I disagree. I own a Lenovo Thinkpad x220. It's perfect (for me).
Its keyboard is reason alone that it beats the MacBook Pro.
On top of that, I bought it back in 2011 for around 960 USD (converted). The configuration included an i5-2520M, 8GB of RAM, 320GB HDD, an 80GB m-SATA SSD and an upgrade to a 3-year on-site warranty.
Same here. I'm typing this on a macbook pro that I'm currently sucking data off onto my x220 running Arch. Similar setup. That msata bay rocks with an SSD in it, eh?
FWIW, specs say 8gb max but I've got 16gb ticking away in it nicely. You're probably aware of that but worth posting here for others if they are interested. One of the best laptop keyboards I've used.
I switched about 3 years back. I was using PB12 then and PowerPC was already on its way out. I figured that if I have to get new software anyway, I may switch the platforms as well.
The Thinkpad T400 I got is still a good machine, 3 years later. So good, that my brother bought himself Thinkpad X230 and is satisfied as well.
I hear it. I'm a stickler for comfort and design, so I'll be going for the thinnest, slabbiest, least-dent-prone thinkpad I can find when the time comes. I really do insist on the slab - i.e. as few indentations as possible - approach, so I hope its considered necessary, somewhere in the future, by Thinkpad designers ..
I really love my work thinkpad, except I'm not a big fan of trackpoints, and the touchpad is truly hateful. For work that's fine because I'm always docked, but I probably wouldn't consider them for personal use for that reason alone.
Have you tried changing the stock rubber cap to the vastly more ergonomic concave model? It gives you much finer control, effortlessly. It's a popular aftermarket part available for a couple dollars on auction sites.
I suspect trackpad vs trackpoint is one of those whichever you get used to first things. I use a USB thinkpad keyboard for my desk and have multiple times went hours before noticing my mouse was not plugged in. It somehow psychologically maps 1:1 with a mouse.
Its keyboard is reason alone that it beats the MacBook Pro.
On top of that, I bought it back in 2011 for around 960 USD (converted). The configuration included an i5-2520M, 8GB of RAM, 320GB HDD, an 80GB m-SATA SSD and an upgrade to a 3-year on-site warranty.