It may be bigger and bulkier than a MacBook Pro but this powerful photo laptop from Lenovo gives new meaning to the term “all-in-one.”

In my positive review of the 8-core MacPro computer workstation back in July, I declared, “The days of the big powerful desktop machines may be on the wane.” While that could have been overstating it a bit (hey, I’m a columnist; I'm entitled to an extreme opinion) few would argue that photographers have less affection for their sleek and mobile laptops than they do for their big, hulking workstations back at the studio.

The lines have become further blurred as popular laptops such as the 17-inch MacBook Pro have continued to dominate the photography landscape with their Intel Core 2 Duo processors, NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT graphics cards with 512 mb of video memory, and up to 4 gb of RAM, all of which provide ample power to view and edit photos and even video; create on-the-fly slideshow packages; build instant Web pages of photos from a day’s shoot; and speedily transfer image files to a client’s FTP.

Indeed, you’d be hard-pressed to find a photographer who doesn’t travel with at least one MacBook Pro these days and, in fact, I know quite a few who travel with several. And what’s the big deal really? These silver machines are highly portable so why not load up your assistants with a couple of 15-inch and 17-inch models when you go on location?

MACBOOK PRO KILLER?

The dominance of Apple-made laptops and, in particular, the MacBook Pro, in the photography market has not gone unnoticed by PC manufacturers. It has also drawn the attention of “The Big M,”—aka Microsoft—which for many years has had an inferiority complex when it’s come to dealing with anything relating to professional photography.

Slowly but surely that has been changing as Microsoft has begun courting the pro market by holding highly publicized events, such as the annual Pro Photo Summit in Redmond, Washington; taking the lead on simplifying image metadata across platforms with the Metadata Working Group; and developing new image programs such as the Microsoft Pro Photo Tools 2.

So it really came as no surprise when Lenovo paid a visit to PDN’s offices in July to give us a sneak preview of its new 17-inch ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation (there’s that word again) accompanied by two representatives from Microsoft. And why not? If Microsoft is as intent on targeting the pro photo market as it seems to be, photographers can only benefit. And, by the way, what is so great about all those MacBook Pros really?

After that sneak peek back in July, I finally got my hands on a Lenovo W700 for testing and I can say with confidence that while it’s not exactly a “MacBook Pro killer”—with all its features and heft it almost belongs in an entirely different category—it is definitely another nail in the coffin for the already dying desktop computer market.

With a built-in Wacom digitizer, built-in color calibration system, built-in back-up RAID storage, and a host of other features including a super-fast processor and a gorgeous, super-bright 17-inch display, the W700 gives new meaning to the term all-in-one. In laptop parlance, you could call the W700 a “desktop replacement” but it would be more accurate to describe it as a “digital photo studio replacement.” (A “notebook” computer, it’s definitely not.) Pack it in a bag—if you can fit it!—and wave goodbye to your old clumsy workstation back at the studio.

A THINKPAD ON STEROIDS

Put the all-black W700 next to a MacBook Pro and you’ll see what I mean when I say that the Lenovo seems to belong to an entirely different category from the Apple model. Though the screen size is the same, the W700 measures at 16.1 x 12.2 x 1.6-inches while the MacBook Pro’s dimensions are 15.4 x 10.4 x 1-inches.

I tried to fit the W700 into a laptop bag designed for 17-inch notebook computers just before heading to the airport for a trip to Photokina in Germany but I couldn’t squeeze it in and had to leave the computer behind. Conversely, my 17-inch MacBook Pro fit snugly into the bag like a runway model sliding into a pair of skinny jeans.

The W700 is also quite a bit heavier than the MacBook Pro, tipping the scales at 8.3 pounds whereas the MBP weighs in at 6.8 pounds. What may turn style-conscious photographers off even more about the W700 is the computer’s all-black, businessman’s appearance. When I first saw the W700 back in July, I jokingly called it “a ThinkPad on Steroids” and while that may have been a bit flip, it’s not inaccurate.

Unlike Lenovo’s consumer-oriented IdeaPad line of laptops which feature cool, dare I say Apple-like, designs, the W700 is a sober, serious-looking customer. Though this model offers a nice consistency with other Lenovo ThinkPads (if you’ve used one before you’ll be familiar with the W700’s layout) it’s rather dull. This is a PC after all. But still, couldn’t they have at least given it some racing stripes or something?

OVER AND UNDER THE HOOD

To paraphrase Han Solo boasting about the Millennium Falcon in the first Star Wars movie; the W700 may not look that hot from the outside, “but she’s got it where it counts.” In a word, this laptop is “loaded” but not just with the sort of geeky specs that make gaming nerds drool. Sure, it has a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Core Extreme QX9300 processor with 12 mb of L2 cache, a NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700M graphics card, and room for up to 8 gb of RAM plug 2 gb of additional Intel Turbo Memory—the model I tested had a total of 4 gb of RAM—but it’s also equipped with features photographers and graphic designers will truly appreciate.

Most noticeably, when you open the W700 you’ll see the 128 x 80mm Wacom digitizer tablet embedded in the computer’s wrist rest which resembles an oversized track pad. A Wacom digitizer pen is included with the W700 and can be housed in a built-in slot on the side of the computer. I immediately had problems with that slot, however. After popping the pen in, I couldn’t get it out despite pushing the “eraser” on the back of the pen as instructed. It’s supposed to spring right out, but it got jammed and I had to pry it out with a paper clip. Not good.

After asking Lenovo about the problem, they said that while it was not common in the early W700 test units that went out, they did find one model with the issue and were checking to see if an adjustment needed to be made. Hopefully

that “adjustment” was in place by the time the final units shipped to photographers.

Building the Wacom digitizer right into the W700 is a brilliant idea and I found it very easy to make precise adjustments in Photoshop using the pen and miniature tablet. While it’s a bit cramped (compared to having a full-sized Wacom tablet in front of you), it sure beats packing a separate one in a bag and dragging it around with you on the road.