Pics of the only Lenovo X300 in the Northeast.

[fujii13]

This is the only X300 in the Northeast. I have it on my desk, but only for a day, it's going to Harvard tomorrow.

Positives (compared to the only other competition in its class):
User removable battery? Check.
Optional second battery for 10 hrs battery life? Check.
Integrated DVD Burner? Check.
1440 x 900 resolution? Check.
Three COMPLETELY usable USB ports? Check.
Ethernet? Check.
GPS? Check.
3G Wireless? Check.
WiMax? Check.
No OSX? Check. (Yes, this is a positive.)
Actual computer as opposed to just a really big iPod? Check.

Negatives:
0.92 inches compared to 0.76 inches
3.1 lbs compared to 3 pounds.
(Who cares?)
SSD only option for HDD.

And for those of you about to quibble on price, a 1.6 GHz Air with ethernet, SuperDrive, and SSD is $2926. Quit your bitching. The X300 is priced between $2500 - $3000.

This is why the MacBook Air is a piece of shit:






In summary, the Lenovo X300 is a road warriors dream, a true ultraportable laptop. The MacBook Air is just a pretty toy.

[GranMassaX]

ya! fuck apple!

[mikecentola]

fuck lenovo

[dmoffitt]

It's ugly as sin, runs windows and sure it's better spec wise but that doesn't make it any more "usable" for what I'm doing. Seriously That thing was never designed by a single product/indsutrial designer, I swear. It's so hodge-podge (and this coming from someone who's owned several higher-end ThinkPad / pre-Lenovo crap IBMs, Dells, etc).

If all I was doing was shitty power-points and excel documents, I wouldn't buy a 3k laptop from ANY manufacturer so it's moot... I do design / art / print / web and live between CS3, Aperture, TextMate and I rather prefer how OS X's iCal / Mail / Address Book are seamless, much more than the MS Exchange/Outlook disaster. To have a compromise what I like OS wise and have to run XP (no way would I touch Vista) and put CS3 on that, it'd better save me money. This clearly doesn't. Plus, I bet the display isn't LED backlit and surely the keyboard isn't either. I could give 2 shits about an optical drive, I have used the one that I bought with the Air ONCE! ONE TIME. Because I wanted to do a fresh OS X install when I first bought it (old habits die hard, and I wanted to be rid of the languages / localization stuff that I'd never use)... That's IT. The screen, sure, 1440 is nicer than 1280 but I'll bet the Air's looks better (different panel, coatings, etc plus OS X's superior ColorSync workflow). But then I doubt most users even bother to hardware calibrate with a Spyder2 / Eye1 / Huey or similar - again, for what I AM DOING the Air does a far better job / meets my needs and I like it more. YMMV

Do you pay an "Apple Tax" to get their hardware? Sure. It's expensive. I never said the MacBook Air (or any other product) is a good PRICE. But does it represent a good VALUE, in my mind, absolutely. My Air is a pleasure to use and I'm willing to pay a premium for things like form-factor.

It's like a fine single-malt scotch. A bottle of Svedka will get you just as drunk as an 18 year old Glenfiddich single-malt but I can tell you which experience is more pleasurable. I'll take OS X and a nicely designed / feels-great-in-the-hands machine at a premium (in fact, I paid about that much for my Air, but with "lower specs" as you'll surely retort) over ugly/Windows any day.

It's an almost "religious" stupid debate saying one is better than the other, FOR ME, the Apple solution is superior, clearly someone from Apple raped your grandma when you were 9 so you'll continue to be close minded and tell us we're idiots for liking good industrial design, a solid non-stodgy secure (not to mention prettier) OS. I won't convince you otherwise, but you could stand to be a bit less of a Luddite.

PS no magsafe no care. Having pulled a laptop off a desk before, that's a MUST on any portable in my eyes...

[Wayne64SS]

Originally Posted by dmoffitt

It's ugly as sin, runs windows and sure it's better spec wise but that doesn't make it any more "usable" for what I'm doing. Seriously That thing was never designed by a single product/indsutrial designer, I swear. It's so hodge-podge (and this coming from someone who's owned several higher-end ThinkPad / pre-Lenovo crap IBMs, Dells, etc).

If all I was doing was shitty power-points and excel documents, I wouldn't buy a 3k laptop from ANY manufacturer so it's moot... I do design / art / print / web and live between CS3, Aperture, TextMate and I rather prefer how OS X's iCal / Mail / Address Book are seamless, much more than the MS Exchange/Outlook disaster. To have a compromise what I like OS wise and have to run XP (no way would I touch Vista) and put CS3 on that, it'd better save me money. This clearly doesn't. Plus, I bet the display isn't LED backlit and surely the keyboard isn't either. I could give 2 shits about an optical drive, I have used the one that I bought with the Air ONCE! ONE TIME. Because I wanted to do a fresh OS X install when I first bought it (old habits die hard, and I wanted to be rid of the languages / localization stuff that I'd never use)... That's IT. The screen, sure, 1440 is nicer than 1280 but I'll bet the Air's looks better (different panel, coatings, etc plus OS X's superior ColorSync workflow). But then I doubt most users even bother to hardware calibrate with a Spyder2 / Eye1 / Huey or similar - again, for what I AM DOING the Air does a far better job / meets my needs and I like it more. YMMV

Do you pay an "Apple Tax" to get their hardware? Sure. It's expensive. I never said the MacBook Air (or any other product) is a good PRICE. But does it represent a good VALUE, in my mind, absolutely. My Air is a pleasure to use and I'm willing to pay a premium for things like form-factor.

It's like a fine single-malt scotch. A bottle of Svedka will get you just as drunk as an 18 year old Glenfiddich single-malt but I can tell you which experience is more pleasurable. I'll take OS X and a nicely designed / feels-great-in-the-hands machine at a premium (in fact, I paid about that much for my Air, but with "lower specs" as you'll surely retort) over ugly/Windows any day.

It's an almost "religious" stupid debate saying one is better than the other, FOR ME, the Apple solution is superior, clearly someone from Apple raped your grandma when you were 9 so you'll continue to be close minded and tell us we're idiots for liking good industrial design, a solid non-stodgy secure (not to mention prettier) OS. I won't convince you otherwise, but you could stand to be a bit less of a Luddite.

PS no magsafe no care. Having pulled a laptop off a desk before, that's a MUST on any portable in my eyes...

SELFOWNED

[dmoffitt]

KEEP THIS THREAD CONSTRUCTIVE / TECHNICAL

Like I said, it's just as bad as "ford v chevy" or "import v. domestic" or "god v. allah" - those are debates w/o an answer. Either post something constructive / informational / your OPINON on the issue of what laptop or OS you prefer and WHY, not just "XYZ SUCKS" or don't post.

[slwrthnu]

the macbook air is a huge pile of shit no matter what. don't think all mac laptops are though. i love mac, and am not a new sackrider (apple since day 1, computer 1). i still hate the macbook air. i can admit when a company makes something shitty, and that is it.

[fujii13]

Originally Posted by dmoffitt

It's ugly as sin, runs windows and sure it's better spec wise but that doesn't make it any more "usable" for what I'm doing. Seriously That thing was never designed by a single product/indsutrial designer, I swear. It's so hodge-podge (and this coming from someone who's owned several higher-end ThinkPad / pre-Lenovo crap IBMs, Dells, etc).

If all I was doing was shitty power-points and excel documents, I wouldn't buy a 3k laptop from ANY manufacturer so it's moot... I do design / art / print / web and live between CS3, Aperture, TextMate and I rather prefer how OS X's iCal / Mail / Address Book are seamless, much more than the MS Exchange/Outlook disaster. To have a compromise what I like OS wise and have to run XP (no way would I touch Vista) and put CS3 on that, it'd better save me money. This clearly doesn't. Plus, I bet the display isn't LED backlit and surely the keyboard isn't either. I could give 2 shits about an optical drive, I have used the one that I bought with the Air ONCE! ONE TIME. Because I wanted to do a fresh OS X install when I first bought it (old habits die hard, and I wanted to be rid of the languages / localization stuff that I'd never use)... That's IT. The screen, sure, 1440 is nicer than 1280 but I'll bet the Air's looks better (different panel, coatings, etc plus OS X's superior ColorSync workflow). But then I doubt most users even bother to hardware calibrate with a Spyder2 / Eye1 / Huey or similar - again, for what I AM DOING the Air does a far better job / meets my needs and I like it more. YMMV

Do you pay an "Apple Tax" to get their hardware? Sure. It's expensive. I never said the MacBook Air (or any other product) is a good PRICE. But does it represent a good VALUE, in my mind, absolutely. My Air is a pleasure to use and I'm willing to pay a premium for things like form-factor.

It's like a fine single-malt scotch. A bottle of Svedka will get you just as drunk as an 18 year old Glenfiddich single-malt but I can tell you which experience is more pleasurable. I'll take OS X and a nicely designed / feels-great-in-the-hands machine at a premium (in fact, I paid about that much for my Air, but with "lower specs" as you'll surely retort) over ugly/Windows any day.

It's an almost "religious" stupid debate saying one is better than the other, FOR ME, the Apple solution is superior, clearly someone from Apple raped your grandma when you were 9 so you'll continue to be close minded and tell us we're idiots for liking good industrial design, a solid non-stodgy secure (not to mention prettier) OS. I won't convince you otherwise, but you could stand to be a bit less of a Luddite.

PS no magsafe no care. Having pulled a laptop off a desk before, that's a MUST on any portable in my eyes...

Let's compare "Apples to Apples" shall we? I've built the MacBook and the MacBook Air using as close to the same specs and functionality:

MacBook:
2.0 GHz
2 GB Ram (Upgradable)
80GB 5400 RPM Drive
Two FULLY usable USB Ports
Firewire Port
Integrated Gigabit Ethernet
Integrated DVD drive
Width: 1.08 inches
Weight: 5 lbs
User replaceable battery
Price: $1249

MacBook Air:
1.8GHz
2 GB Ram (onboard)
80GB 5400 RPM Drive
1 barely usable USB Port
No Firewire
No integrated Ethernet
SuperDrive - $99
Height: 0.76 inches
Weight: 3.0 lbs + weight of SuperDrive
Non-user replaceable battery (which pretty much necessitates the need for the $249 3 year protection plan)
Price: $2227 (This does not include the cost of the protection plan).

Price difference: $978

Not even the BIGGEST Apple fanboys can logically say that the MacBook Air is worth the thousand dollar difference for LESS computer. The MacBook Air is Steve Jobs way of saying "Yes, America, you ARE dumb enough to buy anything from Apple."

Please feel free to defend yourselves.
-----

On the topic at hand however, I dig the the X300 because it takes the idea of what the MacBook Air was trying to accomplish, and does it right. It's a lightweight, slim, ultraportable laptop that doesn't sacrifice any functionality to get the job done.

[mikecentola]

How ultraportable do you need to get? I've got a macbook that does the job 100% of the time I need to be portable...