Why a ThinkPad X200 is Still a Great Laptop

An old machine that outperforms new ones — for the work that actually matters.

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.

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.