Is it typical for Lenovo to stop support for notebooks after release?

I bought a Lenovo U330 because I heard great things about them, and they offered a notebook that fit my needs at a reasonable price.

But after you buy, you're left in the dust.

Firstly, at the Lenovo community forums they keep saying that it is a user to user support forum, not support from Lenovo. Why have it under the Lenovo domain then if they don't want it to be an "official" support site?

Also, they have ZERO driver updates. When asked if/when they will update the video drivers, they just ask what issues I need addressed. Of course I'm just asking for the improvement updates that comes with each ATI release. Unfortunately, you HAVE to use their control panel since it uses a software switch between Intel and ATI graphics that is proprietary to Lenovo.

There is also zero support for 64-bit machines. You have to cobble together drivers from other machines if you want 64-bit drivers.

The video card can be set in the BIOS to either "switchable" or "discrete". There is no option for "integrated". So if you don't use their drivers then you effectively have both video cards running, draining power. When forum members asked to add a BIOS option for "integrated" the response was that this is a feature of the machine, changing this would make the feature worthless. No it wouldn't! It would offer flexibility for a BIOS switch for those that can't use Lenovo's drivers (64-bit or Linux).

Lastly, the U330 shows up as a "featured PC" for Windows 7 upgrade at Microsoft's site. So far Lenovo has not indicated any support for Windows 7, nor have they offered up any beta drivers. When you install Windows 7, there are a ton of devices that are unknown.

So, is this typical of Lenovo?

 

Can’t say much about their IdeaPad line, as I don’t own one, but Lenovo has provided regular updates for my ThinkPad, including a host of Windows 7 beta drivers. In addition, I can switch between integrated and discrete in the BIOS and there’s an x64 driver for everything.

As for their forums, while they are regularly visited by Lenovo employees, I feel it makes complete sense for a manufacturer to provide a forum that focuses on user-to-user interaction of their products.

 

Thank you BinkNR. That seems to be the concensus at Lenovo forums too. Why do they provide continued support for Thinkpad, but when it comes to IdeaPad, specifically U330, they haven't touched anything since day of release? Makes me rethink Lenovo next time.

When I ask at the Lenovo forums if Lenovo plans on support for Windows 7, they say "what do you mean by support, drivers?" Literally. I mean holy flying baby poop Batman!

 

It's simple - ideasPads are their consumer line while ThinkPads are their business line. Companies buy or lease notebooks (and desktops) expecting to use them for 3-4 years before replacement. In the meantime, the commericial and proprietary software that runs the business gets upgraded and patched. Those changes have to be supported.

 

Hrm. You’re right. I just bothered to look at their support site for drivers for your IdeaPad and it’s not updated anywhere close to the frequency for my ThinkPad.

I don’t know why though. Perhaps a different division is responsible for the IdeaPad—or because they cater more toward their ThinkPad line (which I assume is a higher margin product).

 

I find that interesting, because my ThinkPad T400 has "Integrated", "Discrete", or "Switchable" in the BIOS. Since the Windows 7 RC isn't currently working well with switchable graphics, I just choose what card I'd like to use on startup in the BIOS. (EDIT: What I meant is, "I don't know why they wouldn't do the same with the Ideapad, and think it shouldn't be so difficult).

IBM didn't make Ideapads prior to Lenovo purchasing their PC division, did they? It makes me wonder; if the Ideapad line is wholly Lenovo, is the support reflected in that vs. the ThinkPad line? Not sure.

 

IdeaPads were born some time after Lenovo bought this division of IBM.

 

That's what I thought.

Sad that driver support is that lousy, esp. when compared to the home/multimedia lines of other vendors (e.g., HP, Dell, etc.).

 

I agree. I never owned a Thinkpad or IBM/Lenovo branded notebook. I did use one for work many years back, and it was built like a tank. I did hear great things about them in general though, so decided to give them a try. This doesn't bode well.

I can't believe they wouldn't support it more thoroughly though. This, coupled with battery life issues isn't making many new Lenovo customers happy.

The machine itself is solid, and seems quality, but that doesn't matter if they never offer continued support for its features.

BTW, LoneWolf15 - I'm from the Mitten State too. Where are you? The thumb?

 

Nope. SW side.

I continue to get the impression that Lenovo is uneven as a corporate entity. If you buy a new ThinkPad, you'll (usually) get a good machine. Driver updates are regular, as are BIOS updates (I think there were 4-6 for my T61 in the span of a little more than a year). Support kind of depends, but it's been rare that I've had to rely on anyone's support, because I work in IT for a living, and have had few hardware issues that needed warranty coverage (most issues I've had are software glitches I've figured out, or figured out with feedback from others).

I'm not sure that Lenovo's Ideapad line, or their Value line (e.g., G530) are supported as well as their business line. That's rather disconcerting. I could see where paying less would reduce the quality of phone support a bit, but many companies manage to maintain good driver and software support even on their entry notebooks. HP and Dell are fairly reasonable at this.

I have owned two ThinkPads, and they have been good. I have not owned an Ideapad, so I can't say much beyond what I see. However, I have learned that no matter who I buy from, I always have better luck buying from the business line, rather than the home/home-entertainment selection. It seems every vendor caters to support and stability in their business lines, although admittedly they might not have the graphics processors found in your gaming-powerhouse systems.

One last thing --I think ThinkPads are awesome for geeks, and knowledgeable users. That said, I don't recommend Lenovo to the staff I support. The prices are great, but the inconsistencies I've seen with end-user support nix it for me, and I can't support my staff's personal computers for free. I continue to watch several forums, hoping these inconsistencies will improve over time to the point where I can recommend the product I buy for myself.

 

Thanks for your input. I almost never use tech support for issues. I'm mainly concerned about driver and BIOS updates to tune and improve performance and support new OS features (like Windows 7).

So far they seem to think there needs to be an issue to offer any video driver, or any other device driver, updates.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with both sides of the argument.

On one hand, my purchase of the U330 was based on Lenovo's reputation, which was established by the legacy of the ThinkPad brand, and the attractive specifications on paper. Even at that, the U330 still doesn't exactly lives up to all the advertised specifications, the battery life and wear issues in particular, which Lenovo dismisses as nuances in testing methodology - Okay, fair enough I suppose.

By merit of being two separate lines catering to two completely different markets, the IdeaPad is not a ThinkPad. Hence, Lenovo is not obligated to provide the same level of service. With that in mind, I would opt for the ThinkPad and never look at the IdeaPad line for my future purchases.

Still, by not providing 64 bit drivers or promising Windows 7 support, that's just rubbing salt into the wounds of fed up U330 owners. \end rant

 

admlam,

I've raised the question in IdeaPad Win7 support, especially since we continue to sell the U330 and purchasers after June 26 qualify for the win7 upgrade. As I understand it, driver and application (for existing preload) support will be in place at the time MS officially releases Win 7.

All,

IdeaPad and ThinkPad are indeed two seperate product lines in the business. As such they may have different specs, pricing, service / support options, and sales routes.

We've had more updates for some IdeaPads than others in terms of BIOS and drivers. There are a number of cases where there are differences in capabilities between Thinkpad and IdeaPad. For example, all ThinkPads have option batteries available, but not all IdeaPad models may. Virtualization is supported on a number of ThinkPads while it is not supported on Ideapad. However, many IdeaPads tend to have HDMI ports, much better speakers, gloss screens (which may or may not be a plus, depending on preference) etc.

I think the opportunity for Lenovo is to understand the changing needs over the life of the product, and in many cases, the customer's desire to change or update it - different OS, upgrades, etc. Declining sale prices in the industry do create cost / expense pressures which may limit the amount of ongoing updates to an existing product beyond basic warranty support (resolving any defects in the original config)

Personally, I think this is a real challenge for this industry, because as a customer, my expectations don't decline just because things are on sale.



Mark