Yes for a long time, Thinkpads have been of comparable build quality to MBPs, whether you like the "design" (as opposed to, the design) is entirely subjective. Kudos to Lenovo for not letting the build quality slip.
Yeah, I'm inclined to think that Lenovo is surfing on Thinkpad's stellar reputation that predates the jump in quality Apple gave the industry.
Thinkpad used to be the best laptops on the market, and in many ways they're still kinda like the old thinkpads. But Apple raised the bar and Lenovo didn't bother following the bar up. I've actually found that some of the higher-end Dell devices are the best at being "apple for Win32 users" but the problem is nobody wants to trust Dell because they make so much utter crap.
The ThinkPad series has had, for as long as I can remember (including the ThinkPad I got last Christmas), a magnesium rollcage/inner frame [1]. Build quality is more than what you see with your eyes.
Sure, it's not pretty and isn't unibody, but that doesn't mean the build quality is uncomparable if you're looking at it from a "ruggedness" perspective.
Disclaimer: I owned and used a 13" unibody macbook pro for 3 years.
When the plastic case breaks, can I just take it all off and safely/comfortably use the laptop with only its inner frame? No? Then it's not comparable.
When the plastic latches break off, will my laptop stay closed? No? Then it's not comparable.
When the slider for the latches breaks off, can I still easily and comfortably open my laptop? No? Then it's not comparable.
I don't know why you're using removal of the outer case in the event of damage as a comparison of durability. Can you expand on the reasoning here? You can't take off the unibody of a MBP if the case is dented or damaged and still use it safely/comfortably.
My thinkpad doesn't have mechanical latches for anything -- not even a wifi enable/disable switch. I don't know about the entire series of thinkpads. The lid closes and opens smoothly, no latching mechanism -- and stays in the position you leave it in. It's just as smooth if not smoother than my old 2009 MBP.
On the subject of the stigma with 'plastic' cases -- we are not talking about cheap plastic here. The bottom of the laptop is metal of some kind. Same with the edges. The top of the lid is some sort of rubberized metal. The palm rests/speaker area is the only plastic I can find, and it has a similar texture and "solid feel" to the stuff I find on my prosumer DSLR -- something also designed to be rugged.
> I don't know why you're using removal of the outer case in the event of damage as a comparison of durability.
Because plastic breaks easily. Aluminum is far more durable. I've had no trouble at all with my PowerBook and MacBook Pro cases breaking or even substantially degrading, but every plastic laptop I've ever used has looked like it was hit by a bomb inside a year.
> My thinkpad doesn't have mechanical latches for anything
Lenovo's website clearly shows mechanical latches on Thinkpads, e.g.:
I've been unimpressed with the "ruggedness" of my Pentax SLR and DSLR (the latter a K-5 II). I've been similarly unimpressed with the ruggedness of my father's Canon DSLRs.
