Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

ThinkPad X1 Carbon

www3.lenovo.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

511–520 of 540 posts

Re: ThinkPad X1 Carbon

#511

Post by firmgently »

zem wrote: post #255
joshyeager wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Counterpoint: I still use only Thinkpads because they have TrackPoint. For those of us who prefer it, it is vastly superior to trackpads.

i love it, but i wish it were a little less stiff. even turned up to the maximum sensitivity it's giving me rsi twinges.

Do you have other rubber caps to experiment with? In my experience they affect how much force is needed to move the pointer around (my favourite is the concave with the rim as you pull the rim rather than push the side of the dome...I've probably explained that badly but it's worth trying some different caps if you haven't already).

Re: ThinkPad X1 Carbon

#512

Post by Fomite »

snuxoll wrote: post #386
Fomite wrote: post #385

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Also, while USB Type-C and ThunderBolt 3 "work" for a dock, being able to plop by ThinkPad down on my desk at home and have it start charging and connect all of my peripherals is still easier than plugging in a cable (even if it's just one cable)." I have an older Retina Pro, and I have a dock that works exactly like this. I stick the MBP in, and it's charging and connected to a keyboard and mouse, two displays, and…

Henge Dock? I had one for my 2012 MBP, the downside was I lost the display which I find useful for keeping my email/TFS/whatever up instead of needing a second monitor.

Henge Dock indeed. I have two 27" displays to make up for the loss of the laptop display.

Re: ThinkPad X1 Carbon

#513

Post by module0000 »

I use a thinkpad every day, my current model I'm typing this on is a T460. It's entirely user-serviceable(all batteries, ram, hdd, etc) by anyone with a screw driver and the ability to read a manual.

The frame is carbon fiber(according to lenovo), and the outside is matte plastic. It doesn't bend, creak, or otherwise make me think it's cheap. It doesn't feel as "solid" as the 15" MBP on my shelf, or the 15" MBP(with touch bar) on the shelf next to it. And before you ask - work buys all this kit, not me.

So, in summary...I use one every day(the t460) and it doens't feel cheap. Compared to the 1st gen X1 carbon(also on my shelf, but not 2nd or 3rd gens), it feels significantly heavier, but not any more or less sturdy.

Re: ThinkPad X1 Carbon

#514

Post by tannhaeuser »

s_kilk wrote: post #229
tannhaeuser wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I bought my notebook back in february, I went to a shop (cyberport) that had both the (then current) X1 carbon and the XPS 13 on display, which I figured were the only ones acceptable for developers. The X1's keyboard was larger, had more key travel and all, but was subjectively somewhat less comfortable to type on (matter of get using to, I suppose, but still). The X1 had a much worse display, and was overall b…

Any issues with Ubuntu? or did it all just work out of the box? I'm really interested in the XPS 13/15, but don't want to end up with a brick.

Had to upgrade bios/firmware (with Dell-provided download, via bios-integrated flash utilities, so no Windows or DOS boot necessary).

Had to use a custom kernel for skylake/nvme; 4.5-rc7 for wily run ok for me, though there are some boot warnings. Still having (rare, like once a month) problems with the touchpad. Battery charge lasts much shorter than Apple notebooks.

I believe Dell's developer edition has the slightly more expensive Intel WLAN option, but I have no trouble with mine (Broadcom?).

If you're looking for a developer notebook for Linux and can wait until it's delivered (1-2 weeks or more?) I think Dell's developer edition XPS 13 with preinstalled Ubuntu 16.04 LTS is one of the best, if not the best, option available.

Back when I needed one, this offering wasn't available in Germany, but cyperport.de had a plain XPS 13 available in retail store, and I needed it asap. I liked that cyperport.de shops had the XPSs and various Lenovos available in store (unlike eg. big retailers here which have hundreds of cheap/crap notebooks with glare screens etc. but not a single pro notebook), so they got my money.

I have the non-touchscreen variant (I hate glare screens). But I believe next time I have to reconsider because a notebook in that price range shoud have HiDPI today.

Re: ThinkPad X1 Carbon

#515

Post by zem »

firmgently wrote: post #511
zem wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i love it, but i wish it were a little less stiff. even turned up to the maximum sensitivity it's giving me rsi twinges.

Do you have other rubber caps to experiment with? In my experience they affect how much force is needed to move the pointer around (my favourite is the concave with the rim as you pull the rim rather than push the side of the dome...I've probably explained that badly but it's worth trying some different caps if you haven't already).

no, i didn't even know the caps were swappable out! i'll experiment with a concave cap if i can (work laptop, so i'd have to get it okayed first)

Re: ThinkPad X1 Carbon

#516

Post by svennek »

jolux wrote: post #500
svennek wrote: post #397

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did the yoga thing with a Macbook Air and it's hinges was fucked instantly :) My X1 yoga has no trouble what-so-ever and I dropped it a few feet.. (and it rattles along unprotected in a leather bag every day)...

Well the MacBook Air is pretty obviously not designed to do that. The ThinkPad hinges are different on either side, and they came out of alignment and then jammed and broke. You may have dropped it a few feet, but I drop my MacBook Pro all the time because I'm a terrible person. This dorm-bed fall has happened several times now too. The durability is simply off the charts, and I can't say the same about ThinkPads. Th…

Well obviously (or maybe not) it was a joke.

In all seriousness four comments:

- I bend my X1 fully around all the time, not problem with the hinges

- all X1's I have ever seen have 3-year ON-SITE warranty, your friend should call support and get it fixed next business day (where s/he is).

- Strength and "flexiness" are not related, often materials are allowed to flex to keep them from breaking. The X1s are made of carbon fibre and have sufficient strength even if our ape-brains prefer something that does not flex...

- and even if not, there is always next-day onsite warranty (mine is upgrade to 5 years - not having the option of onsite for Macs is alone a disqualifying trait for me)

Re: ThinkPad X1 Carbon

#517

Post by mactunes »

babyrainbow wrote: post #380
mactunes wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just recently bought a ASUS ZenBook UX360UAK with a 7th gen i7, 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD. It's made out of aluminium, has a glass touchpad and costs around half of what a similarly priced MacBook pro costs in Germany. It's my first non-Mac after 20 years. I've owned it for a good week and so far I'm very happy. It has superb battery life, great build quality and is fast. Only 1 minor con: the fan always runs, but i…

According to this page, the asus laptop costs around 2500USD. If you buy a MBP (Mid 2012 non retina), it would cost around 900USD and then you swap out hdd for ssd and max out RAM at 16 GB so the total price would be something around 1250 USD. Can't beat that. [1] http://www.amazon.in/ZenBook-UX360CA-13-3-inch-Touchscreen-W...

In Germany it's 1300 euros which is half of what the new MB Pro without touch bar costs: https://www.notebooksbilliger.de/product.php/asus+ux360uak+b...

Re: ThinkPad X1 Carbon

#518

Post by mactunes »

innocentoldguy wrote: post #389
mactunes wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just recently bought a ASUS ZenBook UX360UAK with a 7th gen i7, 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD. It's made out of aluminium, has a glass touchpad and costs around half of what a similarly priced MacBook pro costs in Germany. It's my first non-Mac after 20 years. I've owned it for a good week and so far I'm very happy. It has superb battery life, great build quality and is fast. Only 1 minor con: the fan always runs, but i…

I looked an the ASUS ZenBook, but the screen was too dim and the trackpad not functional enough for my tastes. I've grown less enamored with Apple since Job's passing, but I've yet to find anything that really compares, even with Apple's current warts.

This is the first one that comes more than close enough for me to make the switch. Was worried at first but am really happy with my decision now :)

Re: ThinkPad X1 Carbon

#519

Post by mactunes »

bulatb wrote: post #353
mactunes wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just recently bought a ASUS ZenBook UX360UAK with a 7th gen i7, 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD. It's made out of aluminium, has a glass touchpad and costs around half of what a similarly priced MacBook pro costs in Germany. It's my first non-Mac after 20 years. I've owned it for a good week and so far I'm very happy. It has superb battery life, great build quality and is fast. Only 1 minor con: the fan always runs, but i…

> the fan always runs Are there laptops where it doesn't? I've had 4 different models from 4 different makers, including a MacBook Pro, and every one has run the fan 100℅ of the time.

My 2013(?) MB Air is not running its fan at all...

Re: ThinkPad X1 Carbon

#520

Post by mactunes »

ElijahLynn wrote: post #105
mactunes wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just recently bought a ASUS ZenBook UX360UAK with a 7th gen i7, 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD. It's made out of aluminium, has a glass touchpad and costs around half of what a similarly priced MacBook pro costs in Germany. It's my first non-Mac after 20 years. I've owned it for a good week and so far I'm very happy. It has superb battery life, great build quality and is fast. Only 1 minor con: the fan always runs, but i…

Linux or Windows?

Currently running Windows with Bash installed though. I briefly tried Xubuntu, but occasionally it froze while booting up. Didn't have time to check what was wrong (needed to hurry for a project) so decided for Windows.
Post reply on HN