Super-Slim ThinkPad Sneak Peek

one enormous difference. it runs windows. if you look hard enough you can almost see the OS suppuration.

Why didn't Apple compromise on its MacBook Air design so that it could have all the ports, DVD drive and removable battery of the new Lenovo Thin-Pad? Because Apple, I firmly believe, is about to introduce thinner and lighter models of its MacBook Pro line of high-end notebook computers. Expect a big announcement from Apple before the end of this month!

Looking forward to your full review, Mr. Mossberg!

Actually the Macbook Air with a 64GB SSD drive is about $3100, quite a bit more than what the Thinkpad is.

According to many reviews and tests, there was little to no performance difference between the 5400RPM HD and the SSD in the Air. I guess it depends on how Lenovo implements the system but it seems they are making a mistake by not offering the option for a cheaper version with a regular hard drive. I am sure that would drive the price downwards by quite a bit.

> the 3-pound weight that traditionally denotes a subnotebook

Actually, what traditionally defines a subnotebook is that it's physically smaller than a notebook PC, which is typically around A4 in size.

The Asus Eee PC is a subnotebook. The Air isn't.

Also, while the X300 is in effect the same weight as the MacBook Air, while having the ports, DVD etc that the Air lacks, there are even lighter machines that also have the ports, DVD etc. An example is the Toshiba Portege R500 (weight starting at 779 grams) with a 12.1 inch screen.

A 12.1 inch screen is a bit smaller but, in my experience*, it is actually better if you're sitting in an airline seat.

If you can afford to fly first class, of course, YMMV ;-)

I agree with the comment that 64gb isn't paltry. ESPECIALLY when you consider the availability (and cost!) of small, USB attached drives.

This looks like a winner.

Wide + optical = out for me Is that a touchpad I see ?

Can you remove the drive easly (like on the X3* if you don't have the screw on) ? Can you stop battery charging ?

Readers who compare the MacBook Air to other ultra portables solely on the basis of features or specs are missing the bigger picture entirely. Would anyone with half a brain compare a BMW to a Hyundai solely on the basis of wheelbase, horsepower and cargo capacity? Of course not! And if they did, no one with haf a brain would listen to them.

That being said, the biggest downside to the ThinkPad X300 imho is the Windows operating system that it's tied to. As Steve Jobs says, Apple is a software company that also makes beautiful hardware. Regardless of form factor, the heart and soul of every Macintosh computer is OS X—which, as far as I can see, has no serious competition at the moment and is also morphing as we speak into a unique new mobile computing platform of considerable promise.

Personally, I think it's great when Apple's innovative risk-taking challenges the other players to create their own ground-breaking new products instead of cranking out basically the same old stuff year after year. It's funny how most of them never manage to come up with anything new until Apple forces them to "think different." But even if the best they can do is to imitate Apple, the industry as a whole slowly moves forward and everybody benefits.

Alan, so you're calling Macs the Hyundai of computers? I'm confused... One of the biggest downside of Macs is the Mac OS it is tied to. I look forward to the X300, as Thinkpads are truly the BMW of notebooks.

Suppuration. Good word, Ron Pettengill.

Andrew W., those who demean the Mac OS usually have little experience with it. Knowing Windows doesn't make you an expert on computer operating systems.

BTW, the MacBook Air will run both OS X and Windows. Simultaneously. The Lenovo is stuck with Windows or Linux.

Nonetheless, this does look like a nice machine for road warriors.

I've seen conflicting reports on the specifications for the X300. Does anyone know what CPU it's running?

Andrew,

If you think the Mac is the "Hyundai" in this comparison, there's nothing for us to talk about. It would be like discussing color theory with someone who's color-blind. Apple makes elegant, well-built computers that blow most of the competition away. You must be confusing Apple with Dell. And OS X can kick Vista's ass any day of the week with one hand tied behind its back, and that's a fact. Not to mention that Apple hardware is quite happy running Windows for those who must. The X300 may look like a BMW, but there's a Hugo engine under the hood.

People who prefer macs are usually focused on the "user experience" -- the shiny colors, the 3d icons, and so on. Very few people with a deeper technical understanding -- computer scientists, engineers, etc. -- use apples. In fact, those who really THINK about User Experience rather than merely "rate" which GUI has the more liquid warping effects will realize that icons, desktops, trays, widgets, etc. are all entirely unnecessary -- and these THINKERS will go with the operating system that allows the most customization -- usually Windows XP or Linux. Apple is, will always be, the most rigid, least customizable GUI -- and also BY FAR the slowest, based on response time. Maybe the "prettiest", but I far more prefer a spartan GUI than unnecessary warp effects, and so on.

In short ... very few thinkers use apple, very few people who seriously reflect on GUI stick with apple, very few innovators use apple.

Leon Li is absolutely wrong and probably just trolling to annoy people.

I'll criticize Apple when they deserve it, but the user experience of a Mac is much, much deeper than the eye candy. It's consistency between applications. It's not annoying the user. It's doing the right thing instead of providing a trillion options that serve no real purpose. It's stability and each upgrade gets faster rather than slower.

And many, many scientists use Macs these days. For some, it's a nice version of unix that's easy to maintain. Others like the ease of writing Cocoa front-ends with the free developer tools or that many tools come pre-installed, like Python and Perl. And others just have good taste in hardware.

The most customizable desktop system by-far is Linux and it has a tiny share of the desktop market because you have to be a computer expert to use it. (Yeah, Ubuntu doesn't completely suck, but throw a DVD at your Mom & Dad and tell them to install it and see how far they get).

My 2 cents.

I've got to agree with Leon Li. As an engineer, I could really care less about which one is prettier and has the fancy visual effects. I need it to run complex simulation software (even if not to simulate, but to view/analyze the results). Most of this software runs in *nix, but *nix lacks the versatility (interoperability in a Windows world). I need it to have standard video out for presentations. I need a NIC for areas without wireless. Not to mention the fact that I customize my operating system to have as much of a Windows 95 experience as possible. Simple, straight forward, and bland. It's the most efficient.

As far as hardware goes, nothing beats a Thinkpad. Engineers and scientists around the world depend on their incredible toughness (physically) and durability that Macs just don't have.

I have nothing against Macs. I think they're pretty and give them props for agressive marketing, but I'll stick with my black brick.

I think this is even more of a miss than the MBA. Mostly for the reason that as a VERY high traveler ... I really do not want to deal with two machines - too much work to synchronize all the data I need to work with or choose to carry with me.

And what I need is not more ports ... I need STORAGE. Both hard drive options for the MBA are too small and this Lenovo is even smaller.

So I pay a premium for too little storage, a CD that I don't use but once a month and ports that I have to port around the accessories to plug into?

Give me a break.

A loser machine. Pretty, but useless.

Lose the CD. Lose the ports. Give me a big hard drive.

Its quite sad that Leon and Andrew Wagner seem stuck in a Windows shaped hole and cant see the light.

Engineers and scientists all over the world use OSX / unix. Institutions have built xserve super computers for such tasks. OSX has some unique scientific programs that are invaluable to scientists. Watch any (over exaggeration :-)) Discovery channel program and you will see Apple hardware in the background.

Before commenting on the uses of OSX you should have a look at it.

Sure its nice to look at, but is a 16x16px 32 colour icon (win) more productive that a full colour one?

OSX apart from the dock has a bland, grey, professional look and compared to Vista well
need I say more.

Any mac has a standard video out, and they usually come with the dongles or its $30 for the correct adaptor.

If you are doing presentation in Powerpoint you should have a look at keynote.

All macs are well built, maybe not compared to a specially designed touch notebook, but they are hardly flimsy.

If you dont like the warp effect (Genie) turn it off, use the scale effect.

Comments like those above show a lack of understanding about OSX and Apple as a whole.

People seems to think Macs have a limited market for such things as graphic design or for people to keep photos on.

In reality MACS / OSX is used in every environment Windows is, it usually performs as well if not better and the cost of managing are cheeper.

Well, I'm an engineer. I work in the nuclear industry in Canada. I use Windows. I use Mac. I use Linux.

I use the right tool for the job. I don't limit my options because of some silly preference.

At the end of the day, if it works for you, then use it.

Please don't forget to mention the footprint of the machine in your review. Especially if you are comparing it to the Mac Book Air.

I'm disappointed in the large footprint of the MBA. A small footprint is very desirable when using the machine on the small tables you get in aircrafts or trains.

Chris Waco..

Your comment of, "Yeah, Ubuntu doesn’t completely suck, but throw a DVD at your Mom & Dad and tell them to install it and see how far they get" is completely wrong in my opinion.

Ubuntu is probably the EASIEST install of an operating system out there. Other than the hard-drive partition question, the rest is auto-pilot.

Then after install, you have a suite of programs available to use. And they will never 'expire'. Downloading and installing new programs is a snap.

I do not use Ubuntu at home or at work- but I do install it on computers which I later donate to people/organizations. It is by far the easiest OS to work with. Too bad Adobe doesn't support it, or I would use it all the time.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this.

I also agree with Leon Li. As the Director of Web Development for a 10,000+ employee corporation I see plenty of resumes for Apple web designers and plenty of resumes for PC or Linux based developers.

What I have found is that the OUTPUT and WORK done by PC based developers is always far superior and much more adaptable than anything their Apple counterparts have produced. Also the OUTPUT of Apple designers is far slower coming than that of their PC counterparts. In addition with the advent of Adobe CS3, I see no graphical advantage to use a mac.

I agreee that OSX makes things look "prettier" than XP, and Apple's marketing campaign has been sure to point that out. But the platform is inherently limited. Scientifically Mac can never be as adaptable, and here is why. 5% of the world uses Apple, therefore there are far less developers coding software for Apple, therefore there are far less applications available for Apple, therefore Apple can perform far less tasks than PC.

That is, and will always be, the scientific reason why Apple, and their users, are inherently less capable than their PC counterparts.

Apple makes a great system for a beginner. Years ago I used one myself. But when I grew up I put away childish things. So as far as me and my department go, we don’t take many Apple loyalists seriously. We tend to regard them as “newbies” to the industry. Wide eyed college students who haven’t realized that to do a non-standard task you cant have a ultra-standardized machine.

From what I have seen of the industry, this is the feeling by industry leaders across the board.

So when apple says "Think Different" know that as long as you "Think Different" in the way that they tell you to, then you'll love it. If what you are looking for is to "Think Freely" then I would stick with a PC because they allow you to do anything and everything.

Also if you are trying to "Think to get a job", PC is also your best bet. Apple is scoffed at in IT departments across the world.

Anyone else tired of the religious war that inevitably erupts whenever OS discussions start?

Brett Legree said it best: we're talking about tools here - pick the tool you like, keep your choice to yourself and let the rest of us enjoy the article.

I'm going to agree with Steve Wright here, the discussion is puerile and off-topic.

Being a software engineer who does a lot of traveling work, I find the most important part of my laptop to be the battery and the most important concept to the its portability. If you want a mobile desktop replacement, go buy a shuttle or a mac mini and a 13" flatpanel screen and you can get a much more powerful/cheaper computer that is portable and only requires a minute or two to setup (something all you wired folks require for laptops anyway).

So, since batteries are one of my foci, I'm a little sad that there was no mention of their life. Having just looked up a few other reviews, I'm saddened that the X300 has only 4 hrs to Apple's 5. At the same time, being able to swap in a fresh battery makes me a lot happier.

As far as portability is concerned, I believe that a laptop shouldn't be something that you have to set up. I think wired ethernet, small batteries, and crappy touchpad/keyboards (requiring mouse/keyboard to be plugged in) are antithetical to the idea of portability. The X300 seems to have it right in all of these aspects (although I can't speak for the touchpad.)

For the people complaining about the lack of an optical drive in the Air, how much do you actually want optical anything? After I install my apps, the only media I ever need is downloadable or on a thumb drive... I like the idea of having an optical drive in the X300, it's nice... but I'd prefer to use that space for more batteries.

All in all, based on the reviews, I like the concept of this laptop. I'm glad that manufacturers are starting to produce (albeit after some prodding from Apple,) laptops that are actually portable and functional.

Couple of comments...

Brandon: Thinkpads typically use what is called an Ultrabay.. the optical drive is removable and you can plug in several other devices... including an additional hard drive or battery. Optical drive when you want it, dual battery the rest of the time. I don't know if this one will or not.

I also have to weigh in on the Windows side of the balance. I develop software for both Macs and Windows systems and have all three of he mentioned platforms here in the office. While I've been around both Macs and PC since their inception in the early 80's I still (personally) feel I have one hand tied behind my back when I have to work on a Mac too long. That however is not a slight against the Mac. For many users it is well suited to their needs and I compliment the Mac for producing a system that is nicely consistent and well rounded. You use what suits you best... but for me the Mac just isn't flexible enough to be considered an every day platform.

And to the individual who still thinks Windows uses 16x16 32 colour icons... heh... those went out somewhere around 1995.