If you're looking for a powerful, lightweight laptop that costs less than $1000, two systems standout: Apple's MacBook Air and Lenovo's X220. The older I get, the less tolerance I have for heavy notebooks that I have to schlep to meetings and through airports. I want a lot for my money and I don’t mind spending a reasonable amount for an above average system, but I can’t afford to break the bank. So $1000 seems like an approprate cut off point for me and for the other working stiffs out there. Along with price, the most important features in a notebook that will be my everyday productivity tool are: weight, processing power, memory, hard drive speed and capacity, screen quality, operating system, appearance and service. Having used Windows for all of my career, it would take a bit of prompting to move to a Mac, but I thought about it quite seriously this summer when I bought my latest system, which turned out to be Lenovo’s ThinkPad X220. If I’d been willing to take the plunge and migrate to the Mac universe, I would have given the MacBook Air serious consideration. For my money, if you’re looking for a light but powerful laptop for under $1000 the Air and the X220 are your best choices. It’s worth noting that for $999 you’re buying the cheapest MacBook Air; if you’re willing to spend $1,599 you’ll be buying a much better machine, but we’re in a recession so let’s stick to our budget and compare. Price: Looking at the base configuration of each system, Lenovo wins by $100, $899 vs. $999. Each of the following categories assumes that you’re buying a system at these prices. Appearance: Advantage Apple. The MacBook air is a slim sexy machine surrounded by a cool aluminum enclosure, while the x220 is black and blah, with few style points. Weight: Advantage Apple: 2.38 pounds vs. 2.9 pounds Screen: Advantage Lenovo, with Apple at 11.6 inches and Lenovo at 12.5 inches. Both displays are bright and crisp. (Apple’s smaller screen is a big reason for the weight advantage.) Storage: Advantage Lenovo, which offers a 320GB conventional hard drive running at a speedy 7200 rpms versus Apple’s 64GB solid-state drive, which is faster and sturdier, but way too small. Processor: A wash. At first glance, you think advantage Apple since it offers Intel’s i5 CPU while Lenovo offers the i3 CPU (unless you upgrade.) However, that’s a bit deceptive because Apple is running a low-voltage part that saves on power and heat, but takes a performance hit. Memory: Advantage Lenovo; 6GB versus 2GB. Operating System: This one is really up to you. It’s hard to argue that Apple’s Mac OS X isn’t superior to Microsoft’s Windows 7, but abandoning Windows means enduring a learning curve and replacing key software applications, at some expense. Service: Advantage Apple. Apple’s solid, though not perfect, customer service is a real plus. My few experiences with Lenovo’s support operation have not been impressive. What’s the bottom line? It’s a close call, but the X220 is a better buy. However, if you’ve been planning to move to the Mac, the Macbook Air is a good reason to make that switch, especially if you can spend a bit more money and add more memory and hard drive capacity. Related content feature 8 change management questions every IT leader must answer Designed to speed adoption and achieve business outcomes, change management hasn’t historically been a strength of IT orgs. It’s time to flip that script by asking hard questions to hone change strategies. By Stephanie Overby Nov 30, 2023 10 mins Change Management IT Leadership feature CIO Darlene Taylor’s formula for success: Listen, drive, care This Motor City CIO says building and maintaining credibility starts with an empathy-driven approach, which has the potential to render you highly appealing to top talent. By Michael Bertha Nov 30, 2023 6 mins Automotive Industry IT Leadership brandpost Sponsored by Huawei 400G: Building bandwidth for the next lap By Jane Chan Nov 30, 2023 5 mins Networking feature 4 remedies to avoid cloud app migration headaches The compelling benefits of using proprietary cloud-native services come at a price: vendor lock-in. Here are ways CIOs can effectively plan without getting stuck. By Robert Mitchell Nov 29, 2023 9 mins CIO Managed Service Providers Managed IT Services Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe