Is this true?

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WhiteGuardian

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 15, 2008
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I've been looking for a laptop for college, and I've always wanted to get a ThinkPad. My dad used to always bring his back from work and it was built rock solid and looked sleek but classy. However, I heard that since Lenovo took over IBM, the quality of Thinkpads have gone WAY done. I've seen a lot of videos about warping chasis, keyboard, and gaps in the laptop. Is this true for all the current Thinkpads? Thanks.
 
I have an X61 Tablet. It's better built than another old Thinkpad I have. I've heard others disagree with that.

Go play with one at a store. I know Micro Center carries them, but if you haven't got one nearby you will have to hunt a bit--they're pretty uncommon in brick-and-mortar shops. Still, that's the only way to get a feel for it. Having done that myself, I feel like the Thinkpads still feel more solid in my hands than do most of the competition, but I suppose that's for each buyer to decide for himself.
 
I don't think they've gotten any worse then they were before. If you don't mind spending money the high-end Sony and Apple notebooks are also very high quality. My old VAIO SZ (comparable to the current Z series) still looks awesome and works great.

That being said, I sort of wish netbooks were around when I started college. Having a desktop in your dorm/apartment/cardboard box and carrying a cheap netbook with long battery life with you makes more sense than spending a buttload of cash on a laptop that will get beat up and become obsolete faster.
 
Lenovo took over production of ThinkPads from IBM, they didn't take over IBM itself, just for the record. :)

There's two lines involved:

1) The ThinkPad franchise which, just after Lenovo did start making them, was a bit lackluster, seriously. The build quality did suffer for about 2 years, but that's some time ago now. Since Lenovo introduced the Z series (my fave was the Z60t for a long time), the build quality has returned to at least what it was when IBM produced ThinkPads, and in some cases has exceeded those original ThinkPads overall.

2) Lenovo makes their own branded line of laptops, and people see them and make the connection with the name on it (Lenovo) and know that Lenovo makes ThinkPads now so, they put 1+1 together and get 65 because they're not the ThinkPad line. They're unique and individual to their own design, even though Lenovo does tend to make them in solid black just like laptops, with some having an almost very dark brownish color.

But the Lenovo ThinkPads being produced the past 3-4 years or so are rock solid and dependable as the ThinkPad line should be... it's not an issue at all to purchase one, they are truly great machines.

Lenovo now does the ThinkPad heritage some justice, but it did take a few years to get there...
 
thanks for the inputs, I'll try to find a place that has one.

I was looking at the T (t400) series because the X series didn't have an optical drive (cept the most expenssive kind). That's where I searched and found about the keyboard flex and gap issues, and this video pretty much proved it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8sOO-8LP4E

I know before all of the thinkpads were made with a magnesium cover and rubbery finish, now I think only the X300 has that.
 
Well Thinkpads used to cost alot more too. I had a Lenovo X61t and it was a pretty good computer. There was some LCD issues which Lenovo fixed but it is more of an issue with the IPS display it came with than anything else. Overall Id say the quality is pretty good. It definitely felt studier than my current MBP.
 
My T61p I feel has the same build quality as my old T42p. Nothing beats an old T22, or 600E. Those I could use to bludgeon people with and not worry. I think my T61p is better than my old (now my dad's) T60, which was better than my T43.
 
I have to say my T60 is pretty questionable compared to my T42. Build quality issues. Cheap plastics that flex. Mouse buttons that started getting stuck in just a week. Memory errors causing a full dump.

My T60 still works though after about a year or so but quality is down.
 
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