Thinkpad addiction?

I will dare to say that HP's PointStick (aka 'blue dot') - combined with the Synaptic drivers - is even more handy than the TP's red one.
It is so sensitive when pressed that it allows seamless and precise one-finger window dragging/text selection etc. I really miss this feature now.

 

I probably should be asking this question in the other sub-forums but does anyone know if other people have the same addiction for other notebook brands like Dell (Latitudaddict) or HP (Elitebookaddict)? Maybe Tsunade_Hime but I don't venture off to the other sub-forums so I don't really know.

 

There are some people whom have an inclination towards the Latitude, but not to the same extent that people have for Thinkpads (after all it is laptop that started it all), and there are NOT many people whom collects the Elitebooks.

There are also some people whom collects the Toughbooks.

 

lol I'm addicted to business notebooks in general. I mostly buy second hand/refurbished notebooks and collect 'em cause they are just fantastic.

It's also cause I can't stand new notebooks. I feel like they just don't last as long, aren't as well built (pretty much after Core 2 notebooks), and 16:9 sucks! My E6410 was an example of that. That went back to Dell for a refund after a week. The screw for the entire bottom panel was stripped (not my doing) and AHCI was very very flaky. Couple with BSOD with DCP, I just returned it for a refund. Older notebooks back then costed an arm and a leg and quality was good. Notice almost all of my notebooks in my signature are pretty old (compared to today's technology anyway).

 

That's not been my experience.

 

Agreed. The D610 in my sig is 5 years old and absolutely solid as a rock. Slow, but I know it will not fail on me.
I had a Thinkpad T61 in undergrad that was great, very solid and reliable, regret selling it as I would probably still be using it.
Today's consumer notebooks are very shoddy, even if you pay out the rear for a high end one it still isn't as well built as a business model.
Which is why I'm going back, once you go black you never go back

 

If you replace the HP's blue trackpoint with Lenovo red cap, it will function very similar to a Thinkpad. At least this is what alot of Thinkpad->HP users are reporting.

 

Yes, we're called Apple fanboys for a reason .

Truth be told, I like the matte black, boxy design of the ThinkPad, just as much as the unibody aluminum MacBook Pro design. There's just something striking about the industrial, minimalist design. This machine means business, it means "lets get stuff done right now."

Been using Mac laptops for a while now, and my T61 is my first ThinkPad. I may be tempted to get another TP when my MBP dies in a few years. We'll see how the market is (and the future of Mac OS, I don't like where Lion is heading).

 

Didn't help mine.

 

I have no particular loyalty to Lenovo. If another manfacturer would make a lightweight (2.5 lbs or less) 10-12" form-factor machine with a high-resolution screen option, a good keyboard and a pointing stick, I'd consider it.

Unfortunately, no one, other than Lenovo, has even come close.

HP/Compaq could actually get there - their Mini line as well as their 12" laptops are close, if they could improve the keyboard a bit, add missing PointSticks, and shed some weight.

Consider me addicted.

 

I think even Lenovo has lost the high res option on the X series with the X220. Screen resolution has been really going backward. I guess we'll have to wait for resolution independence before any company starts to really put out more high resolution options.

 

Which is why I think the T420s with the 1600x900 screen is going to be popular.

 

I really like the T420, but the contrast ratio on the Tabook (300:1) give me second thought. I will wait till NBR or notebookcheck get their hand on one and confirm if that is the case. I am going to get the t520, if it is around that contrast ratio. The FHD or the HD+ on the T520 has better contrast ratio.

 

there seems to be a fair share of Toughbook enthusiasts who really love the brand if the panasonic forum here is any indication.

i think it's rather impressive considering that Panasonic doesn't really have a presence in the consumer market.

 

A large presence in consumer market does not directly collate to customer loyalty, in fact usually opposite happens. Just like Ferrari commands a high customer loyalty when say hyundai does not.

Customer loyalty usually relates to brand involvement, for that usually the customer may have to spend slightly more to get their enthusiasm up. If they could easily purchase it with minimum financial outlay, they probably wouldn't get involved as much.

 

maybe and maybe not.

if the toughbooks were more affordable, not only would it make it more likely that they could collect more [models], but it increases the percentage of potential participants overall.

personally speaking, i know that i would have bought a couple of toughbook models except that i can't really justify paying such a disportionate amount for a certain configuration, when i'm already so well served by the thinkpad line.

 

That maybe true to a certain point, but if panasonic reduces their price significantly and start to distribute their laptop through retailers, then their profit margin is also decreasing. This may mean that they have to cut corners in certain areas, which will lead decrease in quality. If people are buying toughbooks for their legendary toughness and when this does not meet the customer expectations, then there will be a consumer backlash on the brand. This will drive any past loyal customers to be unsatisfied with their product.

 

I also like the classic design of the matte black box.

Some aspects about it though from what i've learned about Visual Merchandising :

Few months ago i went to the nearby Best Denki (electronics) store. I found that the thinkpad looks a bit oudated and old-fashioned design-wise compare to another laptops from Asus and HP. If thinkpad is exhibited as a stand-alone product, a bit far away from another brand display, it can increase the image of reliability and toughness from this particular brand.
But, if it is displayed alongside with another shiny-plastic laptop brands, it makes them look old....

No wonder they created Edge...

 

But that's just how they "look", which has nothing to do with how the machine performs.

Renee

 

It's a ThinkPad addiction thread. Some just enjoy the aesthetics. I like ThinkPads now cause they are just plain vs this new shiny and pretty consumer laptops.

 

That is exactly my point.

For average user, what they'll see first is the impression of a product, especially in a electronic retail store like Denki which displays most of the electronics on the table. Average user will firstly judge whether the laptop is worth their money or not simply by its look. And Thinkpad clearly an underdog there. Matte cannot defeat bling-bling.

Then, if they're computer literate enough, they'll read the specs. Some user even think that if it does not have a discrete graphic card then the notebook considered as a so-so. They will immediately see that Thinkpad with Intel graphics is as the same price with shiny HP with Nvidia cards. They will immediately assumed that Thinkpad is an overpriced product.

I know a store, one of Lenovo official distributor, have Thinkpad display complete with the banner explaining about rollcage, thinklight, APS, thinkvantage, etc. That's what Thinkpad display should look like. But again, it is difficult to implement that on an "arena" like Denki store. Those matte laptops will look "so last year" compare to others.

 

Actually I think that is backwards now. Matte is a premium you have to pay for. Alot of things are glossy right now. Back say just 3-4 years ago when matte was the norm and you had to pay $$$ for glossy.

But if you walk into a retail store, of course ThinkPads are not going to be a consumer's first choice. Then they see the 1400 price tag and go who would buy this junk for 1400?? Average joe schmoe wants dirt cheap beyond anything else.

 

Any brand that has something special will probably have a dedicated following. Both Thinkpads and Toughbooks are very different from the masses of shiny consumer grade notebooks a Best Buy.