The Air is going to run laps around the X1, in literally every benchmark you can come up with besides "its not open source". I have that same processor in a much bulkier thinkpad and it thermal throttles instantly doing basic office multi-tasking, with the fan running constantly.

Also its made out of metal.

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bryanlarsen 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

The X1 Carbon is getting updated to Panther Lake, and Panther Lake is getting competitive with the M5.

> in literally every benchmark you can come up

Nope, Panther Lake will win most gaming benchmarks. The M5 will win most others but not by "running laps around" levels.

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mjamesaustin 2 hours ago | parent [-]

At what power envelope? Intel chips can compete with M series chips, but usually at way higher power, which means fans running like a jet engine.

	▲	bryanlarsen 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Similar power envelope. It depends on the laptop of course, but many Panther Lake laptops score comparably on battery life tests in reviews.

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nosioptar 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Thinkpads have track points, macs don't.

That benchmark is really important to me due to RSI. Track points save me a buttload of hand pain.

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zem 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

interesting, I had to stop using my trackpoint because it was giving me rsi in my index finger. the track pad hasn't given me any issues.

	▲	BoneShard an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Same here, had to stop using the trackpoint (after maybe 10-15 years of heavy usage). And macbook trackpads are awesome.

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BunsanSpace 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Ever since the T450 the trackpoint has been awful.

Can't replace the nob anymore either, as the convex knob was arguably the best

	▲	doubled112 an hour ago \| parent [-]
		What do you mean when you say you can't replace the knob? It comes off on my T14s Gen 1 and the T14s Gen 5 that replaced it.

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mg 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

What basic office tasks are that?

The last time I was excited about the performance of local computers was in the 90s I think.

Modern laptops are so insanely fast. Not sure if they are 2x, 10x or 100x faster than I need them to be. But I never hear fans. I never have to wait for the machine these days.

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esprehn 5 hours ago | parent [-]

Have you used a MacBook as a daily driver since the M chips came out?

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__patchbit__ 5 hours ago | parent [-]

No. I'm looking to get one with 64GB memory for local AI models. The worry is the keyboard experience on the MBA isn't as good as the MacBook Pro.

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tracker1 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

The keyboard and touchpad experience are nearly identical between the two... not nearly as good as old IBM Thinkpads used to be, but that's a trade with IMO the much better touchpad experience on Mac.

That said, I just don't think I can keep buying Apple hardware, just not a fan of the company... I only begrudgingly use Android as there isn't a reasonable, more open option.

I'll probably stick with my M1 air for personal use a couple more years then pass it on. My daughter is still using my now 13yo rMBP with 16gb/512gb. I wish the ram and storage upgrades on mac weren't so overpriced.

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Forgeties79 4 hours ago | parent [-]

At current rates they aren’t overpriced at all. Frankly I’m surprised we didn’t see a big increase in cost with this generation.

	▲	tracker1 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Apple has their supply lines locked in a few years ahead of time... they likely won't see downward pressure for a couple years still. Not that they might not still take advantage... though downward sales pressure is a trade off too.

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Reason077 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I’ve used both extensively and there’s very little difference in the keyboards between an Air and a Pro.

The difference in displays (Pro much brighter) and size/weight (Air much lighter) are much more significant considerations, IMO.