I loved the ThinkPads I owned. In the mid to late 90s I was flying a lot around the US and used to carry one of the ThinkPads where you could remove the CD drive after lifting up the keyboard and install a second battery.
That machine also had a removable hard drive that I used to pop out when leaving my computer in hotel rooms so that I didn't mind if the machine was stolen.
On long flights I would carry up to six batteries with me which led to a funny exchange with Nicholas Negroponte who imagined (writing a Wired) a day when batteries had a power meter on them (imagine that!). I wrote to him to say that my solution for long flights was that I numbered my batteries and used them in order. He replied to the effect: "The simple solutions are often the best".
Now when I travel, almost everyone is pecking away at a
keyboard. The one-line monochrome message has evolved into
a full-color, 12-inch display. That is enormous progress,
but at a powerful price. I now carry eight to ten battery
packs during long trips. I won't even consider a laptop
design that includes unstackable batteries. The fact that
most batteries don't indicate their charge state is
pathetic. It's as if the designer assumed that the laptop
would always be used plugged in, and that people would
travel with one spare battery at most.
One thing the Thinkpads do right, by me, is the keyboard, which I'm surprised no one here has mentioned. They have just the right depth of stroke, and the backing tends to be very solid to minimize flex. One thing that I wish most manufacturers would understand is that specs matter much less than the user interface. And for geeks, the UI is typically the keyboard, the display, and to a lesser extent the mouse (since the OS can be tweaked to the user's liking). Get these things right, and I don't care if it has a PIII in it, I'll use it.
It's an absolute joy to type on a Thinkpad keyboard. I haven't tried the new "chiclet" one that's been introduced, so I really hope that haven't ruined it.
The ThinkLight is also brilliant - much better than a backlit keyboard IMHO.
Ahhh that keyboard! by far the best I've ever used on a laptop. I think I started with a 770 going back almost 15 years ago to a t61 and the keyboard was rock solid. Switched to a MBP and still long for that keyboard.
This is probably the only forum where this rant will, be relevant, but as someone who has used ThinkPads for a long time (and has a business that sells them), I have to say the "back" and "forward" buttons on the newer keyboards are a terrible design.
I can't even count the amount of things I lost by accidentally bumping the "back" key before I disabled them with third-party software, and people we sell the laptops to have the same experience.
But out of all my years with ThinkPads, this is my only complaint.
Are you talking about the ones right near the arrow keys? I loved those! Unfortunately (or fortunately for you!) they seem to be gone on the newest T series, replaced by PgUp and PgDn.
I much prefer the black plastic + magnesium alloy frame to e.g. Apple's aluminum/unibody design. Can take some punishment, without actually showing it. Wish Apple would've stuck with their earlier PowerBook/iBook G3 aesthetic (then again, I do admit liking the toilet lid iBooks, so maybe I'm not the right person to judge these things).
Random fact, there's actually a bit of a story behind the trackpoint being red.
As I was told by a guy at IBM, and I haven't been able to confirm this elsewhere, is that at the time the Thinkpad was originally conceived, IBM design guidelines mandated that the only red elements on a piece of hardware should be the power switches. However, the team behind the Thinkpad design though (rightly) that a red trackpoint would look awesome on the black keys. Their solution? They put it down as 'magenta' on the specs to get it approved.
And while on the subject of Thinkpad lore, the name comes from notepads that were distributed to IBM employees with the word 'THINK' emblazoned on the cover (http://davetroy.com/posts/think-then-and-now)
Oh, in IBM history "Think" was much bigger than just notepads. "Think" was a command from venerated IBM founder Thomas J. Watson, and in the Olden Days IBM used to put that slogan on wall signs (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_%28IBM%29) that were hung EVERYWHERE.
In a restroom at IBM’s Watson Center, a supervisor had placed a sign above the sink. It had a single word on it—‘THINK!’ The next day, when he went to the restroom, right below the sign, immediately above the soap dispenser, someone had carefully lettered another sign that read— ‘THOAP!’
They also made desktoppers with the slogan for executives, and the story goes that you could tell how high up in the legendary IBM bureaucracy an IBMer was by how big and ornate his THINK sign was -- junior execs got tiny signs made of plastic, senior ones got big ones made of fancy woods and metals.
For a time Dells came with them. I have a Fujitsu that has a stick. Then suddenly they stopped making them. I think the patent is available to license, companies have chosen not to license it for whatever reason. It's not like there aren't patents associated with touchpads.
Both HP and Dell's current pro lines have a nub on their keyboards; and Unicomp (fka Lexmark/IBM keyboard division) sells a Model M variant with one as well. Apparently Unicomp is claiming to own the patent as well[0]
In the mid-1990s, I bought a used IBM ThinkPad 701 in Hong Kong. Ten years before netbooks, this wonderful little laptop had a very unique approach to compact size: A "butterfly" keyboard that unfolded when you opened the laptop. There are some photos and historical information about the 701 here:
Supposedly, the design was inspired by a black bento box.
Although primitive by today's standards, it was a solid little laptop that served me well for the tasks I was engaged in at the time -- writing, Web surfing, learning HTML, and playing Doom.
The butterfly keyboard is one of those fascinating little cul-de-sacs of computing history: a brilliant design that never went anywhere. But it sure made an impression; to this day I can't think of ThinkPads without thinking of it.
I own a X60s, bought it for 170$, I was never so happy owning a laptop, this little thing is amazing. And it is also cute (in a hardware geeky way cute)
T21 -> T41p -> T61p -> x220. I think it's safe to say I'm brand loyal.
I've always felt that Thinkpads look cooler with a beat up the case. I'll never own a sleeve or protector. They don't require one.
I have a hard time saying that about any of my other electronics.
As a side, I've just flown from LAX -> Sydney -> Perth on a single charge using the Slice battery and standard 6 cell. Took out season 5 of Mad Men in 720p in the process.
I've been using IBM (and now Lenovo) Thinkpads for quite some time, and despite being a fan of their X series (currently using an X220) I REALLY wish Lenovo would consolidate lineups and focus on higher quality offerings. Even small stuff like offering a TN panel on an X series instead of an IPS panel seems foolish. Having just upgraded my display from TN to IPS, it's such a stark difference that I think Lenovo should default to selling these kinds of higher-end product lines with IPS.
When IBM solid Thinkpad, it was a premium brand. It still maintains that connotation among IT professionals today (who know the lineups and history), but there are so many models out there that are absolute crap (or at least, look like garbage) that it's diluting the reputation.
This is pure speculation, but I haven't heard "that Thinkpad looks awesome" or "that machine looks well built" in quite some time (X1 carbon aside).
> I haven't heard "that Thinkpad looks awesome" or "that machine looks well built" in quite some time (X1 carbon aside).
That's because a large sector of the tech industry (and a lot of non-techies as well) has been drinking the Apple Kool-Aid non-stop for the last ~5 years.
That said, I think the X1 Carbon is the flagship model we've been waiting for. It ticks all the right checkboxes, and if you can handle the new keyboard (which has been getting surprisingly good reviews), then I think it's the way to go.
Well, hands down, Apple has the coolest looking hardware; not sure you have to be a kool-aid drinker to appreciate it. But it's cool that Lenovo hasnt tried to imitate them like everyone else has. So in that way, maybe because they look a bit retro now, I'll say it, I think ThinkPads look awesome.
I think it is just the RAM. That said, I don't really care too much about the specs, since I do web dev remotely and for Android dev, I just need it to run Eclipse.
I got one the first day I could order in the UK with a US English keyboard, and I love it. Running ubuntu. I was on a two year old macbook pro before. I'm not a screen connoisseur, but it's non-glare yet bright. I like it. But the vertical resolution is lower than on older thinkpads. Fewer lines of code.
Thanks! I went from a T61 to an MBP a few years back, but I do mostly .net development so I've been considering going back to a Lenovo. This is useful!
x1 carbon owner checking in. screen is bright and matte so no glare issues. that said i certainly would not use it for serious photo editing or graphic work. however the keyboard plus trackpad are outstanding, plus you have the mouse nub if you hate trackpads. overall it's a very worthy alternative to a mba.
I passed on the original X1 for the 13" Air when I bought a new machine last year; mainly because of the display resolution. The Carbon thankfully fixed that; it's definitely back to the top of my list next time I need a new machine.
They made some genuinely interesting hardware, trying different things. I always thought that the ThinkPads were head and shoulders above every other manufacturer for PC laptops.
Hands down the best laptop for linux in my opinion. I would be interested to hear if there are any other laptop lines with such a great history of linux support.
Certainly not the history. But in the modern world there is a pretty broad selection of nice devices out there. I just bought a Sony Vaio Z (SVZ131190X): 13.3" 1920x1080 screen, quad core ivy bridge, no discrete GPU, 8G RAM, 512G SSD, Intel 6235 Wifi, ultrabook form factor though not actually branded as one.
Almost literally everything worked out of the box on Fedora 17 (the sole exception being the card reader, which is supported by a staging driver Fedora doesn't put in its default kernels; rpmfusion has a kmod-staging package, or just build your own kernel).
I love it. The days of tricky Linux support in laptops are, thankfully, mostly behind us.
I really think that are still the best piece of laptop hardware around. Nothing beats my X200 when flying for 11 hours straight.
Happy birthday Thinkpads!
Used to be a fan, but over the last 2 years or so we've noticed that quality seems to have dropped, especially on power units. Older models go on-and-on, but with more recent purchases we've had a couple of PSU deaths and one laptop died completely when it was impaled on its docking station and had to have its system board replaced under warranty.
I just got the T530 about a month ago. It was a rough order process as it was delayed numerous times. (This will be fixed by moving onshore now). It has been a great machine.
The only complaint I have about it is the slow wake time. For whatever reason (even after following some optimization tips), when it wakes from closed cover or timeout it takes forever.
I like it. I splurged the $5 more for the backlit keyboard. The only thing with keyboards is how loud the keys are when they type. I find that it is pretty quiet.
Only thing I'm not used to is the left Ctrl key position. Ultimately I'm pleased with the choice, having been a long time dell laptop user and never having a thinkpad, I'd definitely buy again (as long as startup gets a little faster)
My father worked for IBM for his whole career - and as I was growing up there were always a number of Thinkpads in the house right from the 700C.
They were amazing, well made pieces of hardware and to this day I have kept buying them through the years and currently have a Thinkpad X220 (i7 CPU, 16GB RAM). The sad fact is that it now gets so little use compared to my MacBook Air.
Why is that? Purely because I prefer OS X.
Happy Birthday Thinkpad - I'm sorry I have deserted you.
I'm in a similar position. I have a T60 right now, and I have been considering upgrading to a T430, but I really don't have a huge need to. My laptop runs fast enough for the stuff I use it for, and it's still in good condition (but I'd still love to get a new, faster computer).
I've been using the laptop practically every day for the past 4 years, carrying it to campus, etc, and it's been holding up quite well. The only downside is that they don't offer very good graphics cards for it, so it wouldn't make a good gaming computer. It does have a really nice keyboard thought, and makes a great development PC.
The nice thing is that complete ThinkPads of the T60/T61 vintage with a decent battery, AC adapater, and HD still command a decent premium in the used market. Hell I got $175 for a T23 about a year ago.
The market is flush with system off corporate lease, but they rarely include the above items.
I recently switched from a 15" T61 to a 14" T430s. My T61 is now my home server and probably will be for another 5 years. I wanted to stay at 15" but the laptop would be too big. Lenovo also have lots of bezel on the new ones in addition to the decreased resolution.
> but my little X121e is the best laptop I've ever used.
What do you compare it with? I have one too (but currently dead due to infamous reset loop bug) and I think it is the worst ThinkPad I have owned. The screen is horrible, lackluster build quality and fit'n'finish, so so Linux support and the underside of the keyboard needed to be stuffed with cardboard to type properly. Given the budget price point I don't think it should carry a ThinkPad label at all, it tarnishes the brand.
Edit: I have the AMD Fusion, not the Intel variant.
I have the Intel variant, as I understand it the fusion is a little bit worse. I compare it to various laptops from the likes of Samsung and Toshiba I've had. I'm not calling it the best in the world, just the best I've used. I like how easy it's been for me to mod it too. It is however my first ThinkPad. Others may be much better.
I bought my first ThinkPad (the classic ThinkPad 600) in 1998. I immediately decided it was wonderful and swore I'd never use another brand of computer again.
There was a time after that when they just kept getting better and better: the A30p with a beautiful 1600x1200 IPS display, and then that same display in the slimmed-down and faster T60p.
I also bought a bunch of old beaters to use as test machines and what not: 750's, 755's, a 360, and I was so happy when I tracked down a 701c with the butterfly keyboard.
Then for a while you could get used working A30p's in good condition for $300 or so. Did I mention the 1600x1200 IPS display? :-)
I love the TrackPoint [1] and those great displays, and even better, all the machines had the same great keyboard! When other laptop manufacturers were fiddling with this layout and that, every ThinkPad had the same exact keyboard, and it was a good one too. I could move from one ThinkPad to another without thinking about it.
The poll itself is gone, but the comments on the blog post are still there. The poll had all sorts of layout tweaks - moving various keys around in an A-B-C-D test - just the kind of thing a keyboard designer would want to do.
Then the new keyboards started coming along. Commonly used keys were moved around, and the F1-F2 keys were jammed into a solid tight row with no gaps between the groups of four keys. These gaps (between F4-F5 and F8-F9) are what afforded easy touch typing on these keys that are so far away from the home row.
Trust me, if you're reaching for Fn+F5 (wireless settings), you don't want to hit Fn+F4 (standby) by mistake. With the old keyboards, that's never a problem. There's a nice gap between F4 and F5 and you don't have to look at the keys to hit the right one. With the new one, good luck. (Oddly enough, the ThinkPad X1 and X1 Carbon do have little gaps here even though they follow the new layout otherwise. But the other newer models, no such luck. And the X1 keyboards are not compatible with other models.)
Many die-hard ThinkPad fans hated the new keyboards, not because of the "island" design but because of these frivolous layout changes.
Entrepreneurs, read the comments on that post for a lesson in how to discourage your most avid supporters. :-(
Edit: this comment on that post was insightful:
> I bet the recent supposed user tests also didn't include a significant number of dedicated, old-timer ThinkPad programmers, otherwise you'd made more of an effort mentioning this in the article, and the outcome would most likely have been different. Rather, it must have consisted mainly of random people off the street who're used to cheap laptops with keyboard layouts changing with every model. So surely they can't be bothered with yet another weird layout and thus mark it as "fine".
That machine also had a removable hard drive that I used to pop out when leaving my computer in hotel rooms so that I didn't mind if the machine was stolen.
On long flights I would carry up to six batteries with me which led to a funny exchange with Nicholas Negroponte who imagined (writing a Wired) a day when batteries had a power meter on them (imagine that!). I wrote to him to say that my solution for long flights was that I numbered my batteries and used them in order. He replied to the effect: "The simple solutions are often the best".
The Wired piece from 1996: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.12/negroponte.html