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Many of the newer laptops aren't very heavy at all. My Macbook Air is aluminum and can fit in a small backpack/messenger bag. Unless you just want to not be ca

Many of the newer laptops aren't very heavy at all. My Macbook Air is aluminum and can fit in a small backpack/messenger bag. Unless you just want to not be carrying anything.

StudentStuff 9y ago
Thinkpads have gotten shockingly thin and light, all while improving spilled liquid resistance and enhancing the cooling. The T440 and newer seems to have been a complete redesign, a 14 inch laptop that weighs 1.8kg and is neither too big or too small. Slap a 1080p or 2560p panel in it, and the laptop is a monster!
- terminalcommand 9y ago
  For lightness I think the x series are a much better choice. I've been using an x201 for many years now. Even at its old age, it's suprisingly light to today's standards and has decent battery life.
  - StudentStuff 9y ago
    Yeah, hooked a friend up with an x230 iirc for cheap, and she really likes it. 12" form factor just isn't for me though, I had a x100e for a month as a loaner, and man was its screen small (nevermind the spaceheater OG APU it had). Made me thankful for 14" screens and newer process technology allowing AMD and Intel to make chips that don't melt my legs!
- Fnoord 9y ago
  Its a double-edged sword. The elephant in the room is the disadvantage that you can't open them anymore to replace hardware. Monster described it accurately. What newer laptops have is USB-C/TB3 and that allows for eGPU. Which means you no longer need to own a PC if you're a gamer (and don't wanna opt for game console).
  - StudentStuff 9y ago
    Huh? About the only major change is the CPU is no longer socketed, besides that I can swap every other component willy nilly ala a T420. Soldered CPUs are quite a bit more durable, and replacement mobos are sub-$100, not the worst tradeoff to save a few mm.
atrilumen 9y ago
Seriously, my 12" MacBook is all I need / want now. I found the smallest sling bag that it would fit inside, and quickly became accustomed to carrying it at all times. When my Nexus 5 died, I barely felt it. I went months without a phone because it just wasn't a pressing issue. There's no way I'd trade it for a phone dock and desktop peripherals.
numbsafari 9y ago
I don't want to carry anything but a phone, unless I have to. I've been carrying a backpack for work for, I dunno, 4 years now? Lately I've taken to just leaving my laptop at work on weekends and I really enjoy the trip to/from the office those days. I commute via public transit or walk, it's only 2 miles and we have decent busses here in Philly. Not having to deal with a bag of any kind is really nice. The current MacBook Air has slower CPU (single- and multi-core) compared to the latest iPhone 8/X. At the end of the day, I'd love to grab my phone off a cradle and then, when I get home, if I need to keep working, drop it in a different cradle and have my window session ready and waiting for me. As a GCP user, basically 100% of my development consists of browser sessions and tmux sessions. That should be really portable state on a phone.

Many of the newer laptops aren't very heavy at all. My Macbook Air is aluminum and can fit in a small backpack/messenger bag. Unless you just want to not be carrying anything.

StudentStuff 9y ago

Thinkpads have gotten shockingly thin and light, all while improving spilled liquid resistance and enhancing the cooling. The T440 and newer seems to have been a complete redesign, a 14 inch laptop that weighs 1.8kg and is neither too big or too small. Slap a 1080p or 2560p panel in it, and the laptop is a monster!

terminalcommand 9y ago
For lightness I think the x series are a much better choice. I've been using an x201 for many years now. Even at its old age, it's suprisingly light to today's standards and has decent battery life.
- StudentStuff 9y ago
  Yeah, hooked a friend up with an x230 iirc for cheap, and she really likes it. 12" form factor just isn't for me though, I had a x100e for a month as a loaner, and man was its screen small (nevermind the spaceheater OG APU it had). Made me thankful for 14" screens and newer process technology allowing AMD and Intel to make chips that don't melt my legs!
Fnoord 9y ago
Its a double-edged sword. The elephant in the room is the disadvantage that you can't open them anymore to replace hardware. Monster described it accurately. What newer laptops have is USB-C/TB3 and that allows for eGPU. Which means you no longer need to own a PC if you're a gamer (and don't wanna opt for game console).
- StudentStuff 9y ago
  Huh? About the only major change is the CPU is no longer socketed, besides that I can swap every other component willy nilly ala a T420. Soldered CPUs are quite a bit more durable, and replacement mobos are sub-$100, not the worst tradeoff to save a few mm.

atrilumen 9y ago

Seriously, my 12" MacBook is all I need / want now. I found the smallest sling bag that it would fit inside, and quickly became accustomed to carrying it at all times. When my Nexus 5 died, I barely felt it. I went months without a phone because it just wasn't a pressing issue. There's no way I'd trade it for a phone dock and desktop peripherals.

numbsafari 9y ago

I don't want to carry anything but a phone, unless I have to. I've been carrying a backpack for work for, I dunno, 4 years now? Lately I've taken to just leaving my laptop at work on weekends and I really enjoy the trip to/from the office those days. I commute via public transit or walk, it's only 2 miles and we have decent busses here in Philly. Not having to deal with a bag of any kind is really nice. The current MacBook Air has slower CPU (single- and multi-core) compared to the latest iPhone 8/X. At the end of the day, I'd love to grab my phone off a cradle and then, when I get home, if I need to keep working, drop it in a different cradle and have my window session ready and waiting for me. As a GCP user, basically 100% of my development consists of browser sessions and tmux sessions. That should be really portable state on a phone.