IBM launched its first ThinkPad in July 1992, 15 years ago this month. The IBM ThinkPad 2521, know simply as “The ThinkPad”, was actually a tablet PC (no keyboard, instead you wrote directly onto the screen with a digital pen, like a Wacom Tablets).

In October 1992, IBM released some more ThinkPads (Series 700) and these would set the standard look (blank) and feel (solid) for the next 15 years. The IBM become the notebook of choice for businesses, with excellent support contracts (same day, onsite) and a well earned reputation for been the most reliable, hardworking notebooks available.

Part 1 - Does it really matter anymore with Intel Macs?

I recently had the PC or Mac discussion with my sister. She was looking for a new laptop and knowing that I had a MacBook Pro, asked me if she should get one. The catch was she has nearly always been PC (Microsoft Windows), except when 7 years previously she bought one of the first PowerBooks while visiting me in the States.

This article is a mixture of a long term usage review of the older Macbook Pro updated to incorporate the newer models (my sister just bought one which I helped her setup).

I bought my first Intel based Mac back in March 2006, and apart from some initial problems with the hardware running a bit hot and noisy (its true what they say about never buying the first revision!) which Apple dealt with well albeit a bit slowly.