Macbook Air vs. Lenovo X300 -- You decide.

[legionaire45]

I'm in a bit of a feud with my Mac-fanboy of a brother and considering I can't get through his thick skull maybe you guys can =P. Try to keep your Anti-Mac fanboyism out of this, just compare the two expensive pieces of shit to each other so we can see which is better. I admit that I do not like the Macbook air, hence why I am posting this to a relatively neutral audience, however I will keep all my research down there as unbiased as possible. I admit there are some nice things about the Macbook Air but in my opinion there are too many flaws to make it worth the price. The same can be said of the X300, which is the closest thing to the MBA on the market.


http://images.macworld.com/images/news/graphics/131583-mbair_large.jpg
CPU: 1.6 - 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2 GB DDR2-667 (soldered to the motherboard - not user upgradeable)
Storage: 80 GB HDD / 64 GB SSD (+$900)
Graphics: Intel GMA X3100 w/ 144MB Shared Memory
Screen: 13.3" LED Backlit LCD, 1280 x 800
Networking: Bluetooth + Wifi
Other: iSight, Mono Speaker, Omnidirectional Mic, full-sized backlit 78/79 key keyboard, Trackpad with multitouch, (Apple Superdrive is an $100 accessory), 1 USB port/MicroDVI/3.5mm Audio Jack on a bezel that blocks some larger USB devices (http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/25/macbook-air-review/) (ex. fatter Flashdrives/USB wireless adapters)
Battery Life: "5 hours of battery life" (measured as roughly 2.5 hours according to Arstechnica (http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/macbook-air-review.ars/4)). Laptop must be brought into an Apple store to have it's battery changed (it's a simple procedure, but I'm unclear whether doing it yourself voids the warranty or not).

Size: 0.16 - 0.76" x 12.8" x 8.94"
Weight: 3.0lbs
Base Price: $1,800
Maxed Out (no Cinema Displays, etc.): ~$3,100

http://www.lenovo.com/shop/americas/content/img_lib/products/splitter/notebooks/ThinkPad/X-Series/X300/x300_main_thinandlight_332x216.jpg
CPU: 1.2 GHz Core 2 Duo LV
Memory: Stock: 1 GB DDR2-667 2 DIMM (can be upgraded by the user to up to 4 GB, 2 GB is a $32 add on)
Storage: 64 GB SSD (stock)
Graphics: Intel GMA X3100 w/ ???? Shared Memory
Screen: 13.3" LED Backlit LCD, 1440 x 900
Networking: Bluetooth + Wifi, ethernet
Other: DVD Burner, webcam/mic, fingerprint reader, 3 USB ports, option for wireless USB, full sized keyboard, trackpad
Battery Life: "Up to 10 Hours" (until I see an actual review I doubt that figure, although the fact that it uses a Low Voltage CPU suggests to me that it will have better battery performance). Battery is easily user replaceable.

Size: 0.73 - 0.92" x ???? x ????
Weight: 2.9-3.1lbs
Base Price: ~$2,700
Maxed out: ~$3,000

Sources:
Lenovo (http://shop.lenovo.com/us/landing_pages/thinkpad/2008/X300?cid=us%7Csemd%7Cggl%7Cus_x300_en%7Ct3CFA%7Cs&&s_kwcid=lenovo%20x300%7C1071363961)
Apple
(http://www.apple.com/macbookair/specs.html)Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/lenovo-x300-vs-apple-macbook-air/)

I admit that I probably have subconsciously forgotten some things that would make either laptop look better or worse, so please PM me if you have some more info that supports the MBA or is against the X300.

[n00b1n8R]

I think both are a massive waste of money.
Oh, and you didn't mention the default OS. :downs:

[Terin]

I agree. Sacrificing a good graphics card, DVD-drive, ports, a big hard drive, and stability for an inch or two off and a little more battery life, or paying thousands more to get it, is not worth it.

[Phopojijo]

They both suck -- especially at 3100$.

You could pick up a similar Dell Inspiron with a Radeon X1300 for ~1100$.

[Con]

of the two, the Lenovo, simply because it has a longer battery life. Nobody would do any gaming or serious stuff on a laptop anyway, so its specs seem adequate.

[n00b1n8R]

of the two, the Lenovo, simply because it has a longer battery life. Nobody would do any gaming or serious stuff on a laptop anyway, so its specs seem adequate.
:raise:

[beele]

of the two, the Lenovo, simply because it has a longer battery life. Nobody would do any gaming or serious stuff on a laptop anyway, so its specs seem adequate.


Yeah, I use my laptop for gaming and serious stuff :p

[Kornman00]

Same, but I really don't have much choice...

[Xetsuei]

They're both overpriced pieces of shit, but I'd take the Lenovo over the Apple any day.

[legionaire45]

Yeah, if I had $3,000 to spend on a laptop I wouldn't get either of these, I'd probably end up getting like a $2,500ish "gaming" laptop (midrange lappy, no SLI xD) with a decent amount of storage, 2 or three extra batteries and a nice case to hold it all. That or I might just get myself a $500 lappy for word processing only and then spend the remaining $2,500 on a new flatscreen or some upgrades for my comp.

As I stated before, Lenovo over the MBA though.

[Mr Buckshot]

Lenovo. The Macbook Air has only one USB port - unacceptable. I can understand the price - at this size, ultraportable laptops will almost always cost over $2000.

But the ASUS EEE owns all when it comes to laptops of this particular class. Anyway, if I wanted a laptop that thin-and-light that still had an 80GB or larger hard drive and a nice CPU, I'd buy a TABLET PC - my sister uses one and loves it.

As for gaming on a laptop - it happens all the time, just not quite as often as on desktops. Laptop gaming has really taken off, with laptop parts being more standardized and cheaper to produce. Still, I don't game on my laptop unless I have friends over who want to do a LAN match (too much effort to lug the whole desktop between houses).

Macbook Air still LOOKS better, though. It just has terrible connectivity.

and since this is about 13.3" laptops"

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4296

http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/31578.jpg

LG P300 - the most advanced 13.3" laptop for only $1800 Canadian. I am buying one from Futureshop instead of getting a Californian friend to buy an ASUS from Newegg for me. It sports a C2D T8300 and a Geforce 8600M GS - previously, we never saw anything bigger than an 8400 in the 13.3" category. Very impressive. In comparison, my dad's business-class Sony VAIO SZ (also 13.3") sports a Core 1 Duo T2500 and a Geforce 7400/Intel 950 hybrid gfx system.

[Zeph]

Nobody would do any gaming or serious stuff on a laptop anyway, so its specs seem adequate.
I do. I love the mobility.

[legionaire45]

By the way, my brother just blew off the poll, stating that we are just "a bunch of halo players who can't spell without the spellchecker in firefox". He then proceeded to state that "the Macbook Air is sold out" and that he "can't say the same about Vista".

...we were talking about operating systems? huh?

[Mr Buckshot]

I do. I love the mobility.

Same here, I have a gaming laptop AND a more powerful desktop. I always take the laptop with me when I'm on vacation. I used to carry a gaming laptop to school for Powerpoint presentations, but for convenience I acquired an ASUS EEE for school use.

My family frequently uses laptops, so I'm well aware of the sacrifices that have to made when taking computing to the smaller form factor. I am willing to pay $1200 for a laptop even if a similarly-spec'ed desktop can be had for half the price, simply because I need the portability and I can't take a desktop into the shitter with me.

But if you aren't the type who needs to have a full-fledged computer while away from home (a PDA doesn't count), then you should probably avoid laptops.