Laptop wishes

About two years ago, my uncle came home from the U.S. and brought me a laptop. It wasn't new, but rather a Compaq Armada that was upgraded to its maximum capacity, both in software and hardware. It worked very well, and I was ecstatic. But then, my mom asked if she could have it, especially since I recently won a computer in a contest I joined.

I still share the computer at home with my brothers, and I feel so much more at home with my office computer (which goes to show how much time I spend on it daily hehe). Still, I would love to have my own laptop for my use: writing stories, browsing without having to worry about someone trying to get my time, watching DVDs, playing my own games the whole day, reading ebooks...

Yesterday, my mom asked me what would I pick: a MacBook Air, or a Lenovo Thinkpad X300? I don't know why she asked (maybe she's going to be me one? Hehe), but I had read an article about the two ultra thin and light laptops in the newspaper the day before, so I somehow had an idea that she might have read it too. My quick answer would be the Lenovo. My real answer would be, neither.

I find both laptops very expensive (range is Php100,000 and up), especially for their features (or lack of). If I am not mistaken, the Air only has 80 GB hard disk space, which you can't upgrade. There is the option of buying the 64 GB solid state drive or the USB drive, but reviews say it's very expensive too. Neither one has a DVD drive, but you can opt to have one on the x300, just add a few hundred bucks.

I also figured that having a Macbook Air is just going to be a status symbol of sorts, especially here in the Philippines. Useabilitly and practicality is totally out of the question with it. I'd much rather get an ordinary MacBook, or if I'm truly budget strapped, any of the laptops I saw in local computer shops that have adequate specs to meet my requirements, and cost only a quarter of either the Air or x300.

I probably still need to read more about them (not to mention look for more updated reviews), but my general verdict is that I'll get a cheaper, but of still good quality, alternative; and if I want a Mac, the regular MacBook will work just fine.

Thinkpad x300 at Geek.com
Thinkpad specs
Apple MacBook Air at Cnet
Missing MacBook Air features
MacBook Air specs