[timrosenblatt]

I wouldn't, but that's because Cloudspace gives everyone a choice of Apple hardware, since that's generally the best choice for development work. If someone wants a ThinkPad that badly, I bet they could have one :D

That being said, if your company is asking you to do work and isn't giving you the right tools or support, maybe that should raise eyebrows. It's not about the laptop, it's about supporting employees in their efforts to Get Shit Done.

[hegallis]

right, also I had hope there is an element of enjoy what you do - looking at a sucker heavy brick with ridiculous battery life just kills it all.

[lmm]

My work laptop has terrible battery life and a horrible rubber keyboard. But the people are great, the hours are relaxed and they let me write Scala all day.

It's worth working somewhere you enjoy, and if what your laptop looks like is what you care about then sure, weight that appropriately in your decisionmaking. But for me, while the computer hardware might be a flag that shows how much a company values its employees, if it really was just a question of different hardware in otherwise identical companies then no, that wouldn't be worth changing jobs over.

[informatimago]

I bring my own keyboard and mouse to work. Those are the user's interface to the computers!

Seriously, I've noticed that most of the pain in using different computers come from the variations in keyboard and mouse feel and layout. Using the same mode of keyboard and mouse everywhere (all my home and work computers), make it much more pleasurable an experience.

Some companies offer to buy you the exact model of devices you want.