any good alternatives to the W530?

[wolfman]

Well, I *DID* say it was awful compared to my iPad, not by itself.

Right, you did, and I said I didn't think it was fair to say it was awful in general without qualification - meaning without stating for a specific use case. In other words, I disagree that it's awful. But that's an opinion all the same.

[Greg Gebhardt]

Even considering other brands because of the chiclet keyboard in the W530 (has anyone tried the chiclet thinkpad keyboard? does it really suck that much?)

My requirements:
15" 1080p display (wish we had retina displays because I hate widescreens)-:
5-6lb weight
4 SODIMM slots <---- this kills off most laptops on the market...need it for VMs
ivy bridge quad 3720

Only ones I've come up with:
- HP 8570W (more expensive...$2K range...and heavier)
- Origin EON-15S (more expensive and only 1.5hr battery life because of the 680M graphics chip

Thanks in advance...

I have a Carbon and just got the W530 and the keyboard is VERY good. I did not like it at first when I got my X1 but after only a day would prefer it!

My W530 arrived yesterday and it is even better. If you are avoiding buying a ThinkPad because of the keyboard you are jumping brands for nothing.

This is not your average "chicklet keyboard" and is every bit as good at the original, some like it better!

[Greg Gebhardt]

The new chiclet keyboard looks and feels cheap and is very tiring to type on, it doesnt even come close being 1% as good as the normal thinkpad keyboard.Ciao F.

Just not so, at least not in the opinion of most who have posted here.

Think you have been using the T60 for so long (15 years) that you can not adapt.

I think it has to be a mental thing as I do not see how it could be "tiring to type on"!

[ajkula66]

Think you have been using the T60 for so long (15 years) that you can not adapt.

I think it has to be a mental thing as I do not see how it could be "tiring to type on"!

While you're most certainly entitled to your opinion (you like the new keyboard - everyone has understood that at this point in the game) there's no need to mock those who feel differently about this latest change.

[stkris]

first the cons of w530:
the w530 is absolute crap, they(lenovo) have even broken the thinkpad signature 'rubberized' lid surface with a lenovo sticker(!?) logo, oh yes the letters have already fallen off and left a big lenovo shaped blob in shiny plastic on the lid (it's insane) .
The screen on my t60 is much better the w530 screen is full of weird spots as soon as you move 50 cm off center.
The new chiclet keyboard looks and feels cheap and is very tiring to type on, it doesnt even come close being 1% as good as the normal thinkpad keyboard.

I only use my w530 for schoolwork and keep it packed away in a cheapo sleave when not using it, it doesnt feel good to handle it, theres almost nothing good to say about it, if lenovo keeps going in this direction the brand thinkpad is DEAD.
It makes my very sad that I was forced to buy this expensive load of crap and that I have to look at it every day.

Hear, hear! I'm also sad to have to use such an expensive, fast and powerful peace of trash.

There were a rumour about Lenovo making a classic keybaord as an option for the w530 this fall but I cannot find it anywhere.

[ThinkRob]

In that there was just the one, yes. No need to roll your eyes about that.

I was rolling my eyes because I'm not sure I see how a company adding their logo to the top of a laptop is 1) unprecedented in the history of the ThinkPad 2) such a big deal that it makes the machine "absolute crap".

It's not even unprecedented to have the ThinkPad and Lenovo logos on opposite sides -- several other models have had this as well.

Isn't the letters that fell off, just some of the plastic that protect the laptop agaisnt marks until use?

Both the Lenovo and ThinkPad logos are stickers, and yes, it's possible for them to come off (or to be removed.) I haven't seen it happen on any of the laptops I've owned or have seen here at work, but it definitely could.

[Radioguy]

It's not even unprecedented to have the ThinkPad and Lenovo logos on opposite sides -- several other models have had this as well.

Which are equally unsightly.

[ThinkRob]

Which are equally unsightly.

No disagreement there. At least the smoky silver color of the current logo is better than the shiny black of the X200-era one. That said I'm not big on any branding, really. Personally I'd prefer it if there were FRUs for covers and palmrests that didn't have cut-outs for any logo stickers.

[Radioguy]

True, I would also prefer that as an option; not to mention touchpad-free versions while we're at it.

That said, I have become used to Paul Rand's iconic logo, and even in three colors. Lenovo's logo isn't as aesthetically pleasing to me, and especially not in the sizes they have used on the lids. Perhaps both logos do, but the Lenovo one certainly detracts from the overall beauty of a TP.

IMO.

[mankymanning]

Wow - strong opinions here about the W530. I can't understand a lot of them too as they are in direct contradiction to my own experiences.

In the past I have owned a few thinkpads from the IBM era, T42 etc a few years ago. I moved to Macs about 5 years ago and loved them , needed to move back to Windows laptops as I require 32GB RAM for work and narrowed it down to a Dell 4700/6700 or a Lenovo W530.

Some of the guys I work with require powerful laptops too and so I had first hand experience of the W520 and Dell precision 4700 before making my purchase decision.

Dell - the Precision 4700 is not as well built as the Lenovo. The W530 is at least as well built as the old T42 range used to be and is very sturdy indeed. They still have the soft rubberised feel to the outside case and overall I am very happy with the build quality.
The standard RGB screen (non-IPS) on the 4700 is *awful* - I mean seriously bad. Once I saw my colleagues there was no way I was going to purchase one. It has a truly awful anti-glare coating which makes the screen all grainy. Horrible. In fact around the same time I bought an external Dell monitor and sent it back because it suffered from the same issue.
The screen on the W530 is lovely - comparable to the fantastic screen on my Macbook Pro that I had before the Lenovo

Keyboard - I must admit here that I am biased. Prefer scrabble tile keyboards anyway from my time with my Macbook Pro. The one on the W530 took a little getting to used to because it had a small Return key - I bought the laptop in the US and brought it over to the UK. However when back in the UK I ordered a new backlit UK keyboard and it has a large Return key and is awesome!! Lovely to type on and a million miles better than the old Thinkpad keyboards!

I can't recommend this laptop enough, one of the best around IMO (not seen the HP ones though)