New mixed use (business/personal) laptop suggestion?

[desidude]

Hi friends,

I have been using a IBM Thinkpad T43 type 2669 laptop for many years. It is time to replace it, and I am looking for your suggestions for a new laptop.

I am in the USA.

I will be using it for daily corporate work - MS office, Adobe Acrobat, internet browsing and web browsing, some music and videos at home.

I am not running any complex programs e.g. design program or playing games.

My usage pattern for the T43 has been:

1) 8-10 hours of use at work - mostly use it without an external monitor or keyboard, but with an external mouse

2) 3-4 hours of web surfing daily - use it either on the coffee table near the television or sometimes even on my lap

Some travel - mostly personal, when it is used while lounging around.

I am open to using it via an external monitor at home and work, however would like a screen that is easy to read text as I read a lot of text and numbers.

I am looking for a good solid machine, I would like to spend up to $1500.

Some suggestions that I am considering are the Lenovo T520 with FHD screen, T420 with 900 screen, TX220, Mac Air, Macbook Pro?

I am also open to other brands and custom laptops.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,
desidude

 

[rabbitz]

Do you mean T420 or T40?

I'm not really sure what suggestions you are looking for... the laptops are not really comparable, were you just listing laptops in the price range? From what I know:

Macbook air - light/small/good battery life?
x220 - option for ips display, decently powerful
macbook pro 13 - good battery life, less powerful than x220 at same price point
t420/t520 - cheapest out of the choices.... in the 1500 price range you can get a w520 with epp discounts.

Really it all comes down to whether you want a macbook or not and if you prefer price or portability. All those laptops are more than enough for the uses you listed, and have the option of nice screens (relative to the average laptop... what do you even want? A high resolution display will actually make it harder to read text because everything is smaller... but gives you more space to work with. If you want to reduce glare, get a matte screen. If you want to have more accurate colours, get a higher gamut screen.)

 

[desidude]

Hi Rabbitz,

Thank you for your reply. Yes, I did mean T420. These are just names given to me, it does not mean that I need to pick from these.

I want a screen that is easy on the eye. I believe my current screen on the T43 that I have been using for 6 years is 15.0" (381.0mm) UXGA (1600x1200) TFT color / Active Matrix / 200 nits /FlexView display with wide viewing angle and high density using IPS technology and it has been fine.

In your opinion what are some of the best values out there? Something that has the technology/upgrade capability to last 3-4 years?

I hope this helps a little.
Thanks,

desidude

 

[rabbitz]

Well if you like the screen you have now you'll have some trouble finding a new laptop with one you like.... Recently there has been a shift towards "multimedia" screens with a 16:9 ratio and 1080 vertical resolution. I don't think there are any laptops with 4:3 ratio any more (your screen's size) but for business I think it is generally accepted that 16:10 is much better than 16:9. Unfortunately, you'll have to look into higher priced 'professional' laptops then. Here are the screen resolutions and ratios of the laptops you listed:

x220: 1366 x 768, 16:9
Macbook air 11: 1366 x 768, 16:9
Macbook air 13: 1440 x 900, 16:10
T420: 1366 x 768 -> 1600 x 900, 16:9
T520: 1366 x 768 -> 1600 x 900 -> 1920 x 1080, 16:9
Macbook pro 13: 1280 x 800, 16:10
Macbook pro 15: 1440 x 900 -> 1680 x 1050, 16:10

It is a bit hard to tell you what screen would work best for you. Higher resolution alone is not enough, you need to know what pixel density you are comfortable with as well. Pixel density is a function of resolution and physical screen size... basically the more pixels you cram into a smaller area, the finer the detail you will get but at some point it will be hard to read depending on the strength of your eye sight.

Off the top of my head, I don't think I can name any laptops with 16:10 screens besides the macbooks... I just did a quick check and even the lenovo w520 and dell precision laptops have 16:9 screens. It makes sense though... people are being led to believe that 16:9 screens are better (because TVs are 16:9? who knows) and for screen manufacturers, a 15'' 16:9 screen actually has fewer pixels than a 15'' 16:10 screen.

edit: Ok I did some calculations. A 16:9 screen sold as 15'' (diagonal) has a real area of about 96 square inches. A 16:10 screen sold as 15'' has an area of about 101 square inches.

Ok let me do a bit more research first. In terms of upgradability, I wouldn't worry about that. First, it is hard to predict what you will 'need' in 3-4 years and also the price of these things drop so fast that the extra you pay now to be 'future proof' will be more than it costs for a new laptop with similar capabilities X years in the future.


edit:

Ok continuing on my train of thought... a 16:9 screen isn't too bad, but just be aware that a 1920 x 1080 (16:9) screen on a 15 inch has a pretty high pixel density count... might be hard to see things because they are small. This is a pretty common screen upgrade though, maybe go to a store and check out their display models. If it is a bit difficult to read comfortably, you might need to consider either a larger screen (17''), better aspect ratio (15'' 1920 x 1200.. I find it easier to read) or lower resolution (1600 x 900?).

Other than that, if you need a laptop NOW any sandy bridge laptop (especially i5 and i7) should be more than enough for the needs you listed ... If you can wait, ivy bridge will bring increased graphics capability (not important, but why not), and supposedly lower power consumption = lower heat + longer battery life. Some other things to look for is laptop durability, keyboard layout and backlit/thinklight or not. Really, your best bet is to go try out a demo model to see if you will be comfortable with it or not... it is hard to really recommend any single laptop since your needs are pretty low and your budget is pretty high...

more stuff: If you can wait, check this out: Lenovo ideapad yoga. It is supposed to come with ssd, touch screen, windows 8, ips screen, decent resolution and ivy bridge... been keepin my eye on it and it seems pretty interesting. Price should be around $1000+, well within your budget.

 

[dawza]

It's going to be difficult to find a suitable replacement for under $1500. The IPS panel on your T43, though undoubtedly less bright due to CCFL aging, will still rival the viewing angles on any modern TN panel. The X220 has an IPS option, but you will almost certainly miss the lack of screen real-estate going from 1600x1200 --> 1366x768.

The most ideal alternatives are the higher-end HP Elitebooks or Dell Precisions. The Elitebook 8560W can be found in 1920x1080 with the IPS (Dreamcolor) display for $1600-1700 shipped (new) on sale. See here. You'll probably still miss the 1200 px vertical resolution, but there's not much to be done about that these days; 1080 is about as good as you're going to find.

I use an X200T (IPS panel) as my daily driver for work, and love its portability and excellent screen. If you can live with the lower resolution, the X220 with the IPS panel option will allow you to stay with the exceptional ThinkPad keyboard and trackpoint. On the other hand, I mostly crunch numbers and read documents, and for that, a TN panel is perfectly suitable.

I have a Latitude E6510 with a 1920x1080 TN panel. I love the resolution, but it just cannot compare to an IPS screen in terms of image quality. However, if you're not particularly picky about viewing angles and image quality, and are more interested in text/spreadsheet readability, its excellent. A Thinkpad T5XX model with a 1920x1080 (not IPS) panel would be a decent compromise in this respect. Comparing the Elitebooks, Latitudes, and ThinkPads, nothing comes close to the ThinkPad's keyboard. The Elitebook's trackpoint and keyboard are better than the Latitude's, though (IMO).

In summary, if you can live with TN, Thinkpad-->Elitebook-->Latitude. This takes into account the KB/Trackpoint, and build quality/durability.

I would not go with any non business-grade notebook. I'd even avoid the lower tier offerings from HP's and Dell's business lines (the Probook for HP and Vostro or even Latitude E5XXX series from Dell). For Lenovo, stick with the X2XX series and the T/W 4/5XX series. If you intend to keep this for several years, the added durability from the premium business-grade offerings are worth the up-front cost.

P.S. I noticed you mentioned the T420 with a 1600x900 screen as a possible option. I'd strongly suggest trying any notebook/monitor with 900px vertical to make sure you can live with it. Excel is painful with less than 1080px vertical, from a productivity standpoint. Coming from 1200px vertical, it's a serious consideration. I'd either go down and take the more portable X220 (IPS) or move up and get the T520 w/FHD.

 

[God Mode]

I will be using it for daily corporate work - MS office, Adobe Acrobat, internet browsing and web browsing, some music and videos at home.

Get a macbook air 13" and an external monitor for things that need more real estate.

 

[desidude]

Hi friends,

Thanks for your replies Rabbitz, Dawza and God Mode.

I am primarily debating between these options:

1) Lenovo Thinkpad T520 - 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) (95% Gamut 270 nits)

2) Lenovo Thinkpad T420 - 14.0" HD+ (1600x900) (250 nits)

3) Lenovo Thinkpad X220 - 12.5" Premium HD (1366x768) LED backlit display (w/extra bright wide-viewing angle IPS display)

4) I am also open to considering the 13" Macbook Air or 15" Macbook pro if you feel those are better bets in terms of performance, value for money, longevity and ease of reading.

How do the Mac screens compare to thinkpad options listed above?

My eyes are good but I do have a slight prescription as objects at distances can get blurry.

Thanks so much friends,
desidude

 

[dawza]

Get a macbook air 13" and an external monitor for things that need more real estate.

I fail to see how a 13" MBA with a glossy screen at 1440x900 for $1200-$1300 is superior (aside from portability) to a T420 with a matte screen at 1600x900 and a similar price point (before corporate discounts). I assume that the OP is in a Windows ecosystem, and he did mention that this would be used for the next 3-4 years, primarily for work. We have plenty of MBP users in my company, but I've not seen anyone sport an MBA as a daily driver. There's a reason for that.

He also stated that he would mainly be using it at work without an external monitor or KB. I assume there is a good reason for this. Therefore telling someone who is used to 1600x1200 to move to a 1440x900 or even a 1600x900 display, and stay with it for the next few years, does not seem prudent. A 15" machine from a few years ago is not lightweight, so let's also assume that the OP is comfortable with the full-size form factor.

Given this information, a 15" business-class notebook with a FHD screen makes the most sense. IPS will drive up the cost, but is probably not a necessity for document and spreadsheet work. Nothing beats sheer resolution for productivity with respect to Office applications. And since the OP would like a good value and upgrade potential, that instantly kicks the MBA out of the equation.

 

[dawza]

desidude-- I am severely nearsighted (contacts) and I have no issues with the pixel pitch of a 15" FHD panel. The density will be comparable to your current screen. I've used 1600x1200 in a 15" form factors, and it's tiny-- so if you're OK with that, a 15" 1920x1080 will be fine.

As for screen panel quality, I'm afraid you may be disappointed by most non-IPS panels. However, this is a personal matter. I run a Toshiba Portege with an external monitor (both TN panels) alongside my X200T at work. I can definitely tell the difference between the TN panels and the IPS side-by-side. However, I have no issues or complaints with working on the TN panels. My occasional design work is performed at home on my 2560x1600 IPS screen.

IMO, resolution comes first for MS Office productivity. However, if you're OK with losing significant screen real-estate, the X220 will give you much better portability, screen quality, and battery life. The T420 is a decent compromise on both ends, and the T520 gives you a decent panel with overall higher resolution.

If you're the kind of person who views compromise (in hardware) as a win-win, rather than a lose-lose, the T420 should be given some serious consideration. My personal opinion would be to go for the T520 with FHD, though. From all I've read and seen, the T520 should have a higher quality display as well. The T420's screen has quite a terrible reputation, but I've used screens that reviews called "terrible" and they are acceptable for Office apps.

 

[desidude]

Hi Dawza,

Thanks for your reply. Just to clarify:

1) I am in a Windows environment - mostly using MS office, web browsers and Adobe Acrobat

2) I can easily setup an external monitor and keyboard at work and home if a smaller screen on the X220 or Macbook Air makes more sense than the 15"

3) My current T43 is very heavy

I am confused whether I should go with the smaller form factor and take the X220 or Mac Book Air + external monitor(s) or just go with the T520 FHD

Thanks so much,
desidude

 

[rabbitz]

Hi Dawza,

Thanks for your reply. Just to clarify:

1) I am in a Windows environment - mostly using MS office, web browsers and Adobe Acrobat

2) I can easily setup an external monitor and keyboard at work and home if a smaller screen on the X220 or Macbook Air makes more sense than the 15"

3) My current T43 is very heavy

I am confused whether I should go with the smaller form factor and take the X220 or Mac Book Air + external monitor(s) or just go with the T520 FHD

Thanks so much,
desidude

As for macbooks, they will never be better in terms of specs to $$ ratio.... you should only consider them if a) You need osx or b) Macbooks are your personal preference.

If you have no feelings either way towards macbooks, then I would recommend against them purely from a price/hardware perspective. They might have better build quality, usability, features, service etc... but those are things you have to decide for yourself whether they are worth it or not.

As for x220 vs macbook air vs t520 fhd.... The air is actually at a pretty good price for it's specific form factor, from what I've read. Keep in mind it has low-voltage cpus though. The x220 uses 'normal' laptop processors and has a nice ips display option, although resolution is still low. The t520/t420 will give you the most performance for your $$, but they are bigger and heavier.

I would decide based on these usage scenarios:
a) Rarely use laptop without external monitor and you don't mind sacrificing performance for smaller, prettier form factor: macbook air
b) Rarely use laptop to produce content without external monitor (e.g. you might use the laptop to consume media or share documents or show people things): x220
c) Use laptop all the time to produce content without external monitor (e.g. word processing, spreadsheets, any program that requires space for toolbars and such): t420/t520


For keyboards and such I don't think there is much of a difference between the three anyway.... if you type a lot I would recommend buying a mechanical keyboard regardless of which laptop you decide to get.

 

[God Mode]

I fail to see how a 13" MBA with a glossy screen at 1440x900 for $1200-$1300 is superior (aside from portability) to a T420 with a matte screen at 1600x900 and a similar price point (before corporate discounts). I assume that the OP is in a Windows ecosystem, and he did mention that this would be used for the next 3-4 years, primarily for work. We have plenty of MBP users in my company, but I've not seen anyone sport an MBA as a daily driver. There's a reason for that.

He also stated that he would mainly be using it at work without an external monitor or KB. I assume there is a good reason for this. Therefore telling someone who is used to 1600x1200 to move to a 1440x900 or even a 1600x900 display, and stay with it for the next few years, does not seem prudent. A 15" machine from a few years ago is not lightweight, so let's also assume that the OP is comfortable with the full-size form factor.

Given this information, a 15" business-class notebook with a FHD screen makes the most sense. IPS will drive up the cost, but is probably not a necessity for document and spreadsheet work. Nothing beats sheer resolution for productivity with respect to Office applications. And since the OP would like a good value and upgrade potential, that instantly kicks the MBA out of the equation.

I think a macbook air would do best. It has the portability, lifetime availability of parts (one of the most important criterias when I choose a portable), popularity/resale value and it works very nice. Weight sounds like his primary concern.

For people that like to upgrade often, resale value should be a priority and even the oldest apple products stay in demand. A lot of the new ultras are enticing but they're priced similarly and offer no tangible benefit to me instead lower resale value and replacement parts availability/cost.

 

[dawza]

I agree with rabbitz's comments.

God Mode-- I suppose one critical piece of information we are missing is whether the OP is purchasing this for his own use, or via his company. As for parts, I've not had any trouble finding parts for older Thinkpads, Latitudes, Elitebooks, etc-- and for lower costs in general.

OP-- the X220 will give you the IPS panel. You'll lose some screen resolution vs. the MBA, but if you can run an external monitor/monitors, the X220's docking solutions will make the process easy and integrates natively (i.e. not over USB or Thunderbolt). If the T43 is too heavy and you want something lighter, the T420 will be better, and the X220 even more so. The smaller physical size also helps a great deal-- much less unwieldy and conspicuous at meetings and demonstrations.

I'd strongly suggest trying the MBA in-person. Glossy screens are not for everyone, particularly in an office lighting environment (fluorescent overhead). And rabbitz's comments on the OS apply. If you're used to Windows, your workflow is optimized for Windows, and your company is primarily Windows-based, those are important factors.

 

[kevinsbane]

It doesn't seem like any of the uses you listed require much CPU power. I do not think you will notice a difference between any of the CPU options available; you will do just fine even with MBA's ULV cpus. SSD's will likely help you out more in productivity than a cpu upgrade.

That being said, it seems that you'll be moving it around a lot. I would go for portability + external monitor/docks. Thus, x220 (with an SSD). The x220 is pretty good for surfing from the couch, it's small and light and easy to maneouvre around. It also has the Trackpoint for when you don't have a mouse hooked up. Seeing as how you come from a Thinkpad background, that should be a plus? (Having used it for a few months, I can't stand touchpads for general surfing anymore D If you are a touchpad user, and don't want to learn the trackpoint... get a MBA. You will find the touchpad on the x220 subpar and a poor option compare to the alternative.

The x220 also has an advantage in that if you really need HDD storage space, you can put in a msata SSD for boot and programs.

The T420, T520, Macbook Pro are good options if you plan on working purely on your laptop with no external monitor. I would not go this option as you seem to want to use your laptop on your lap, on your couch.

If you type a lot... go with Thinkpad. I've got an x220, and this keyboard is the BEST keyboard I own. Yes, better than all my (admittedly cheap) desktop keyboards. I've had the unfortunate pleasure(?) of trying other laptops' keyboards, and my conclusion is that a good keyboard makes one huge difference.

My (biased) opinion would be to get an x220 with either a full out SSD or HDD/msata SSD combo, request a couple of displayport capable monitors for working at a desk. The x220 is light, portable and tough, while retaining a long battery life (with the option of even LONGER battery life). With your usage, you could probably make it through a working day on a single 9 cell battery charge. I'd stick with the 6 cell though (~6 hours battery life).

 

[Puddle Jumper]

If you want a 15" laptop with a good display you may want to look into the new HP Envy 15. The optional display is one of the few IPS panels you can find in that size of laptop.

I own a Thinkpad X220 and have been extremely happy with it. If you do get one I would go ahead and grab the 9 cell since it is only a minor increase in weight and price.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

Doesn't sound like your usage pattern is CPU-intensive (or graphically-intensive), so allow me to play devil's advocate and buy a used T61/T61p and utilize its screen. If you search hard enough you can find one with a 1920x1200 screen (not IPS) or retrofit one with an IPS screen scavenged from another T61.

Not the easiest, fastest, most practical solution, but I went with that solution to get my 12" 1400x1050 X61t. Love its screen and the IPS.

If I was going to buy new, though, I'd still get an X220. The IPS alone drives me toward it, but compared to my friend's MBA the keyboard is crap tons better and I hate trackpads.

 

[Phynaz]

Look at the Dell XPS 15z with the upgraded 1080 panel. It's been getting stellar reviews.

If you want to true business class laptop - meaning it has a dock available and it's built like a tank - Then you are looking at the HP Elitebook series or the Dell Latitude series.

 

[rabbitz]

Doesn't sound like your usage pattern is CPU-intensive (or graphically-intensive), so allow me to play devil's advocate and buy a used T61/T61p and utilize its screen. If you search hard enough you can find one with a 1920x1200 screen (not IPS) or retrofit one with an IPS screen scavenged from another T61.

Not the easiest, fastest, most practical solution, but I went with that solution to get my 12" 1400x1050 X61t. Love its screen and the IPS.

If I was going to buy new, though, I'd still get an X220. The IPS alone drives me toward it, but compared to my friend's MBA the keyboard is crap tons better and I hate trackpads.

I use a t61p for work and, other than the screen being a bit dark even on max brightness and taking a bit long to start up, it actually works quite well. Usually I'll have a video or two, about 8 tabs in chrome, 3 tabs in firefox, 1 tab in IE, 3 spreadsheets, 3 notepads, maybe a word document and an android simulator open with absolutely no slowdowns... I was surprised that a laptop that old still works so well. Also the dock can be had for not a lot more and makes everything much more convenient. Just stick my laptop in and everything is good to go. In comparison, with my xps 15 at home, I have to plug in the mini display port, the power plug into the back, my keyboard + monitor's usb cable and then I have to plug my mouse into my keyboard and my usb keys into my monitor. Such a huge hassle...

 

[chubbyfatazn]

I use a t61p for work and, other than the screen being a bit dark even on max brightness and taking a bit long to start up, it actually works quite well. Usually I'll have a video or two, about 8 tabs in chrome, 3 tabs in firefox, 1 tab in IE, 3 spreadsheets, 3 notepads, maybe a word document and an android simulator open with absolutely no slowdowns... I was surprised that a laptop that old still works so well. Also the dock can be had for not a lot more and makes everything much more convenient. Just stick my laptop in and everything is good to go. In comparison, with my xps 15 at home, I have to plug in the mini display port, the power plug into the back, my keyboard + monitor's usb cable and then I have to plug my mouse into my keyboard and my usb keys into my monitor. Such a huge hassle...

Yeah the dock helps a lot if you use your machine as a DTR.

The other thing about TPs (and other business laptops) is the screen coating - matte is great for office-type situations (fluorescent lights galore), but glossy is good for media viewing. Pretty sure you already knew that, but just thought I might bring it up.

Personally, putting an SSD in the laptop was the best decision ever. I get to desktop within 25 seconds, and can launch an app almost as soon as I hit the desktop. Best investment you can make in a laptop of that era.

 

[rabbitz]

Yeah the dock helps a lot if you use your machine as a DTR.

The other thing about TPs (and other business laptops) is the screen coating - matte is great for office-type situations (fluorescent lights galore), but glossy is good for media viewing. Pretty sure you already knew that, but just thought I might bring it up.

Personally, putting an SSD in the laptop was the best decision ever. I get to desktop within 25 seconds, and can launch an app almost as soon as I hit the desktop. Best investment you can make in a laptop of that era.

I would say matte is better overall. The only difference between matte and glossy is that matte scatters any light passing through it a bit.... which means the image will be a bit less colourful and maybe a tiny bit not as sharp. However, unless you are directly comparing two screens, this won't bother you and you won't notice. What you WILL notice, however, is if you use a glossy screen in any environment that isn't complete darkness you will see distracting reflections and, most annoying of all, the dreaded glare. And in that kind of environment, a matte screen would work just as well. Of course, this hypothetical comparison is between two nearly identical screens with the only difference being the type of screen.

Besides just glossy and matte, the hardware in the screen itself can affect how bright or how accurate or how sharp the colours are, or even how many colours can be displayed.

Note that this recommendation assumes you are deciding between a screen which comes in either glossy or matte from the factory - I haven't tried self-applied matte stickers and I suppose they aren't too bad, but it probably won't be as good as factory-matte screens (since you have that matte sticker on top of your normal glass screen, whereas from the factory I'm guessing they manufacture it with some kind of matte plastic-y thing)

I have read that glossy hides scratches well and holds up better over time, but that might be more relevant for monitors and not laptop screens that should be protected most of the time anyway.

I would say to go see them in person and decide, but usually stores will pull all kinds of lighting/colour tricks in order to sell more expensive screens and the conditions in the store are probably not the same as how you will be using it anyway. Best bet is to see if you can borrow a similar model from a friend and test it out that way. Otherwise, I would recommend matte if you plan on using it anywhere that isn't a darkened room with no windows.

Edit: Oh yea, for the SSD thing... highly recommended. There is rarely a more cost-effective way to make your computer feel speedier right now.... even while SSD prices are going to continue dropping. $100-$150 for a sata2 or even sata3 120/128gb drive will make ANY computer feel a lot more responsive... especially the start up.

I recommend going with a smaller ssd drive, at least 120gb in size... I think 64 gb is just not enough with windows taking up several gb and hibernating files taking up another few gb and all your programs, whether they need the speed or not, taking up another couple gb. I mean sure, 64gb is usable if you like manually moving program installations around depending on your ever-changing usage patterns and going through your computer with a fine-toothed comb looking for things you 'dont use that often, anyway' but the extra $60 or 70 is well worth not having to worry about cleaning up your hard drive every other month. Also, keep in mind ssds need some percentage of empty space to work well... a maxed out ssd is EXTREMELY slow. Add in the fact that 128gb drives perform closer to 256gb drives (the number of physical memory modules on the drive mean that you can reach higher speeds) and you should see why having 128gb is better =P

Anyway, to continue my thought, I would recommend a 120gb ssd attached to whichever sata port is fastest, and then put a normal hdd in either a second harddrive slot or buy an optical bay hard drive adaptor and stick it there. I've read something about ultrabays but I haven't looked into it, you might want to see what that is about if you plan on going with lenovo. As for the msata ssds.. I have a vague understanding of waht they are (a small ssd attached to where some other cards might be) but honestly they sound expensive and might be a bit small. Also, with a normal ssd you can take it out and move it to your next computer (one of the main reasons I am getting an ssd now and not wait is because I predict that it won't be obsolete any time soon... they will get faster and they will get cheaper but, seeing how mechanical hard drive technology is pretty much at it's max in terms of speed, there will always be a budget device that can benefit from the ssd.

When I get home I can make a comparison video of hdd vs ssd boot up times (on the same laptop) if anyone is interested.

 

[StitchExperimen]

Certain companies have patents where you can zoom the page and print size. You put two fingers on the mouse pad and pull them apart to zoom and to decrease take two fingers and pull them together. ie your index fingers just like on TV such as NCIS L.A. and some other shows. Some of the companies I know of are Dell, HP, Compaq. Other companies if you use 2 fingers you can only scroll a page.
I mention this for the practical reason of ease of reading and thats where u spend all of ur time after the purchase is made.

 

[Sunburn74]

I don't think anyone who plans on having a SSD in his notebook whilst running windows should have a mac. SSD space is costly and he'd have to dedicate some of that costly space to holding on this OSX just to be able to run windows. Its something to think about. But yeah I think a macbook air is a bad idea if windows isyour OS.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

snippety snip

Yeah, I love my matte screen. Of course, I love more than it's an IPS panel, but for my usage habits I think matte works out better. I'm either in a dark classroom or my room whenever I use the laptop. I've never owned a laptop with a glossy screen anyhow (or anything but a Thinkpad for that matter).

Anyway, I'll stop threadjacking now.

 

[rabbitz]

I don't think anyone who plans on having a SSD in his notebook whilst running windows should have a mac. SSD space is costly and he'd have to dedicate some of that costly space to holding on this OSX just to be able to run windows. Its something to think about. But yeah I think a macbook air is a bad idea if windows isyour OS.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think you can boot directly into windows on a mac so there would be no need to keep osx on there if you never use it. Also, and this I'm more sure of, you can always put the osx files onto a secondary mechanical drive. I know, not all laptops have secondary hard drives but I could never imagine using a laptop with only a single ssd...

Yeah, I love my matte screen. Of course, I love more than it's an IPS panel, but for my usage habits I think matte works out better. I'm either in a dark classroom or my room whenever I use the laptop. I've never owned a laptop with a glossy screen anyhow (or anything but a Thinkpad for that matter).

Anyway, I'll stop threadjacking now.

Dell ultrasharp monitor = matte ips goodness =P

 

[chubbyfatazn]

Dell ultrasharp monitor = matte ips goodness =P

If only they weren't so darn expensive.... you do get what you paid for though. I almost went with a 23" U2311 (eIPS) but in the end I went with a 28" TV that I paid the same price for as the 23" would have cost.