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What exactly do you mean by "not MacBook quality"? Aside from Apple’s M-series chips, I’d take a ThinkPad over a MacBook any day. The T, X, and P series ThinkPa

What exactly do you mean by "not MacBook quality"? Aside from Apple’s M-series chips, I’d take a ThinkPad over a MacBook any day. The T, X, and P series ThinkPads are at least on par with MacBooks in terms of build quality. I will even argue that they are better. And with a ThinkPad, you don’t have to deal with that cold, rigid metal body that MacBooks are known for, and the horribly screens which are like a mirror.

thewebguyd 1y ago
Screen (it's good, I have the 2.8k one), but it's not quite to the level of Apple's (although I definitely prefer the matte over the glossy). It's also not as bright, which does matter to me. Otherwise, it's mostly nitpicks on my part that don't matter to everyone. The speakers don't remotely hold a candle to the macbook's, nor does the microphone. On mine specifically (5th Gen T14 w/ AMD), the keyboard isn't quite the same as the older thinkpads and I'd rank the Macbook's keyboard better. My last nitpick is battery life. Not saying the ThinkPad is bad, I like it for what it is, but I still reach for the macbook more when I want to use it as a laptop and not docked into my monitors. It's runs cooler, quieter, better screen, better speakers.
- kwanbix 1y ago
  One thing I appreciate about Apple's strategy is how streamlined their product lineup is, unlike Lenovo, which offers an overwhelming number of ThinkPad models. Many of them are nearly identical but marketed under different names, which can be frustrating. That said, if you pick the right ThinkPad models, I don't think MacBooks speakers or displays are better. And you have much more customization with ThinkPads. Personally, I don't care much about speakers or mics anyway, especially since most people use headphones or headsets these days. What matters more to me is the part I interact with the most: the keyboard and the pointing device. ThinkPad keyboards are arguably much better than MacBooks, and MacBooks don't have a TrackPoint, which I find essential. I don't like the metallic body of Macbooks at all, and I prefer the warmth of plastic/carbon. Lastly, I strongly prefer Linux or Windows over macOS. In my experience, macOS has become increasingly limited and frustrating with each new release. Yes, MacBooks do run quieter and cooler, and are even more powerful than amd64 counterparts, and that's definitely their main selling point for me, but in the end, the pros are outweighed by the cons.
rangestransform 1y ago
the stiffness of the keyboard deck and entire chassis, even the X series (I used to have an X1 extreme) had significant deflection in the middle of the keyboard deck, poor torsional rigidity, and an ewaste quality display compared to an M1 Pro MBP
lurking_swe 1y ago
The new macbooks can be purchased with an anti reflective coating, works extremely well. The screen clarity, speakers, and microphone are all better on a mac. That counts as “quality” i think? These are things many users would use daily in zoom meetings for example. And good luck if you are a heavy trackpad user. The thinkpad trackpad is usable but basically junk as a daily driver. Like most laptops unfortunately. If I had to buy a non-apple laptop, i’d probably buy a Thinkpad. They’re great machines overall, but i’m picky and they don’t meet my needs in some important areas.
sarlalian 1y ago
Much of it's going to boil down to personal preferences obviously, however it's very reasonable to argue that the trackpads on Apple laptops are the best in the industry. Generally Apple laptops have great speakers and sound, high quality microphones, with good noise cancelling. The laptop shell is bendy enough to not be brittle, but stiff enough to work even in a lap. Battery life is second to none, keyboard quality is good enough (often better than most PC laptops). Great screen quality, with glossy and matte options. Their software ecosystem is a more mixed bag, great integration between devices and services, but definitely a walled garden (not 100% a bad thing), and the walls are getting higher (definitely bad). Apple of today is very consumer and developer hostile, to the point of burning any and all goodwill that they have.

thewebguyd 1y ago

Screen (it's good, I have the 2.8k one), but it's not quite to the level of Apple's (although I definitely prefer the matte over the glossy). It's also not as bright, which does matter to me. Otherwise, it's mostly nitpicks on my part that don't matter to everyone. The speakers don't remotely hold a candle to the macbook's, nor does the microphone. On mine specifically (5th Gen T14 w/ AMD), the keyboard isn't quite the same as the older thinkpads and I'd rank the Macbook's keyboard better. My last nitpick is battery life. Not saying the ThinkPad is bad, I like it for what it is, but I still reach for the macbook more when I want to use it as a laptop and not docked into my monitors. It's runs cooler, quieter, better screen, better speakers.

kwanbix 1y ago
One thing I appreciate about Apple's strategy is how streamlined their product lineup is, unlike Lenovo, which offers an overwhelming number of ThinkPad models. Many of them are nearly identical but marketed under different names, which can be frustrating. That said, if you pick the right ThinkPad models, I don't think MacBooks speakers or displays are better. And you have much more customization with ThinkPads. Personally, I don't care much about speakers or mics anyway, especially since most people use headphones or headsets these days. What matters more to me is the part I interact with the most: the keyboard and the pointing device. ThinkPad keyboards are arguably much better than MacBooks, and MacBooks don't have a TrackPoint, which I find essential. I don't like the metallic body of Macbooks at all, and I prefer the warmth of plastic/carbon. Lastly, I strongly prefer Linux or Windows over macOS. In my experience, macOS has become increasingly limited and frustrating with each new release. Yes, MacBooks do run quieter and cooler, and are even more powerful than amd64 counterparts, and that's definitely their main selling point for me, but in the end, the pros are outweighed by the cons.

rangestransform 1y ago

the stiffness of the keyboard deck and entire chassis, even the X series (I used to have an X1 extreme) had significant deflection in the middle of the keyboard deck, poor torsional rigidity, and an ewaste quality display compared to an M1 Pro MBP

lurking_swe 1y ago

The new macbooks can be purchased with an anti reflective coating, works extremely well. The screen clarity, speakers, and microphone are all better on a mac. That counts as “quality” i think? These are things many users would use daily in zoom meetings for example. And good luck if you are a heavy trackpad user. The thinkpad trackpad is usable but basically junk as a daily driver. Like most laptops unfortunately. If I had to buy a non-apple laptop, i’d probably buy a Thinkpad. They’re great machines overall, but i’m picky and they don’t meet my needs in some important areas.

sarlalian 1y ago

Much of it's going to boil down to personal preferences obviously, however it's very reasonable to argue that the trackpads on Apple laptops are the best in the industry. Generally Apple laptops have great speakers and sound, high quality microphones, with good noise cancelling. The laptop shell is bendy enough to not be brittle, but stiff enough to work even in a lap. Battery life is second to none, keyboard quality is good enough (often better than most PC laptops). Great screen quality, with glossy and matte options. Their software ecosystem is a more mixed bag, great integration between devices and services, but definitely a walled garden (not 100% a bad thing), and the walls are getting higher (definitely bad). Apple of today is very consumer and developer hostile, to the point of burning any and all goodwill that they have.