MacBook or ThinkPad X61

[babyj]

My last two laptops were ThinkPads and I'd of bought another one if I hadn't switched to a MacBook. I'm not sure what they're like now its Lenovo making them but both of mine had excellent build quality and survived a lot of rough usage - neither fell apart unlike the other laptops I'd owned before.

I'm not sure I'd worry too much about the size and weight. I find the MacBook fine in both regards and I still double check my bag sometimes to make sure I've got it with me as it feels so light. Plus you can get decent bags designed perfectly to fit the MacBook which is a major bonus for me.

I'd do some more research on the quality of them now, maybe checking some reviews - the last time I read some they suggested the quality was the same. Might be worth having a look at their T series as well, they are thin, light and more powerful but obviously a bit bigger and heavier due to the bigger screen and dvd drive. You used to be able to swap the dvd drive for an extra battery, not sure if this is still the case.

Otherwise it probably comes down to whether you will be happy with Windows as your main / only operating system. I have Windows installed on my MacBook for a couple of apps I need, but there is no way I'd want to go back to it full time.

 

[jdmlight]

Otherwise it probably comes down to whether you will be happy with Windows as your main / only operating system.

1. XP isn't too bad. So long as you have a decent anti-virus/anti-spyware/anti-adware/anti-bad stuff program and use FireFox, it's not the end of the world. (This is also coming from someone who has grown up owning Macs and using PCs)

2. I am still planning to have my iMac in my apartment. It's not like I'm leaving OS X forever - I'll have my lovely 24" iMac to come home to. (look at my signature and figure that a new laptop would simply replace the iBook) From what I hear, I'll pretty much be using Windows exclusively for engineering work. Since the laptop that I'm going to buy is exclusively for schoolwork, it'll nearly always be booted into Windows. Therefore, I'm really wondering which laptop is the better piece of hardware.

 

[jdmlight]

excellent build quality and survived a lot of rough usage - neither fell apart unlike the other laptops I'd owned before.

Which is why my alternative to a MacBook is a ThinkPad.

I'm not sure I'd worry too much about the size and weight.

Well, for a test today, I swapped laptops with my friend today while walking home eek. He has a 3-pound 10" LifeBook. I did this as a weight comparison, not as a size comparison - I know I like the 12" laptop size, as it's what I have now. Those two pounds really made a difference, which is more surprising than I had expected. My walk home is about a half a mile, which wouldn't be an unreasonable distance to walk between two classes on the U of M campus (or at least I'd be standing for maybe 20 minutes on various buses - the time it takes for me to walk home).

This tells me two things:
1. I ABSOLUTELY wouldn't want something heavier than 5 pounds (like many PC laptops - especially cheap ones)
2. Weight does matter to me

 

[c:\windows]

This tells me two things:
1. I ABSOLUTELY wouldn't want something heavier than 5 pounds (like many PC laptops - especially cheap ones)
2. Weight does matter to me

You might consider enrolling in a first order predicate logic class.

Edit: I wrote that before I had my morning coffee. Looks like I am the one that needs extra classes in reading . I kept reading "Weight does NOT mater to me."

 

[n1ght]

IMO, the Thinkpad has better build quality by a significant margin and the white plastic/polycarbonate on the MacBook is a terrible design choice. (Very glad Apple is moving to anodized aluminum.)

The X series has the X61, X61s, and X300.
I would say the X61s is the best choice out of those, since it has a fast low-voltage processor (same as the Air). The X61 will weigh more and get less battery life, and the X300 is simply too expensive.

 

[jdmlight]

So yesterday I went to Micro Center to look at the Thinkpads and the MacBooks in person. Here are my impressions:

MacBook:
• I still like Apple's consumer-level notebook design. (it's basically the same as my iBook) It's clean, simple, aesthetically-pleasing, and durable.
• I guess it's the brightness/contrast on my iMac's screen that helps the most with color, not the glossy screen. The glossy-screen MacBook looked pretty similar to the matte-screen ThinkPad. (except for the 16:10 vs. 4:3 aspect ratio, of course)
• The latchless design is cool - one less thing to break!

Thinkpad X61:
• Wow. Three-and-a-half pounds (X61 + 8-cell extended battery) is practically nothing.
• Very solidly built. The screen had little flex - less than the MacBook. I wouldn't be afraid to grab this PC laptop by the screen (like I occasionally do with my iBook) (edit: don't do this - my hinge broke recently (although after about 7 years of use, so it could just be that it's old)).
• The keyboard is nice - no flex, no mushy keys, I can type full-speed (~60WPM) without thinking about it. (The keyboard on the MacBook was nice too)
• The eraser-head mouse is the ultimate lazy-man's mouse. You practically don't have to move your hand at all!

I also looked at the T61 that was sitting next to the X61. The T61 + 9-cell battery is about the same weight as the MacBook, but with a bigger screen (available in 14.1-inch standard or widescreen). It's got a rated battery life (with X3100, not with dedicated graphics - dedicated graphics suck more power) that's equivalent to the X61. It has an internal optical drive (which can be swapped for another hard drive or another battery - 11 hours battery life FTW!), so I wouldn't have to worry about installing stuff. It's also cheaper...

Thoughts on any of the above?

 

[jdmlight]

Alright, so I'm ending this topic as I solved my problem in a different way - Apple has a fantastic deal on last-model refurbished MacBook Pros. $1449 for a 15" 2.2GHz is an amazing deal.

So this solves my dilemma of whether I want the expandability of the PC or the Mac-ness of a Mac...I can now have both!

 

[Nyaos]

Alright, so I'm ending this topic as I solved my problem in a different way - Apple has a fantastic deal on last-model refurbished MacBook Pros. $1449 for a 15" 2.2GHz is an amazing deal.

So this solves my dilemma of whether I want the expandability of the PC or the Mac-ness of a Mac...I can now have both!

You wanted a light laptop, and you picked up the MacBook Pro?

Well they are excellent machines, post some pics when you get it. I've always wondered how new the refurbished ones looked. Have fun!

 

[jdmlight]

You wanted a light laptop, and you picked up the MacBook Pro?

Well, it weighs the same as my 12" iBook . So technically it wouldn't be any different than what I have as far as weight (and I find the iBook's weight acceptable).

And hey, I like games - so the prospect of a MBP that I could afford was very appealing.

There is also the one thing that I don't particularly like about the ThinkPad - it's rather ugly. I like the clean, refined lines of Apple's products.

Or you could blame it on the fact that I'm still a hardcore Mac user at heart.

 

[dalvin200]

i have my personal blackbook and i love it.. mainly for osx and just the macbook design.

i have a x61 from work (15") and it's light but quite bulky, plus it only runs xp

if i had a choice, i'd get the macbook hands down.. i miss the 2 finger scrolling etc.. you really have to use an external mouse with the x61 as the trackpad is so small its useless..

i also prefer the macbooks keyboard too

 

[dollystereo]

Nice choice, the MBP is almost the same as an macbook, just a little bigger and just 400grams more.

 

[jdmlight]

Nice choice, the MBP is almost the same as an macbook, just a little bigger and just 400grams more.

Don't forget the dedicated graphics, ExpressCard slot, Firewire 800, non-glossy screen, higher resolution screen, and the full-size DVI port (aka no funny adapters like I have to use with my iBook). But other than that, it's the same computer.

The main reason I opted for the MBP is because I wanted the expandability (and non-glossy screen) that the ThinkPad offered with the Mac-ness of an Apple product.

Oh, and as far as the weight, 5.5lbs is considered lightweight in the PC market. Many PC laptops weigh 6lbs or more.

 

[ki2594]

Here's a twist to the stale MB vs MBP posts.

I am going to be off to college next Fall and will be buying a laptop to replace my (mostly working) iBook G3 500MHz. When I started browsing laptops, I assumed that I would be getting a MB or a MBP. Noting the price of the MBP, my choice was narrowed down to a MB. I usually prefer a little more choice than, well, none...

So I began asking around on forums and on campus during tours and such. It seems that for Electrical Engineering (my major), I will be using Windows most of the time because nearly all of the programs run in Windows. This opens up a whole new array of options for laptop choices.

I know there are other options for laptops besides the ThinkPads, but they are usually too big, too heavy, have too little battery life, or all of the above. Plus ThinkPads are built like tanks - in a good way. (of course, if you have used or know someone who uses another laptop, then please post - I'm completely new to the whole PC-buying thing)

I was drawn to the X61 because of its form factor. It has a 12" screen (which is one of the things I like about my iBook), weighs 3.5lbs (with extended battery installed), and has 8 hours quoted battery life (with the extended battery). I have read many, many reviews of both the MacBook and the X61 and it seems that both are well-built, reliable, fantastic laptops.

Things I like about the MacBook:
• Option to run OS X
• It's a Mac
• MagSafe is kinda cool (although I heard that it is susceptible to breakage - comments?)
• Larger base hard drive
Things I don't like about the MacBook:
• Glossy screen
• Lack of expansion
• Battery life is a little short (4-4.5 hours real usage time vs. 6-7 hours real usage time on the X61 - from various reviews and users on this forum)

Things I like about the ThinkPad X61:
• Weight (3.5lbs vs the MacBook's 5lbs)
• Size (smaller than MB)
• XP option from factory (aka take it out of the box, charge it, install antivirus, and you're done)
• Plenty of expansion (3 USB, firewire, PCMCIA/ExpressCard combo slot, dock option)

Things I don't like about the ThinkPad X61:
• No OS X ever (well, except for some practices that will not be discussed here)
• Never bought a PC before (I've been a Mac user forever)

Prices:
MB: $999 edu discount + $140 Windows XP Pro OEM version (at TigerDirect) = $1139
X61: $1180 (XP, high-cap battery, bluetooth) + $125 MS Office Home & Student edition (at TigerDirect) = $1305

Overall, the price is close (I won't base my decision on $166), the specs are identical (1GB RAM, 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo, X3100 graphics), they are both high-quality laptops, etc.

Any input is appreciated (well except useless "MACS FTW" fanboy responses).

dude my dad has that thinkpad...its terribly slow and so now hes switched over to a macbook air cuz he travels a lot and i have a macbook. Dude you can easily run windows on a mac and besides...a mac runs windows faster than a pc

 

[jdmlight]

dude my dad has that thinkpad...its terribly slow and so now hes switched over to a macbook air cuz he travels a lot and i have a macbook. Dude you can easily run windows on a mac and besides...a mac runs windows faster than a pc

You should really read the entire thread before posting. If you had done so, you would have seen that I have purchased a MBP.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

dude my dad has that thinkpad...its terribly slow and so now hes switched over to a macbook air cuz he travels a lot and i have a macbook. Dude you can easily run windows on a mac and besides...a mac runs windows faster than a pc

i agree..you should read...but what happens if the OP was a female?

 

[kellen]

Try your school tech department or bookstore for cheap copies of windows. Here we can get them dirt cheap, better than any online price.

 

[jdmlight]

Try your school tech department or bookstore for cheap copies of windows. Here we can get them dirt cheap, better than any online price.

Great idea! Although if I have to buy retail, TigerDirect and NewEgg have XP Pro for $140 and XP Home for $90.

Edit: I just checked my school's online bookstore and they didn't have XP. I really don't want Vista. Would there be somewhere else that I could check (such as go find the IT department and ask)?

On that note, what is the difference between XP Home and XP Pro?

 

[jdmlight]

MacBook Pro came today! Pics to come by the end of the night...

Edit: Or not...Too busy enjoying the amazingness...Pics eventually tho