[blagie]

FYI: My Thinkpad has better build quality than any Macbook. My Dell was comparable.

The key thing about Dell and Lenovo is they have a byzantine set of laptop lines, from plastic craparific up to rather good. A top-of-the-line Thinkpad will set you back more than a Macbook, but will be better built too (and faster). Dell doesn't go quite as high, but still goes pretty high in quality.