Users Voice Their Opinions about the Lenovo ThinkPad T61

The Lenovo ThinkPad T61 has been in our top ten list longer than any other notebook, even more impressive is that it has bounced around between the #1 and #3 most popularlaptop since May of2007when it was released. But is this popularity deserved based on user opinions of actual T61 owners? In this article we look to find out.

For those that don't know, the ThinkPad T61 comes in both a 14.1" and 15.4" widescreen format and is the flagship business notebook from Lenovo. The T61 is built to last with a rugged magnesium alloy frame and roll cage, its business matte black look conveys a sense of no-nonsense I'm here to get work done attitude.The T61can be had for under $1,000 with a budget configuration including an Intel T8100 2.1GHz processor, 14.1" screen and integrated graphics. If you need a workstation style notebook you can step up to an Nvidiadedicated graphics ThinkPad T61p that can cost up to $1,800 if you trick it out with the highest end components for the best performance

We wrote our full review of the ThinkPad T61back in May of 2007, but what are people saying now? We dip into our user opinion pool for theThinkPad T61to find out. The opinions chosen here are based on the value of the information (in our opinion) to our readers. We're not picking only the positive opinions or negative. For the record, the overall positive rating is 70.5% while negative rating is at 29.5%.

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ThinkPad T61 Review
Submitted by David on 2/23/2008

Rating: 8/10

Pros: Still sturdy and carries enough of the original ThinkPad features to keep the brand name alive. Not sure on the details but if internal parts were changed from metal to plastic, big mistake. Overall feels very sturdy, ThinkVantage button is actually useful vs. most other systems attempt at this stuff. Thought I would NEVER use a trackball but this one is one of a kind and all I use now. Keys are placed in good locations. Fingerprint deal is actually great and works well with the Password feature. Performance has been great overall.

Cons: Take one super small idea from Dell Vostro series. Quit shipping garbage pre-loaded demo software, even if Microsoft and everyone else pays you to do so. Took me 3 hours to uninstall and re-boot to get most of it off and I am sure alot is still in the registry. Screen and resolution was not quite as good as I thought or was expecting. I did get the on board cheaper one from Intel. If you are getting a T61, spend the extra $100. Not sure what the nVidia looks like but I imagine it is pretty good. Luckily my laptop arrived from an online order within a week to 10 days so I did not have to experience the customer service issue everyone is railing about. Hopefully I wont have to but my online experience was pretty good and the email communication I received regarding the order and tracking was fine.

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Great machine
Submitted by Andrew on 3/31/2008

Rating: 8/10

Pros: Awesome keyboard, love the UltraNav system. Works great, I got mine with a Linux pre-install, but installed windows vista ultimate, and it runs great! No problems at all. Also, great build, gotta love the roll cage.

Cons: This is tough, there's barely anything, I'd have to say the off-center screen was an initial put off, but it doesn't bother me anymore. Also, I'd love it if they could make it even lighter, maybe like 4 lbs or something? That'd be awesome.

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Great Computer, 9 out of 10 rating, short on help on hardware and software support 6 out of 10 rating.
Submitted by NP on 4/2/2008

Rating: 8/10

Pros: The Lenovo ThinkPad T61 7664 is a very good laptop computer. Well designed, excellent keyboard. I have owned this laptop for 5 months and the hardware works as it should. I am a higher than average capable user. When observing the laptop, all the parts fit very nicely together, gaps where computer case is joined together and the buttons and keyboard are uniform. This indicates a very carefully put together product. I like the conservative look, it's not flashy so it doesn't attract attention. I run Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate and of course there are software issues, but this has improved in the last 5 months. If you use vista, more memory the better. There are cheaper and more expensive laptops out there. This one is a good value for a lite gamer and heavy worker and internet user.

Cons: The only con is support. I am lucky since I am a higher than average user, I can solve my own issues regarding hardware conflicts and software issues. Don't expect the Help desk at lenovo to help much since you have to have knowledge of hardware and software to solve issues. My computer came packaged with microsoft office trial version. I loaded my older version of office and did not uninstall the new version of Microsoft office and lots of strange things happened. I called tech support and they had me use the disk that come with the computer and reinstall everything, not necessary. I did the process a couple of time because the disk that came with the computer were the wrong ones. It came with XP Professional version. I recommend that everyone use the backup software that comes with the computer before they start getting everything set up so if the need comes up one will have the experience avoiding costly time wasting mistakes and data loss. Most laptop don't come with windows install disk but an image of the disk. What this means is that if something gets corrupt, one cannot just pop in the install disk and reinstall a driver or module you need to know how to use the back up that comes with your laptop otherwise you will find yourself reinstalling everything every time something goes wrong. Inevitably something will go wrong when install new hardware or software. Image disk is something that is not mention and the first time I purchased software with a computer in a long time. The think advantage software and utilities that comes with Lenovo works great once you become familiar with it. Again I say don't expect lenovo help to be much help. Unfortunately I think this is true for most companies regarding help support. To be fair with Lenovo, they did respond by email to see if I was satisfied with the help and I told them my issues were software related and that they weren't much help even with there own software. I told them I figured it out

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Thinkpad T61 Review
Submitted by Sonny Black on 2/20/2008

Rating: 6/10

Pros: I consider T61 as a very solid machine. i got the 14.1 widescreen and it's very compact. One of the advantages about this size is that it does not weigh so much which means its comfortable to have this thing in the back pack when you are traveling alot. screen off-center but i really never noticed it to become a problem. Like the full size keys - very comfortable to work with. ThinkVantage - a very nice, userfriendly and usefull to have in case something awful happen.

Cons: Unstable OS Vista business - affects the overall system performance (hope vista SP1 helps) CTRL key is annoying. Lenovo should have left this key at its original place. the 6 cell battery that was included is way too big. It sticks out like a cancer bug from the laptop body and that bugs me now and then by just thinking about it. low battery time app. 3.30 hours. (max. bat. life function) decent tho but not when compared to my DELL lattitude (4-4.30 hours with full power). The exterior on the inside is made of plastic-like material - maybe good in the long run but it adds somekind of &quot;Im Cheap&quot; factor to the brand Thinkpad.

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best business laptop there is
Submitted by dondersconsulting on 2/3/2008

Rating: 9/10

Pros: solid design and build - was worried this would go south with the handoff to Lenovo, but looks good. Next to other brands, it still feels sturdy and well-built (look at the screen hinges, screen latch, roll cage). Thinkpad's trackpoint - there is none other like it (not sure why, but if you use it next to a Latitude there's no comparison). System Update - does all the dirty work for you, wonderful when you have to load OS from scratch all you need to install is network card driver and system update. Great battery life on integrated video models. Screen is brighter than D630, especially when plugged in (yes it is actually capable of higher max brightness when plugged in). Thinkpad's keyboard light - not as pretty as backlit, but also works as a reading light and has to use less battery. Runs much cooler and quieter than comparable models from the competition, especially my girlfriend's hot-plate MacBook Pro - this is in regards to CPU, HDD, and battery. Small power adapter size is great. Design of 15&quot; is slightly more bang for the inch (or lb, or whatever) than the 14&quot;.

Cons: all the bad customer support comments make me wary. I had a great experience with a warranty claim on a T42, but that was IBM and this is Lenovo. Prices of upgrade options at time of purchase (RAM, HDD, DVDRW) are a little high. No OS media, only recovery option is on the HDD, so what if the HDD fails? Too much software comes pre-loaded (several GBs worth, and the installers are still there, too). Battery design on 14&quot; model - only 4-cell fits in the case, 6-cell and 7-cell are same size and 7-cell costs $75 more than the 6-cell??? 15&quot; model the 6-cell is standard and fits in the case, when compared against the 14&quot; 6-cell, is not as deep and only an inch wider and .4 lb heavier.

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mostly happy with it
Submitted by hiro on 1/4/2008

Pros: So far, it's worked out well. I'm not much of a gamer, but the Quadro FX570m is adequate for doing 3D graphics work. I love the keyboard, which is fast and responsive. Runs very quiet, which is nice when I take it with me to the library. It's lighter than what I expected as well. My other laptop is an ultraportable so I was expecting this one (15' widescreen) to feel like a ton of bricks -- I haven't found that to be the case. Overall, I was able to get it customized with good specs for just over 11 hundred.

Cons: It didn't ship with a recovery disk, which is annoying since I actually paid extra to have XP pro installed legally. And although the keyboard feels very nice to type on, I don't like the positioning of some of the buttons, namely, CTRL (for copy/paste as well as all of the visual studio shortcuts), ESC (for using vi editor), and the direction keys. I was also disappointed to find that there is no driver support for doing CUDA programming on the FX570m, even though the hardware is CUDA compatible. Thinkvantage software suite is nice, but a little annoying with all of its messages and things.

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Solid fast workhorse, a dream for a PC.
Submitted by Lotus on 12/23/2007

Rating: 9/10

Pros: If you want to run Vista, I can't think of a better machine. This T61p is extremely solid and great to work on when I have to develop on the road or vacation. My problems are with Vista stability, not with Lenovo.

Cons: Location of the fn key sucks, especially if you use often use CTRL for cut, copy, paste. I've had mine for over two months, and I still hit the fn key instead of CTRL. Another small detail is that the front left corner with the PC card slot is too big of a hole not to be reinforced. When I grab the notebook with one hand in that spot, the plastic collapses uncomfortably.

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So far this is a disaster
Submitted by Rayhawk on 3/20/2008 12:26:18 AM

Rating: 4/10

Pros: Professional black appearance; solid keyboard

Cons: Just got this laptop two days ago and so far it is a disaster. Monitor is not very bright (must be under 200 nits). Got it totally pimped out with 2.4GHz processor, 3GB RAM, and a 7200RPM HD, but it runs slow as hell. So I tried to figure it out, but all I could determine is it has a ton of junk pre-loaded software loaded on it. SO GUESS WHAT??? I tried to install a fresh copy of Windows XP Pro, but it DID NOT COME WITH ANY DISCS! Their tech support said that Microsoft does not want them to hand out disc any more --- BS --- thats why Dell and everyone else offer you a backup copy. So I used my own retail copy of XP Pro and XP Pro's setup program can't see the Hard Drive on the Lenovo T61P... and what does Lenovo have to say about all this??? Sir installing your own version of XP is not supported and violates the warranty. Wait so my warranty is linked to using Lenovo's bastardized version of XP? Are you freaking for real... Lenovo has gone down the tubes and I am going to return this machine.... They want a 15% restocking fee, but now I am going to call my Credit Card company and demand a full refund.

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A very well-designed laptop
Submitted by Jacintobird on 3/17/2008 7:05:22 PM

Rating: 9/10

Pros: Heat emission system is well-designed even if the fan is working, barely can hear anything; An amazing laptop, but the digital number on the sales tag can make you even more amazed than the functionality of this laptop; Solid appearance; Durability;

Cons: If the weight of T series can be further reduced that will be awesome

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This is just a sampling of opinions, you can view our T61 user ratings pool for more.

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Some people may wonder that with the T61 being out so long now, over a year, if there might be something upcoming to replace it. There have been reports recently of a rumored T400 and T500 ThinkPad on the horizon, but no solid ship dates. Sometimes it pays to go with the tried and tested models anyway, and that can certainly be said of the ThinkPad T61.

 

Is there going to be one of these for the XPS M1530?

 

I'm starting to direct more and more prospective buyers to Lenovo just because none of the other laptop manufacturers make their laptops the IBM way. Unparalleled durability and quality, with generally good battery life and some of the best keyboards. You can't ask for much more.

 

Yeah, but it's all relative to your market, right? I mean, aren't the Lenovos more geared towards business users? I mean, they're boxy and you don't use them for gaming and nobody is talking about their screen resolution for media, right?

Also, what's so great about their keyboards? I'm asking because I don't know.

 

just my opinion..
i think lenovo should change their design
thinkpads had never changed since IBM and still their design looks very dull and old fashioned

idk why they still like to put the red emergency button between the g and h button

 

Can this be compared to the new Latitude E that is coming out?

I wonder who is going to win on this one.

 

^^ You mean the "nipple" mouse (aka, UltraNav Trackpoint System TM)?

WRT design; they're doing that with the new IdeaPad models. Although, I agree that Lenovos have no designs for gamers.

 

Thinkpads were great once when IBM made them, now they're overrated because Lenovo has made things cheaper for e.g. low quality screens, shiny keyboards, untested hardware (ref: T61p BSOD with 4GB ram), cheap bezel parts (ref: tablet ungluing) unsatisfactory support, bloatware etc.

I loved thinkpads that were made by IBM, I had owned them in my days too but lenovo thinkpads don't have what it takes to pass my satisfaction test.

 

The person in the OP who gave it a bad rating because of the windows xp install problem is IMO unfair, because windows xp had no support for achi when it came out and so will not recognize the sata hard drive. It's not lenovo's fault that the windows disc doesn't recognize the hard drive! Solution is simple: go into bios and use compatibility mode instead of achi.

I thought the wsxga screen resolution isn't bad for media, and the t61p isn't bad for gaming either. I do agree and wish, though, that the keyboard is more durable and wouldn't get all shiny after extended use. As for the looks, it comes down to personal preference. I actually like the boxy design. It seems that the design tends to be something that people either love or hate.

 

I also like my T61p. It is a great laptop. I agree that the durability isn't as great as the original thinkpads produced by IBM. However, the quality of my Lenovo T61p is far superior to any of the other similarly priced laptop's that I have seen. I am also surprised that more gamers have gotten T61p with the FX570m. It is a great graphics card. I play CoD4 at medium settings with very good FPS. Overall I highly recommend the T61p.
Tim

 

I'm also happy with my T61, I never had the old Thinkpads and would much rather pay a cheaper price then pay a premium for the extra unneeded ruggedness. In my opinion if your want something like that you should get a toughbook if you're that picky. As for the shiny keyboard, it hasn't showed up on my T61 yet so I'm not worried about it. Even if it does, I'm sure it'll be due for a new keyboard by then, which is only around 25 dollars.

My only nit pick is the screen, it could use the improvement but I blame the screen manufacturers rather then Lenovo. Its better then trying to work with hi-gloss mirror like screen most OEMs have on their laptops though.

I also love the UltraNav on the Thinkpads (red nipple), once you use it, you'll almost never want to use a crappy touchpad again. Its a shame most people don't know what its for.

As for the design, I think they could use some updating but I think the sliver/gray on most other laptops aren't much to brag about either (Toshiba, now those are some ugly laptops if you ask me).

 

Lenovo has been making thinkpads for a long time. They made the T42/T43s, which are one of the most popular thinkpads.
Low quality screens ? Have you seen the screen (SXGA+) on T4x/T30s ? They were absolutely horrible back then too. So I dont think the screen quality has gone down.
Regarding cheap bsezel parts, unsatisfactory support etc, yes, they have cut costs. But then, the price of a good thinkpad has also been brought down from $2500 to $1500.

Are there any better options for business laptops in the same price range ?

The new thinkpads are more rugged than the older T4x's. The outer plastic covering may feed inferior compared to the older laptops, and they are. But, the plastic covering now is just a superficial shell. The thinkpads now have a metal rollcage all round. It has taken care of the infamous GPU problems due to motherboard flex in the T4x's.

But given all that, Lenovo might have gone a wee bit too far in the cost cutting department. A saw a keyboard on a T61, and it was not as good as the old ones. I'm also concerned about quality control in the pastic bezel dept.


If anyone from Lenovo is listening, while I appreciate the cost lowering, a liitle quality improvent is in order. These are only low cost imrovements, so it should not impact the price much (maybe 10% increase).

 

Speak of the Devil...I just noticed the bezel is cracked on the right side of my T61p. Glad I got the three year warranty. lol I still recommend the T61p though.
Tim

 

Because ThinkPads have perfected keyboard ergonomics years ago and even modern notebooks made today still fall short.

Unless it lasts as long as the T61 on the #1-3 spot (which I doubt), I don't think there should be one. The #1 spot on the popular list is pretty much for overhyped/overrated notebooks. The next time a popular company, like Dell, makes a "good-looking" notebook, it'll kick the previous #1 notebook off the charts. If I remember right, even the Vostro 1000 made it to #1 at one point due to its period of discounts.

New notebooks have come and gone since the release of the T61 and it's still holding its place high on the charts. To me, that's pretty impressive.

And quality has not gone down. Lenovo's manufacturing company has been making ThinkPads even back in the IBM days.

In my opinion, my ThinkPad T61 is built better than 99% of the notebooks I have played with; and that's a lot of notebooks. ThinkPad's keyboard + TrackPoint combination is unbeatable. I really do find it laughable and surprising as to how far the T61 exceeds in quality compared to the rest of the notebooks made today. The only thing that sucks about a ThinkPad is once you try it, you won't want to buy another laptop. It's like a curse.

I believe that if one were to compare the "wanted features" or "feature wish-list" of each mainstream notebook, the ThinkPad would have the fewest. On average here on NBR, the only complaints are usually dim screen, no digital output, and sometimes quiet speakers. And those complaints don't even apply to everybody; my T61 is perfect for me.

Conclusion: Just buy a ThinkPad. For those who've never tried one, you'll be surprised.

 

I like the old fashion look. Something too snazzy just screams, "PLEASE STEAL ME."

 

My first thinkpad was A31p with IPS display, then T30, afterwards I had X60 for a while. In IBM era the screens were very nice n easy on eyes (on both of my A31p n T30), however when lenovo took over not only they stopped IPS but also have started putting very crappy displays on laptops now.

The problem today is people who love current thinkpads haven't owned the beauties from IBM before, they'll like whatever you give them in thinkpads since they've got nothing to compare them with in the past from IBM.

I'd love to pay premium for thinkpads that I paid for A31p and T30 before (over $2500) and if I wanted to I could've bought X300 but I went with MBA due to it's gorgeous screen, faster processor, bigger drive and great Apple support. For a $3500+ laptop lenovo should've put the best display in X300 but they took the cheapest alley, their bad as they didn't get my money. Maybe with respect to price lenovo is a better option but I wouldn't be spending my money on them unless I'm 100% sure they've all the stuff I would be looking for.

Blaming the screen manufacturers is purely wrong, as a business man when I go to a market to buy supplies I get two products from different companies with different qualities and prices and then it's up to me which one to choose. I regularly read NBR and often see Admins and reviewers commenting on the screen quality of laptops so if other companies are able to outsource better and good quality displays then why can't lenovo?

A friend of mine had bought T61 8 months ago and I'd found it very thick n huge compared to older T series, it had crooked screen, the keyboard became shiny within a short period, he has been having troubles dealing with lenovo support too.

I still love thinkpads but those produced by IBM only.

 

I have owned older IBMs, I owned a T30 for several years. Its screen was horrible (SXGA+); the same screen quality as the SXGA+ ones on T61's.
I also owned a T42, its screen was so washed out that I just sold it.
I have also worked on an XGA screen on a T42.
I have seen a WXGA screen on a T61, and its better than the older screens.

The IPS screens, yes, they are absolutely gorgeous (I own a thinkpad with IPS, and have owned two other IPS thinkpads in the past); but they were an upgrade; and noone makes IPS screens for 15" laptops anymore (do they make them for any size laptop ?).


Apple MBPs ? Their 15.4" displays are WXGA+; such a waste, not even WSXGA+. I'd much rather have a T61 with a WUXGA screen. Note that the WUXGA screens have better specs, with a higher contrast ratio than the WXGA ones for thinkpads.

Here are a couple of screenshots of screenshots of a T42 SXGA+ vs a Dell 17" WUXGA:
http://img457.imageshack.us/img457/8613/804vt0.jpg
http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/4290/812vr7.jpg

On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate the T30/T4x SXGA+ screens as a 3, the dell 17" WUXGA as 8 (I gather the thinkpad 15.4" WUXGA are of the same caliber), and an IPS as 10.

From what I've read, IBM/Lenovo stopped IPS because their IPS suppliers could not keep up the production. And observe that T60Ps were offered with IPS (and T6x is lenovo era). The problem was not with Lenovo/IBM the problem was with panel manufacturers. They switched over to where the most volume (and hence revenue) lies.

 

I know this board and this site "may be" inhabited by a majority of younger notebook users, and many gamers, but businessmen (and women) want conservative designs. Most business-oriented notebook users typically don't place the GPU super high on their priority list, and Lenovo generally builds a nice overall package for the traveling businessperson.

There are 3 keyboard manufacturers who historically supply keyboards for ThinkPads: NMB, Chicony, and Alps. NMB is recognized as the superior keyboard, especially if it was manufactured in Thailand, not China. Once you use a ThinkPad NMB keyboard, you won't go back to what you were using.

Lenovo has been building IBM personal computing products for years, even prior to the IBM sell-off of their PC Division. I remember when I bought my first ThinkPad, a 600X back in 1999 - it cost $3,600. Although it's very slow by today's standards (I still have it!), it still is very functional and works like a charm. You can change out the HD in less than a minute (one screw and remove the caddy/HD), have two HD's installed if you like with the UltraBay, use two batteries if you like with the UtraBay, and so on. It's just a very versatile product design.

And, the TrackPoint . . . once you use a TrackPoint - the little red nib on the KB - you will never use a touchpad again. It just is plain easy to use, and is logical. UltraNav is NOT the TrackPoint - rather the UltraNav marketing name implies the ThinkPad includes BOTH the TrackPoint pointing device and the TouchPad. The low-end R61e, and some versions of the R61i's, only include the TrackPoint. However, most other ThinkPads come with both, e.g. UltraNav.

For business travelers who could care less about gaming, but care very much about huge Excel spreadsheets, sales goals, business deadlines, et. al., the ThinkPad, even in its current Lenovo configurations, is the penultimate notebook.

 

hmm...I 100% agree with that statement, even though i am a younger user, gaming isnt high on my list and i havent really played any new games for the last 2 years.

Personally I think it is alittle too big and heavy for my liking, screen quality is fine but i would have liked a slightly brighter screen (I have a glossy screen right now). I loved the keyboard, but the off centered screen is an annoyance, but according to you guys it'd be someone I would get used to. I seriously considered a T61/p for a long time, but am now aiming for something a little more portable...

Overall I'd give it a 6.5/10 as I feel there are alot of room for improvement. And I like to rate things fairly...6.5 is a good score, to gain 10/10 something would have to be incredible...

 

After owning many laptops in the past (HP, Toshiba, Dell) I think this T61 beats them all hands down. Although, I have no older IBM notebook to compare them to. This laptop far surpasses my durability test though. Simply the best !

 

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/penultimate
So.... what notebook is the ultimate one ?

 

please! you can not expect Lenovos to be IBM quality you get what youpay for.

and if Lenovo wanted to keep up the IBM quality they would have to go out of business like IBM did.

it is just a computer nothing special I 've owned 2 and I disliked it and they are not IBM quality laptops since I 've owned 4 IBMs, to compare.

if any one tried to produce a laptop of IBM-thinkpad quality not Lenovo-quality and sell it at IBM-thinkpad price , it would go out of business cause it would lose in price contest to consmer mass production brands like HP, Acer and Dell.

think it this way, if this laptop is not a thinkpad , will you still think it is so special, I think you won't ........and nobody will , cause it is just an average laptop with fanatic fans, if any one say anything bad about it , Lenovo fans in Lenovo forums get so fanatic and rude(not you obviously) , I was bashed many times there or personally attacked, just tried to tell them come down be rational and logical.

I personally never met such snobs in any other forums here..............so I avoid Lenovo forum altogether although I sometimes use a R61.

And please stop saying it is an IBM quality laptop, it is not , I know IBM built laptops and compared it to a lot of Lenovo so-called thinkpads.

And there are many more durable laptops such as Panasonic and some Samsungs.

 

and Lenovo service is not like that of Legendery IBM service.

 

there is no ultimate laptop but there is a good laptop for each user's different use.

and for me Dell is the best laptop for my needs.

 

Yes, I will.

Tell me, do you also find the T4x series crappy ?

That I agree with.

 

Whilst I do like my (work) T61 - I can't see what all the fuss is about...

It's very cheaply made, the keyboard sticks on certain keys and the expansion PCMCIA slot is so thin if you pick up the laptop on this corner it is likely to break.

The screen is of extremely poor quality (dim 15" WXGA) and is not centered to the machine, with a larger border on one side than the other.

And in the UK they sell these systems at such a high premium it's beggers believe!

My XPS m1530 is just as good - although it does have a bent keyboard.

 

(quirks brow while reviewing sig line below)

Did you ever use a TP760 series? Worst Keyboard Ever.

 

Yes I can. Read the reviews online and you will see that Lenovos still have superior quality to other laptop manufacturers. Thats why corporations bought IBMs, and why they still buy Lenovos.

Does that give you some kind of authority on this subject?

Again, Lenovo almost rivals IBM's quality, and their business is expanding. Corporations still turn to Lenovo (not "average consumer" brands like Acer) to when they buy computers for their employees.

If you're calling me a "snob" or a "fanatic", you're just looking for online trouble and you won't get any from me. Not only do you not know what you're talking about, but you are also the one who is getting worked up in this conversation. If you want to argue with me, on the other hand, why don't you look up the track records of IBM and Lenovo, and who their main customers are before trying to argue with me.

Your point is.... what?

 

Like which corporations? Proofs? U of Calgary used to buy IBM computers for most departments. Now, they've switched to Dell business lines, except for Mac computers.

I think highly of the older Thinkpad series, but I just don't get why certain Lenovo users have to be so hostile and immature toward people who don't agree with Lenovo making the best laptops. Come on, it's not like your lives all revolve around the Lenovo Thinkpads, or do they? What would make you happy? That all people agree that Lenovo Thinkpads are the best and better than the rest, and subsequently make you feel you're better than the others? Anyway, onto the topic, I like it that Lenovo keep the conservative Thinkpad designs; I think they look more professional. I hate the glossy covers of some other new laptops. Their prices are more competitive than the former IBM PCs back then. From my exp w/ their customer services, they need a huge improvement there.

 

Just for my learning, can you explain? I've not used a ThinkPad in person, so that's why I'm telling you I don't know. But based on pictures, it looks like a regular old keyboard. Like, it's flat, the keys are in the same place ...what am I missing here?

 

I worked as an Intern at VMWare over the summer (a pretty big developing company as everyone probably knows) and the majority of the laptops we deployed for the employees were Lenovo T61's. Please keep in mind that we had Dell Latitudes, Macbook Pros, Lenovo T61's to hand out, but the majority of employees requested T61's. When it came time to order laptops, our biggest shipments were from Lenovo.

For me, the feel of the keyboard beats any other keyboard. Sure it's clicky sometimes, but the response of the keyboard when you type and the fact that each key is spaced pretty much perfectly sets it apart from the rest. The keyboard doesn't feel mushy like other keyboards i've typed on. And I've achieved my fastest WPM using a Thinkpad.

 

They have a great (or at least used to) ergonomic response. But I'll say that the dells arnt bad either. Its just that the thinkpad keyboards (older ones) "feel" better.
They also have 3 mouse buttons and the trackpointer which are great.

 

I received a new T61p a few weeks ago. I like the computer, but the monitor is too dim. The viewing angle is so bad, I find my self constantly trying to adjust the tilt to maximize the light output. On the plus side, the matte finish is really good at glare reduction.

The keyboard is great. Build quality overall is very good, as good as I've seen recently. I've used/been issued/owned 100+ laptops, so while I probably don't have as much experience with a variety of computers as some in this forum, I've seen a few.

There is so much pre-loaded garbage that it actually runs pretty slowly. It takes several minutes to completely boot up. Right now I'm running VB 64, but Lenovo is sending me some XP Pro downgrade discs so I still have high hopes. I'm not going to bother with a clean install until I get XP. I'll also probably duel boot it with Linux.

Customer service is hit and miss. I returned another T61p for stuck pixels. I called tech support, which was a waste of time. A second call, this time to my original salesman, fixed this and I was able to return the machine without restocking fees. When I saw online that XP downgrade discs were now a free option, I called up CS and they agreed to send me some. So I guess my net experience so far with Lenovo is a somewhat positive one. I'm waiting to see what the consensus is with the low-output monitors to see if I can do an exchange.

I give it an 8/10. -1 for the monitor, -1 for the bloat, and -1 for the lousy tech support (offset by a +1 for customer service).

 

In case you didn't know, the M1530's been topping the charts since it was introduced. Top in Jan, Feb, March, April and looking to top May as well. So, it might actually beat out the T61.

Purely on number of clicks that is. Doesn't quite mean anything.

Personally, I have only used the T60p and X41 tablet for extended periods of time. The screen was acceptable, but I would admit that I'm fine with most screens as prefer them not to be overly bright. Both machines felt pretty decently built, although the X41 was heavier than I expected.

Also, was this thread paid by Lenovo advertising? It seems rather odd that the site would suddenly present this thread.

 

Well...Lenovo IS a partner of NBR, so maybe

 

No, more like sponsor..

 

ThinkPads are overrated.

I've seen some of these widescreen T61s, and while the keyboards are still very good, the displays are trash. They are dim and the viewing angles suck.

I'm not sold on the durability either. The T4x had a nasty problem with the video chip going bad. One IBM office in Europe admitted that the T4x flexed, causing some soldering between the GPU and system board to break.

Then there's the issue of bloatware.

ThinkPads were great way back when, but they haven't been the same in years. The decline started long before Lenovo took over.

 

What I find funny is how people constantly refer back to the "good old times" before the Thinkpads somehow gotten worse in build quality (among other things).

 

That's what I figured. Well, sponsor anyway, but I get the picture.
I just found it odd that such a thread sprang up here. I would understand if it was done by a member of the forums, rather than an admin.

 

I'm not complaining. Andrew included the cons in each user comment, and Lenovo bashing has continued uncensored in the thread.

 

Oh yea, I thought it was reasonably fair, but with Andrew promoting the notebook. In his defense though, it was perfectly fine as he genuinely thought it was a great notebook.

 

I have said nothing of the sort; and I don't know why you would get that impression. I have praised IBMs/Lenovos for doing several things differently, while also pointing out their lack of model designs for gamers. Everything I have said is clearly outlined in my posts.

 

Maybe IBM was learning or experimenting with things at that time to later make one of the best notebook keyboard's which wears out very quickly in today's thinkpads.

Yes I noticed too, yesterday the % Share of 128,150 Clicks / Click Count for T61 was 3.4%, today it's 3.5%, the % for T61 is declining compared to Dell since the past few weeks or so, it's perfectly fine by me no complains

 

you guys can all wait for the new thinkpads, then complain...For right now, there isn't much to say.

 

Nope, we do these posts on occasion for very popular notebooks. I think the last one was with the Dell M1330.

My only Thinkpad gripe is the IPS screen no longer offered. This isnt a Lenovo/IBM problem, but a market wide one where no manufacturer really offers a highend screen on a notebook anymore. Yes you can find some nice high resolution glossy screens, but nothing comes close to the old flexviews. I think I will cry myself to sleep the night my T60 breaks on me and I have to find a replacement.

 

Ahh, I see. Thanks.

 

Its a great laptop. I got one for my wife and she loves it.

The only thing I would change is the thickness. It really should be 1" or less.

 

I used ThinkPads under IBM and Lenovo and i must say that IBM Thinkpads felt more solid than Lenovo ThinkPads however don't get me wrong my T61 is made from concrete and still has the legendary keyboard and exceeds in quality other laptops in the market, i dropped it on the floor many times and i remember spilling coffee, tea, water, on it 3 times at least! and it still comes back asking for more IMHO yes Its still a ThinkPad and worthy of every cent i spent and my next notebook is probably going to be a ThinkPad.

 

I feel that the reasons why I choosed Thinkpad lies in some details which look small but actually very important to me: confortable typing feeling(your girl friend will respond to your request immediately), very stable joint between the screen and body(just like you have a very stable relationship with your girlfriend), very quiet espeically when I work late into night(your girlfriend will keep quiet when you need to concentrate on work), screen will not kiss the keyboard when pressed by something else in my suitcase(your girlfriend will not kiss wrong guys). I felt that I fell love with Thinkpad... To some extent notebook is something like a girlfriend...

 

Thats sad, it should have taken out a restraining order by now...