comes down to which operating system you feel like running for the next few years.
I bought a Macbook Pro when they first came out (17"). I ran it over with my Jeep (LONG story) a few years ago. With the exception of a dent in bottom case where the hard drive is, it's still trucking along just fine.
I would gladly recommend either machine. It really comes down to which operating system you feel like running for the next few years.
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macgeek18
macrumors 68000
Not true. my Thinkpad is still as fast as it was day one 5 months later.
OP, the X series are ok machines but are not made to be a primary machine. I almost bought one but held off since there updating them this month. But now I'm getting a MBP for some other uses I need Mac OSX for. I love my Thinkpad, Windows 7 is great, not as good as OSX but a good os none the less. I use what i need to get the job done. So if you need Windows, get the Thinkpad, if you need OSX get the MBP. 🙂
Hope that helps, oh if you get the Thinkpad, look at the T410i and see what you think for power and price. 🙂
macgeek18
macrumors 68000
Go for the Thinkpad then, Look at a T410i though like i said. great machine Love mine, oh I pack mine to school 5 days a week and pull it in and out of my bag all day. And then pack it all around the house. I even packed it out of state with a ton of suitcases on top of my backpack with it in it. 🙂 Never even gave it a second thought. Lenovo warranty is also amazing. I had replacement parts in less than 24 hours for mine when it had random issues.
Macbook Pros are "precious"
This has been on my mind, too; I have a 2008 Thinkpad T400 and I've never felt the need to coddle it, y'know, not even when it was brand new out of the box. But as I explore purchasing a MBP, I find myself spending as much time thinking about Zagg skins and sleeves and screen protectors as I do about the actual machine itself. And if you look around the coffee shops, you'll see that MBP owners are basically treating their MBP's the way ancient Egyptians used to treat cats, while Thinkpad owners, like me, just put the thing on a tabletop and get to work. Come to think of it, my intuitive preference for the white Macbook probably has to do with the toughness issue. I, too, am convinced that the build of the MBP is excellent -- it's the preciousness of the aluminum and the glass components that make you feel like you're dealing with a museum-piece rather than something that's being handled for work. And maybe that's the issue: Macs look TOO beautiful. One more thing: Lenovo offers Accidental Damage Protection. I think the fact that Apple doesn't offer it -- particularly since their screens and trackpads are glass -- is a significant gap in their offerings. I believe Best Buy does offer damage protection with Macs and if I were plunking down $2 grand for laptop, I'd want that. Even though purchasing through Best Buy adds tax to the purchase and I think eliminates your option for getting an education or corporate discount. With a Best Buy purchase, plus damage warranty, plus tax, you're probably looking at $500 premium above the retail price alone for an MBP.
This has been on my mind, too; I have a 2008 Thinkpad T400 and I've never felt the need to coddle it, y'know, not even when it was brand new out of the box. But as I explore purchasing a MBP, I find myself spending as much time thinking about Zagg skins and sleeves and screen protectors as I do about the actual machine itself. And if you look around the coffee shops, you'll see that MBP owners are basically treating their MBP's the way ancient Egyptians used to treat cats, while Thinkpad owners, like me, just put the thing on a tabletop and get to work. Come to think of it, my intuitive preference for the white Macbook probably has to do with the toughness issue. I, too, am convinced that the build of the MBP is excellent -- it's the preciousness of the aluminum and the glass components that make you feel like you're dealing with a museum-piece rather than something that's being handled for work. And maybe that's the issue: Macs look TOO beautiful. One more thing: Lenovo offers Accidental Damage Protection. I think the fact that Apple doesn't offer it -- particularly since their screens and trackpads are glass -- is a significant gap in their offerings. I believe Best Buy does offer damage protection with Macs and if I were plunking down $2 grand for laptop, I'd want that. Even though purchasing through Best Buy adds tax to the purchase and I think eliminates your option for getting an education or corporate discount. With a Best Buy purchase, plus damage warranty, plus tax, you're probably looking at $500 premium above the retail price alone for an MBP.
Thanks this was the kind of reply/ info I was looking at since whatever laptop I get I will be traveling alot with it class to class and other places.. Taking out and replacing it etc. If mbp is not rugged enough for a lot of travel, then I may not get it...or get skins for it to protect it
macgeek18
macrumors 68000
oh the X201, the ones with the i5's. That's a different story. I thought you were talking about the x100e. get that then. Also, i firmly believe you can't go wrong with a Thinkpad. Or a MBP. it's just what your uses are going to be.
NOTHING lasts longer or is more durable than thinkpads. dad has a 8 year old tp that runs just as well as the day he bought it.
I've had Thinkpads provided by work for the last 10 years. They are basically bomb-proof and withstand all sorts of abuse & neglect.
There is no way I'd fling a Macbook around like I do the Thinkpad - but this probably because I'm paying 🙂
There is no way I'd fling a Macbook around like I do the Thinkpad - but this probably because I'm paying 🙂
This thread is full of people who have given their corporate Thinkpad a beating.
Can we get some testimony from people who've been given MBPs by work and maybe aren't so precious about them?
Can we get some testimony from people who've been given MBPs by work and maybe aren't so precious about them?
I'd say go with either one. I'm actually leaning closer to the thinkpad (even though I am a mac head)!
Consultant
macrumors G5
Well take it for what it's worth, I'm in college and just the other day my Brenthaven backpack fell off the edge of a sofa and onto the ground. The bottom-right corner of my two week old 15" MBP took the brunt of it; no actual dent in the corner, but the casing got bent in over the bottom plate... if that made any sense.
If it's only week two and it's already like this, I can't wait to see how this machine will look in four years time.
My old MBP (non-unibody) took many similar hits over the years, and seemed much less fragile than the new unibody design.
As for Lenovo ThinkPads, I have driven over one with a 1987 Mercedes Turbo-Diesel wagon and they are virtually indestructable. From personal experience there is no question that ThinkPads can take day-to-day abuse far more than a unibody MBP.
Thanks for all the replies and help everyone. I really gotta see how much wear and tear my current laptop (thinkpad) goes through.
Does anyone here have pics of a dent and/or scratches on a MBP, are they really noticeable? Also do the skins (not laptop bags) that you put on a MBP lessen the chance of scratch/dent?
Does anyone here have pics of a dent and/or scratches on a MBP, are they really noticeable? Also do the skins (not laptop bags) that you put on a MBP lessen the chance of scratch/dent?
From the perspective of a school environment, I can relate lots of macbook info. I have roughly 50 classmates, all of whom were required to buy macbooks. Some students take care of the computers, some treat them like textbooks. Of the people who toss their bags around and aren't careful with the machines (about half of the class), almost every one has some serious damage.
A LOT with cracked trackpads, that's definitely the most common form of damage.
Almost every machine has some dents, a few with some serious ones that deform the screen.
A couple of cracked screens(glossy), and several more with really bad hinges.
Some busted ports from leaving dongles or USB sticks plugged in.
Chunks of plastic missing or busted (the piece under the screen).
The people that baby their macs still have the occasional issue (trackpads and hinges mainly) but nothing nearly as bad as the ones that are tossed around.
Macbooks are durable if you take good care of them. But then again, I have a 5 year old Dell that's been babied and barely has a scratch, so any computer will survive if you look after it.
TSE
macrumors 601
Since Sandy Bridge has been stalled, you won't see a X201 refresh known as the X220 until Late March at the earliest. But, there are pictures on the internet floating about of the X220.
Thinkpads are extremely awesome machines. Some people "claim" they aren't as durable since going to Lenovo, but I think as long as you stick to the traditional Thinkpad line, they are even better. The X201 is one of the better Thinkpads out there, the X220 should be even better.
Thinkpads are extremely awesome machines. Some people "claim" they aren't as durable since going to Lenovo, but I think as long as you stick to the traditional Thinkpad line, they are even better. The X201 is one of the better Thinkpads out there, the X220 should be even better.
63dot
macrumors 603
I didn't know any Thinkpads were spill resistant. That's a great feature. I simply don't use liquids near a laptop however impossible that seems.
If I did use liquids around a laptop, and I absolutely didn't have to have OS X and Windows on one machine via bootcamp, then I could see getting the Thinkpad. I think both machines are good and when liquids are not an issue, the MBP seem to be more durable from what I have seen.
If I did use liquids around a laptop, and I absolutely didn't have to have OS X and Windows on one machine via bootcamp, then I could see getting the Thinkpad. I think both machines are good and when liquids are not an issue, the MBP seem to be more durable from what I have seen.
I have a 2002 Titanium Powerbook G4, that has a 1GHz chip and 1GB ram. It's running as well as on day one, an amazing testimony to how long Macs will last if taken care of. It looks like new as well. Even the hinges which were a weak spot on that model are just as good as new. But I do admit to being very careful with it.
That said, I'm really enjoying my new 15" 2010 MBP 🙂
That said, I'm really enjoying my new 15" 2010 MBP 🙂
NickZac
macrumors 68000
The spill feature they use is a really, really good design. The MBP and water is like ammonia and bleach...even a little is going to end bad. With that said, electronics + water = a bad day and so I wouldn't rely on a spill feature, but it is nice to have. Some individual users have gotten mad when they have spilled liquid all over the computer and it broke as they felt that the 'water resistance' should have been better...I have to wonder how anyone can reason that an electronic dowsed on liquid can be blamed as a bad design.
Thinkpads have a magnesium alloy chassis and use a rubberized plastic exterior. Macbook Pros are a solid block of aluminum. both will take a beating, the difference is that a Macbook Pro will show more dents and scratches. how much do you care about cosmetics?
Yes, but it seems like with the Thinkpad, they require less 'looking after' and maintenance compared to the Macbook Pros ?