ThinkPad x220 vs MacBook Pro 13

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Thing1

Thing1

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So I'm an entering med student, and my med school recommends the following minimum specs:

i5
2 gb ram

I'm looking at an x220 that is now coming out to $951, with it customized to what I want (i5, 4 GB ram, 320 gb hdd).

Pros: superlight, durable, cheaper

I'm also looking at a MBP (i5, 4 GB, 320 gb hdd), at $1,128.

Pros: Mac OS (I've heard good things), slightly bigger screen, $100 gift card to mac app store +iTunes, cool stuff like mouse gestures

Cons: doesn't come with Office


I've also heard good things about solid state drives. The x220 with 128 gb ssd is $1231. The MBP with 128 gb ssd is $1353.

If someone could help me out with my decision, that would be great. Thanks!

PS Why would you need an i5 for med school?
 
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i5 dual core imo is pretty much the "average" processor now if you are going intel. SSD's are nice but if you are just using it for med school I would personally just get a 7200 rpm drive with bigger storage rather than the SSD since they are still pretty pricy in my opinion. I have always been a PC person but I switched to a MBP for my first laptop but that was just more of a personal choice for me. I really don't think you can go wrong with a mbp and they last forever. Thinkpads are also really durable and I think between thinkpad or mbp it really just comes down to personal choice. I chose the mbp and haven't looked back. The price in your case is pretty similar especially with the gift card. I would definitely go mbp!

edit: oh and a lot of schools offer microsoft office for free to students you might want to check with your it people.
 
I think if the price doesn't differ too much, the MBP is a better option. The track pad is almost enough in itself to warrant an extra 200$.

You could probably find a free copy of MS Office for mac somewhere... somewhere that isn't an official distributor of Microsoft products...

No need for SSD, the price difference is fairly steep and the drive space is less. The SSD also draws less power, but the MBP battery life is already pretty good.

BTW, I am not an apple fanboi... I actually really like windows7, and my next computer will probably be a PC, but you listed 2 computers at nearly the same price. Usually an equivalent PC will be 1/2 the cost of a MBP.
 
I think you can get the x220 a fair bit cheaper if you look around. Lenovo is notorious for sending out lots of coupons. I'd sign up for their email list just in case.

Also, does the x220 come with office? The last time I bought a windows laptop was a netbook two years ago but it came with office for only 30 days.

The biggest decisions to make are

1) Do you prefer Windows OS or Mac OS

2) What screen size do you prefer

3) How much of a techie are you

4) What does your school require you to have

Point 1 is pretty straightforward.

Point 2 is subtler. The x220 has a 12.5 inch screen. The MBP has a 13.3 inch one. That may not seem like a big difference but it can be. If you prefer smaller, the 12.5 might be better. If you prefer bigger, the 13.3 might be. I didn't want anything smaller than 13 inches so I ruled out the x220 (though I looked at the t420).

As for point 3, I have windows installed on my MBP in case I need it for anything. That's not hard to do and is cheap to do legitimately ($30 as a student), but adding an OS is above and beyond what many people are comfortable with doing.

As for point 4, some schools require a Windows option. You can always add windows to a mac or vice versa, but depending on your tech level, you may not want to bother with it.

As for SSDs, they are awesome. The price for the space can be heavy and I personally don't have one but if 128gb works for you, it'll speed up your computer a ton.

Note that a new OS update for Mac is coming out this month so maybe wait for that before making your decision.

I personally went with the 13 inch i5 MBP over the t420 and love it. The trackpad and gestures alone are worth it. I think the 13 inch i7 is priced too high, as are the 55 and 17 inchers, but the i5 13 inch isn't too outrageously priced for the specs.

You shouldn't need more than an i5 for school unless you're gaming. And don't get either the x220 or 13 inch mbp if you want to get 60 fps on the newest games.
 
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This question is relatively easy to answer

Do you know anything about computers (beyond "pushing this button makes it turn on!")?

If yes -> Go with the x220

If no -> Go MBP
 
Turns out my school does offer a free version of Office for Mac, so that's skewing me toward the MBP. But if that MBA comes out this month, I'm going with that. I wanted one anyway, but the Core 2 Duo is what stopped me.

The reason I was favoring the ThinkPad is that it's only 3 pounds, and I also have an external monitor, mouse, and keypad that I always use with laptops at home, so the 12.5 inch screen and crappy trackpad didn't bother me so much...

BTW I've never owned a Mac before, but from using friends' Macs, the OS seems to be exceptionally stable and very quick to start up compared to any Windows machine.
 
Thing1 said:
BTW I've never owned a Mac before, but from using friends' Macs, the OS seems to be exceptionally stable and very quick to start up compared to any Windows machine.
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I've had my MBP for 4 years. Never had to defrag or download security updates all the time like on Windows. I've never had anything like a "blue screen" except for early on when I found out my model had a known manufacturing defect which Apple fixed promptly for free.
 
bucks2010 said:
I've had my MBP for 4 years. Never had to defrag or download security updates all the time like on Windows. I've never had anything like a "blue screen" except for early on when I found out my model had a known manufacturing defect which Apple fixed promptly for free.
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You've never had any software updates? You really don't think Apple pushes security updates? Yeah, just pretend links like http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222 don't exist.

Macs freeze/crash.

Wow, Apple fixed a manufacturing defect for free??!?! THAT'S LIKE SO AMAZING BRO.

Anyway, get a windows pc. Bootcamp Windows is crap and so is OSX. You'll save yourself the wasted time looking for OSX versions of random software, unless all you do is browse the web and use a notepad application. The skinny tie/hippie brigade might disown you though for not being enough of a tool.
 
Thing1 said:
Turns out my school does offer a free version of Office for Mac, so that's skewing me toward the MBP.
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They don't offer a free copy of Office for Windows as well? I'd find that kind of odd. Also, Lenovo has school discounts and later on they'll have a back to school sale. However, this all comes down to whether you want Windows or OSX as your OS.
 
SN2ed said:
They don't offer a free copy of Office for Windows as well? I'd find that kind of odd. Also, Lenovo has school discounts and later on they'll have a back to school sale. However, this all comes down to whether you want Windows or OSX as your OS.
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No, they do, it's just that the Lenovo comes preloaded with Office. I was kinda considering that a pro for the Lenovo until I found out I could get Office for Mac for free.

And yeah, it does come down to that. I've never owned a Mac, again, so I don't know if I would necessarily like it better. I was willing to try it out this time around, just don't know if it's worth the price increase
 
kcin said:
You've never had any software updates? You really don't think Apple pushes security updates? Yeah, just pretend links like http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222 don't exist.

Macs freeze/crash.

Wow, Apple fixed a manufacturing defect for free??!?! THAT'S LIKE SO AMAZING BRO.

Anyway, get a windows pc. Bootcamp Windows is crap and so is OSX. You'll save yourself the wasted time looking for OSX versions of random software, unless all you do is browse the web and use a notepad application. The skinny tie/hippie brigade might disown you though for not being enough of a tool.
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This isn't 1995 anymore. Anything that is relevant or worthwhile having is on OS/X (and arguably works more stable and quicker). Only uber graphics intense gaming requires a PC, but even now more and more companies are releasing builds simultaneously and not ports to OS/X. You won't be denied access to anything important or necessary by using a mac.

And yes, that poster is wrong.. Apple pushes OS/X security updates nearly weekly, as any responsibly software company should.
 
Thing1 said:
No, they do, it's just that the Lenovo comes preloaded with Office. I was kinda considering that a pro for the Lenovo until I found out I could get Office for Mac for free.

And yeah, it does come down to that. I've never owned a Mac, again, so I don't know if I would necessarily like it better. I was willing to try it out this time around, just don't know if it's worth the price increase
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Are there any Apple stores around you or friends that would let you check out their Mac? It sounds like it would be helpful if you spent some time with the OS to see if you like it.
 
Longshanks said:
This isn't 1995 anymore. Anything that is relevant or worthwhile having is on OS/X (and arguably works more stable and quicker). Only uber graphics intense gaming requires a PC, but even now more and more companies are releasing builds simultaneously and not ports to OS/X. You won't be denied access to anything important or necessary by using a mac.

And yes, that poster is wrong.. Apple pushes OS/X security updates nearly weekly, as any responsibly software company should.
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What falls under important or necessary? If all you want to do is write down notes or a paper and browse the web, then sure it's very sufficient. On the other hand, if you want to do other stuff you'll probably be able to find something sufficient after digging around through all of the Windows links. That is, unless you want to relax and play a simple game like League of Legends. Then you get to jump through hoops. As for stability, I've been running Windows 7 for a long time now with no issue. Your stability argument is pretty much moot.

TL;DR: Get a computer with a real workplace operating system that you won't have to waste time on if you are interested in using it for more than hipster BS. I am discounting Bootcamp because I have used it in the past (yes, I once fell for the hideous lure of apple) with suboptimal results.
 
Thing1 said:
No, they do, it's just that the Lenovo comes preloaded with Office. I was kinda considering that a pro for the Lenovo until I found out I could get Office for Mac for free.

And yeah, it does come down to that. I've never owned a Mac, again, so I don't know if I would necessarily like it better. I was willing to try it out this time around, just don't know if it's worth the price increase
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You still have to buy a license for the Office that is installed on the Lenovo. So either way you're going to be a thief. It's just that if you get the Mac you'll waste time finding applications and have to comb your hair forward and wear skinny ties. Filthy hippie.
 
OP, too bad you didn't do a poll.

I was originally going to get a Lenovo but ended up getting the Mac for many of the reasons listed above. I am quite happy with my purchase.
 
Thing1 said:
So I'm an entering med student, and my med school recommends the following minimum specs:

i5
2 gb ram

I'm looking at an x220 that is now coming out to $951, with it customized to what I want (i5, 4 GB ram, 320 gb hdd).

Pros: superlight, durable, cheaper

I'm also looking at a MBP (i5, 4 GB, 320 gb hdd), at $1,128.

Pros: Mac OS (I've heard good things), slightly bigger screen, $100 gift card to Mac app store + iTunes, cool stuff like mouse gestures

Cons: doesn't come with Office


I've also heard good things about solid state drives. The x220 with 128 gb ssd is $1231. The MBP with 128 gb ssd is $1353.

If someone could help me out with my decision, that would be great. Thanks!

PS Why would you need an i5 for med school?
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EDIT: gift card to mac app store
 
kcin said:
What falls under important or necessary? If all you want to do is write down notes or a paper and browse the web, then sure it's very sufficient. On the other hand, if you want to do other stuff you'll probably be able to find something sufficient after digging around through all of the Windows links. That is, unless you want to relax and play a simple game like League of Legends. Then you get to jump through hoops. As for stability, I've been running Windows 7 for a long time now with no issue. Your stability argument is pretty much moot.

TL;DR: Get a computer with a real workplace operating system that you won't have to waste time on if you are interested in using it for more than hipster BS. I am discounting Bootcamp because I have used it in the past (yes, I once fell for the hideous lure of apple) with suboptimal results.
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How about running parallels instead of bootcamp? That is seamless integration, assuming you even need to use windows OS for some archaic program.

People don't realize all of the stability issues and annoyances of windows until they try something new. My computer isn't randomly restarting at night because of a windows update I have to opt out of, turning off my alarm clock. I don't need to wait 90 seconds for my computer to start up or that 50/50 chance of getting out of sleep mode. I don't need to call windows customer service when installing a legit copy of the OS because of stupid windows activation. Feel free to prefer one OS over the other but don't !@#$ on mac. The MBP can do anything a windows machine can and vice versa... It's all the same hardware.
 
Definitely the ThinkPad for price reasons.

People don't realize all of the stability issues and annoyances of windows until they try something new. My computer isn't randomly restarting at night because of a windows update I have to opt out of, turning off my alarm clock. I don't need to wait 90 seconds for my computer to start up or that 50/50 chance of getting out of sleep mode. I don't need to call windows customer service when installing a legit copy of the OS because of stupid windows activation.
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Seriously, where are you guys getting these Windows nightmares? I don't think I've ever had anything go wrong with Windows that wasn't my fault.
 
kcin said:
You still have to buy a license for the Office that is installed on the Lenovo. So either way you're going to be a thief. It's just that if you get the Mac you'll waste time finding applications and have to comb your hair forward and wear skinny ties. Filthy hippie.
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Glad Negative Nancy joined the thread to enlighten all of us Mac users. I used to be a Mac hater until I moved in with my fiancé who has an MBP. Don't let him deter you they are both great computers.
 
Kevin Baker: In case you work with a windows computer again, you can turn off automatic updates or configure it so windows notifies you when updates are available, but will not download or install them without your consent.
 
Kevin Baker said:
How about running parallels instead of bootcamp? That is seamless integration, assuming you even need to use windows OS for some archaic program.

People don't realize all of the stability issues and annoyances of windows until they try something new. My computer isn't randomly restarting at night because of a windows update I have to opt out of, turning off my alarm clock. I don't need to wait 90 seconds for my computer to start up or that 50/50 chance of getting out of sleep mode. I don't need to call windows customer service when installing a legit copy of the OS because of stupid windows activation. Feel free to prefer one OS over the other but don't !@#$ on mac. The MBP can do anything a windows machine can and vice versa... It's all the same hardware.
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SSD. Issue solved. 10 second boot. 1 second wake from sleep 100% of the time. You can't compare a piece of crap $300 PC to a $2000 mac.
 
Rocher said:
Glad Negative Nancy joined the thread to enlighten all of us Mac users. I used to be a Mac hater until I moved in with my fiancé who has an MBP. Don't let him deter you they are both great computers.
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Agreed. One just cost more and has less compatibility.
 
Rocher said:
Glad Negative Nancy joined the thread to enlighten all of us Mac users. I used to be a Mac hater until I moved in with my fiancé who has an MBP. Don't let him deter you they are both great computers.
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I think both the MBP and Thinkpad are good computers, but the MBP is prohibitively expensive for someone on my budget who is going to be 200k in the hole by the end of med school. And yes there is no gaming capability on the MBP, and I enjoy a good video game once in a while.

Just my two cents.
 
MustangGtV894 said:
i5 dual core imo is pretty much the "average" processor now if you are going intel. SSD's are nice but if you are just using it for med school I would personally just get a 7200 rpm drive with bigger storage rather than the SSD since they are still pretty pricy in my opinion. I have always been a PC person but I switched to a MBP for my first laptop but that was just more of a personal choice for me. I really don't think you can go wrong with a mbp and they last forever. Thinkpads are also really durable and I think between thinkpad or mbp it really just comes down to personal choice. I chose the mbp and haven't looked back. The price in your case is pretty similar especially with the gift card. I would definitely go mbp!

edit: oh and a lot of schools offer microsoft office for free to students you might want to check with your it people.
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This is actually patently untrue. If you take good care of your MBP and don't shove it in your bag with roughness, scratch up the screen, or get one with some form of hardware defect, then yes it will last you maybe 3-4 years. Which is fine for med school.

However just like a PC if you don't take care of it and keep it in good condition it will fail on you like no other. I have friends who have lost *all* data on their computers because they not only didn't know how to properly back up their data, they treated their MBPs like crap. The additional disadvantage is that on a Windows comp I can generally fix software issues or problems that arise on my own... whereas I haven't met a single MBP owner who hasn't had to take it to the local Mac store when something minor happens to it. I think it's a great comp... if you know how to use it properly.

Also re: the posters who say that there's some form of social ostracizing if you don't get a Mac... yes there is, but that should hardly be a factor in selection.
 
ArcGurren said:
I think both the MBP and Thinkpad are good computers, but the MBP is prohibitively expensive for someone on my budget who is going to be 200k in the hole by the end of med school. And yes there is no gaming capability on the MBP, and I enjoy a good video game once in a while.

Just my two cents.
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They are expensive, but not much more than the Lenovo. A PC is better for gaming sure but almost everything else both would be fine.
 
Rocher said:
They are expensive, but not much more than the Lenovo. A PC is better for gaming sure but almost everything else both would be fine.
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Yes but the Lenovo is much, much more powerful than the MBP in terms of processing power if i recall correctly. Computers with the relative power of the MBP in the PC market are much cheaper generally. The MBP's advantage is essentially aesthetics... the actual computer case has a sleekish design to it, the OS is relatively simple, etc. Which is perfectly okay for many people. It's not for me. Gaming def enters the picture of importance for me.

Incidentally I was listening to the radio the other day while driving to clerkship and there was an entire segment on how much the DJ can't stand people who criticize macs (let's leave the irony aside). He got a caller who basically said that she thinks men who own Macs are hotter. I never understood their weird "coolness" effect that people ascribe to them.

I think more than anything if there wasn't this giant social pressure and douchey nature of a large number of Apple's fanbase, many PC fans would find less issue with the MBP or other products (though interestingly, not as much hate for the iPhone!).
 
They are expensive, but not much more than the Lenovo.
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Actually, Mac laptops are normally about twice the price of identically-equipped ThinkPads - impressive given that ThinkPads are on the high end of the PC price spectrum. The tablet is obviously going to close that gap a bit, but Macs are still way more expensive. There's just no way around that. If the price difference is worth it to you for whatever reason, more power to you.
 
MilkmanAl said:
Actually, Mac laptops are normally about twice the price of identically-equipped ThinkPads - impressive given that ThinkPads are on the high end of the PC price spectrum. The tablet is obviously going to close that gap a bit, but Macs are still way more expensive. There's just no way around that. If the price difference is worth it to you for whatever reason, more power to you.
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A Lenovo x220 with an i5 and 2gb ram is $840 and then you have to add 2gb ram to equal the MBP's 4. The 13 inch MBP is
$1099 with the student discount. Definitely not double cost, but I will concede that the Lenovo is lighter and the build quality is probably a little better.
 
Before this turns into a mac vs pc thread (too late), both of the machines have pretty much identical hardware and the price difference is not even two hundred bucks.

Yes, there is often a huge mac premium but it is very small on the 13 inch i5 and is basically nonexistent in this case...$1128 with a $100 gift card versus $951 or $1231 versus $1353 with the SSD (and a $100 gift card). For the bigger screen size and backlit keyboard, I'd argue the mac premium disappears outright and becomes a better deal in the SSD scenario. And neither rig is good for gaming. These both have integrated graphics. Let's keep the debate on topic... x220 versus 13 inch i5 MBP
 
Kevin Baker said:
Before this turns into a mac vs pc thread (too late), both of the machines have pretty much identical hardware and the price difference is not even two hundred bucks.

Yes, there is often a huge mac premium but it is very small on the 13 inch i5 and is basically nonexistent in this case...$1128 with a $100 gift card versus $951 or $1231 versus $1353 with the SSD (and a $100 gift card). For the bigger screen size and backlit keyboard, I'd argue the mac premium disappears outright and becomes a better deal in the SSD scenario. And neither rig is good for gaming. These both have integrated graphics. Let's keep the debate on topic... x220 versus 13 inch i5 MBP
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The MBP's touchpad is also fantastic. Not so much on the Lenovo although a lot of people swear by the trackpoint.
 
Keep in mind that Lenovo also offers student discounts. It was 10% for UAMS when I bought mine a couple years ago. I don't know if things have changed since then or vary by school or what. In any case, comparing apples to apples is good.

Speaking of which, you're paying a decent premium for the reduced weight of the x220. The T420 and MBP weigh about the same (4.8 vs 4.5 pounds) so make a better comparison. Where the MBP plus gift card apparently costs you $1128 after discounts, the T420 with a 14" screen, faster processor (2.5 GHz i5-2520M), and 4GB RAM is $837 before the student discount. The 2.33 GHz i5 isn't offered on the T420. The Mac isn't twice the price (like it was in a comparison I tossed together awhile ago), but it's still a solid $250-$300 more expensive, even if you factor in the Mac gift card.

Obviously, I would buy the x220. You get better stuff for a lower price. I don't see how there's any choice to be made. :shrug:
 
I have both- a 15 inch MBP I got 4 years ago that I keep at home for movies, music etc; and a Lenovo X301 (which existed a few years ago, and cost a ton of money) which is 13 inches and like 2 pounds, and which I use for school cause Lenovos are incredibly well-built and sturdy so I'm not afraid of scratching or dinging it in my backpack.

I love them both for their own purposes. The Lenovo is a better school computer. I don't have to be as careful to avoid scratches, and pretty much all the school-related software runs only/better on a PC. Every time we have to do something online, there are various class emails back and forth on "how to make it work on mac". Oftentimes getting a "neutral" browser like Firefox or Chrome works out, but sometimes it doesn't and whatever it is we have to use will only work on PC. If you run Parallels, you'll probably avoid that headache, but I've never run it so I can't tell you how good it is.

I use my Mac for whatever basic home stuff I need to do. I'm not much of a gamer and the couple of games I play are mac-compatible- as someone pointed out, the little Lenovo isn't exactly a gaming powerhouse either anyway, so it's not like I have much of a choice. Keyboards are equally good, but the trackpad on Mac is better, period. I like the screen on the Mac better too, so I use it for movies and such. Since Windows 7 came out, stability is pretty much equal and the Lenovo really hasn't given me too many issues- Windows really sent a lot of people over to Macs with the disaster that was Vista, but it's not like that anymore. On the other hand, I have to be a LOT more careful about where I go and what I do with the pc because of the risk of viruses. The PC HAS to have antivirus protection (which is expensive btw). My mac, on which I download and stream everything under the sun, has only a free spyware software and it has never "caught" anything in 4 years.

Anyways, I don't think you can go wrong with either one. I do think nowadays the unibody macs have much better battery life (my Lenovo lasts maybe 1.5-2hrs MAX if I use the internet at all while it's unplugged) so if you plan on being mobile a lot, that's something to think about. On the other hand, despite how sturdy that lovely metal chassis looks, it scratches and dings like you wouldn't believe, so you'll have to be a lot kinder to it than you'd have to be with a Lenovo in order to travel with it all the time.

Good luck!
 
For what it's worth, I have two comps - an old laptop I use when I absolutely have to because it's falling apart, and my desktop, which is a gaming and media powerhouse which I can play games like MW2 at full resolution - and it cost me all of 900 dollars to put together.
 
ButImLETired said:
Anyways, I don't think you can go wrong with either one. I do think nowadays the unibody macs have much better battery life (my Lenovo lasts maybe 1.5-2hrs MAX if I use the internet at all while it's unplugged) so if you plan on being mobile a lot, that's something to think about.
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The X220 gets VERY good battery life. With the 6 cell (which is the standard battery), you can easily get 7-8 hours. When you add the battery slice, you can get around 14 hours.
 
Just FYI, think I'm going with none of the above. Toshiba Portege R835-P70 is at Best Buy for $749, with a $100 gift card. It's got an i5, 4 GB RAM, 620 GB HDD, 13 in screen, 7 hr battery, and is 3 lbs, in case anyone's interested. Trackpad and a bit of a dim screen were some cons for me, though.
 
Toshiba's overall build quality isn't that great and its customer service is horrible. I wouldn't suggest it unless you don't mind possibly getting another laptop before school ends.

You'd get a much better deal with either the Thinkpad or MBP. Also, did you check out Visa's Thinkpad discount or Lenovo's Barnes and Noble discount? Both of them bring down the cost about 10-15% with more of a discount with B&N which only requires you to make an account.
 
I thought about getting the Toshiba because of the free xbox, but like SN2ed said the build quality felt sub par. It's a great computer though if you can get over the fact that it feels fragile.
 
I just got my MBP 13" today and so far I love it. I think the decision to switch to Mac from PC can only be made after using a Mac for a few days. When I looked at stats and price I wanted a PC, but after using the MBP, I could see the added value. Also, I got 25% off since I got a good bro who works for Apple. :highfive:
 
I agree with the poster who said the bottom line is how computer literate you are. Windows 7 is so reliable that there really isn't an operational advantage to go with Apple-especially when you consider that both will need a backup strategy in place and blue screens are largely ancient history. So with windows, install all your core programs burn a ghost backup (using Aconis Drive Image which is free from Seagate's site if you have a Seagate hard drive) to an external USB drive then copy your data and back up your data files and you're covered from any hard drive crashes, which happens to MBC just as often as PC.

SSD drives are not more reliable than platters and the latest thing is hybrid drives like Seagate's Momentus XT which give you a 50% speed boost through integration of SSD memory with a platter. Just make sure you order it from a reputable source as NewEgg is known to pack inadequately.

Some reliable PCs are Lenovo, Samsung and Toshiba. Get a 1 yr service contract and extend it with a credit card to 2 years. Stay away from HP at all costs.
 
MilkmanAl said:
Definitely the ThinkPad for price reasons.

Seriously, where are you guys getting these Windows nightmares? I don't think I've ever had anything go wrong with Windows that wasn't my fault.
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People should keep in mind that windows 7 has been called one of the most stable OS in the past decade. Any argument of the benefits should leave this and virus issues off the table (anti-virus software is free from many very good companies if you won't pay an extra $50-$60 for one).
 
Narmerguy said:
People should keep in mind that windows 7 has been called one of the most stable OS in the past decade. Any argument of the benefits should leave this and virus issues off the table (anti-virus software is free from many very good companies if you won't pay an extra $50-$60 for one).
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Yeah not to mention Apple has started getting more and more targeted viruses thanks to the increasing popularity of Macs. It's no longer really a battle of the OS's anymore.
 
Consider HP touchsmart tm2. Otherwise, I would get the thinkpad. Tablets are awesome!! I feel so proud to have gotten in on this underused/underrated technology.
 
SN2ed said:
Toshiba's overall build quality isn't that great and its customer service is horrible. I wouldn't suggest it unless you don't mind possibly getting another laptop before school ends.

You'd get a much better deal with either the Thinkpad or MBP. Also, did you check out Visa's Thinkpad discount or Lenovo's Barnes and Noble discount? Both of them bring down the cost about 10-15% with more of a discount with B&N which only requires you to make an account.
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Wow just checked out the Barnes and Noble thing. They have much better deals...how does that work? Just by signing up, I get that much off?
 
Agreeing on the Toshiba. They're not my first choice. I have a Lenovo ideapad that I use for home use but I wouldn't take it to class-too light. Thinkpads are durable though not as stylish. Samsung makes a really nice portable though that is aluminum. I'd probably go with that.
 
Thing1 said:
Wow just checked out the Barnes and Noble thing. They have much better deals...how does that work? Just by signing up, I get that much off?
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Yup, just have to sign up and that's it. You may want to uncheck getting Lenovo emails, but even if you forgot to do that, you could unsubscribe from them later.

Right now, there's also a web special for the X-series and T-series, so that discount is added onto the BN discount.
 
Rocher said:
The MBP's touchpad is also fantastic. Not so much on the Lenovo although a lot of people swear by the trackpoint.
Click to expand...

The IPS screen and incredible battery alone make x220 a better choice.
 
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