Why did I buy a ThinkPad??? *PIC*

[Tzantushka]

Because I wanted something reliable and robust.

Example being the T420 passing the static cat mass test successfully...

[Cigarguy]

Durability, easy to work on with great documentation, build quality, some nice IPS screen availability and above all the Thinkpad classic keyboard was the best laptop keyboard......for me probably forever.

Sadly most of the reasons and features I love about Thinkpads are no longer there. Just bought 4 HP Elitebooks for the office. Looks like for me, anything T420/T520 or older gets my money, anything newer goes to HP, Fujitsu or Dell.

[lead_org]

Great looking cat. My Cat use to sleep on my T61 a lot.

[pianowizard]

Durability, easy to work on with great documentation, build quality...Sadly most of the reasons and features I love about Thinkpads are no longer there.

But keep in mind that the reason these three qualities have declined is that most of the true Thinkpads (i.e. the T, W, and X series) have become so much thinner and lighter. It's virtually impossible to engineer a 0.7"-thick X1 Carbon to be as "indestructible" as the twice-as-thick 600/600E/600X. And with most components being increasingly miniaturized, it has become much harder to service them. The other day I opened up the display assembly of an X200s and it was obviously more challenging than the older Thinkpads I had worked on (e.g. X61 tablet, T42, T43p, R50p). I bet the current models are even more difficult to service than the X200s.

Just bought 4 HP Elitebooks for the office.

Many of the Elitebooks are still extremely solid and reasonably easy to work on, but that's because they are very thick and heavy, which are undesirable qualities IMO. I would rather sacrifice some durability and serviceability in order to make a laptop more portable.

[rkawakami]

Example being the T420 passing the static cat mass test successfully...]

Getting a little OT (but this IS the Off Topic forum, isn't it?): A Scottish Fold if I'm not mistaken. Is it also polydactyl? There seems to be an "extra" toe on each front foot. And does he/she do the typical Scottish Fold sitting posture?

[Tzantushka]

Example being the T420 passing the static cat mass test successfully...]

Getting a little OT (but this IS the Off Topic forum, isn't it?): A Scottish Fold if I'm not mistaken. Is it also polydactyl? There seems to be an "extra" toe on each front foot. And does he/she do the typical Scottish Fold sitting posture?

Perfectly on topic. [it has a cat in the 1st post right?]
Yes, it's our cream Scottish Fold, he's just over 1 year old and follows you around the house like a dog. Plus the classic sitting position like a little budda with his front legs off the ground.
A great pet.

One of the other reasons I'm enjoying the classic thinkpads is that keyboard.
Such a joy to type on.
Whether it's the T60 or the T420 out of the docking station the keyboards are brilliant.

[Summilux]

Is it also polydactyl? There seems to be an "extra" toe on each front foot.

Impressing sense of detail, Ray

[rkawakami]

Only impressive if I'm correct So, Tzantushka, does he have five fingers and a thumb? Or the normal four fingers and thumb? (Yeah I know they're toes and dewclaws but one of my tuxedos has tried grabbing a door knob a couple of times.)

And to contribute to the "on-topicness" of this thread... I buy (used) Thinkpads because they are generally well-made (yes, there are a few exceptions and that's why I don't buy T4x and T6x systems), most hardware problems are well-known after a few years (see previous comment about T4x and T6x), some hardware problems are correctable (loose inductors on T23s), there's sufficient documentation and resources available to keep them running and they're quite inexpensive (considering what they cost new). The last new laptop I bought was back in September 2002 for almost $2200 (a Gateway 450SX). It was partially paid for through an insurance claim; my previous DFI system was stolen while on vacation in Australia. I vowed after that that would be the last new laptop I'd buy. Mostly because around the same time I had bought a nice used 600E for less than $500. It was a generation (or two) older than what was then available but still had enough oomph to run whatever I needed. A few weeks ago I bought my fourth X300 with Core 2 Duo 1.2Ghz CPU and 3GB of RAM and that one cost less than $120. Ran all of the relevant PC Doctor diagnostics on it and everything passed. Spent another $45 for a new 120GB hard drive and imaged Windows onto it. While the keyboard of the X300 does not reach the pleasant tactile sensation of a 600-series system, I think its performance is still on par with the rest of today's hardware. I'll just have to see how these X300s hold up during the next 4 to 8 years.

The only real problems I've had with the fleet of Thinkpads are display related. Several T23 and A31p systems have developed the aging backlight symptom (pink at turn-on) or gone out altogether. A few more have dead column(s) of pixels; most likely caused by some sort of user action than anything else. Even though the LCDs are not made by IBM or Lenovo, I consider the display to be an integral part of the computer system. Conversely, I"m not counting any of the times when the hard drives have crashed on my two daughter's systems as those failures are not what I would consider to be from Thinkpad hardware (the user can plug any compatible PATA or SATA drive into the system and transporting the system while the drives are spinning is never a good idea). Overall I'm quite happy with the ROI from these eBay-sourced systems.

[pianowizard]

The last new laptop I bought was back in September 2002 for almost $2200 (a Gateway 450SX)... Mostly because around the same time I had bought a nice used 600E for less than $500.

Wow, we have 3 things in common regarding Thinkpads: 1) I too started using Thinkpads in Sep 2002; 2) my first Thinkpad was also a used 600E; 3) I also paid 400-something dollars for it. Initially I ran Windows 2000 on it and later upgraded to XP. Back then, XP had much lower system requirements and this 600E had enough oomph to do everything I needed, and I held on to it for just over 3 years. This 600E remains the most satisfying Thinkpad I've ever used, possibly even the most satisfying laptop.

The only real problems I've had with the fleet of Thinkpads are display related.

I think when we have so many computers at any given time, we tend to have far fewer hardware problems than people who own only one or two computers, because we rotate among many different machines and so none of them are heavily used. I have an Excel spreadsheet that keeps track of all the computers that I have owned. According to this spreadsheet, I have had 107 computers of various brands in my whole life and very few of them had serious issues.

[Tzantushka]

@rkawakami

Sorry to disappoint you, but he's a regular Scottish Fold...



The extra toe is common when you breed Fold to Fold.
But that brings a host of other genetic issues - hence reputable breeders breed Fold to British Shorthair.

Imagine if cats had thumbs - Cravendale Milk has on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6CcxJQq1x8 !

[Tzantushka]

According to this spreadsheet, I have had 107 computers of various brands in my whole life and very few of them had serious issues.

Data analysis time I think!

Which brand caused the most issues?

[skinnie]

I was a mac guy (worked in an apple repair center), after seeing Macs dying everyday, including mine, and the most extended warranty that I could have was 3 years I went to see thinkpads.
For the same price of a stock macbook pro (13.3,i5,4gb, 5400rpm had, 2 years warranty) I got:
X230 with 12.5 ips screen (higher res than the mbp)
A better i5 processor
16gb ram
500gb 7200rpm
2 batteries
4 years warranty
2 chargers

So it was a no brainer. I am satisfied now

[Ash]

My close familiarity with Thinkpads begins when several years ago i was given a T60 to use for awhile, i just liked how solid built it feels, and generally the black box look

Time gone on and i parted with that T60, but i went on to repair computers and open up laptops. I find _classic_ Thinkpads (T60/61, R400, X60s etc) very well built, the best out of many different laptops i opened up for repairs, from a few manufacturers. I dont like nearly as much the later non-classic Lenovos though, they are just like any other plasticky laptop with limited durability.....

Im using a Dell myself, thats the laptop i got second hand from mom... (but she did get a classic Thinkpad as the new computer, based on my recommendation out of the choices offered in an auction of both classic and non-classic Lenovo's)

Meanwhile i also got a few damaged Thinkpads too (seems that those found me rather than me finding them), im going thorugh ressurecting them

[Temetka]

Static kitties, eh? I had my kitten walking around on my T60 while it was open. Nothing bad happened.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c163/ ... IM0486.jpg

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