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Comparing 15" Powerbook to Thinkpad X41
- Thread starter iMpathetic
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What did the school do to those poor PCs? Light them on fire? I mean, PCs aren't that bad. XP Pro is a tad awkward at times, but it's lightweight and reasonably stable. What model of Thinkpad did you first use?
Also, it's always good to make yourself comfortable with PCs. You can't spend your life in la-la-land.
Ugly is in the eye of the beholder. While I do agree that the thinkpad design is dated and utilitarian, I don't mind it at all. The keyboards are out of this world, and considering I suck at typing, that's a plus.
To take a leaf out of a video's book, "Leave the air alone!" Everyone's whining about it because it's got no optical drive, blah blah blah.... The thinkpad doesn't have an optical drive either, and I don't expect it to. If the air did have an optical drive, it'd essentially be an overpriced MacBook.
At least the X41 has a nice, 1.5lb dock with a DVD drive and tons o' ports.
EDIT: Also, a point I want to stress. i do not expect anything I bought for $350 to be an Air killer. It comes close though.
I have no idea what model they had. In a world were it is becoming more "acceptable" to use Macs in any environment, I don't think I'll ever need to be comfortable with PC's.
Concerning the design of the Thinkpad, the keyboard is not that great. I don't know how I typed before I got my MacBook. Earlier this week I had to use my dad's MacBook Pro to work on his website and Apple really needs to update its keyboard because it's horrible. The latest Apple keyboards are the best because they are firm to type on and the keys feel really solid. Then there are optical drives and ports. The world is becoming increasingly wireless everyday. I've only have use my optical drive to install iWork and import a couple of CD's because my dad bought the physical CD before I could download them. I buy most of my music of iTunes now which is great. The ports are not needed that much either. Right now I only have two things plugged in, the power and an iPod connector. I print over a wireless network and in within a month I'll have a hard drive to hook up to that so I'll have wireless backup. The MacBook Air is the computer of the future and there is no arguing that.
A side shot to see the thickness?
Ask and ye shall receive. The Thinkpad is actually about 0.2" thinner than it looks, cause it has large rubber feet. First shot is a side shot with an iBook G4, and the second is a front shot with my Powerbook.
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Thanks, OP. Thin but not delicate. That's one thing I recall about my IBM laptop. It was sturdy. You have more laptops than I do hehehe.
It is sturdy, indeed. When I put it down on a table and type, it feels like it's Krazy Glued to the surface.
My powerbook does that too, because it's an FF class behemoth.
I'll take my Asus EEE over all both of them.
The Air is faster, but this Thinkpad is a bit older, so the task we'll be doing are similar(I'd imagine)
The Air is faster, but this Thinkpad is a bit older, so the task we'll be doing are similar(I'd imagine)
The EEE is friggin' slow though....
I don't know about you guys, but here's what I'm drooling over!
The EEE is friggin' slow though....
I don't know about you guys, but here's what I'm drooling over!
ewww *sick*
lol, I don't have a taste for thinkpads, sorry
ewww *sick*
lol, I don't have a taste for thinkpads, sorry
Let's just say that my X41 looks freakishly huge next to that.
10" screen FTW!
whats so lovable about them??? They are just black, and look like they're made of cheap plastic!!!
I know theyre not good looking but the feel is great, its real sturdy and the keyboard is possibly the best I have ever used.
Also, they're made of magnesium, reinforced by titanium alloy for strength.
Thinkpads FTW!
Don't worry, I'm wondering too.
Apart from that, we had 2 extremely faulty ones at work 2 years ago.
Cheap plastic? The Thinkpad's are some of the most durable laptops on the market. Had I not gone for a MacBook, I was gonna get a ThinkPad T60. If anything has cheaper plastic its that of the BlackBook.
Even though Thinkpads are sturdy and have a bunch of neat features. I think there wicked ugly. I think if they made a halfway decent looking Thinkpad I'd tap that
Yeah, the blackbook was quite literally one of the creakiest laptops I've ever used.
This powerbook is rock solid, though.
what??? whitebooks are made of the same material!! and black has a nicer, smoother, higher-quality matte finish, though i still vote for white, black isn't made of cheap plastic.
I said BlackBook mainly because the Thinkpad is black as well. Both MacBook's plastic cant compare to the Lenovo's. Its simply a better built (and much sturdier) notebook.
Well, yeah, I guess, MacBook's are the most "faulty" computer's apple has made as in they need a lot of maintenance. but the white and black macbook are made of the same material, black has a better finish (IMO), but back on topic.
Yes, back on topic is good.
Does anyone else find that this Thinkpad is kind of the 2005 counterpart of the MacBook Air? Like, cause it only uses LV as opposed to ULV CPUs, has a great keyboard with a light, and was really thin for its time?
Thinkpads are pretty neat little computers. I definitely sympathize with you over speed issues (my dad's old '06 thinkpad is horribly slow), but they do get the job done.
And for $350, you can't really go wrong, can you? You could buy 8 of those for the price of one MBA!
And for $350, you can't really go wrong, can you? You could buy 8 of those for the price of one MBA!
Well, first of all, as I recall, your definition of "slow" is horribly skewed, seeing as you have a Mac Pro.
First of all, this thing runs XP Pro as welll as the MBA runs Leopard, if not better. I'd say, in terms of overall snappiness, this thing is as snappy as my Santa Rosa Blackbook.
Right now, I'm pulling my hair out... I want to sell my Powerbook for a refurbished X61, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to use such a little computer as my main machine. My trend is to have a fast, largeish laptop and a slower desktop, I guess I'd be okay if the laptop was slower.
Do you know what model of Thinkpad your dad has, and how much RAM it has? You need at least 1GB to run well with a Thinkpad, as all of the software they come with eats RAM for breakfast. (Notice how I don't think it's bloatware.)
Seriously? The prettiest thing to come out of IBM is the fact that Apple no longer has a relationship with them.
IBM's are hideous and if you think that thing is better looking than a MBA then you're nutsoid.
Well, I am nutsoid to a point. I think that there's something very good-looking about the thinkpad's no-frills design. To me, the MBA's proportions make it look goofy, almost like a children's toy.