I bought an X1 carbon about a year ago and it has been an absolute nightmare for me. It's true that the keyboard is nice, the display is good etc. basically it is perfect on paper, but I have had so many issues caused by bad firmware from Lenovo (thunderbolt/HDMI failures, bluescreens). I've had the mainboard replaced 5 times, the trackpad replaced twice, and I am currently using a laptop with a trackpad I am not happy with and speakers that are broken and I'm genuinely afraid to let lenovo touch it again because it always comes back with some new issue. If you use the physical trackpad buttons to click, it causes the pointer to stop dead for a second or more, which means no drag and drop, no text selecting etc. Not a massive issue, but I bought the laptop partly for the good inputs, and now it is no different to any other laptop with no physical click buttons because I can't really use them the way I like. I'm lifelong windows/linux, so really don't want to go mac if I can avoid it, but it just doesn't seem like there is a single windows laptop manufacturer that focuses on quality or reliability. most surveys I see put the failure rates at double mac level.
mac simply won the laptop war. no contest. the only people using anything else haven't tried one or have no choice (my linux homies waiting for system76 to catch up get a pass). at least that was the case until apple went all in on usb-c :/
"no contest" might be a bit of an overstatement. I'd agree that there is no contest when it comes to quality, but this is definitely not the case regarding features. There are a huge number of features available from lenovo and other manufacturers that are simply not available from any mac laptop. connectivity is a total joke and I have no idea why they persist with the infuriating lack of ports, even on premium or "pro" models. no matte display options, faulty keyboards that take years to rectify (by reverting to a previous design no less) and not to mention the extortionate price of peripherals, total hostility to repairs. etc. etc. Carbon x1 is significantly lighter than a macbook air with a larger display, more connectivity and better travel on the keyboard.
As I mentioned in another comment, I've had at least two and perhaps even three ("loaded") MacBook Pros in the same timeframe that I've had my ThinkPad W530.
The MBPs have came and went but the W530 is still being used nearly every day.
Many of us (former) die-hard Apple fans have become disillusioned with Apple in the last several years.
nice, me too. donglegate is really the only reason im lurking in this thread and considering going back. the thinkpad given to me when i was a child still works(!) but it's gunky and the finish is a bit worn, while the mbp i've used every single day for the last 5 years is still going strong and looks brand new (apple did replace the screen under a recall).
this is just my own experience but i think they both have well-deserved reputations as being tough machines. i would sooner drop a thinkpad than a mpb, for sure, but i love using the macbook so much more. i think apple's problem is they stopped innovating, and while their systems should be getting cheaper as a result, they are getting more expensive. while thinkpad continues to grow.
Newer Mac Books have known issues with their keyboards. Not only do their keyboards feel almost like typing on a solid hunk of plastic, but those butterfly keyboards are very delicate, fail easily, and are very expensive to replace.
On my Thinkpad T470, when the keyboard goes bad (which, yes, happens about once every two years), replacing it requires a $50-$60 replacement keyboard, a single small Phillips screwdriver, and spending about 5 minutes installing the new keyboard.
