X60s or Apple MacBook held needed

[pharao111]

hello,
i'm going to buy myself a notebook i thought of buying myself the ibm x60s because its small and really mobile. i thought i'll take that one bcs its leight weighted and has the newest technology but actually the apple macbook's are also nice (nice hardware and also nice look) and the pricing here in switzerland is equal. so i'm open for good open minded opinions...

[lilminmin]

I was in the same boat as you a month ago when I was in the market for a new laptop for grad school. I went back and forth many times and finally settled on the X60/s and couldn't be happier with my decision!

Well I guess it really depends on what you want to do with the laptop? Will it be mainly for leisure or for business? Will you be carrying it around most of the time or will it be sitting at home?

As for me, I'll be hauling this laptop around so I needed an ultra-portable (meaning ultra-light) laptop with a long battery life. The X60 series fits this profile perfectly! The X60 series weigh anywhere from 3-4 lbs and the macbook I believe weighs about 4.5lbs? therefore, the macbook was still a little heavy for me. The X60 is so light that you'll be able to hold it up with only 4 fingers. The battery life ranges from 4-6 hours depending on the battery you are using.

In addition, even though I've heard many many great things about mac, I just didn't want to have to learn how to use a new OS (it shouldn't be that hard anyways) in a new environment where I'll be stressing about exams, presentations, etc.

The fact that the X60 series didn't have a cd/dvd drive did not bother me since I'll be in school anyways. But if you are more of a media person, than I would suggest you go for the macbook.

And of course, the brand name. I've used IBMs at work and at home so I knew it was a reliable brand (until Lenovo came along) but anyways, IBM/Lenovos put out solid, solid PCs

So you really have to ask yourself what your needs are and see which one fits you the best.

[ibbo]

The MacBook is 5.2lb.

It does have a bunch of nifty features though, like iSight, mini-DVI, Apple remote, and respectable battery life. (Also widescreen if that's your bag.) The base model is also significantly cheaper (1000AR at amazon). Although, at the same price I would go with the x60s and purchase a LCD monitor to extend the desktop space.

I would definitely consider the macbook if it were my primary computer.

[snife]

You shouldn't be deciding between these 2 models IMHO. Decide if you need an ultraportable or not, if you do then the X60s is the best choice of any available, however, if you don't need an ultraportable then look at a T60 or Z61 (again if you want widescreen) and then compare that to the Macbook

[mamyel]

I agree with snife. I have the luxury in which I have an x60s, and my wife just got a black macbook couple of days ago, so I was able to compare both side by side.

though macbook is widescreen, lots of bells & whistles, i still love it that my x60 can go 7-8hours of battery, weights less, and can still do what i want it to do.

she is into advertising, so she needs the multimedia features. i dont...

[pharao111]

Well its so hard to choose:) till today i was and I'm using a powerbook für three years, but its just to heavy but i guess its normal to carry some weight with you if you're using an 15" Notebook. Well I'm an university student and i've got to carry my notebook often with me to school and as student i'm doing lots of writing and powerpoint stuff. for watching dvd's and other "fun" stuff i'm using since christmas a regular desktop. the reason why i wanna buy myself a new notebook is that i wanna be able to work for more than only 3-4hours without plugging in, and i don't wanna have to carry the AC with me all day long because its just more weight i've got to carry with me (the books are enough i think). thanks for the good relies by the way

[gunston]

Regarding your concerns above.
X60s is 100% suiting your taste.
Trust me

[Saml01]

I had a 17 inch powerbook for a while, and the only reason I got it was because it was so cheap to aquire. But long story short I fell in love with the OS, and it is very very nice. But then I started to notice that I just dont like certain things about it, and these certain things small to some started to tick me off. Like the fact that it looks the same across the board. i cant customize how it looks. I got tired of the way it managed your data, I couldnt put stuff where I wanted. I got sick of the single mouse button.

Random stuff which is very small basically started to add up and I said I want to get a windows machines. So much simpler in terms of everything.

Im not saying Mac is a bad OS, on the contrary it is very very impressive. I would use it for [censored] and giggles like a did but for a production use like school I would stick to the windows machine.

Plus can you really compete with a 7+ hour battery life of the X60 and the 5 or less is it of a Macbook?

Also apple are nazis with warranty, they say they willl void you warranty if you change the harddrive, and that is actually against the law.

[foodle]

Also apple are nazis with warranty, they say they willl void you warranty if you change the harddrive, and that is actually against the law.

At least with the Macbook, this is probably not the case. You most likely can swap out the HD and still have a valid warranty. This is a somewhat grey area with Apple, so it's best to call them and get the answer from the horse's mouth. If you break something in the process of the upgrade, that's your problem (i.e. not covered under warranty). Maybe with some other machines where you need to open the guts of the machine to get to the HD this was the case.

[TP60]

I actually use a MacBook and a Thinkpad X60. They are different machines in many dimensions and the choice is very individual.

1. The Thinkpad is much lighter -- 2.05 pounds -- and feels featherweight compared to the MacBook. The difference would be less, but still substantial, with the eight hour battery.

2. The keyboard on the Thinkpad is generally superior for my typing styles, though I am not a big fan of the trackpoint. But the MacBook has an excellent keyboard, too, and its trackpad is great.

3. The Thinkpad stays much cooler than the MacBook. That said, the fan runs more often with the TP.

4. The screens are not really comparable. The aspect of the TP is better for documents, e-mail, and most websites, the MacBook better for multiple documents, DVD, etc. The screens are both bright, but the clear screen on the MacBook is stunning. The major difference actually is the operating system, the Mac is just graphically superior.

5. The built-in CD/DVD drive on the MacBook mitigates some of the weight differences, but if you do not need to use it on the run, then it is not worth it. The external DVI connection is nice if you have a digital monitor, but it requires an adapter whenever using any external source (DVI or VGA) and you have to pay extra for the adapters.

6. The TP has a PC card slot, three USB slots, and a four-pin firewire slot. The MB has two USB slots and a six-pin firewire slot. Depends on what you are connecting. The TP had a built-in modem and the MacBook requires an extenal modem (another thing to carry around, another $49 or so).

To me, it's the weight versus the operating system. I really need a very lightweight machine, and have been lugging around needlessly heavy PowerBooks (4.6 pounds for the 12") and the MacBook (5.2 pounds) and find the Thinkpad heavenly in this regard. I also find Windows faster in web browsing and able to run some programs I need that are not available on the Mac. But the MacOS is much more pleasing and easier to work with, FOR ME. I like Pages and have developed a number of brochures using it instead of InDesign. I like iWeb and have designed some fun and useful web pages that do not need full production. I like iPhoto as well. And, of course, the MacBook can run Windows in its full glory.

Good luck.

[lucas]

you need to install os x on your x60s

[jgsx]

I have a dual boot XP and OS X setup on my X60s. It is great. The only thing I had to do was swap out the intel wifi card because it wasn't supported on mac. I'm glad I swapped it, because the one the laptop came with had awful reception anyways.

[snife]

I have a dual boot XP and OS X setup on my X60s. It is great. The only thing I had to do was swap out the intel wifi card because it wasn't supported on mac. I'm glad I swapped it, because the one the laptop came with had awful reception anyways.

Does audio work on the X60s with OS X?

[pharao111]

hmm interessting idea installing the mac osx on the x60s but how did you do it? was it difficult to manage and could someone do it who doesn't have lots of knowledge about this kind of operation?

would be awesome to have both on it

[asiafish]

I have the JAS OSX 10.4.6 DVD and the installer stops at the clear blue screen (after the gray Apple screen) without loading the installer program.

I'm installing onto an X41 and would kill to have a working OS X on it. The rest of my office is Mac and I'd love to use Apple Remote Desktop to manage it.

For what its worth, I went through THREE MacBooks and finally gave up and switched to the X41 full-time. I'll buy another MacBook or Pro when they issue Rev B. models and they don't melt desks.

[foodle]

hmm interessting idea installing the mac osx on the x60s but how did you do it? was it difficult to manage and could someone do it who doesn't have lots of knowledge about this kind of operation?

There's a whole forum on this site devoted to this. All your questions can be answered there.

[foodle]

For what its worth, I went through THREE MacBooks and finally gave up and switched to the X41 full-time. I'll buy another MacBook or Pro when they issue Rev B. models and they don't melt desks.

The new firmware update has greatly reduced the temperature of the Macbooks. I think it's just a lot more aggressive with turing on the CPU fan.

Now if only the Macbook could match the physical features of the X60s (e.g. PCMCIA slot, SD slot, WWAN, battery life, trackpoint, etc)

[asiafish]

The MacBook hardware is very nice for a thin and light and compares very well with a T-series for build-quality. Apple simply doesn't have anything in the same class as the X.

I've used ultraportables on and off for many years (started with a Toshiba Portege 3490) and the compromises are very real. Machines like the MacBook and the T-series do not force the user to deal with a smallish screen, lack of built-in drives or ports or smaller keyboard. Sure, these things can be mitigated with desktop peripherals, but those take up space, cost money and introduce their own problems of changing resolution and resizing documents.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a firm believer in ultraportables, but comparing an X series to a MacBook is like comparing a Toyota Prius Hybrid to a pickup truck. They are in totally different markets.

[pharao111]

yeah, you've got right on that one...i'm thinking and thinking over and over again. its so hard to choose actually because both are nice machines and both types have they're pro's and contra's...the best solution would be to get both but thats out of the possibility as an student:) but as i know my self and thinking all the time while i was at school and had to have an eye on the battery status its the better choise to go with the x60s (8batt. version) because 8hours is more than enough for a working day. and for doing funny stuff i've got my desktop and i don't need much my notebook and if i would need a cd then i can copy the image of the disk on my notebook because i've made image's of all my disks:),don't ask i don't know why i did that, no not for sharing, i'm not crazy ) anyway and the other fact is that i don't marry my notebook so its okey to change it after two or max three years, when the garantee is running nearly off...

[asiafish]

I wouldn't bother with the desktop as I've personally found that switching between two computers introduces problems of its own. Use the smallest, lightest and longest-running computer that can get your work done without discomfort. For artists, that would be a 15" or 17" MacBook Pro, for a student in a liberal arts major (lots of typing) a 12" ultraportable is hard to beat.

I'd go one better and recommend the X60s with the 8-cell and the clip-on plate battery. You can take furious notes all day and still have juice left to use it at a coffee shop at night.

I used an X32 in such a configuration (6 cell + plate) at a conference a few months ago and with the screen dim and wifi off got about 10 hours before the battery indicator started flashing. X60s will do better still.

What I love most about the recent X series is the versatility. I usually bring my X41 to work with just the 4-cell, on which it will run for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. If I'm going to court I'll bring the 8-cell instead. For a conference, I'll bring the 8-cell with the clip on and an extra 8-cell in the bag, while on a long flight its the two 8-cells and the ultrabase (love watching movies), with an ultrabay battery to slip in when not using the drive. With machines like these, you get a lot of choices and never need to carry more or less than you need.

[dannyp]

clip on plate battery? where do you get one of those?!

[asiafish]

www.lenovo.com

[dannyp]

oh 4 cell extended, thx!

[mfratt]

I used to have a Macbook, and now have an X60s. Let me put it plain and simple: Get the X60s. The hardware is infinately better, its more expandable, the screen doesnt double as a mirror, its got the thinklight, its got a trackpoint, it gets more than double the battery life real-world, its smaller & lighter, it looks more professional, its more durable.

And if you need OSX, well, then install OSX. It may not be perfect yet on Thinkpads, but its not getting any worse.