TP X201 versus Macbook Pro 13 for running Windows & Linux?

[Varu]

Hi all,

I'm curious what opinions you all may have about whether the Thinkpad X201 is better or worse than the Macbook Pro 13 for running Windows and Linux.

My local store has the MBP 13 inch on sale for $1k. I can get it today if I like. No store has the X201; I'd have to wait 3 weeks for one to arrive from Shanghai and I'd be buying it without trying out the keyboard etc.

I don't especially need Mac OS/X (I can't focus on those blurry Mac fonts anyway) but the MBP 13 will run XP and Linux fine, people say.

The Macs now use EFI instead of a normal BIOS, if I understand correctly. That may present some trouble for installing Linux.

The Macbook Pro's keyboard and trackpad are wonderful, but then so are most Thinkpads' as well.

The X201 has an i5 processor, which blows the MBP 13's Core 2 Duo out of the water. But the MBP 13 has an Nvidia 320M graphics processor -- whereas AFAIK the X201 has GMA integrated graphics.

Thanks.

[FragrantHead]

Well, the Macbook Pro has a built-in DVD-drive and a bigger screen, but there is a big difference in weight, starting weight of 1.35kg for the X201 vs 2.04kg for the Macbook Pro. I have a 2009 unibody Macbook 13". The touchpad blows every other touchpad out of the water, being bigger and more responsive. All the gestures simply work and have no lag, while at the same time the palm check is near perfect as well. Mind you, this is under MacOS and I've read it's not as refined under other OSs. Having used the touchpad under MacOS, I consider the new-style Lenovo touchpad in my T410s simply poor. It's fine as a basic touchpad, but the gestures and palm check are all laggy and unreliable.

On the other hand I find the keyboard of the Thinkpad beats the Macbook keyboard by a similar margin. I do not understand how the Apple keyboard gets good reviews. Mine is too stiff with poor feedback. I prefer a light touch and often miss keystrokes. I cannot get used to the layout either and the fact that the function keys are uniformly spaced is a big negative for me. I use software that makes use of those keys and I can feel, without looking, that I'm pressing the right key, via the gaps between every 4 function keys on the Thinkpad.

By the way, I have run Windows under VMware on the Macbook, which gives you the MacOS touchpad driver, but I do not recommend it as a permanent solution. My CPU supports Intel's new virtualisation instructions, but you still take too much of a performance hit (and I even had an Intel X25-M SSD in the machine at the time). Also Adobe Flash would occasionally drive VMware bananas and cause the CPU utilisation to go to 100% until the machine was rebooted.

Finally the screens on the latest Macbook, even the 13" are said to be really quite good. Contrast levels have been measured up at 600:1, whereas the X201 will very likely have a poor screen with poor contrast around 100-150:1, unless it's the tablet.

In summary, if you can live with the Macbook's glossy screen, keyboard, size and weight, I'd say go for that. By comparison, the X201 offers much lower weight, a better keyboard, the trackpoint, but no built-in DVD-drive and likely a poor, if matte screen.

[Varu]

My idea was to wipe the Macbook's hard drive and use only Windows and Linux. But I was told by people at the Apple store that doing so would void my warranty.

I think I can safety say the X201 is not for me. Not having a large trackpad is the main issue. But also it needs a 13 inch display, that's the minimum size these days for a serious work laptop.

[ZaZ]

MBP is not really a good choice for Windows either. It runs hot, has poor drivers and short battery life.

While you wouldn't probably get software support on a MBP, you certainly should have a hardware warranty regardless of the OS. You could put back OS X in the event of a failure.

[FragrantHead]

Apples rules and regulations seem to be ludicrous at times, don't they. My Macbook came with a good old fashioned re-installation/factory restore DVD. First of all, if I was sending any laptop in for warranty repairs, I would take out the hard drive; my data is too sensitive for any technician to look at. I'm hardly the only one for whom that's the case, so they should understand. Failing that you could restore the disk and they would be none the wiser. Better yet, get an SSD and keep the original disk in storage, if you have the money that is.

[FragrantHead]

So, by the way, have you located the Del key on the Macbook keyboard? Hint: There isn't one. You can press Fn-Backspace instead ... or was that something I set up using WMware, I can't remember. The keyboard is, in general, a bit underpopulated with keys for Windows.

[Varu]

MBP is not really a good choice for Windows either. It runs hot, has poor drivers and short battery life.

Yes, this is what I learned researching it. The sound often is too weak and the battery life is shorter under Windows than OS/X. But the Apple store people were insistent that the warranty would be voided somehow, so I opted to get a Thinkpad instead of the MBP... but not the X201.