Totally agree, thinkpads were designed to take a beating. Macbooks are made out of glass and aluminum. Nice looking, but not designed for rough handling.
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Are MacBook Pros as durable/long lasting as Thinkpads?
- Thread starter e5volcano
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Totally agree, thinkpads were designed to take a beating. Macbooks are made out of glass and aluminum. Nice looking, but not designed for rough handling.
I think some of that has to do with the finish. With that said, very few people come on here and say 'I dropped and destroyed my MBP'. The amount of force needed to break a MBP/MBA is more than the average person could dish out. Also, not many people are going to risk $2,000 by playing 'see if it breaks'...the ThinkPads can come much cheaper and are often 'business computers' and so people seem to have no issue since it isn't their machine. If you have a SSD in a MBA/MBP, then you are golden as it seems magnetic hard drives are the first part to break on the MBP, and with the anti-shock design, even the HDD can withstand substantial amounts of nasty. I watched a MacBook Air take a nice tumble down a full flight of concrete stairs, fly off a ledge onto a ground of pure concrete, and then turn on and run fine...and it still runs fine today and that was months, maybe even a year, ago. It's beat up cosmetically, but functionally it is fine. The anodizing is tough, but given it is very, very thin, it can scratch/chip with enough abuse. No matter what computer you get, get one of the 'spongy' skin cases. This material is an anti-shock material which helps both prevent cosmetic and functional damage. I generally transport my MBP in one of these skin cases and then place it inside my bag, which is a military-spec bag with all sorts of cool features such as waterproof/shockproof/fireproof/tearproof/etc...just in case, but I am very protective with my machine.
I looked at the X-series online and what Lenovo has over Apple is the price point with many budget to mid-level priced models. Back when IBM had financial problems with their PC division, a lot due to their computers in the 1990s, the Thinkpads were hit or miss with popularity with high price killing some models.
After a few years with Lenovo, for obvious reasons, the price came down to compete on a level playing field. What is good is the quality remained from the best of IBM and may have even become better in the new Thinkpads.
But as far as looks go, there's no comparing the utilitarian Thinkpad with any Apple laptop.
The Apple products may show scratches more, but if taken care of, they always look stunning. The Thinkpad is a far different animal from what I have seen and what most current Thinkpad models on their site seem to offer. They are smart in keeping with a fully utilitarian machine that can show wear but not make it look like a bad scratch. The Apple products are so sleek that scratches definitely show more.
If another car analogy has to be made, the Thinkpad is like a black Volvo station wagon and gets you from point A to point B and is durable. The MBP is a sleek sports car like a Porsche or Lambo and possibly the sleekest one on the market year after year at least since the G4 TiBook. But to add kudos for Apple, think of the MBP as a sports car but with the longevity and durability of an indestructible Volvo.
After a few years with Lenovo, for obvious reasons, the price came down to compete on a level playing field. What is good is the quality remained from the best of IBM and may have even become better in the new Thinkpads.
But as far as looks go, there's no comparing the utilitarian Thinkpad with any Apple laptop.
The Apple products may show scratches more, but if taken care of, they always look stunning. The Thinkpad is a far different animal from what I have seen and what most current Thinkpad models on their site seem to offer. They are smart in keeping with a fully utilitarian machine that can show wear but not make it look like a bad scratch. The Apple products are so sleek that scratches definitely show more.
If another car analogy has to be made, the Thinkpad is like a black Volvo station wagon and gets you from point A to point B and is durable. The MBP is a sleek sports car like a Porsche or Lambo and possibly the sleekest one on the market year after year at least since the G4 TiBook. But to add kudos for Apple, think of the MBP as a sports car but with the longevity and durability of an indestructible Volvo.
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That's true, I used to love rubbing this in people's faces.
But...performance isn't the whole story. The MBP is missing some important keyboard functions that Windows uses and remapping isn't always practical. Also, the port selection is poor and power management is nowhere near as good so the battery life suffers and an indirect result is even more heat than it already puts out.
I'd have to say that the MBP's aren't quite as fragile as some people in this thread seem to think, though definitely less than a ThinkPad.
I personally use / abuse my technology pretty badly- my Macbook Pro 2,2 (non-unibody) is on its third battery (these are batteries rated for 300 charge cycles at 80% health- each of the first two has well over 400 on it) and it's nearly four years old. This thing's been slung into a backpack several times a day for most of that time, often squeezed in pretty tightly. It took a four-foot fall onto a dense carpet (the kind that's barely softer than concrete) when the display was open, but it's still going strong. The screen did have to get replaced, but that was due to random failure more than anything (this was months after the nasty fall).
Don't get me wrong, I DO try to take care of it, and have it in a backpack with a padded laptop sleeve, but I'm not the kind of person who makes sure to keep food away from the laptop, or who constantly babies it. It might be a nice looking computer, but it's also a tool. And while it's starting to show its age- keys are starting to wear, etc.- it's still in relatively good condition, and I think it'll keep working for a few more years (hopefully until we get Core i9 MBPs with 1080p holographic displays. )
Bottom line- if ultimate durability is your concern- yeah, go for the ThinkPad. But MBPs also aren't quite as fragile as some people seem to think either. Take basic care of it, and it'll work fine. You might get some random scratches and small dents, but if you're really looking at a ThinkPad, pristine cosmetics clearly isn't a concern anyway.
Oh, and to see what happens if you run over a non-unibody MBP with your vehicle:
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/what-happens-when-you-run-over-macbook-pro-pics-included-477582/
Darn thing still worked.
I personally use / abuse my technology pretty badly- my Macbook Pro 2,2 (non-unibody) is on its third battery (these are batteries rated for 300 charge cycles at 80% health- each of the first two has well over 400 on it) and it's nearly four years old. This thing's been slung into a backpack several times a day for most of that time, often squeezed in pretty tightly. It took a four-foot fall onto a dense carpet (the kind that's barely softer than concrete) when the display was open, but it's still going strong. The screen did have to get replaced, but that was due to random failure more than anything (this was months after the nasty fall).
Don't get me wrong, I DO try to take care of it, and have it in a backpack with a padded laptop sleeve, but I'm not the kind of person who makes sure to keep food away from the laptop, or who constantly babies it. It might be a nice looking computer, but it's also a tool. And while it's starting to show its age- keys are starting to wear, etc.- it's still in relatively good condition, and I think it'll keep working for a few more years (hopefully until we get Core i9 MBPs with 1080p holographic displays.
)Bottom line- if ultimate durability is your concern- yeah, go for the ThinkPad. But MBPs also aren't quite as fragile as some people seem to think either. Take basic care of it, and it'll work fine. You might get some random scratches and small dents, but if you're really looking at a ThinkPad, pristine cosmetics clearly isn't a concern anyway.
Oh, and to see what happens if you run over a non-unibody MBP with your vehicle:
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/what-happens-when-you-run-over-macbook-pro-pics-included-477582/
Darn thing still worked.
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True, I'm not thrilled with how hot my new MBP gets when using all it's power. Fans on, noisy and hot. But it's within range according to Apple. They just build hot running laptops. If you only use it casually like so many do it runs cool & quiet. Hey, if it fries itself, I'll deal with it then. It's just a computer.
would messenger bags decrease chance of denting/scratching notebook rather than putting it in backpack sleeve?
Thinking about this
http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/commute-2.0
Thinking about this
http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/commute-2.0
I've been using a MacbookPro 2.16 ghz 'core duo' for work since February 2006. It's rock solid and still going strong. The only thing I've had to do to it was replace the battery around a year ago.
It gets thrown around a fair bit in my rucksack while on the underground etc. I do a lot of wandering around at work and the laptop goes pretty much everywhere with me, sometimes in a sleeve, sometimes just plain naked. It doesn't sit locked away at work overnight, I pack it up and bring it home and back every day... and on trips / planes / trains etc.
A highly durable piece of kit if you ask me. It has a little ding here and there but that's because of abuse and a few little accidents as opposed to a lack of durability.
It gets thrown around a fair bit in my rucksack while on the underground etc. I do a lot of wandering around at work and the laptop goes pretty much everywhere with me, sometimes in a sleeve, sometimes just plain naked. It doesn't sit locked away at work overnight, I pack it up and bring it home and back every day... and on trips / planes / trains etc.
A highly durable piece of kit if you ask me. It has a little ding here and there but that's because of abuse and a few little accidents as opposed to a lack of durability.
To be honest I find both thinkpad and MacBook pros visually pleasing and refined. Like I said battery, toughness, power, durability matters to me
I tell all of my clients that there are only two laptops worth owning, a ThinkPad or an Apple. I have owned the T42, T60, T61, X40 and the X60 Thinkpads. They were virtually bulletproof laptops, and except for a flaky motherboard in the T42 and the slow hard drive in the X40, have run perfectly for years. I have owned the indigo Clamshell iBook, the original unibody Macbook and am currently using the 13' Macbook Air. (sorry for butting in to this thread, lol).
I absolutely love both brands, and you can't go wrong with either one. All I have to say is please don't get any other brands, no others come close.
I absolutely love both brands, and you can't go wrong with either one. All I have to say is please don't get any other brands, no others come close.
I mostly agree...I recommend Apple or business laptops, which are built to a much higher standard than consumer ones.
Do you really put the Thinkpad X in the same visual category as a Macbook Pro?
As for value, Thinkpad offers more and has entry level models starting below $600 dollars so Lenovo beats Apple hands down on price point and depth in their line. Thinkpad has both the pointer and trackpad and that's a nice touch. Thinkpads are more durable than most as many here seem to concur.
But to me, they are kind of plain looking and in no way sleek.
If you want a sleeker looking PC laptop, look no further than Alien or Sony, however high the price seems to be on those compared to other PC makers and their laptops.
I repair old laptops at my job.
Thinkpads and apple laptops from as early as 1998 come through all the time.
90% of the thinkpads are in good to near perfect condition.
The macs on the other hand are dented like crazy, paint chipped, and just all around "deformed". Metal seems like a strong material but once its dented its like that forever. Hard plastic bodies like on thinkpads last pretty much forever and don't get scratched as easily.
Thinkpads and apple laptops from as early as 1998 come through all the time.
90% of the thinkpads are in good to near perfect condition.
The macs on the other hand are dented like crazy, paint chipped, and just all around "deformed". Metal seems like a strong material but once its dented its like that forever. Hard plastic bodies like on thinkpads last pretty much forever and don't get scratched as easily.
I've never owned or used a ThinkPad but I think the Unibody Macs are very sturdy. The only slight issue is that they scratch without much effort. I have a few very light scratches on my MBP bottom case but that's it. And I'm extremely careful with it.
Yes.
Also are there any reported problems with the AC connector of MBPs? Thats probably one of the few problems where I have with Thinkpads, the charger would get loose (and make the laptop unable to charge anymore, even with new charger) when connected with the laptop if shooken or if the laptop fell on its backside.
I would think Apple using Magsafe would eliminate any problems?
Magsafe is definitely less likely to stress the cable. The regular cable with the end getting frayed inside and shorting is a built in obsolescence that is great for a Radio Shack who carries expensive replacement chargers.
As someone who has worked in IT many years I can tell you this is false. Thinkpads aren't some amazing super durable machine and you cannot spill water in them and have them work.
You can always get lucky with computers. Just because you can do it once does not mean that every single instance it will be repeatable. Or an inherent trait of the computer brand.
Perhaps it is more likely you can spill water on a thinkpad and not fry it. In fact, I'd be really surprised if you could pour water on running thinkpads and have less than 50% of them stop working (or any commercial/business laptop model).
From what seems to be advertised, the Thinkpad is spillproof but I wouldn't immerse it in water or put it in harm's way in that situation.
However, I do know a marine biologist who brought his iBook on trips as a marine biologist and has dropped it numerous times on deck and had had ocean spray hit his laptop a lot and it still worked. That being said, I would still prefer the something like the Thinkpad X to the iBook and if I had the money, which many marine biologists don't have, a Panasonic Toughbook is the only one that seems to make sense on a research vessel.
I don't care how ugly a laptop is (and the Panasonic Toughbook does not get any style points) if a water resistant, impact resistant, dust resistant, and reliable laptop is what I need. I have seen some beverage salespeople at the liquor store sport the Panasonics and also a few cops in the area. It seems to make sense with the possible scenarios this machine could get itself into.
Since we are on a Macintosh forum, I know that style, and sleek and sexy industrial design is one thing that initially brought many of us to Apple. Their beautiful computers have also translated into success with iPod, iPhone, and iPad and comparing a utilitarian Thinkpad X, in terms of looks, is quite ridiculous, next to a sexy Macbook Pro.
Now if this thread were about comparing a top of the line Sony model to a MBP, then there would be better context in terms of looks.
But as for durability the Thinkpad X water resistant feature (but not to the extent of Panasonic Toughbook) is a worthy feature but in no way would I call Thinkpad X waterproof. Even high end waterproof dive cameras put on disclaimers such as depth and having to religiously change up seals on the housing on a regular schedule.