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Rethinking the Thinkpad
Octiaviane writes to tell us that XYZComputing has a review of Lenovo's Thinkpad X60 with a look at not only the current specs but the evolution of the Thinkpad line. From the article: "One constant which has remained throughout the evolution of the notebook computer is the Thinkpad. Processors and operating systems have changed, designs have been updated, and ownership has changed hands, but the Thinkpad remains. This product has never stopped being a top choice for demanding consumers and corporate buyers, whether they are looking for size, power, or features."
.. I'd use to put my jack on if I ever got stuck in a muddy field. It would survive - they are seriously robust pieces of kit. Having said that, I'm happy with my dual core VIAO now, about the only thing I miss is the keyboard LED.
At least it finally has a Windows key..
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I'm a road warrior and I've been using Thinkpads only since '99 and never looked back. A-series, T-series and now a Z-series thinkpad. Even though my current thinkpad is one of the first models designed and produced by Lenovo it's still a real thinkpad.
:-(
Why I love them:
[1] High mechanical quality, e.g. look at the hinges holding the display, that's solid metal! My last one, a T41p looked like brand new after 18 months and I used it every day for at least 8 hours, look at a typical Sony/Dell/HP after that timeframe!
[2] best keyboard in the industry, actually I even prefer my Thinkpad keyboard over Cherry keyboards
[3] the thinkpad light above the display (I love it), the docking solutions are very advanced, support is great
I personally don't care whether it has the latest GPU, fastest harddrive, etc. - and - I'm not gonna buy a glossy screen either.
BUT _please_ give me a new thinkpad X-series tablet! I absolutely need a higher resolution than 1024x768. I would immediately (tomorrow morning, before breakfast and shower) buy a X61s tablet with resolution > 1024x768, core 2 duo and 3rd generation mobile data service (e.g. HSDPA).
But, as far as I know, it's not gonna happen. The x60/x61 tablet will still have 1024x768
Forgive me for being slightly off topic, but the discussion regarding the thinkpad has got me to thinking. The thinkpad has come in iterations that are physically robust and sturdy, but still are (to me) a little too fragile. Most laptops are far worse, and it's always a little nerve racking to carry around a $1k piece of equipment which appears as if it would shatter if dropped from more then four feet.
I've never had a laptop where I didn't wear out the keyboard in less then a year. Screens go bad too easily (and I'm scared to death to let anything touch them). Batteries, while they have improved over the last decade, still have far too little life in them.
Yet, with improving technology and manufacturing, the focus seems to be on faster processors and high performance graphics chips (which in turn eat up more power). How is it that there is no market out there for a good, cheap notebook that does the essentials (runs a browser and an office suite) that's as durable as a, well, an actual traditional paper notebook?
I'd love something that I can throw in a backpack or satchel and not have to worry if it's going to get broken by other books, or scratched to heck, or have the screen go bad from being crushed. Something that can last 15-20 hours between charging, so I don't have to always be looking for a power port. I don't need it to play games or do any high end video work. A decent, durable display that'll do 1024x768 would be fine. I don't need excessive power; a 1.6ghz processor with 128m of ram and a 50gig hdd would be more then enough. Finally, put in a keyboard that is indestructible.
I guess what I'm getting at is that I'd be more then willing to sacrifice performance for durability. Am I the only one who thinks this way? Or are there laptop manufacturers out there who make decent, cheap machines that are built like tanks, but don't necessarily have a higher end hardware inside?
The Internet is generally stupid
A thinkpad or a toughbook? My money on the toughbook says thinkpads are pussies. Bring it on!
/me raises my hand
Our corporate IT staff refreshed us with a T42, but the software image didn't have the trackpoint wizard or whatever it's called. A few phone calls and I was able to disable the bloody thing - if you're a power typer, you will find yourself quickly losing focus from your working window as the heel of your hand exerts force on the trackpad and emulates a double-click.
My [personal] T23 doesn't have it, and they can have it when they pry my cold dead fingers from around it (well, as soon as I replace the fluorescent lamp.) It has the dreaded red tint on the screen and someday I will be annoyed enough to get it fixed, but I love it.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens.
Thus far, I have been very happy with what I have seen of Lenovo's actions. The newer Thinkpad models are better specified, a little cheaper and the warranty conditions have improved. I am actually more likely to buy Thinkpads now than when IBM was running the show.
Based on the some of the latest feedback of the problems that people have with the T60's it seems clear that Lenovo's plan is to niche the Thinkpad into the corporate market where it can be supported and doesn't have to handle the media/entertainment features that home users want. On the other hand the Lenovo N series is better suited to home users anyhow. I have Thinkpad T40 and a Lenovo N100 so I feel I'm qualified to have an opinion about this.
Agreed. I have in the past played warcraft3 successfully with my nipple. For such a mouse intensive app, it's hard to imagine anyone playing it with a touchpad, though I imagine it's possible.
MRSH-Recording device, corned beef sandwich with kraut, seafaring bird, and the foamy top of a beverage.
Trackpads are too prone to sometimes losing their centre and dragging the cursor slowly in some random direction when you let go. Touchpads are too prone to randomly going crazy and becoming completely useless for minutes at a time.
My next computer will be a desktop.
I agree, but only to a point... I find a trackpad almost unusable (which pretty much eliminates most laptops, including Apple, right there)... but the nipple-controller, while sorta-usable, still gives me only a fraction of the control I have with a mouse. If I have to do any nontrivial work on my laptop, I have to bring a mouse to plug in... full stop.
Oh, for someone to invent a pointer-controller for a laptop that TRULY rivals a mouse for speed and control...
I did basic hardware repair on thousands of Thinkpads around '03-'04, mostly T21, T22, T23, T30s, and 40/41s, as well as the X series, 20-30-40, and some of big yet delicate A20s and A30s, as well as some models I've forgotten the names of. My favorites are the old T2x, and the X20's. But I have a hard time viewing them as durable, as all the ones I ever saw were screwed up in some way. All the models have their stress points where the plastic always gives, and none took spill damage well. A lot of it was just wanton customer abuse, of course. Still, I saw several T-series come in after getting backed over by a truck and still boot. They weren't my favorite jobs, though.
I'm not sure how to define "decently thin", but Apple had a trackball in the 1.4" thick PowerBook Duos in 1992. To compare, the ThinkPad X60 (not the X60s this article reviewed) stands nearly an inch and a half off the table at the rear. My 2001-era 500MHz white iBook is also just about 1.375", so I'd say even by todays standards 1.4" is still decently thin. It's not exactly ultraslim, but it's still competitive with current products. To be fair, the Duo's trackball was pretty small, I recall hearing it described as a "trackmarble" when it was new.
FWIW, I don't care much for the trackpoint and typically prefer trackpads. However, the only trackpad I really like is Apple's, the times I have had to use Dell's I haven't been impressed, so I can see why people would get a negative impression of trackpads. I usually wind up using an external mouse if I'm going to be using a PC laptop for an extended period of time.
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