What is it about these machines???

[dogbarber]

I'm relatively new to thinkpads and admit openly they have their little red track point hooks dug into me.

I still trying to formulate in my own mind why I, or we, keep coming back to these machines....especially those of is who like the older models.

What is it about these machines? I can't put my finger on it.

[Saucey]

I can't put my finger on it.

You probably are using the touchpad then.

All in all, I had bought an X61T to see what the hype was about, I already had my own desktop.
Laptops are usually bulky, hot and slow. But ThinkPads had changed my perception since then.
I think the same can be said about Macs and Dell business laptops.

Thank god I couldn't afford a $800 Asus laptop when I didn't know what computers really were hardware wise.

[ajkula66]

ThinkPads had maintained a personality of their own for two decades. One either buys into that concept and falls into the trap, or they don't.

In a very sad way, I'm thankful to Lenovo for curing me from the ThinkPad addiction with their "innovations" that have taken place over the past two years.

[emeraldgirl08]

I also was initially drawn by the red dot as well. My first ThinkPad (and laptop) was a T30. I did not have a lot of money (and still don't lol) and while perusing fleabay for laptops the obsidian black finish, blue 'Enter' key, and the red dot of ThinkPad laptops reeled me in. The design was simple and from research I was pleased to find that ThinkPads were widely hailed as the go-to laptops for reliability. I was not aware of the memory slot issues that many T30 suffered from however after I received my T30 I found that both DIMM slots were fully functional! I had joined this forum around that time and through the years have enjoyed the new friends I have made here as well as a wellspring of invaluable suggestions and knowledge that is shared among TP forum members!

@ajkula66. Oh dear. What will you do now that you are cured of ThinkPaditis?

[PowerPC]

In a very sad way, I'm thankful to Lenovo for curing me from the ThinkPad addiction with their "innovations" that have taken place over the past two years.
_________________

Abused daily: T43pSF, T60, R60F, R500F

Hospice: T42p, T43p

Cured... OK, if you say so...

[ajkula66]

Cured... OK, if you say so...

Well, consider the fact that I'm a family man...

T43pSF is my baby and I'm typing on it right now. However, it is showing its (vint)age more and more, mostly in the respect of CPU and RAM limitations.

T60 belongs to my only daughter and she absolutely refuses to give it up. I bought her a T410 (twice!) and she had me re-sell it since she couldn't get used to a widescreen machine...

R60F is my twin boys' toy.

R500F serves as my wife's daily beater until further notice. That one will likely be going up for sale sometime soon. It's not quite clear what it will be replaced with yet.

The "undead" T42p has one heck of a story behind it and I just don't have the heart to part it out. It's currently being used as a Linux testbed.

The "retired" machines (A31p and X24) are kept for "memory lane" purposes.

@ajkula66. Oh dear. What will you do now that you are cured of ThinkPaditis?

Spend the little free time that I have on something more sensible...maybe...although it's really not in my nature...

[Medessec]

It's a good question... and everyone on here has extremely different reasons for loving these machines. A lot of them overlap though-a lot of us find the extreme build quality, the extraordinary features(FlexView IPS) and the exclusive conveniences(UltraBay, ThinkLight), absolutely brilliant over other laptops.

The reason I fell for Thinkpads is because I've always really liked the innovative streak with the brand, and over-the-top design. Thinkpads like the A31, 770, 240, S30, X41 Tablet, T42p, and by a long shot, the 701, Transnote, and W700ds, were all made not to fill a gap in the market, not to make money, maybe not even to set a standard. They made it, just because they could. Because some guy, somewhere, in a meeting, had the craziest, coolest idea. And where most companies would smack it down being conservative or fiscally responsible, they just threw everything aside and said "You know what? Let's do it."

It's that attitude that I absolutely love. And it shows in ThinkPad everywhere. The calculator-style display on the 760 and 770, the enormous, industrial-sized camera on the 850/860, the UltraBase of the 570, and the Dock II and 2503 Advanced Dock.

I also adore the Thinkpad's aesthetic... it's very unique. And it's almost exactly how I would custom design my own laptop if I could. The flat black, matte, textured look, and the angular, blunt, straight-edged shape... it's just all-round amazing for me. Using a Thinkpad is beyond refreshing, coupled with the amazing features you get over normal laptops.

[ajkula66]

They made it, just because they could. Because some guy, somewhere, in a meeting, had the craziest, coolest idea. And where most companies would smack it down being conservative or fiscally responsible, they just threw everything aside and said "You know what? Let's do it."

Amen.

It's that attitude that I absolutely love. And it shows in ThinkPad everywhere.

I couldn't have said it better myself. My hat's off to you, young man...

[kony]

My the first laptop was business-class Compaq (that company belonged to HP for quite a while by the time I got the laptop), unreliable crap which failed me exactly one month after warranty ended. Turned out I wasn't unlucky, it was a common thing and a malpractice by HP/Compaq/Whoever and the internet is full of failed laptops just after warranty ended from that time (my exact model was Compaq Presario V2000).

I've never bought HP or Compaq product again.

I went back to desktop computers, but when I needed a laptop again I had a Toshiba, which still works, but the laptop's monitor broke four times, I repeaired it thrice but finally gave up and now my dad uses it with an external monitor.

My third laptop was old and used Panasonic, finally I've seen that laptops do not need to be crap that is prone to failure and - unlike desktops - unreliable. Today it's about 17 years old laptop that still works perfectly! Performance of the processor and so on is obviously unsatisfactory, but I needed it just to read/write documents when I was in a hospital. However, this laptop was why I decided that my next one would be of higher quality in hope it won't break.

And here I am, got my the first Thinkpad four months ago, because - as I read - they are very reliable. The other possible option was an Elitebook, but it costs more and it's HP again, no way I'd trust that company with any product.

[Saucey]

My third laptop was old and used Panasonic, finally I've seen that laptops do not need to be crap that is prone to failure and - unlike desktops - unreliable. Today it's about 17 years old laptop that still works perfectly!

Curious as to what model it is.
I know some Toshibas were solid machines, but they get alot of bad press (read about lid plastics cracking from normal use)
Then again people are 5x more likely to complain about something than to praise it.
But I think it is because laptops were made with cheaper components as time progressed, like how consumer desktops are skimped with a barely efficient power supply.

[kony]

My third laptop was old and used Panasonic, finally I've seen that laptops do not need to be crap that is prone to failure and - unlike desktops - unreliable. Today it's about 17 years old laptop that still works perfectly!

Curious as to what model it is.
I know some Toshibas were solid machines, but they get alot of bad press (read about lid plastics cracking from normal use)
Then again people are 5x more likely to complain about something than to praise it.
But I think it is because laptops were made with cheaper components as time progressed, like how consumer desktops are skimped with a barely efficient power supply.

You can check all my laptops in my signature :P It is Panasonic Toughbook CF-71, I posted some photos of it recently: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 69#p726577

[Summilux]

I can't put my finger on it.

You probably are using the touchpad then.

He he, nice one

[Adda]

Lemme put it like this.

Back in the first half of the 1900's, a Swedish tool manufacturer (E. A. Berg), made wire cutters from pure high carbon steel.
Carbon steel is almost indestructible, and doesn't wear down easily, in fact, I have one of these wire cutters, made in the 40's AND IT STILL WORKS!!!
When I take in my hands I want to cut wires all day.

If I pick up a modern wire cutter, of soft metal, that can bend and break if I squeeze it too tightly, I don't want to cut wires, I don't enjoy using it, it's not a good product, all it does is get the job done, but not for very long, it won't last due to poor metals.

Do you have to make wire cutters out of carbon steel? no, but a pure high carbon steel wire cutter is the best wire cutter you'll ever get.

It's the same with ThinkPads, putting my hands on the keyboard and trackpoint makes me want to do something.
Any other laptop brand I have tired, have been a struggle, I just wanted to get it over with so I could get back to my Thinkpads.

But now that the Thinkpad is dead, I can use my time on speaker building in stead, thank you Lenovo

[TRS-80]

For me initially it was the legendary reliability, easy availability of service manuals and spare parts, the fact that many of them were made and therefore spare parts plentiful and inexpensive, etc.

But [censored], they are some nice machines. Then the little things start to grow on you, the nipple mouse, the lid light, etc...

[Temetka]

For me it was the looks when I got my first T23. Then I joined the forum and learned a lot. Their legendary build quality, their ability to not be flashy in a consumer sense but instead shroud themselves in a cloak of baddassery that reminds me of Darth Vader. I loved Thinkpads and still do so long as it's a T61 or older. The new machines inspire me to have have my clients buy Latitudes and Precisions instead of Thinkpads.

As said above, thank you Lenovo for curing me of my Thinkpad obsession.

Oh hi Dell, how are you today?