Are Thinkpads still special?

I'm in the market for a new laptop. It's been quite a while since I've had a Thinkpad, the last one I had was an A20p so you can see it's been quite a few years. At that time the Thinkpad was definitely considered the premiere lappy. My question is, with so many nice laptops available, is the Thinkpad still "special"? I guess what I would be looking for is either a T series or W series Thinkpad. I'm just wondering if most other laptops have caught up to the Thinkpad or is it still head and shoulders above the rest?

 

I wouldn't think of having a client (corporate) sitting in front of anything else during a presentation or a work session.

In such situations, you just can't take a Dell Studio Line laptop (1 of many examples) seriously. It appears so gimmicky.

 

VAIOs looks pretty sexy and professional too
but i went with a thinkpad because i had to try it out

 

I'd say Sony has the best LCD but you get what you pay for. I consider the LCD most important element of a laptop. After all, you're going to be looking at it all day, no?

Thinkpads are still superior in build quality and the keyboard still rocks my world. However, some Sony's feel pretty solid too.

Dells look pretty and I can't stand it when some dumb blonde comes up and says "I want a pink one! hehe!" Dell falls apart after one year.

 

I fully agreed with you up until this point...

Other than that though, I think you are spot on.

 

Dell has run itself to a second tier player as far as quality and build are considered. Sony thinks its brand name worth at least %50 of the asking price. The only laptops that can be considered along with ThinkPad are some of the HP business laptops.

Other laptops have not "caught" up with ThinkPad, not because they can't (they all made by Chinese anyway), it's only because they can extract enough profit by selling crappy machines to undereducated mass, so they don't need to. Look at HP's consumer line, to me, it's just bunch of parts in a Walmart lunch box.

 

niiice

HAHAH

 

I second all of this. In addition, Sony still thinks the words “64 bit driver” is just a made up phrase.

 

is the title of this thread even a fair question?

 

Thanks for the replies. I should say that it would be for my personal use, it would not be used in a corporate setting. From what I've read of the T400/500 & W series the displays are much improved, especially if I go for the LED display. A webcam is available too which is a plus.
As for it being a fair question, why not? It's not like I can just walk into a store and play with one. I'm just asking for an opinion, no more, no less.

 

If you get the LG panel, I would consider Lenovo THE best buy on the market right now. Make sure you buy a replacement T60 or T61 keyboard (prefer manufactured by NMB) to get rid of the keyboard flexing issue.

T400 or T500 or Etc... + LED (LG panel) LCD + NMB replacement keyboard + Legendary Thinkpad build quality = PWN ALL

 

I think they guy meant that they are so much better, that it is hardly even a fair question

I coudl be wrong. Dave

 

I would have to say that Apple has some robust hardware, not quite Thinkpad quality yet, but still ahead of the others.

 

Just my own personal opinion here, but I would not say ThinkPads are the gold standard they once were, though they are better than the average. In Lenovo's defense, ThinkPads are no longer a small part of huge IBM were perhaps profit was less of a concern. It's sort of a rush to the middle. You can price your notebooks at $2k with fabulous build quality and support, but you're going to sell about 1/10 of what HP does with the $750 special, which is probably good enough for most people. If notebooks sell for $2k, not near as many people have them. It's sort of a double edged sword. If you're looking for the gold standard manufacturer, it's probably Panasonic.

 

Yes, thinkpads are still special and are currently getting rave reviews for being innovative. The competition from apple is coming very close and apple's screen's are so much better, however thinkpad build quality is still superior since apple uses plastic liberally..

 

Hmm, if you are asking on a forum devoted to Guinness beer whether Guinness is superior, what do you think the answers will be?

I myself also think that Thinkpad are superior in the world of Windows laptops, but if you are into serious research, I'd ask on the Dell and HP forums as well (hoping that there are some Dell lovers who used Thinkpad at least couple of times).

 

It seems clear you've never used a Dell Latitude-series notebook, designed for business.

While I own a ThinkPad, I support a lot of Latitude D630/D830 machines, and I have to say, they're some of the best systems that have ever been made. The Thinkpad beats them on the keyboard, but they have a solid magnesium-alloy chassis, great build quality, and have stood up well under the use of high school students, who aren't always known for being careful with equipment.

 

I still don't think it's a fair question to ask in an IBM/Lenovo forum.

 

Why? It seems perfectly reasonable to me given the content of the OP's questions and comments in his opening message.

Nothing inflammatory there? Check.
Information gathering? Check.
Trying to make a decision based on current status vs his previous experience? Check.

Didn't trigger any of my spidey-senses which, if I do say so myself, are pretty finely honed after all these years. I guess YMMV.

 

I just received a Dell Latitude D830 at work, but with my own money, I bought a T500. I had have been a Dell user for the past 10+ years, ordered quite a few Dimensions/Inspirions/Latidues, every time I received a new Dell, I saw the quality going down a notch. Finally, I had to leave the brand and bought HP/Lenovo.

Dell is a mass-marketed cheap supplier nowadays. In the company I work, regular guys get a Dell desktop, senior guys get a Dell Latitude, Managers, Client facing guys, and Executives only order ThinkPads, mind you.

 

I hope that you are talking about chassis or something along those lines, because even the best MBP only has an 8600 GPU. ROFL.

In the internals as far as hardware goes I would have to firmly disagree.

 

I heard something about the batteries for the new Thinkpad to be somewhat non-flush - at least when you went up in cell size - causing it to rattle somewhat.

Can anyone confirm this?

 

I used to be an all Thinkpad user a while back but I've turned to Apple computers, one of the reasons behind this move is that lenovo's warranty service has been beyond abysmal in my experience. YMMV.

Dell's business line of notebooks are also comparable to lenovo in build quality now-a-days.

 

Uhh, I was talking about build quality, not specs...

 

lol remember when thinkpads used to be like 3 generations behind in vid cards?

 

I would say both yes and no. There are many other machines that are great for business and look the part. HP for example makes excellent business machines that come in full black and have a mouse nub just like Thinkpads.

On the other hand Thinkpads have lost some of their perfection with time. For example the LED above the screen for lighting the keyboard doesn't really work as well as backlit keys. Their unique software that is suppose to make you do more generally ends up requiring you to waste time restarting. The speakers on ThinkPad computers are somewhat expectantly near-useless in everything but a perfectly quite room. The screen (at least for me) doesn’t get as bright as many other laptops, but its never really been an issue, just a relative difference.

On the other hand there are still many great features. For example the magnesium screen supports only continue to improve with time and most other manufactures don't really seem to bother here even though it is one of the weakest links. As far as I know the modular CD/DVD/HDD caddy/whatever drive is also nice in that it covers a larger percentage of models compared to most other brands. My laptop also seems to stay much cooler then people who have HP and Dell consumer notebooks. It’s very nice to be able to sit the laptop down on any surface without worrying about damaging it. The best feature is still the keyboard. You will NOT find a better keyboard. Pretty much any desktop keyboard that sells for $8 or more can be used without issue. Laptops on the other hand are not like this and I have trouble using pretty much anything other than a ThinkPad. The Fn key and the Ctrl key are backwards from what you would expect, but after a few months you get used to it. It might bother you if you use more than one computer constantly. No sure why they still make keyboards like this.

Quick edit: Also if you use a security cable: The thinkpad has the best design I have seen. Much more metal support, less plastic. Seems more secure and isn't as likly to deform if something pulls the laptop/cable a bit harder then you would hope.