HP Envy vs Macbook air vs macbook pro

[slackerinabox]

I've had shit luck with my past few "good enough" laptops (netbooks, 11.6 amd x2 laptops, all sub $600) that proved to be far from good enough. I just need a laptop for web browsing, streaming movie watching, and a fast enough performance to not be a chore to use, but from flash HD never working to netflix being unusable, I'm ready to spend a reasonable amount of money ($1,500) to get somethign that doesn't suck. Most windows laptops tend to roast my balls too, so something with decent battery life and thermals.

I'm bi-platform myself, but generally find os X more drama free and get up and use then my windows pcs, so I'm thinking of either a 11.6 macbook air or macbook pro. I find the looks and portability of the air lovely, any reason to go pro? I mean, doesn't the 5400 rpm hard drive on the pro hurt performance vs. the ssd of the air? is it a toss up?

Also, how's the envy? I know it'll be a much better gamer but is it really a portable computer or one of those bohemeths with 2 hour battery lives? Also, build quality compared to a mac? Are the touchpads on the envy's much better than the hp low end trackpads that make me want to just toss my laptop out the window?

 

[TheStu]

I can't talk about the Envy but here is what you should know about Air v Pro:

1: The 13" Pro comes with 4GB RAM, 2.4GHz i5, 500GB HDD and 7 hour battery ($1199)
2: The 13" Air comes with 4GB RAM, 1.7GHz i5, 128GB SSD and 7 hour battery ($1299)

Looking at the two, you could say that the Air would be snappier, but you can store more on the Pro, which is true but isn't the end of the story.

The Pro is 1.5x heavier
The Air has 1.25x the resolution
The Pro has firewire, ethernet, and an optical drive
The Air um... doesn't.

You can get an SSD (one that is faster than the one in the Air) for the Pro for a couple hundred bucks, so the advantage is lost there for the Air. That leaves it standing on its weight, sleekness and higher res display. Personally I would go for the Air. Yes, the Pro is faster, but you just said that you don't need that kind of power, and unless you are using optical disks a lot, or need gads of storage, the Pro doesn't have a whole lot of advantages.

What I am saying is that at the end of the day they are fairly well matched which is why Apple is probably going to kill off the 13" Pro at some point, but that IMO that Air is a superior system.

Oh, you can also argue that the Air has better ergonomics due to the wedge shape. I never really noticed the sharp edge on my old MacBook, but I do notice it now after being used to my Air.

 

[madoka]

Well, you seemed to have learned the same lesson I did. Get the MBA.

Lest you think I'm being biased, I currently own nine PC laptops and five Macbooks (three of them Airs). Over the years, attractive prices got me to buy several PCs from netbooks to my monster 18" HP. I learned that you get what you pay for. They all turned into garbage within a few months. Cheaply built garbage. Even PC attempts to copy Macs (e.g. Envy and Adamo) were crap imitations that cost just a few hundred less.

I switched over to Macbooks and they were just well made in comparison. I use one of two different 17" for my daily work and keep a 11" MBA in my bedroom for websurfing in bed. The 13" MBA is a great traveling companion and overall great laptop. I'd recommend it over the 11". And if you can, wait for the summer when the models get released.

I did have one problem with one of my 17" MBPs: the graphics card went flaky. I drove it over to the nearest Apple Store and they replaced it as a courtesy even though it was out of warranty. Never even had to ask. Simple as that. I had the same problem with a Sony and two Dells and all three were within warranty. Like waiting on hold for hours so some guy in a different country can recite a bunch of scripts at you? Like arguing with Indian customer service? Neither do I. All three are now doorstops.

Now I just pity those PC fanboys who insist that Macbooks are overpriced. Reality is that when PC manufacturers try to copy Macs, the prices are not that much different. But they still will never match the user experience, warranty, service, resale value or overall level of quality. I'll let those guys stick to their $399 Black Friday special that they have to replace every few months.

 

[slackerinabox]

I can't talk about the Envy but here is what you should know about Air v Pro:

1: The 13" Pro comes with 4GB RAM, 2.4GHz i5, 500GB HDD and 7 hour battery ($1199)
2: The 13" Air comes with 4GB RAM, 1.7GHz i5, 128GB SSD and 7 hour battery ($1299)

Looking at the two, you could say that the Air would be snappier, but you can store more on the Pro, which is true but isn't the end of the story.

The Pro is 1.5x heavier
The Air has 1.25x the resolution
The Pro has firewire, ethernet, and an optical drive
The Air um... doesn't.

You can get an SSD (one that is faster than the one in the Air) for the Pro for a couple hundred bucks, so the advantage is lost there for the Air. That leaves it standing on its weight, sleekness and higher res display. Personally I would go for the Air. Yes, the Pro is faster, but you just said that you don't need that kind of power, and unless you are using optical disks a lot, or need gads of storage, the Pro doesn't have a whole lot of advantages.

What I am saying is that at the end of the day they are fairly well matched which is why Apple is probably going to kill off the 13" Pro at some point, but that IMO that Air is a superior system.

Oh, you can also argue that the Air has better ergonomics due to the wedge shape. I never really noticed the sharp edge on my old MacBook, but I do notice it now after being used to my Air.

Thank you so so much for your very valuable thoughts. One thing you said really's pushing me toward the MBA - no wristcutter strange ergonomics! Seems like it would be really good on my back too. Would still like to hear what hp owners think. I kinda find the envy dashing in a macbook pro's evil brother sorta way, and the badass internals don't disappoint either (dedicated gpu, premium speakers, etc. - it's kinda pimp) make it pretty appealing. But, as mentioned - build quality is important. My windows laptops don't seem to last more than 8 months while I'm happily still using a 2005 macbook black (battery doesn't hold a charge, used as plex media center).

 

[slackerinabox]

Well, you seemed to have learned the same lesson I did. Get the MBA.

Lest you think I'm being biased, I currently own nine PC laptops and five Macbooks (three of them Airs). Over the years, attractive prices got me to buy several PCs from netbooks to my monster 18" HP. I learned that you get what you pay for. They all turned into garbage within a few months. Cheaply built garbage. Even PC attempts to copy Macs (e.g. Envy and Adamo) were crap imitations that cost just a few hundred less.

I switched over to Macbooks and they were just well made in comparison. I use one of two different 17" for my daily work and keep a 11" MBA in my bedroom for websurfing in bed. The 13" MBA is a great traveling companion and overall great laptop. I'd recommend it over the 11". And if you can, wait for the summer when the models get released.

I did have one problem with one of my 17" MBPs: the graphics card went flaky. I drove it over to the nearest Apple Store and they replaced it as a courtesy even though it was out of warranty. Never even had to ask. Simple as that. I had the same problem with a Sony and two Dells and all three were within warranty. Like waiting on hold for hours so some guy in a different country can recite a bunch of scripts at you? Like arguing with Indian customer service? Neither do I. All three are now doorstops.

Now I just pity those PC fanboys who insist that Macbooks are overpriced. Reality is that when PC manufacturers try to copy Macs, the prices are not that much different. But they still will never match the user experience, warranty, service, resale value or overall level of quality. I'll let those guys stick to their $399 Black Friday special that they have to replace every few months.

EXACTLY my experience! I feel like a complete tool, having spent a combined $2,000+ on wintel laptop that fell apart or had miserable performance issues. I know it's unfair to compare $400-700 windows laptops to $1,000 macs ($949, actually), but the perception that macs are "overpriced" isn't fair being that build quality,great warranty and service and excellent design /materials has to cost something. I've tried to get repairs done on an hp and gave up after level 4 tech support said that my problem wasn't covered under the warranty (after being on hold for over an hour battling through the levels of script reading). $75 plus shipping to get the piece that snapped under regular use fixed because HPs are made of the type of plastic used to make laundry baskets and dixie cups. Heck, I got my iMac fixed twice for free, quickly, and locally and loved that beauty for 5+ solid years...I miss her, actually and tinkering constantly trying to fix her.

Decision made- I'm getting a mac. But here's a concern, some reviews said that macbook pros are up to 4xs faster editing videos. I'm getting an iMac for serious work whenever the budget allows, but would like to edit lightly on my new laptop since my current iMac is toast. Is the mba that horrible for video editing, or will it do? I figure mostly 720p but let's pretend I'll rent a 1080p camera and try to make the next Batman movie in my basement.

 

[TheStu]

EXACTLY my experience! I feel like a complete tool, having spent a combined $2,000+ on wintel laptop that fell apart or had miserable performance issues. I know it's unfair to compare $400-700 windows laptops to $1,000 macs ($949, actually), but the perception that macs are "overpriced" isn't fair being that build quality,great warranty and service and excellent design /materials has to cost something. I've tried to get repairs done on an hp and gave up after level 4 tech support said that my problem wasn't covered under the warranty (after being on hold for over an hour battling through the levels of script reading). $75 plus shipping to get the piece that snapped under regular use fixed because HPs are made of the type of plastic used to make laundry baskets and dixie cups. Heck, I got my iMac fixed twice for free, quickly, and locally and loved that beauty for 5+ solid years...I miss her, actually and tinkering constantly trying to fix her.

Decision made- I'm getting a mac. But here's a concern, some reviews said that macbook pros are up to 4xs faster editing videos. I'm getting an iMac for serious work whenever the budget allows, but would like to edit lightly on my new laptop since my current iMac is toast. Is the mba that horrible for video editing, or will it do? I figure mostly 720p but let's pretend I'll rent a 1080p camera and try to make the next Batman movie in my basement.

I can't speak to the video editing aspect as I am running the Core 2 model. Either the current Air or Pro would destroy it in CPU terms.

 

[finbarqs]

i have a friend with an envy 14, and my gf rocks an envy 14, and the rest of her family rocks MBP's.

First build quality. MBP. If envy's were 8/10 in build quality, MBP would be a 11. Uni body aluminum chassis makes it feel really really rigid. Thin LCD (Why does HP insist on making thick LCD's?), Smooth-sturdy keyboard (for some reason it just feels better after a couple of hours of typing), and the touchpad. Glass top vs. plastic or whatever they use. Funny, because HP Elitebooks uses glass for their touchpads as well. Anyways, you definitely feel the degradation in the quality with HP. If it was me, I'd say MBP 15"

 

[alent1234]

my last $1500 HP laptop fell apart and the warranty was crap and wasn't honored. will never buy an HP laptop unless it's some ultra cheap model that i don't care if it breaks

 

[kevinsbane]

I would not discount non-mac products purely based on thermals; anything based on the Sandy Bridge architecture (2nd Gen Intel i-series) will have the same thermals. Older gen MBA and MBP suffer similar thermal problems with heat dissipation.

That being said, the MBA will run significantly hotter than the MBP. MBA also has the property that the keyboard will be hotter than the bottom, so if you find yourself using the keyboard a lot, then it may be uncomfortable. (Personally, I dislike tablets because of the warm screen)

On the other hand, I would still go with the MBA. With the current gen of processors, thermals are not an issue with pretty much anything (unless you're encoding... on your lap... or have are streaming 1080p content while doing a virus scan and updating OS files at the same time) and the MBA is lighter, cheaper and snappier (SSD makes a big difference in user experience). The biggest drawback will be in the screen; although the MBA 11" and MBP 13" have the same resolution, the MBP 13" has a much higher gamut screen: that is, colours will look redder and bluer and greener - closer to the actual colours. The MBA screens are relatively deficient in colour gamut. Practically speaking, the MBP will look more vibrant and colourful than the MBA.

I'm currently running a Thinkpad X220, and although it isn't as thin (quite a bit thicker) and light (a tad heavier) as a MBA 11", it functions much in the same niche as a MBA. My thoughts on this:

Smaller is better when you're using it all around the house (couch, table, exercise machines, bed, walking around). Lighter is better. Colour gamut matters when you're using an external monitor; otherwise, I don't notice it. SSD works wonders; I love mine. Battery life is excellent (as with any SB processor); I get ~6-7 H on a single charge. HP Envy should get approximately the same battery life.

I'd say go with your initial desire for the MBA. It hits more of your desires, and only really misses on colour gamut and a slight disadvantage in thermals.

but the perception that macs are "overpriced" isn't fair being that build quality,great warranty and service and excellent design /materials has to cost something.

Being overpriced is more of a personal value judgement than anything else, but no one should deny they are expensive.

Now I just pity those PC fanboys who insist that Macbooks are overpriced. Reality is that when PC manufacturers try to copy Macs, the prices are not that much different. But they still will never match the user experience, warranty, service, resale value or overall level of quality. I'll let those guys stick to their $399 Black Friday special that they have to replace every few months.

😕I will disagree with you in that "PC"s cannot match the user experience. Because they can, and do. Just that many "PC"s do not.

 

[TheStu]

I would not discount non-mac products purely based on thermals; anything based on the Sandy Bridge architecture (2nd Gen Intel i-series) will have the same thermals. Older gen MBA and MBP suffer similar thermal problems with heat dissipation.

That being said, the MBA will run significantly hotter than the MBP. MBA also has the property that the keyboard will be hotter than the bottom, so if you find yourself using the keyboard a lot, then it may be uncomfortable. (Personally, I dislike tablets because of the warm screen)

On the other hand, I would still go with the MBA. With the current gen of processors, thermals are not an issue with pretty much anything (unless you're encoding... on your lap... or have are streaming 1080p content while doing a virus scan and updating OS files at the same time) and the MBA is lighter, cheaper and snappier (SSD makes a big difference in user experience). The biggest drawback will be in the screen; although the MBA 11" and MBP 13" have the same resolution, the MBP 13" has a much higher gamut screen: that is, colours will look redder and bluer and greener - closer to the actual colours. The MBA screens are relatively deficient in colour gamut. Practically speaking, the MBP will look more vibrant and colourful than the MBA.

I'm currently running a Thinkpad X220, and although it isn't as thin (quite a bit thicker) and light (a tad heavier) as a MBA 11", it functions much in the same niche as a MBA. My thoughts on this:

Smaller is better when you're using it all around the house (couch, table, exercise machines, bed, walking around). Lighter is better. Colour gamut matters when you're using an external monitor; otherwise, I don't notice it. SSD works wonders; I love mine. Battery life is excellent (as with any SB processor); I get ~6-7 H on a single charge. HP Envy should get approximately the same battery life.

I'd say go with your initial desire for the MBA. It hits more of your desires, and only really misses on colour gamut and a slight disadvantage in thermals.

Being overpriced is more of a personal value judgement than anything else, but no one should deny they are expensive.

😕I will disagree with you in that "PC"s cannot match the user experience. Because they can, and do. Just that many "PC"s do not.

Cheap ones generally don't match the experience. If you want Apple level quality then you are usually in Apple level prices. And IIRC, at least at retail, if you are willing to spend Apple kind of money, 9 times out of 10, you are getting the Mac.

 

[kevinsbane]

Cheap ones generally don't match the experience. If you want Apple level quality then you are usually in Apple level prices. And IIRC, at least at retail, if you are willing to spend Apple kind of money, 9 times out of 10, you are getting the Mac.

Cheap ones generally do not, true. But there are quality laptops available that are cheaper than Apple, and provide better than Apple level quality. At the retail level, it is hard to find as few retailers stock laptops at the price levels of Apple stores (it is very difficult to find a laptop >$1200 at retail that is not Apple). Apple is the only game in town, so to speak, at "Apple level prices". Not because (better?*) alternatives don't exist, but because no one carries them at retail.

That is not to say that there is much non-Apple crap out there that it often drowns out the gems in a sea of crappiness. But those gems are truly epic. That's one big benefit to Apple stuff; their products have a consistent high quality. I will personally dispute they have the best quality, and no one should dispute that they do not have the best value, but with Apple, you know what you get. And that involves paying for it.

*YMMV.

 

[rabbitz]

Cheap ones generally don't match the experience. If you want Apple level quality then you are usually in Apple level prices. And IIRC, at least at retail, if you are willing to spend Apple kind of money, 9 times out of 10, you are getting the Mac.

Well I'm sure it's agreed that you get what you pay for, so if you want quality you won't find it in 'cheap' laptops. But how about macbooks vs macbook-priced laptops? Is there a clear advantage either way? Or just down to preference?

I've always wanted a macbook for their looks, but in the end I am just a sucker for performance so I sacrifice form factor for lower cost (i.e. xps 15 is pretty big and ugly, but much cheaper than a macbook pro 15).

I don't have too much personal experience with the current macbooks though, can anyone give me an unbiased comparison?

 

[slackerinabox]

You guys convinced me and I'm now the proud owner of a 11.6/ 4gb/128gbssd macbook air! Was down to the wire because best buy had a 13.3" macbook pro on sale (open box, $800!), but the portability for the same usable resolution won out in the end.

 

[TheStu]

Well I'm sure it's agreed that you get what you pay for, so if you want quality you won't find it in 'cheap' laptops. But how about macbooks vs macbook-priced laptops? Is there a clear advantage either way? Or just down to preference?

I've always wanted a macbook for their looks, but in the end I am just a sucker for performance so I sacrifice form factor for lower cost (i.e. xps 15 is pretty big and ugly, but much cheaper than a macbook pro 15).

I don't have too much personal experience with the current macbooks though, can anyone give me an unbiased comparison?

A lot comes down to preference. For my money, the best laptop OS is OS X, and the best laptops are Macs. You put the two together and it is hard to beat IMO. My PC laptop experience is fairly limited, mostly to business machines from work and school. They are all pretty well put together, don't get me wrong, and you can usually more easily get decent resolution screens on them as well. However, all that said, trackpad and keyboards are a big priority for me, and Apple makes the best ones.

If you want the absolute most processing bang for your buck, then yes you should look elsewhere, however these days all the CPUs are pretty stupidly fast, so really there isn't as huge a difference outside of gaming.

 

[slackerinabox]

Well I'm sure it's agreed that you get what you pay for, so if you want quality you won't find it in 'cheap' laptops. But how about macbooks vs macbook-priced laptops? Is there a clear advantage either way? Or just down to preference?

I've always wanted a macbook for their looks, but in the end I am just a sucker for performance so I sacrifice form factor for lower cost (i.e. xps 15 is pretty big and ugly, but much cheaper than a macbook pro 15).

I don't have too much personal experience with the current macbooks though, can anyone give me an unbiased comparison?

The closest I came was a Lenovo thinkpad - beautiful build quality, nice industrial design, and great keyboard and trackpad. My Dell Vostro v16 (thin and light) was pretty ok other then really chintzy trackpad buttons, but no way in the league of my new macbook air. I walked around the windows laptop section seeing if anything up to $1,500 came close but nada. Asus' ultrabook was very nicely designed but the trackpad felt similar to the one on my $200 eeepc.

 

[kevinsbane]

However, all that said, trackpad and keyboards are a big priority for me, and Apple makes the best ones.

If you want the absolute most processing bang for your buck, then yes you should look elsewhere, however these days all the CPUs are pretty stupidly fast, so really there isn't as huge a difference outside of gaming.

Apple does indeed have the best trackpad, but the best keyboards are in Thinkpads. Those things are beasts. I've had the opportunity to try a Macbook keyboard, and I'd have to say the feel of my x220 is superior.

Even in gaming, high end CPUs aren't necessary, just a good video card. Good CPU is only really needed for CAD work and data manipulation and rendering and all those nice productivity tasks.

The closest I came was a Lenovo thinkpad - beautiful build quality, nice industrial design, and great keyboard and trackpad

Thumbs down on my trackpad 🙁 The x220 trackpad is very mediocre. Of course, it meant that I was forced to learn the trackpoint... which is > trackpad 😀

 

[finbarqs]

so there we have it: MBP is the BEST overall laptop. They still have their awesome patented magsafe power connector, which nobody can copy! (since it's patented) But what an awesome idea!

 

[Sunburn74]

Well allow me to be contrarian. I own an HP envy 14 from 2010. Its a fabulous machine. I actually bought it for around 600 dollars refurbished from HP's outlet store and it's been the best PC purchase I have made in a long long time. I could go into the specifics of what I like about the laptop but particularly

1) its solidly built (nothing shifts or creaks or bends)
2) I love the trackpad
3) I love the keyboard
4) I get comments all the time about my laptop

The cons are the battery life (I can get about 4 hrs on average and can stretch it out to like 4.5 with some tweaks) and the CPU fan is a little noisy. The screen is glossy and is a pain to use nearby airport windows. Also, aesthetically the base is a different color than the rest of the laptop and it honestly I don't understand why HP would do that. They seem to have realized it makes more sense to have single color for their newer models

Overall I'd rate the laptop like an 8/10. I would absolutely purchase the 2012 envy's as well, but have no need because did I say already that I love my machine? I also recently threw in a SSD for good measure and a second 4gb stick of ram, not because I needed to but mostly because I could and it was easy to do.

If you use OSX buy a mac they are fabulous machines as well. I dispute though the disparity in quality. I don't think the gap is all that wide Its something I can't appreciate honestly when I use macbooks that are lying around when I visit friends and etc. Maybe I'm buying into HP's magical distortion field.

 

[jihe]

Well, you seemed to have learned the same lesson I did. Get the MBA.

Lest you think I'm being biased, I currently own nine PC laptops and five Macbooks (three of them Airs). Over the years, attractive prices got me to buy several PCs from netbooks to my monster 18" HP. I learned that you get what you pay for. They all turned into garbage within a few months. Cheaply built garbage. Even PC attempts to copy Macs (e.g. Envy and Adamo) were crap imitations that cost just a few hundred less.

I switched over to Macbooks and they were just well made in comparison. I use one of two different 17" for my daily work and keep a 11" MBA in my bedroom for websurfing in bed. The 13" MBA is a great traveling companion and overall great laptop. I'd recommend it over the 11". And if you can, wait for the summer when the models get released.

I did have one problem with one of my 17" MBPs: the graphics card went flaky. I drove it over to the nearest Apple Store and they replaced it as a courtesy even though it was out of warranty. Never even had to ask. Simple as that. I had the same problem with a Sony and two Dells and all three were within warranty. Like waiting on hold for hours so some guy in a different country can recite a bunch of scripts at you? Like arguing with Indian customer service? Neither do I. All three are now doorstops.

Now I just pity those PC fanboys who insist that Macbooks are overpriced. Reality is that when PC manufacturers try to copy Macs, the prices are not that much different. But they still will never match the user experience, warranty, service, resale value or overall level of quality. I'll let those guys stick to their $399 Black Friday special that they have to replace every few months.

You should try the ones that do not attempt to copy macs, i.e. the business lines of HP, Dell and Lenovo. They are all no drama notebooks with good service.

 

[jihe]

Cheap ones generally don't match the experience. If you want Apple level quality then you are usually in Apple level prices. And IIRC, at least at retail, if you are willing to spend Apple kind of money, 9 times out of 10, you are getting the Mac.

The x220's regularly go for about $800 when lenovo have their discounts, it's comparable in quality.

 

[TheStu]

The x220's regularly go for about $800 when lenovo have their discounts, it's comparable in quality.

Right, but the price without discounts is only a little less than the equivalent MacBook Air.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Right, but the price without discounts is only a little less than the equivalent MacBook Air.

The x220 is a competitor to the Macbook pro 13 not the Air.

For the same price as the base model MBP 13 I got an X220 with
-a better IPS screen
-the same processor
-same ram
-same gpu
-a 120gb SSD vs a 5400rpm HDD in the MBP.
-considerably better battery life

With some of the deals Lenovo has offered on the X220 you could easily undercut the MBP 13 on price while maintaining a significant advantage in features.

 

[TheStu]

The x220 is a competitor to the Macbook pro 13 not the Air.

For the same price as the base model MBP 13 I got an X220 with
-a better IPS screen
-the same processor
-same ram
-same gpu
-a 120gb SSD vs a 5400rpm HDD in the MBP.
-considerably better battery life

With some of the deals Lenovo has offered on the X220 you could easily undercut the MBP 13 on price while maintaining a significant advantage in features.

What is the battery life on the x220? The Pro rates 7 hours in OS X. All your other points are good and valid though.

 

[kevinsbane]

What is the battery life on the x220? The Pro rates 7 hours in OS X. All your other points are good and valid though.

Wireless internet, screen brightness @ 12/15, I get 6+ hours consistently. If I lock down all Flash content, it goes up by ~30-40 min. I am running a 160 GB SSD though, and that helps cut down on power use. This is on my 6 cell battery. The 9 cell bumps upon weight by ~200 g (little less than half a pound), and comes as a ~$40-50 upgrade. I consistently get ~9 hours or so wireless internet on that.

Using AutoCAD, battery life drops down to 4.5H for the 6 cell.

The x220 is a competitor to the both Macbook pro 13 not the Air.

IMO, the x220 is a valid competitor to both the MBP 13 and MBA lines. It acts sort of as a middle ground between the two. Although it is significantly larger than the MBA line, that is only in terms of volume; it weighs about half a pound more than the MBA 13. I use my x220 in much the same way I would use a MBA: anywhere, everywhere.

Right, but the price without discounts is only a little less than the equivalent MacBook Air.

True. It is, however, generally more capable than any MBA. Discounts come around quite often; usually at least once a month for a week at a time, and once every few months you get a deeper discount. I grabbed my x220, all in, at $1100 + tax

 

[Puddle Jumper]

What is the battery life on the x220? The Pro rates 7 hours in OS X. All your other points are good and valid though.

I've gotten ~10 hours from mine in real world use without putting any serious effort into getting the most run time out of it. I think it is officially rated for 13-14 hours and I''ve seen a couple of reviewers manage close to that so I think it's fair to say the x220 has roughly double the battery life of the MBP 13.