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I am looking for a new laptop. The most reliable, best workhorse of a laptop I ever had was an IBM Thinkpad. Then IBM sold out to Lenovo in China. My latest laptop is a pretty extensive HP but it already needed a new hard drive at 1+ years old (which was warranteed at SquareTrade fortunately) and its keyboard and "mouse" touchpad leave much to be desired. I am thinking fondly of my old Thinkpad.
So does anyone know if Lenovo kept the quality that IBM manufactured their Thinkpads with or is the new Lenovo Thinkpad a cheaply-made shadow of its former IBM self? TIA!
There's a lot of discussion (in general) as to whether the new ThinkPads live up to the legacy of IBM ThinkPads. If you research among laptop enthusiast forums, they'll leave you with the following consensus:
- The only ThinkPads that are still designed by the original ThinkPad team in Japan are the T, X and W series ThinkPads. As a result, these ThinkPads are designed with the same minds that designed the original ThinkPads and carry over most (if not all) of the IBM ThinkPad traits.
- In the USA, Lenovo ThinkPads are still fully supported and serviced by IBM. You still get the great IBM service.
- T, X, W ThinkPads are all still built to milspec 8 standards.
- Besides the W series and IPS models, ThinkPads have the same low [visual] quality LCD screens that IBM ThinkPads were known for.
- Touchpads on Thinkpads leave much to be desired (except on the X1 Carbon)
- If you're a TrackPoint user, there is no substitute to a ThinkPad TrackPoint.
- If you're used to a ThinkPad keyboard, you probably will never be satisfied by keyboards on other laptops.
- Even though they are designed in Japan, they are built in China.
- ThinkPads (T, X, W) are still the highest quality mass-marketed laptops available.
If a ThinkPad meets your requirements, then I wouldn't hesitate to get one. But it's really about your preferences and your experiences.
Having had pre- and post-Thinkpads from IBM and Lenovo, I can say that they are not as well build due to cost cutting, but the engineering seems to be about as good. They are still the best PC laptops imo.
I can't compare to original Thinkpads, but my son's W520 is easily the best built notebook I have bought or used. Compared to Dell XPS, Dell Latitude (many), Compaq, HP, Sony, Acer, Fujitsu, NEC, and a few others.
Worst has been HP, Compaq. Dell XPS most disappointing (reliability) though they were nicely equipped and had very good displays.
As others have alluded, there really aren't comperable options out there. If you expect the experience of a ThinkPad, you have to get a ThinkPad.
Yep, can't get a cheapie computer! Gotta spend the bucks!
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