Thinkpad vs Macbook

[connorpiper]

The only thing that can compete with the MacBook pro was in 2012. The Sony VAIO Z. 

While the Sony VAIO Pro stabs the MacBook air, with the same battery life and a better display (IPS, 1080p, 98% sRGB)

 

ThinkPad gets my vote. (Both ultrabook and normal T series or something)

[SuperfastJellyfish]

thinkpads have been the most reliable laptops in the last 7-8 years. the rest of your "reasons" are not real reasons considering the thinkpad has every perk a Mac has (with the exception of OS X, but it can be turned into a hackintosh) and sometimes Lenovo's "perks" are better than the Macs also, its a laptop for engineering. all that extra retina display and mic quality stuff is useless thinkpad gets my vote.

Sounds to me like you don't have experience with both platforms, as I do. If you're just going to say, 'sorry your reasons aren't actual reasons', I'll just say the same to you. 'Every perk a Mac has'? What? I'm not even going to debate this with you, you obviously aren't qualified or willing to bend from your diehard blind anti-Apple views. And from what you've said, you obviously don't know shit about engineering. Also, the OP said he'd like to record lectures, pls read before making yourself look silly.

[TheProfosist]

Build quality, screen quality and res, trackpad, thinness, super easy OS selection (Bootcamp), speakers, warranty and support, webcam and mic quality, etc.

Thinkpads aren't very competitive on price either, especially here in Australia compared to Macbooks.

That's what I can think of in the time it takes me to type this sentence.

Edit: I should add that my father has a T430 and my step-mother has an E430, both also not very good compared to their Apple counterparts.

Quality is quite good, probably the best built of any laptops with their internal structure and all the engineering that goes into them. This is mainly the X, L, T, and W series not the lower end ones but those wouldnt price compete with a macbook any ways.

Res of the screen can be upgraded. On lower models is the standard the not real resolution of 1366x768 but depending on the model can go up to I believe 1440p. The x20 and x30 series had under par panels for thinkpads compared to the past but they are coming back with the quality.

They have a quite decent trackpad on that is accurate and the newer x40 series have a bunch of gestures. Truthfully this does matter really though since they have trackpoint's which is 10x better. I leave my trackpad off all the time as if I do actually need any more precision id rather have a mouse but most every day thing the trackpad is better at since your hands dont leave the keyboard.

Os selection on thinkpad can be handled by what ever you wish to install and your not restricted to bootcamp.

Speakers on a laptop are a moot point, at least for me, as 98% of the time they are muted. If I ever did need audio almost no laptop speakers would suffice or im in a lpace where I wouldnt want to use speakers and plug in headphones.

I dont know if you have warrantied a thinkpad ever but at least in the US they have the best support i have even encountered, probably because its enterprise support. They actually came to my house to fix my laptop. Also I did hve to ship out once and they next day air'd me a box, fixed it in a day, and next day air'd it back.

I havnt noticed much difference from other laptop when it comes to audio, mic, and webcam quality. it good enough for voicechat/video conferencing. They nor anyone else are not trying to be apple with facetime and being social and the such. I mean thinkpads are enterprise grade laptop. A macbook is a highend fashionable consumer product.

Spec to spec or what. i know their not cheap but I do get to select exactly what i want when buying it and can have 3 batteries, 3 SSDs, etc. they have sales very often just like delll and HP so you try not to buy when not on sale. They are also at least outside th US cheaper when going through a company. This isnt as much of a issues in the US likely due to the larger presence and the fact that everything from when IBM owned them was and still is in place.

I love my T420 and its the best laptop I have ever owned. Hopefully ill find a used quad core to pop in at some point. The E series is a cheaper line from them below even the $1000 macbook, which has horrible spec's for the money.

[TheProfosist]

thinkpads have been the most reliable laptops in the last 7-8 years. the rest of your "reasons" are not real reasons considering the thinkpad has every perk a Mac has (with the exception of OS X, but it can be turned into a hackintosh) and sometimes Lenovo's "perks" are better than the Macs also, its a laptop for engineering. all that extra retina display and mic quality stuff is useless thinkpad gets my vote.

Hey I like beiong able to pour a cup of coffee on it had have nothing happen to it.

I also remember the scare when they mad the monitor slightly convex so when weight was put on top it was actually strengthened.

[SuperfastJellyfish]

 

Quality is quite good, probably the best built of any laptops with their internal structure and all the engineering that goes into them. This is mainly the X, L, T, and W series not the lower end ones but those wouldnt price compete with a macbook any ways.

 

Yes, 'quite good', but not as good as a Macbook. I have owned a unibody Macbook, as well as an X220 and have experience with other Thinkpads.

Res of the screen can be upgraded. On lower models is the standard the not real resolution of 1366x768 but depending on the model can go up to I believe 1440p. The x20 and x30 series had under par panels for thinkpads compared to the past but they are coming back with the quality.

 

The T440 maxes at 900p, W540 maxes at 1080p, X240 maxes at 1080p, and the T540 maxes at 1620p. The X1 has up to a 1440p screen but has a ULV and costs more than the equivalent rMBP. So, you need to buy a 15" laptop that is very bulky to get a high res screen and a full voltage CPU. Pretty poor. Also, The screens in Macbook Pro's are more accurate IIRC. Macbook screens are also 16:10, which is objectively better than 16:9.

They have a quite decent trackpad on that is accurate and the newer x40 series have a bunch of gestures. Truthfully this does matter really though since they have trackpoint's which is 10x better. I leave my trackpad off all the time as if I do actually need any more precision id rather have a mouse but most every day thing the trackpad is better at since your hands dont leave the keyboard.

 

Again, 'decent', but not excellent, like a Macbook. I agree that the trackpoint is good, but is doesn't have gestures. Don't bring subjectivity into it.

Os selection on thinkpad can be handled by what ever you wish to install and your not restricted to bootcamp.

 

Great, but there is no official support and limited hardware and driver support.

Speakers on a laptop are a moot point, at least for me, as 98% of the time they are muted. If I ever did need audio almost no laptop speakers would suffice or im in a lpace where I wouldnt want to use speakers and plug in headphones.

 

Stop being subjective.

I dont know if you have warrantied a thinkpad ever but at least in the US they have the best support i have even encountered, probably because its enterprise support. They actually came to my house to fix my laptop. Also I did hve to ship out once and they next day air'd me a box, fixed it in a day, and next day air'd it back.

 

Yes, I had the same on my X220. It was expensive. Also, it took them 3 months to come to my house with no communication from them in between. They just called one day and said, 'we're coming over'. They also put a shite IPS panel in my X220 compared to the old one, and the trackpad that came as a necessary replacement (part of the plastic body cracked), is malfunctional and doesn't click properly.

I havnt noticed much difference from other laptop when it comes to audio, mic, and webcam quality. it good enough for voicechat/video conferencing. They nor anyone else are not trying to be apple with facetime and being social and the such. I mean thinkpads are enterprise grade laptop. A macbook is a highend fashionable consumer product.

 

That's probably because you don't have any experience with Macbooks, so you're unqualified to weigh in on a comparison. Also you just completely removed yourself from all validity with the 'fashion' comment. Good work, you're incredibly biased and ignorant.

Spec to spec or what. i know their not cheap but I do get to select exactly what i want when buying it and can have 3 batteries, 3 SSDs, etc. they have sales very often just like delll and HP so you try not to buy when not on sale. They are also at least outside th US cheaper when going through a company. This isnt as much of a issues in the US likely due to the larger presence and the fact that everything from when IBM owned them was and still is in place.

 

Not everyone lives in the US, and the battery thing is basically a remedy for poor battery performance.

I love my T420 and its the best laptop I have ever owned. Hopefully ill find a used quad core to pop in at some point. The E series is a cheaper line from them below even the $1000 macbook, which has horrible spec's for the money.

 

You should try a Retina Macbook Pro, then THAT will be the best laptop you've every owned. I regret getting my X220 after having a Macbook.

[TheProfosist]

Quality is quite good, probably the best built of any laptops with their internal structure and all the engineering that goes into them. This is mainly the X, L, T, and W series not the lower end ones but those wouldnt price compete with a macbook any ways.

 

Yes, 'quite good', but not as good as a Macbook. I have owned a unibody Macbook, as well as an X220 and have experience with other Thinkpads.

Res of the screen can be upgraded. On lower models is the standard the not real resolution of 1366x768 but depending on the model can go up to I believe 1440p. The x20 and x30 series had under par panels for thinkpads compared to the past but they are coming back with the quality.

 

The T440 maxes at 900p, and the T540 maxes at 1620p. So, you need to buy a 15" laptop that is very bulky to get a high res screen. Pretty poor. Also, The screens in Macbook Pro's are more accurate IIRC. Macbook screens are also 16:10, which is objectively better than 16:9.

They have a quite decent trackpad on that is accurate and the newer x40 series have a bunch of gestures. Truthfully this does matter really though since they have trackpoint's which is 10x better. I leave my trackpad off all the time as if I do actually need any more precision id rather have a mouse but most every day thing the trackpad is better at since your hands dont leave the keyboard.

 

Again, 'decent', but not excellent, like a Macbook. I agree that the trackpoint is good, but is doesn't have gestures. Don't bring subjectivity into it.

Os selection on thinkpad can be handled by what ever you wish to install and your not restricted to bootcamp.

 

Great, but there is no official support and limited hardware and driver support.

Speakers on a laptop are a moot point, at least for me, as 98% of the time they are muted. If I ever did need audio almost no laptop speakers would suffice or im in a lpace where I wouldnt want to use speakers and plug in headphones.

 

Stop being subjective.

I dont know if you have warrantied a thinkpad ever but at least in the US they have the best support i have even encountered, probably because its enterprise support. They actually came to my house to fix my laptop. Also I did hve to ship out once and they next day air'd me a box, fixed it in a day, and next day air'd it back.

 

Yes, I had the same on my X220. It was expensive. Also, it took them 3 months to come to my house with no communication from them in between. They just called one day and said, 'we're coming over'. They also put a shite IPS panel in my X220 compared to the old one, and the trackpad that came as a necessary replacement (part of the plastic body cracked), is malfunctional and doesn't click properly.

I havnt noticed much difference from other laptop when it comes to audio, mic, and webcam quality. it good enough for voicechat/video conferencing. They nor anyone else are not trying to be apple with facetime and being social and the such. I mean thinkpads are enterprise grade laptop. A macbook is a highend fashionable consumer product.

 

That's probably because you don't have any experience with Macbooks, so you're unqualified to weigh in on a comparison. Also you just completely removed yourself from all validity with the 'fashion' comment. Good work, you're incredibly biased and ignorant.

Spec to spec or what. i know their not cheap but I do get to select exactly what i want when buying it and can have 3 batteries, 3 SSDs, etc. they have sales very often just like delll and HP so you try not to buy when not on sale. They are also at least outside th US cheaper when going through a company. This isnt as much of a issues in the US likely due to the larger presence and the fact that everything from when IBM owned them was and still is in place.

 

Not everyone lives in the US, and the battery thing is basically a remedy for poor battery performance.

I love my T420 and its the best laptop I have ever owned. Hopefully ill find a used quad core to pop in at some point. The E series is a cheaper line from them below even the $1000 macbook, which has horrible spec's for the money.

 

You should try a Retina Macbook Pro, then THAT will be the best laptop you've every owned. I regret getting my X220 after having a Macbook.

only laptop I consider to be better built than a thinkpad is a panasonic thoughbook plain and simple. There are other windows notebooks that I think have better build quality than macbooks if you want aluminum. Its the inner structure that is actually more important and is somewhere where apple cont compete.

The T440p can have a 1080p screen. My 3 year old T420 has the 1600x900 screen which was the max at the time. You also didnt loop at the W series which is the mobile workstation which has more power than a macbook ever will. Not that a macbook needs it. i will agree that 16:10 is better. The retina screen are also a pretty significant up charge that I have a feeling most do not go for. When I help select laptop for peopel I try to get them away from 1366x768 when ever I can as that resolution is a sin upon this world.

I say decent as quite good because I view no product as perfect and see flaws in everything. i can pic apart the macbooks as well if yo uwish but most of what I will pick on goes against their marketing as design philosophy so I dont know much much it would matter. I do how ever think quality has gone done as it has on the iPhones as they have started to follow the market instead of lead it. Also I personally hate gestures and would just rather press a key or shortcut. There are many people like me as well but there are others not. If your wondering I turned of gestures on the T440p I setup for a friend because I was asked to, I would have done the same.

Huh? its just like using any other computer with windows/linux/whatever. And lenovo does provide linux drivers as it just as common for enterprise now.

It all depends on the purpose of the laptop. Money is spent where it is needed most the rest is made good enough. Smatphones, Tablets, cars, houses, everything is done this way.

Im not going to say its your fault as I did have trouble with the original tech that as supposed to come but those especially in my more rural area are sub contractors and once lenovo reported my issues I have a call from his supervisor in 20min. I dont know how much support and RMA stuff you have dealt with before but ive done way more that I wish and have found there are just way you should handle things at certain points that just gets stuff done quicker. There is also a point where enough is enough and they will fix the issue. this is just in general with companies and not lenovo. I would say their enterprise support is probably the best and smoothest ive ever had minus that one tech but even that as resolved promptly.

I do have experience with them not as much as you but that because I like windows and there are better options for me when it comes to that. I have however worked on plenty of them for people ranging from 5-6 years old to the second most recent with retina.

Also if you think some people dont consider macbooks as some sort of fashion statement then I dont know because thats just wrong. There are a very good number that buy it because its the in thing. Why do you think they launched the $1000 model?

Well im sorry to say this but I dont live where you are so I cant really comment but I can still say the macbook as a product wouldnt be my choice it doesnt offer me the options that I want if not require.

Multiple batteries is not a remedy for poor performance. When going to college I wanted a all day laptop with some power. With dual 9 cell batteries on a sandy bridge i5 (dual core hyperthreaded) I would get 12+ hours if mostly constant use.

I have 3 SSDs, two batteries, 16GB of ram, and a trackpoint to name a few things. I added all of the SSDs and upgraded the ram myself. I also plan to swap in a quadcore. None of these things can be done on a current macbook. Ram is now soldered and you might be able to swap the ssd but I think they took that out in the latest one, but i might be wrong.

Basically a macbook is a one fits all device and im basically none of the all. I also will say from a programming/engineering perspective that a thinkpad or other enterprise laptop is a better choice as that is literally what they are geared for.

[12860682321]

Do you need a quad core processor or a dedicated GPU at all?

Nope, just the things I needed to do from the op.

[12860682321]

thinkpads have been the most reliable laptops in the last 7-8 years. the rest of your "reasons" are not real reasons considering the thinkpad has every perk a Mac has (with the exception of OS X, but it can be turned into a hackintosh) and sometimes Lenovo's "perks" are better than the Macsalso, its a laptop for engineering. all that extra retina display and mic quality stuff is uselessthinkpad gets my vote.

Well I want a good mic to record lectures and stuff, however the engineering portion has to be a must.

[TheProfosist]

Nope, just the things I needed to do from the op.

I would look at the T440 specifiaclly the T440p if yo uwant battery and HDD expandability as well as possibly a GPU. If you pdont need that look at the X1 carbon, ultrabook T series, or even the L series if you want something a bit cheaper but with all the build quality.

Well I want a good mic to record lectures and stuff, however the engineering portion has to be a must.

Well lenovo usually does have a teleconferencing mode on their mic's but for recoding lectures I really dont know how good any laptop's built in mic would be. For something like that you probably want something like a shotgun mic so you only get the professor.

[Foxxer]

Think pads, hands down.

[Vedge]

I had the same question recently. I discovered that with Educational pricing MacBooks offer a better value for money (wut?). At least where I live (Denmark)