How often do YOU buy a new ThinkPad?

Good day everyone, I was just wondering how often everyone here buys a new ThinkPad. Every year ? Every time a new model comes out ? Every two years, etc. I bought my T61 (my first ever ThinkPad) in January of 2008, and see absolutely no need to buy another laptop. I'll probably wait until Windows 7 starts to ship with the new ThinkPads, or when the next update comes out. I see a lot of people buying new computers like twice a year lol
So, back on topic, how often do you "upgrade", and why ?
I guess if my job was on my computer all day, and needed to stay up to date with software, etc. I would have to upgrade more often. But alas, I just use my T61 for internet, music, etc. So, what's everyone's thoughts on this ??
I usually have a laptop for about 5-6 years then upgrade.

 

I tend to keep mine a while as well.

I used my T40 for the better part of five years and plan on using my x200 Tablet for at least three.

I tend to buy laptops on features that don't obsolete very quickly (display, general quality, keyboard, battery life, form factor, etc.) rather than pure performance. When I need to do heavy CPU/GPU tasks I use my desktop (far easier and cheaper to keep up to date).

 

i sell all of my laptops when there are 6 months left on warranty (usually year and a half). I then use the $$ i got from sale to upgrade.

 

average about 5 years. Depends on how much I have and how much power I need.

 

About every two years (as you can see from my sig). I always get a 3-year warranty, so selling locally with a year left on the warranty gets me a decent price that covers about half the cost of a new model. I figure I'm eating about $300-400 of depreciation a year, which is reasonable since I can also write off some of the cost of a new computer against taxes.

I'm hoping to be able to skip Vista altogether... running XP on my T61 and will hopefully be able to hold out long enough to get Win7 on my T400.

 

I have been averaging every three-four years. I tend to use them until their decently out dated. I'm not too demanding of a user so even my old T42 would still hold up good just felt it was time for something faster.

 

I started my ThinkPad journey around 2002 when I got repaid for a debt with 600x. Than a few years later I got a new T23 at work. A few years after that, I bought my first ThinkPad T42. I couple of years ago I bought T60 (wife inherited T42). At the same time my work replaced T23 with T60, except the one at work is Core Duo and 14". Now, I just purchased T400s and wife is looking forward to T60 while T42 going down the line to my 4 year old 600x is still working except for screen (dead, but working with external monitor hooked up), so maybe I should let my 1 year old play with it I'm basically on 2-3 year intervals and always buy 3 year warranty, and when it expiries I upgrade it again. IBM/Lenovo warranty and service is OUT of THIS WORLD!!! You call them with a problem, get pre-paid UPS box in the mail the next day, and most of the times get your laptop back in 3-4 days. Oh, and since in my spare time I produce music and use my ThinkPad exclusively for that purpose - it’s a tax write-off

 

I like to keep all my machines(desktops and laptops) for as long as possible or till they get so unusable they are no more use to me. I use my machines mainly for web surfing and such, but recently I am doing some .Net development work and the extra horsepower defenetly comes in handy for that. Not to mention I don't have the money to constantly upgrade my machines for marginal improvements. Like you said, if my job depended on the laptop that would be a different story.

 

Since 2004 I've bought four ThinkPads:

T41 - Disliked the XGA.
T42 - Too creaky, but good screen.
14" R60 - Probably the most durable ThinkPad I've owned, but its downfall was the mediocre screen.
15" R60 - It's a little heavier than I'd like, but the screen can't be beat. It's a keeper for now.

 

I never thought I would want to sell my T61 after only less than 2 years. It is an absolutely great machine for me in every aspect, especially with the standard screen which I can't get any more. I have been almost 100% satisfied with it. The only drawback is that it is 14.1" and a bit too heavy to carry, so I never carry it out. Now that I have bought a smaller one which I carry quite often, I begin to find it too much of hassle to have to transfer files back and forth between the two machines. It seems there is a good reason to just have one smaller laptop. This is why I actually started considering selling the 14.1", even though I have no issue with it whatsoever.

In sum, when I bought the T61 I thought I would keep it for at least 5 years, and continued thinking so very recently. Now it turns out I may well bid good-bye to it much sooner, not because of any fault of the machine (kind of pity to sell something that you are so satisfied!), but because of the hassles involved with using two machines at the same time.

So I say, how long you'll replace your laptop may be unpredictable. You never know what new model will come out that appeals to you.

 

Is there really a point in reselling. I am looking at ebay and my system has a resale value there @ 100-200 bucks range. Thats hardly anything. I'd much rather keep my system and have an extra laptop hanging around.

 

^ My thought is the same. Unlike with cars, laptop's resale value can hold if it’s a relatively new system (< 1 year old). Any 2 year old laptop is obsolete in terms of processor and other options, and probably not worse as much while still could be a powerful enough machine. As an example, when we go on vacation T42 comes along (to off-load pictures from digital camera, browsing, etc.). Also, passing it along to kids is also a good option, gets them used to brand name from childhood

 

A22e: bought in 2001
T30: bought in 2002 (family use) then it came to my hands in 2004
T42p: Bought in 2005
T61: Bought in 2008

Do not plan on buying a new Thinkpad with the 'excuse' that there is no anymore a 4:3 Thinkpad unit. Also if I were to buy a new one in the future I will wait until a fanless CPU comes so that is worth upgrading, hate having the fan kick in.

 

For 100-200 bucks, you'll be better selling it in parts

I do share your thoughts. I will not sell it for dirty cheap. This is a great faultless machine. I'm going to keep it for myself if no one wants to pay the price I will ask for. May wait until the standard screens become collectible antiques.

 

As you see my id, my first own laptop was an ibm T41 just 3 years ago. In 2008, I got a T61. And thinking about getting a either x300 or T400. Since I'm an international student and have to travel, so as light as possible is good for me.
P/S: I love the ibm Trackpoint so much

 

I had a T61 about a year and a half ago. I sold it, and recently purchased a T400.

 

I just bought an x200 after owning 5 different consumer notebooks in the span of 4 years.

Needless to say, this is the first time I feel that I can finally stop upgrading to the latest tech and stick with a reliable companion (no need to read too deeply into this).

 

Had T41 for 5 Years
Had T60 for 3 Years
Had X61 for 1 year
All of them r working as they should and I absolutely loved them!!
My next one would be I say T400s or T410 depends on the price but I won't buy other brand for sure.

 

Well, I hope my T400 last's 3-4years to get my bachelors and then I'll probably need to upgrade by then. College is expensive so upgrading yearly or bi-yearly is not really an option.

 

I'm still using my T41 after 5 years but it is time for a replacement. Maybe next February or so.

 

One person's obsolete is another's perfectly fine (as this thread illustrates). I'd say obsolescence begins 3-4 years after release. A 2-year old T61 is still only one processor family behind the current norm and has pretty much everything else a T400 has, so is in no way obsolete for 98% of computer users IMO. That's why I tend to sell them at 2 years, when they still have a decent residual value, and not 3-4 years when value really starts to plummet.

 

I believe there is a point to resell if the computer is still on warranty. I just sold my previous laptop i did not use much which was 1 year and 7.5 months old. The computer sold on ebay for $350 less than I bought it new. Not too bad for a an older computer.

I am going to use money recovered from it to buy something newer.

I believe laptops are nice and can last a long time, but as a mobile device they are very susceptible to wear and tear. I prefer something that is newer and has less of a chance to fail from wear. And with how cheap notebooks have gotten in last year, i find it easy to justify a new laptop every 12-18 months.

 

True, "obsolescence" is a relative term. Plus, on a lot of occasions software evolves so much that you need new hardware (faster cpu and bus) to keep up with it. In my case, that is the major reason to upgrade every 3 years. I open the same music project on T42 and T60 and can see CPU load cut in almost a half on the later one. Going from single core to dual core was a huge step up. I’m probably not going to see the same improvement going from T60 to T400s, but it still should be noticeable.

 

I'm in the same situation. College means all the freshman have the newest awesome super computers and the seniors have had the same computer for 4+ years.

I had a Macbook for 3 years (RAM & HD upgrade and keyboard replacement along the way) before I moved from the white to the black and got an X200s.
So my thinkpad will have to last at least 3 years to match the standard set by the mac.

Before you buy a new computer, I would upgrade your existing unit as much as you can with RAM & HD (SSD possibly?). If nothing else, it helps improve the resale value. I got $200 more than my friend when we sold our macbooks. He had a faster processor but mine had an enormous HD and maxed out RAM.

 

I plan to keep my T400 for 3 more years. I run my number-crunching apps & games on my desktop.

 

My first laptop was a ThinkPad PII in 1998- I have no idea what model it was, but it was awesome at the time. I think I remember dropping 3k on it. It served me well for 4 years then crapped out in my second year of grad school. I replaced it with a Vaio that had a really nice screen at the time, but was a total piece of junk in every other aspect.

Bought a MBP G4 in 2004 for personal use but had several work laptops-

I've been through a Dell D600, then a 610, then 620 (all provided by work- personally I hate Dells and would never buy one)

Bought an MBP Intel in 2007 for personal use and still have it (using it right now)

Now I've come full circle and just ordered a W700 for business use and a T500 to keep around home.

On a side note, I just purchased my first ever Lenovo Workstations (3 S20's) and am hoping for a good experience with them.

 

Oh boy.... i have bought 6 thinkpads in the last 2 months, 3 are second hands from my friend. I probably will get a X200s or/and X301 and a W700 during Christmas and also contemplating about a T400s to replace the T400 that i had gave away.

I had bought a T500 off a workmate for around $500 AUD with 3 years warranty onsite, considering he only got it for 4 months, i think it is a steal. And unfortunately, another friend got it off me before i decided to keep it. I think i am regretting selling it, since i really didn't like the R500 with the Rollcage less casing (for the screen).

Hopefully Lenovo will not release any more thinkpads soon, as i don't want to spend too much money on these machines.

 

Historically it's been about every couple of years. I don't foresee selling my current machine anytime soon. I don't need a ton of power from my machine. My machine runs great. The newer machines won't be any faster for the things I do, mainly internet, office, music, burn a few discs and movies. I love my FlexView screen. There's nothing on the market right now for a mainstream notebook that's anywhere close in image quality.

I thought about picking up a X200 and doing the AFFS screen swap, but I don't need a ton of mobility. I prefer the trackpad. The stick only is kind of a deal killer for me. I can only use one notebook at a time anyway and it's not good to be greedy.

 

I think i am bit too into consumerism, which is problematic. In University i use to have a habit of buying textbooks and Ipods (out of the 30 i had only 3 are still functioning, talk about short product life cycles), in high school it was graphics calculators.

At least with Thinkpads i know they will work at least for couple of years, and i am planning to consolidate my Thinkpad collections at the end of the year.

 

I'm on my 3rd ThinkPad.

Back in August 1998 I bought a 2nd hand 1996 model ThinkPad. The 365XD.
In June 2003: The 770Z ! ...And September 2009, a ThinkPad Z61p.

I tend to use them until it's possible to buy an obviously technological evolved machine for a fair price and when I come to think of it, to my surprise I paid less for the Z61p than I once did for the 365XD. Both bought 2,5 years after being introduced to the market.

This is my first post in this forum. I'm already feeling welcome
Hope to gain and give knowledge.

 

Z61p is a very good machine for what it is, essentially a widescreen T60 with a SD card reader, which is what appealed to me about the T61 and R61 widescreen laptops.

 

Welcome!

Whoa! You've owned all those in your sig? What are you, the beta tester for Lenovo Australia?

 

No i am not testing beta or anything, just an avid Thinkpad fan, half of these machines were bought brand new while the other half is second hand or free from family, friends and colleagues.

The pay at mining company is decent, so i could afford to buy some of the new Thinkpad toys recently.

 

I see. Do you own most of them still? Gotta be a pain to reformat them all - it's like the assembly line at a car factory!

 

I own them all (like Pokemon slogan), no reformating all the time, since i doubt that i could use them all, which is a pain and i don't have them at one place either, it is scattered at various properties across Australia. I usually keep two backup laptops in the back of the car, just in case the one i use die on me, which shouldn't really be a problem.

Some of the machines don't even have a hdd installed, since i use one hdd for similar motherboard spec thinkpads. i.e. X60, R60, T60, Z61t have the same motherboard and/or GPU, while the T61 and R61.

And some of the machines in the list have died on me or in the process of dying. The R60 was a second hand one from a friend the LCD got smashed. The T30 was a second hand one i got for a coffee from a friend too, and i have disembowelled and unable to reassemble again, since i have lost lot of the screws. X31 screen CCFL is dead, T40 had a fan failure after 5 years of continuous 24/7 nonstop use.

 

Also i had another T400 i pass it on at a huge loss like for only 200 dollars (i was intending to give it him, but he wanted give me 200 dollars) and a T500 which i sold that i now regret, since i don't really like the R500 and R61 (15.4 inch model) without the top magnesium rollcage.

 

Late 2003, I got an X30.
Mid 2004, I got a T41p, but within a month returned it for a T42P
Nov 2005, I got a T43 to replace my T42P (basically, there was a laptop in between)
Feb 2007, I got a T60 to replace my T43
April 2008, I got a T61P to replace the T60, which I sold to my dad
August 2008, I got a T61 to compliment my T61p, but sold it to my mother in law in November 2008.
July 2009, I got a W500 to replace the T61p to get the most out of my solid state drives, and switchable graphics was of great use to me.

I've had 600Es, T22, A30, X30, X31, T40, T41, T42, R60(x2) laptops as well as secondary or tertiary computers.

I have too many laptops.

My next one will likely be an Arrendale based T or W series.

 

I have a T60p that is 3 1/2 years old and it's back for repairs for the second time in it's life. I'm waiting for mobile i7 to upgrade. I can get a T400s for 40% off through work but I really don't want another Montevina based system.

 

Reading this thread, I'm amazed at how often some of you upgrade, you all must be doing quite well financially

For me, this is my first Thinkpad. Don't really plan to upgrade for at least another 2 years.

 

My T500 is my first Thinkpad, although I had experience with a T60 and T42 before. I intend to use it through college, so I'll be replacing it in some 4-5 years. If I find the money, though, I'd likely succumb to buying a new computer after only 3 or so.

 

My workmate just bought a Porsche GT3 using his 2 years of salary, and another just put a deposit on a house in a very good neighbourhoood. I have used much of my money to buy gadgets, which only depreciate in value.

 

Hey, to each his own, right?

 

My hobby is also a very bad addicition....

 

Geeze. That is ridiculous...

 

Not if you are getting paid like 200,000 AUD a year, obviously i don't get that much, but that is sort of money people in mining gets paid.

Mining in Australia, some technicians gets paid around 40 to 70% more salaries then an Engineers.

 

I know how lucrative mining can be. But you said two years of his salary.

 

Yeah 2 years of his salary, a GT3 only costs like 270,000 dollars new, and he was on 220,000 AUD dollars a year and he also traded in his audi RS4, when he got the GT3.

 

Every time a new Thinkpad T-series gets released. I'm on my 8th Thinkpad (12th if you consider official corporate laptops as well)

He could've gotten a used Gallardo or Aston V8 Vantage for that kind of money.

 

I don't think he liked the Lambo that much or the Aston Martin, also the Lambo Gallardo is hard to find second hand. He considered a F430 but the waiting list was too long for a new one in Australia, so he just chose the Porsche GT3.

And he uses T43p, X200s and a T400s that he just got from work.

 

I'm on my first Thinkpad, bought it Dec 2008. And while we're on the subject of exotic cars, here's what I currently drive:



Now THAT will set you back a pretty penny.