Is the T61 the B-52 of Laptops?

[Olwe]

The longer I go on with my T61 "fleet," the more it's beginning to feel like I'm flying a B-52, i.e., a solid piece of equipment that goes on and on and still has a place in my world. Is this your experience? Or can you think of another more B-52-ish laptop?

[Saucey]

I'll let you know when my T61 hits 50 years of service.

[Temetka]

The T61 is an amazing machine. That being said I think the C2D glory time in the sun is nearing it's end.

[dr_st]

I never liked the T61 series because of its looks. It also has a few minor quirks compared to a T60, but the opposite is true as well. However, performance-wise the T61 can leave T60 in the dust with 2.8GHz CPUs, 8GB RAM and SATA2 capabilities. So their useful life is much longer. And the looks issue is solved by frankenpadding (T61 hardware in a T60 shell). So here you go.

[Qing Dao]

If you want something to watch media, browse the web, and perform office tasks, 8GB of RAM of a C2D won't be hampering your experience for a long time to come.

[Olwe]

Obviously, I don't really mean a laptop will be good -- creative upgrades or no -- for 50 years. There'll be no T61H. But still, B-52-ish fame is due a machine that's held its own for seven years. That's pretty good for a laptop.

I think if sociologists observed humans vis-a-vis their tech, they'd find that lots of us would rather hang onto gear and upgrade it rather than constantly chuck it and buy new over and over. For example, I have a perfectly good Hitachi power drill, and now it needs new batteries. But my hardware store guys say, "Throw it away. A brand-new one including fresh batteries costs only a few dollars more." What fecal matter!

Yes, Tim Cook, Michael Dell, you can have my T61s . . . after you pry my cold, dead fingers from them. . . .

[dr_st]

But still, B-52-ish fame is due a machine that's held its own for seven years. That's pretty good for a laptop.

Define "held on" though. I have a few laptops older than that still going.

[brchan]

The T61 is indeed a great machine and the last "true" Thinkpad with 4:3 ratio screen/form factor. Build quality and durability is quite good, aside from the design flaw in the right hinge that causes it to snap. I am definately keeping my T61 for many years, and might even try the quad core mod with a QX9300 when performance eventually becomes an issue.

[RMSMajestic]

perfect comparison,
US air are still upgrading B-52s and we are giving our T61 new engines (Quad Core CPUs)
Or just like Russia's Tu-95

[Zglanowany]

I do not know, how to check what is age of my T61

But with 8GB of RAM, and SSD inside it beats many of new commercial laptops.

[Unknown_K]

perfect comparison,
US air are still upgrading B-52s and we are giving our T61 new engines (Quad Core CPUs)
Or just like Russia's Tu-95

If you could gut the T61 and stick a new design into it then maybe you would have the B52 analogy. The reality is other then the airframe and engines all the electronics have been changed many times. Plus all the original airframes have been junked. Neither the US nor Russia has the cash to design and build 100+ airframes that would end up being many billions of dollars each, new laptops are faster and cheaper then the original T61.

[Tasurinchi]

I do not know, how to check what is age of my T61

You see the production date in the same black and white sticker at the bottom of the laptop where your model type is (provided the board wasn't swapped)

[portsample]

I do wish that T61s were more like B-52s.
I'd love to be able to Dremel off a mount or two, drill a couple of holes, then drop a bleeding edge ASUS, or Silicon Graphics motherboard into the T61 case. Just wishin...

[cadillacmike68]

But still, B-52-ish fame is due a machine that's held its own for seven years. That's pretty good for a laptop.

Define "held on" though. I have a few laptops older than that still going.

Me too.

The Boeing 707 (which is what the KC-135 tanker is) is at least as old and the air farce still has over 400 of them in service (far more than the number of B52s).

And the Boeing 747 is a mid 1960s design which first flew in 1970 or 71 and it's still gong strong.