Why a ThinkPad X200 is Still a Great Laptop
An old machine that outperforms new ones — for the work that actually matters.
- Answers
- Why is a ThinkPad X200 from 2008 still a good laptop?
- Topics
- laptop · minimal · retro
- Full article on willem.com
- https://willem.com/en/2020-11-03_the-joy-of-a-simple-laptop/
Summary
The ThinkPad X200 was released in 2008. Willem still uses one — and argues it's better for actual work than most modern laptops. The keyboard, the repairability, the absence of distraction.
Full text
The ThinkPad X200 has the best keyboard ever put in a laptop — a full-travel, tactile keyboard that modern ultrabooks can't match. It's completely user-serviceable: RAM, hard drive, battery, keyboard, screen — all replaceable with a screwdriver. And it runs Linux perfectly.
For writing, coding, and terminal work — which is what Willem does most — the X200 is faster than a modern laptop because it has fewer distractions. No Retina display demanding GPU power. No trackpad begging for gesture input. Just a screen, a keyboard, and a blinking cursor.
The machine costs less than a dinner out. If it breaks, you fix it or buy another. That's freedom no $3,000 MacBook can offer.
From Willem's writing on retro computing and the ThinkPad philosophy.