Thinkpad vs. MacBook Pro

[D-EJ915]

Thinkpads have the best keyboards on laptops, period. I would automatically pick that just based on that, plus the single button on the Apple laptops has always pissed me off as I used the right button a lot. That being said, I have a Sony T series and it's great, so I didn't get an IBM afterall, lol, they don't have anything small enough for me.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by no1likesme /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't get me wrong I LOVE osX but IMO a mac is more of a toy than a usefull computer for school (majority of the software i have to use is windows only).

I'd love to hear the 'toy' defense here. Funny, I think many productivity apps (which Wodgy alluded to some) are better on OS X (even some Microsofts), and if we ignore games (hey I didn't bring up the 'toy' reference), I think it tips towards Apple. Course there are apps only available on either and certainly more on the Windows side, but I'd miss strong apps on either side (is there anything remotely like DEVONthink Pro or even Yojimbo on the PC?).

I work for a certain company that lets people pick their computer when starting and if you choose OS X you get a MPB and if you choose Windows or Linux you get a ThinkPad, and both are great. I run OS X, XP and Ubuntu on my MacBook, so I can use whatever is necessary. The ThinkPad is what I would have gone with outside of work if I didn't use OS X regularly (about half the time).

As for the two buttons, the two finger click (two fingers on trackpad, then click button) on the new machines, is very easy to get use to.

 

[XxATOLxX]

Personally, I hate the Macbook Pro. I bought one on impulse a couple months back and it just doesn't work as I want it to. Office is made for PowerPC so it runs ridiculously slow, the networking interface is really confusing, and Boot Camp is pretty much useless because the lack of trackpad support (you have to download an external program to rightclick with the trackpad) and the lack of battery management is annoying.

I don't know if its just because I've used Windows my whole life and find that its interface is much more concise than that of a Mac.

 

[mirumu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by XxATOLxX /img/forum/go_quote.gif Personally, I hate the Macbook Pro. I bought one on impulse a couple months back and it just doesn't work as I want it to. Office is made for PowerPC so it runs ridiculously slow, the networking interface is really confusing, and Boot Camp is pretty much useless because the lack of trackpad support (you have to download an external program to rightclick with the trackpad) and the lack of battery management is annoying. I don't know if its just because I've used Windows my whole life and find that its interface is much more concise than that of a Mac.

Upgrade Boot Camp and your trackpad problems will disappear. The two finger tap works just like it does on MacOS X with the newer versions. I disagree completely with you on the networking comment. I haven't used Vista yet but networking on Windows 2003, XP, 2000, etc is the most annoying and badly designed model ever. Unfortunately as a sys admin on a Windows/Linux network I have to deal with it daily.

I'm sure you're right about Office though, never used the Mac version myself. What exactly do you mean by "battery management"?

 

[nibiyabi]

Don't know what you have against Asus -- it would be your best bet. Anyway, if you must choose between these two overpriced options, and you're already used to PCs, you might as well grab a Thinkpad with XP (since you don't like Vista).

 

[XxATOLxX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mirumu /img/forum/go_quote.gif Upgrade Boot Camp and your trackpad problems will disappear. The two finger tap works just like it does on MacOS X with the newer versions. I disagree completely with you on the networking comment. I haven't used Vista yet but networking on Windows 2003, XP, 2000, etc is the most annoying and badly designed model ever. Unfortunately as a sys admin on a Windows/Linux network I have to deal with it daily. I'm sure you're right about Office though, never used the Mac version myself. What exactly do you mean by "battery management"?

Oops. Forgot about the Boot Camp upgrades hehe.

Anyways, the lack of battery management in Boot Camp is like when I run on battery, it doesn't have the option to turn off the backlight after 30-40 seconds or so of inactivity, like it normally does in OSX.

For the networking part, I'm doing basic things like sharing files over the network, sharing printers over the network, drive mapping, etc. Its too much of a hassle to do on OSX. You have to connect to another PC with Samba and all that. Its really annoying. I personally don't like how Apple simplifies everything to a point where its confusing. Personally, I think that Windows XP got it bang on with simple home networking. Vista tries to make it simplified and completely ruined the network interface.

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by XxATOLxX /img/forum/go_quote.gif For the networking part, I'm doing basic things like sharing files over the network, sharing printers over the network, drive mapping, etc. Its too much of a hassle to do on OSX. You have to connect to another PC with Samba and all that.

How is that different from mapping a network drive in Windows XP? (Both even use SMB!) If you want to automount network drives when you login, go to System Preferences -> Accounts -> Login items and add them. In general OS X and various add-ons offer more options for networking, especially automatic location-related services (e.g. mounting a different set of network shares depending on whether your computer is at work or at home).

 

[grawk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-EJ915 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thinkpads have the best keyboards on laptops, period. I would automatically pick that just based on that, plus the single button on the Apple laptops has always pissed me off as I used the right button a lot. That being said, I have a Sony T series and it's great, so I didn't get an IBM afterall, lol, they don't have anything small enough for me.

I prefer the macbook keyboard to the thinkpads, and I think the mbp's is comparable to the thinkpad. And I work for IBM, and use all of the above regularly. If I can't use my big clicky ps2 keyboard, I prefer the macbook.

 

[roastpuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I prefer the macbook keyboard to the thinkpads, and I think the mbp's is comparable to the thinkpad. And I work for IBM, and use all of the above regularly. If I can't use my big clicky ps2 keyboard, I prefer the macbook.

QFT. The Macbook keyboard is so nice... I wish they'd put it into the MBP's.

 

[mirumu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by XxATOLxX /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oops. Forgot about the Boot Camp upgrades hehe. Anyways, the lack of battery management in Boot Camp is like when I run on battery, it doesn't have the option to turn off the backlight after 30-40 seconds or so of inactivity, like it normally does in OSX.

Oh, I haven't looked but that's exactly the kind of thing I'd expect with Boot Camp upgrades. It is a beta product currently so it's only going to improve.

Quote:

Originally Posted by XxATOLxX /img/forum/go_quote.gif For the networking part, I'm doing basic things like sharing files over the network, sharing printers over the network, drive mapping, etc. Its too much of a hassle to do on OSX. You have to connect to another PC with Samba and all that. Its really annoying. I personally don't like how Apple simplifies everything to a point where its confusing. Personally, I think that Windows XP got it bang on with simple home networking. Vista tries to make it simplified and completely ruined the network interface.

Ah, so you're using your Mac with a Windows network? No surprise Windows is better at dealing with a Windows network although even there the difference doesn't seem that big to me. *shrug* I still say Windows XP networking is pretty poor though. Setting up Wireless networking on XP can be diabolical, especially with all the silly third-party interfaces. XP also just doesn't do basic location-based networking at all. MacOS managed that one even over a decade ago. System level proxy setup is done somewhere else far away from the network configuration and is seemingly part of Internet Explorer (huh?). Then there's XP's internet connection sharing which usually seems to prevent all computers from accessing the internet instead of sharing it with the way it remaps all your IP addresses.

 

[JMcMasterJ]

I've owned both and the Macbook Pro is much, much better. The Thinkpad is great for a PC, but switching to a Mac has been wonderful, especially because I'm a Multimedia major.

 

[wnewport]

Thanks for all of this great information.

I should have also said that I am a very proficient computer user. I don't write code or hack, but I am the person people go to when they have problems. Because of this I am not intimidated by either OS. I know within a few days I can have a very good understanding of everything.

 

[XxATOLxX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy /img/forum/go_quote.gif How is that different from mapping a network drive in Windows XP? (Both even use SMB!) If you want to automount network drives when you login, go to System Preferences -> Accounts -> Login items and add them. In general OS X and various add-ons offer more options for networking, especially automatic location-related services (e.g. mounting a different set of network shares depending on whether your computer is at work or at home).

Its not working, I tried to drag the network folder over to the login folder but nothing happens once I reboot.

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by XxATOLxX /img/forum/go_quote.gif Its not working, I tried to drag the network folder over to the login folder but nothing happens once I reboot.

Here's a step-by-step to get it to work.
1) mount the folder you want in the ordinary way
2) go to System Preferences -> Accounts; select the "Login Items" tab
3) press the "+" button
4) select the network folder in the list, press ok

Voila, next time you reboot, it will be automounted.

 

[vagarach]

Simple, MBP FTW!!!

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If you consider the 10% education discount and free $200 ipod, the macbook pro is slightly cheaper, and has a few 'nice' features added (magsafe, backlit keys, LED), better GPU, and it runs OS X (and windows if you want)!

The thing about the thinkpad is that it has the magnesium chassis and 3 year onsite warranty, and is discrete.

edit: Disclaimer: posted by a very, very happy owner of a week old macbook pro

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