You know I rely on you guys because I'm a total non-techie. Any opinions on the IBM ThinkPad? Any real life experiences, good or bad? Thanks for any input!

I use one at work, and I don't like it. It comes pre-loaded with all kinds of proprietary software and utilities that I can't remove if I want to use an external monitor or power-save features. Also the keyboard does not have a Windows key, which is apparently a result of some IBM usability study that showed that an extra key messed up typing; unfortunately, I use the Windows key all the time, so when I have to use the built-in keyboard on the ThinkPad I'm constantly trying to remember the alternate shortcuts.

My personal laptop is a two-year-old Dell Inspiron 600m. I love it and would gladly recommend the current iteration of this line.

One thing to note is that IBM Thinkpads are actually made by Lenovo (http://www.lenovo.com/us/en/) rather than by IBM. About a year or so ago, IBM sold their entire PC division to them. As part of the deal, Lenovo received a license to continue to use the IBM logo on them for a few years.

Lenovo's reputation is very good, though, and Thinkpads are still widely considered to be among the best Windows-based notebooks.

-Jeff

I have been using ThinkPad's for the past 10 years for work as my daily machine. While I get upgraded every 3 years as a part of corporate policy, when I turn them in, they work as well as the day I got them. And yes, that is very well!

I travel a lot and they are durable and dependable. If you have to get it serviced, a rare occasion, the turnaround time is very fast. (Out of the past 10 years, only one time did I have to send one in for service. Got it back within 48 hrs.)

I have used Compaq, HP, Toshiba, and Dell laptops in the past as well for misc projects as well as having to service those makes owned by friends. Frankly, the IBM comes out on top.

Yes, they are made by Lenovo, but at the same time, most of the components of any computer (regardless of make) are made by other companies with the selling company's name on it.

While I will agree with Andrew that there is some ThinkPad specific software on the machine but at the same time never found those utilites to be a hinderance. Many other companies use similar packaged utilities and drivers as well. (Varies by mfr.)

Hope that helps...

You guys are great - thanks for your responses, as always!

I managed to drop my laptop (eek!) at home and it didn't like the experience -- since this is the machine I travel with, it seemed to be a good idea to get a small laptop that was built to withstand a tad more. My husband liked the specs on the IBM but I always like the variety of experiences represented here on the 'Pad.

Have you heard anything about IBM customer support? Dell used to be pretty good. It's really gone downhill since they offshored it to India. If IBM has customer support where you can talk to people who actually know something about computers, that would be a good reason to go with a ThinkPad.

I also had a company-issued ThinkPad. It seemed like a good machine. I couldn't really find out because the cyber-punks who ship out my employer's laptops always remove all but the minimum RAM for the operating system. They think we're too stupid to notice they do this. I expect they've got a killer gaming network set up somewhere.

Thus, I got a brand new laptop running Windows 2000 with 128MB of RAM. Not surprisingly, it took about 10 minutes just to boot and performing any operation whatsoever caused a lot of thrashing and caching. I tried for four years to get a RAM upgrade and it never happened. I got a new computer instead and insisted it come with no less that 1GB of RAM. Those cyber-punks really got peaved, but I eventually got it. How dare I destroy their beautiful wickedness. ;)

Have you heard anything about IBM customer support? Dell used to be pretty good. It's really gone downhill since they offshored it to India. If IBM has customer support where you can talk to people who actually know something about computers, that would be a good reason to go with a ThinkPad.

I really dislike Stinkpads... Back in 1999, we had to replace 40% of the units at work due to defective main boards. Granted, it could have been related only to that specific model, or even that production batch, but when you have to replace 80 laptops within a few months, it is not fun. I also cannot stand that they don't have the windows key. I thought that was required to have the "made for windows" sticker. Guess not.

In our office now, everyone has their own personal laptops that they bought. Our office equipment is all Dell, and I have a couple Dell laptops that I love. Between the six other IBM laptops that my co-workers have, four have needed service calls. To be fair, two were for components not made by IBM.

Dell support from India is horrible. When I call for support now, I always get people in the United States. However, I'm not sure if they changed, or if I have different support through the business division.

Dell support from India is horrible. When I call for support now, I always get people in the United States. However, I'm not sure if they changed, or if I have different support through the business division.

Indeed. When Dell first moved all customer support to India, their business customers complained so loudly that Dell moved business support back to Texas. Home users, however, still have to talk to someone in Bangalore ("Thank you, please.")

My brother works customer support for Creative Labs. Most of the people who call him have been talking to someone in India and getting nowhere. When they call Creative Labs, they are amazed they are talking to someone in America. :eek:

Have you heard anything about IBM customer support? Dell used to be pretty good. It's really gone downhill since they offshored it to India. If IBM has customer support where you can talk to people who actually know something about computers, that would be a good reason to go with a ThinkPad.

This is a good topic to research before a purchase, but, once again, Thinkpads are no longer IBM products. The company to research is Lenovo.

-Jeff