Do I need Thinkpad Protection?

I am on the verge of purchasing an X60 or X61 for law school, just waiting for the July 4th sale and shopping for the best price. I definitely will upgrade the parts warranty for 3 years (duration of school), but I am debating adding the spill and drop protection.

Everything I read says that these machines are exteremely well made and come standard with impressive shock and spill protection built in. That being the case, do I really need to spend the extra money for the Thinkpad Protection, or can I get away with just the standard warranty? Does thinkpad protection cover anything besides spill and drops?

 

Well, take shock and spill protection with a grain of salt. No laptop is made so that you can drop it or spill stuff over it. The "protection" is a last resort thing that may or may not mitigate some damage. As with all insurance, weigh the risk vs. possible gain.

If you go the 3 years without dropping your laptop or spilling stuff over it, you probably wasted the money. If you do any of the above however, then the investment is worth it.

My own experience with my Thinkpad? It died instantly when I spilled water all over it - regardless of the keyboard protection. (Actually, when I opened it up and tilted it, water was gushing out of the inside....)

Consider that you'll be carrying the X61 all over the place in law school, and sometimes even be walking with it in your arms.

 

How clumsy are you? Life involves a certain amount risk.

 

There's a thread in the Dell forums about warranty and a Dell manager.

Basically he said:

Get a 3 year accident protection warranty. Models are typically EOL in 2 years. Wait for the last model to disappear from the refurb site, and then "accidentally" drop your laptop. Voila - a new laptop.

 

Here's how I see this. If you are on the go with your mobile electronics often this is something that may be worth extra. Unless you go mil-spec, little bump here and there can mean life and death for your computer. Also, when I go back for grad school, I will be on a tighter budget than I am now, so if you have the extra cash, I would take the pre-caution now as you don't really know whether you will have the money to fix it or replace it later on.