Ask HN: MBP or Thinkpad

Thinkpad personally, but I am the 2% not using a MBP I feel.

I run Linux on my MBP. Because of Docker, I could never use OS X as my everyday dev OS anymore. I need native support.

That said, I think you're paying an Apple premium for the MBP that isn't really worth it.

Sounds like you really like the new ThinkPads. Linux will run on either machine.

One thing to consider (countering my point elsewhere in the thread) while I don't believe Apple products are more expensive when all the features are considered, Apple sure does overcharge for one thing, and that is memory. So, depending on how much memory you want to get, that could make your decision.

Linux runs fine in VMs for me on the laptops I've done this on, a 4GB MBP, 8GB air, and now 16GB MBP. I've met people running Linux directly on the metal as well and they seemed happy with it. How is Lenovo's driver support for features like power management and the trackpoint buttons you mention, is one thing I would want to ask if I were you.

I'd go with a thinkpad but then again, I prefer using linux (fedora specifically) as my base OS and VMs for dev work. IMHO, you can run more vms off linux on a TP than you can on a MBP. If your dev box is also going to be used for other stuff and you don't mind OSX, you might as well buy the MBP.

I attempted to install Ubuntu 14.10 x86_64 on the new X1 Carbon this weekend, and so far it has not worked straight out of the box. I am guessing it has to do with the i5500 gfx adapter, but it's all a guess until i figured out what went wrong.

My lab uses mostly thinkpads with a few people having macbooks instead. I have have a thinkpad at work but bought a MB with my own money. So you know my choice.

What I can say is that thinkpad hardware quality varies wildly with some having huge overheating problems (processors to max = system shutdown) while every macbook i have owned (including the air) being absolutely ok with 12h straight of having their cores to the max.

Build quality of thinkpads is low-ish when compared to macbooks and they require more attention to cleaning and not being dropped.

On the other hand MBs only offer up to 16GB memory which feels arcane and makes it impossible to do a lot of stuff. Apple being stingy with memory is typical across their product ranges.

Generally having to run a VM is not something I like to do - unnecessary friction/user time overhead. But the MB is ok for running both native linux and running typical dev stuff on osx (though recent default compiler change to clang is anoying).

Thinkpad every day of the week, MPBs are horrible to do hardware maintenance on. You can also get static electric shocks from the chassi and they don't have a DVI/HDMI connection

If you are a developer compare the screens - my T420 is pain for the eyes and the screen ratio sucks for coding.

My next PC is going to be MBP or MS Surface Pro. No more crappy screens.

I was also looking for a new laptop, and bought my first mac a week ago. It's a bit more expensive (bought apple care too), but I hope it'll be worth the price.

I picked the MBP because of the screen / resolution, batterij, and the hinges. Wobbly screens make me go bananas.

A comparable laptop makes you choose between either screen or battery, for about the same price.

For most, tbis really comes down to: which OS do you want to run commercial software on, Windows or Mac OSX? Even though you'll try to stay pure linux, there is always that pesky need to open a contract in Word or a photoshop file and you have to dual-boot or vm to do it. I personally prefer thinkpad hardware by a country mile but I chose a Mac for software compatibility reasons.

If I could run commercial software on linux, I'd be on Linux full-stop.

Thinkpads are a large range, from the inexpensive business line to their workstation line, each often having multiple display options. I've only ever had the first Intel Macbook Pro, which really had heat and noise problems and I didn't like a few other Mac things about it. Other than that I've been running Linux on Thinkpads and not had any problems. Battery life is good these days and I'm a Trackpoint fan, once you get used to it, it is precise, excellent for scrolling and you never have to leave the home row. Some of the decisions Lenovo made in the last generation 30 series were alarming, but they seem to be more conscious of the value of Thinkpad's name to experts now and how that's tied in with overall image. They should however find a way to go back to two memory slots, some models only accept 8 or 12GB now, whereas they used to accept 16.

I make my living with my laptop and I've used both. I prefer the MBP but I'm a Windows programmer so YMMV.

Yes, they are expensive but they seem to last a little longer than the Thinkpads. I think the Thinkpads used to be a professional class machine but I think they are coasting on their old reputation now. We had several fail (screens mostly) in a 3 person shop where I worked.

At some point, the cost of the hardware pales in comparison to the downtime you would experience if your machine failed. I haven't had any problems with my (less than 2 years old) MBP Retina but I had a few things fail over the 7 years I had the previous MBP. I had a video board fail and I took it down to the Apple store and got it fixed in a day or two. I replaced the hard drives and fans myself as it got older.

Another thing in favor of the MBP in customer facing situations is the screen. For demonstrating GUI's and graphics the MBP screen just looks good - though it was a lot better when they had 17" screens.

One thing I rarely see mentioned in these discussions is your proximity to an Apple store. Macbooks are great as long as they just work. But when they stop working, life sucks if you can't walk your machine into an Apple store. Most of us use our machines every day, and it's pretty hard to mail your computer away for a month of service.

I'd consider a macbook more seriously if I lived anywhere near an Apple store. Fortunately I'm quite happy on a Thinkpad (T430s currently).

My pick is Thinkpad. As I am a windows user trying to move to Linux Mint TP is the obvious choice. But the main reason is the keyboard which is just perfect. I also love the red joy-stick like device for some quick use. Now for the things I hate about TP. The body is cheapish plastic since Lenovo took it over and its not comfortable when you use the laptop for long. The lack of official driver support for Linux is another this that pisses me off.

If you are programming things that will only ever run in OSX, use a mac.

If you are programming things that will run on linux, don't fuck around and get a thinkpad.

I have a MBP, 8GB, 2014 now and I'm happy. I also have a thinkpad t500 but it has a dual core so you can't compare it.

The thinkpad is more of a rough notebook for a FabLab or when you are on the road and it can get dirty.

The MBP is lighter and very powerful considering its size. OS X works like a charm for me and I've been through many different OS'es so far (Win XP/7, Ubuntu, Debian, Manjaro,...). It provides most of the stuff I need for working, photoshop runs out of the box and some of the Mac tools are very handy.

But I wouldn't trust OS X for security means. Therefor I'd use a TP with Linux. I would use this for things like online-banking and private stuff.