Back to PC (Thinkpad) from a MBP

The two big reasons I moved back had nothing to do with the MBP. I decided it would be better to stay consistent with what I have at work. I do some German language work, and thought I could do some of it better on a MBP than on a PC. That turned out not to be true.

That said, a few comments. What did I like about the MBP?

I only had it for a week, but I thought the OS was more elegant than windows, but not the holy grail. There are things windows does better.

Lighted keyboard.

Attractive looks.

The best customer service I have come across.



What did I not like?

Terrible Palm interface, though this problem likely can be fixed by paying $40 for Isynch. I never found out for sure.

Gets very hot due to passive cooling system. If you don't use your notebook in your lap, this is not an issue. If you are like me and you do, it is a big probelm. Traveling, I would have had to carry a towel with me.

No accident insurance. You get can a renters/homeowners policy rider, but a claim could affect rates on other insurance you have.

No dedicated docking station, though a not paricularly interesting after-market unit is available from Bookendz.


The Thinkpad is a better notebook, per se (I am talking about the physical unit). It weights about the same, but has more features, is more desktop like, and has a better keyboard (though I thought the MBP was perfectly acceptable in this regard).

Just my 2 bits. Special thanks to Zadillo for all of his helpful advice.

 

Do you think you could write some more about your thoughts on OSX?

I'm going to be buying either a MBP or a T61P in about a month.

 

I am in the exact same situation as Kelch. I've been obsessing over it the past few weeks. It comes down to this:

1. I have to run linux, and neither the new MBP or T61 (which is roughly equivalent to the T61p) has any reported completely successful install of ubuntu or fedora yet.

2. The MBP looks awesome, and has a LED backlit screen (battery life!). You also get to use Keynote (presentation software).

3. The MBP runs about 25 degrees C hotter under load (which is insane), and it's well known to be too hot to use on your lap at an airport or on an airplane (without some thick jeans...).

4. The MBP is probably more expensive than a similar T61p.

Sucky decision, eh? If only the MBP didn't run so hot. Also, Thinkpads typically work end up very well under linux; whether or not this will be true for the T61/T61p is yet to be seen.

 

There's a place for both in my opinion. And I have both and use both. I know not everyone can do that and if I could only have one or the other it would be a tough decision. The thinkpad is great - no complaints about it. The MBP is very cool also but it does run a bit hot. OS X is a lot of fun and has an elegant feel, and for me, at many hours on the computer each day, I enjoy that. So I use both.

 

Hmm... I am in the same boat as you guys, trying to decide what laptop to buy (Thinkpad T61P, HP 8510p, or MBP). Did T61p start to ship already? I was under impression it was delayed. Also, graphics card in MBP seems to be much better then NV140 in T61p.

 

The T61 has the NV140. The T61p (which is yet to be on sale, or ship, but should soon...) supposedly has the quadro equivalent of a geforce 8M series card, in fact likely the 8600M GT equivalent (just like the new MBP). Nobody knows for sure until one is delivered for review.

 

I am in the same boat as you guys too. I just bought the mbp 2.2 couple of days ago but going to return it tonight or tomorrow. The reason being is that I got the one with the yellowish lcd defective one. I am either going to wait for the 2nd batch of mbp to come out or go ahead and buy the T61 14.1 wide. For the T61, I saw that the screen resoultion is the same as the one on mbp 15.4 even though it's only 14.1. What's your opinion on this guys? is the 1440-900 resolution good on the wide 14.1 on T61? Also what are all these configurations. Will the one with the nvidiea good graphics card eat more battery? I need good battery life. I used to use a thinkpad T41 but now the battery life is about 5 minutes haha.

Also, what is the P on T61? What extra does it have?

 

Wow, funny you guys are all in the same boat.

 

Are you sure the boat won't sink? Lots of people on it

Anyways sorry to hear troubles with your MBP vaio_boi. Thinkpads are awesome laptops, very well built and excellent keyboard quality. But it seems kinda funny that a lot of you guys are considering either the MBP or the Thinkpad...they seem so different...

 

I think you're asking these questions in the wrong forum, dude...

Yeah I think it's funny too... but I guess if you're looking for a mid-sized notebook that's a cut above the typical consumer notebooks... there aren't all that many options.

EDIT: Also, if you prefer a matte screen, there aren't all that many options anymore.

 

I use both (ish) - it's actually a T42P and a MBP. I'm not sure that I would prefer one over the other...except for the obvious...Windows is better on TP and Mac OS X on Mac.

I happen to love the trackpoint on the Thinkpad.
Mac looks nicer so you can get flirted with at Borders (decorate your TP to get the same effect).

My Thinkpad is terribly mistreated...it has been left on in a bag repeatedly, I've dropped it twice, the screen bezel is cracked, the lid locks are snapped but it chugs along with barely an issue (my RAM did warp and my CD drive bent due to heat and scratches CD's now).

My Mac is mine and is pampered.

You won't go wrong either way. Personally I would go with the Lenovo unless you don't want to wait and just want function and Windows XP. I personally think the Mac has much more to offer in terms of straightforward education interest and I would recommend to a Comp Sci/IT specialist. Running XP on the side means you really can't lose.

The only reason Lenovo is really $$ and because I have a newish MBP . You can find deals now that get a maxed out spec at under 2K.

Basically - the TP is your Volvo...the Mac is your Audi Sport...both cost a pretty penny and both are more than what you need....and each has its own special benefit

 

Oh yea I left this out if it helps any but I will be using this laptop when I go to uni (business) next year. So I guess in terms of business school usage, I would be better with a TP.

I live in Vancouver, BC. Does anyone know an IBM store around here? or do I have to order online.

 

Whoa really, vaio_boi? You're in Vancouver too? Wow, I didn't know that.

Hmmm...I don't know any store that sells Thinkpads here in Vancouver, actually. I guess check out Lenovo's Canada website for local resellers?

 

I have been traveling, and so have not been able to comment further on my original post. One more advantage of the MBP I forgot to mention is blazing boot-up speed, 30 seconds or so, whereas my T 60 is around 2 minutes.

In some ways, the difference between the two OS's reminds me of the difference between Wordperfect and Word. Wordperfect is more user friendly, you need less info in your head. Word will likely do all of the things Wordprefect will, but takes more skill. I finally switched to Word just because it is a Word world. Publishers I use often require Word, etc. In some ways, that is why I went back to a PC, most of the world I live in uses them.

But if I was just on my own and had one desktop computer, it would probably be a mac (the heat thing with the MBP would probably keep me from using it).

 

just a few comments...

the lighted keyboard and elegance are really nice features that add to the allure of the macbook pro. the customer service is also supposedly really good. i haven't had the need for that yet.

isynch - its actually isync - comes with osx. its integrated into the OS and you don't need to pay for it. its amazing with my cell, but i dont have a palm device so i dont know how that works.

the cooling system on the macbook pro is NOT passive. there are fans. they spin up to 6000 rpm's if you want. smc fan control is really great. i use the laptop on my lap all the time, and while it does get warm, creating a buffer between mac and me never even occurred to me and still doesn't seem necessary.

no accident insurance sucks. you are right. you are also right about the docking station, but i don't think most people have a need for that. the laptop is pretty self contained...

i dont think the thinkpad is a better unit at all. my cousin bought one, and i think it requires a deeper analysis than that. the thinkpad is definitely more desktop like, it has more ports on it, but that doesnt make it a better physical laptop. i think the aluminum brushed macbook is sleeker, the speakers are better, the use of space (including the keyboard) is better on the mac, and the build quality is very high on both systems.

and except for gaming, some software support, and interfacing with other windows machines, i haven't found anything that windows does better than osx, though i have found things that they do equally well (or equally poorly)

thats my 27 cents.

 

It is business school; does it require something more than Excel/Word? Since I did not go to business school, I am genuinely curious what types of esoteric software an MBA would be faced with.

 

really?

 

I dislike both cars actually. I guess it's time for me to go get an Asus Lambo

There are a whole bunch of organizational, management, finance, accounting and statistical analysis software you can use for business if you wanted to: http://www.apple.com/business/applications.html

Hrm, my Thinkpad is quite a bit sturdier. The MBP requires pampering and I'm afraid to even scratch or dent it. My Thinkpad could, and did, take abuse in all forms just fine.

 

As far as the boats go... there are really only 3 of them in the similar class:

And that's the 3 that were discussed here, T61P, MBP and the HP 8500 series. Unfortunately, nobody else makes a little more high-end (or at least well-built) aptops with good resolution, decent graphics, and good battery life (for a 15" notebook) that don't weigh a ton. Oh, and preferably they won't be outrageously priced (MBP is all right, especially the lower end one).

Myself, I don't really care that much about OS X. I have not used it a lot, and for work purposes Windows is a better fit. However, it is an interesting OS with good usability... and with Bootcamp, Parallels and VMWare, it's certainly an option (work pays for Windows so I don't count that as extra cost ).

Now, I like the Asus g1s, Compal IFL90 and the new Dell. Actually the new Dell is supposed to have magnesium alloy chassis which would make it best build out of 3 more "portly" laptops . However... they all weigh 7lbs and probably around 8lbs with their power adapter. I am thinking MBP would weigh around 6, HP and Lenovo would come to around 6.5-6.7lbs.

So... there are some reasons to compare HP, Lenovo and MBP. Plus, you got to admit, MBP is sexy!

 

Asus VX2s and V1s?

 

MBP weighs 5.4....even sexier

 

Are they out? Also, how are they priced?

 

I counted the adapter.