I've had a ThinkPad 13 2G for about 6 years and it's still working fine, but it most likely didn't get the same level of use/wear that yours did.

It's a shame that IBM sold its PC business to Lenovo. Maybe it's just the model I have, but Lenovo's ThinkPads feel so much worse in quality than IBM's ThinkPads. I probably won't get another one when the time comes to replace mine.

This is the problem with ThinkPad, there are several models with varying price and durability values. Macs are great for people who don't want to think about their requirements.

"Consumer" Thinkpads can be pretty crap.

That said, I'll consider a Framework or Starbook next time because even T series Thinkpads are getting thinner and bendier and the keyboards lower and worse.

I don't know what ThinkPad you had, but I have had ThinkPads for more than 12 years, working daily, had let them fall on the ground (had to change screen twice), and they still work. There are companies that buy ThinkPads from banks, big companies, after 4 years of use, and they re-sell them and they work for another 10 or more years. Your experience is very weird.

If I recall correctly, only T/X/W series are what most consider actual Thinkpads.

There's a bunch of other series that are newer, consumer-oriented and do not share the body or traits that the Thinkpad series is reputable for.

That said, if I was in the market for a laptop today, I'd look at Framework.

My experience with airs is if you try to compile anything with them, the CPU cores peg, the fans go crazy, cpu throttles. (This was with an intel-based air.)

My point isn't that Airs are bad, but that they're not ideal for some tasks and saying any machine is "the best" without mentioning what you're using it for is less useful of a statement than you might think it is.

It depends on your definition of "physically best". Which is better, a Ferrari Daytona or a Ford F-150? Macs are sleek and elegant, but they're built with absolutely no regard for long-term serviceability. Thinkpads are big ugly slabs of black plastic, but they're easy to open, they have a sensible internal layout and Lenovo provide service manuals and spare parts.

Thinkpads (say X1 Carbon) are physically better. Thin doesn't appeal to me, it's disadvantage. Ergonomy is better too. Just CPUs are worse.

That ThinkPad plastic is basically unscratchable. It's not the same plastic as lollipop sticks.

Thinkpads basically look the same for 10+ years.

It would be more clear-cut for me if Apple used their engineering prowess to expose an M.2 slot or make it easier to fix a display without buying a $600 topcase assembly. The physical build of their products is fragile at best and consumer-hostile at worst, in my opinion.