[willtim]

What exactly do you mean by "build quality"? An aluminium case? Sure it gives a premium feel, but it's also heavy, dents and attenuates radio, so not really an obvious choice before Apple popularised it. Recently Apple have also standardised on glued-in batteries, which is not really representative of a premium "build quality" IMHO. Their trackpads have been very good, but I've always preferred the ThinkPad nipple.

> the screen, and the keyboard were superior to anything money could buy

You are showing your bias here. Thinkpad keyboards have always been more highly regarded than Apples. And not everyone wants a glossy glass-covered panel, even if it's a good one (i.e. not the MacBook Air).

[cptskippy]

I have both a MacBook Pro 2015ish and a Thinkpad T430 2016 issued through work and I would be hard pressed to choose which one I prefer. They're both well build and both keyboards are nice. Oddly I find the MacBook much more comfortable to use on my lap but prefer the Thinkpad on a desk. I have not found glare to be an issue and prefer the glass screen of the MacBook to the matte screen of the Thinkpad primarily because it's next to impossible to remove finger prints from the matte screen. I hate hate hate the sharp edge of the MacBook which digs into my wrists. I like the battery bump on the Thinkpad because it gives me a grip to carry it. I baby the MacBook because I know it will be a chore to repair or replace where as the Thinkpad is just a 15 min HDD swap so it receives a lot of abuse.

[IgorPartola]

For screens at the time, there were no non-1080p displays on the market. Yes two years after the MPBr came out, you could get much nicer displays, but not at the time. Also, most laptops (though not all) did feature the 16:9 aspect ratio, and screw that.

I had a Thinkpad before and yes they were nice in that they felt very solid, but the nipple mouse thing is controversial at best. The touchpad was tiny (again, at the time), and the keyboard wasn't my cup of tea. I would certainly recommend Thinkpads, especially if you have a lower budget and want something that quickly dropped in price but still has a ton of life in it. But I could afford a nicer laptop, and at the higher end there was no comparison.

As for aluminum, yes I do like it. I have no dings on this machine and I do lug it around. The hinge still works great, which was my biggest issue, even with Thinkpads. They all get wobbly eventually.

> You are showing your bias here.

You are probably right, but I feel OK with my bias in some ways. I spent about 10 years avoiding Apple products all around because (a) I like FOSS and (b) I wanted to save money. I came around when my work issued me a MBP and I realized that I don't have to think about my laptop anymore. It just works and I don't need to worry about drivers, upgrades, whatever. Yes I know not everyone's story is as peachy, but my experience has been good.