Ugly Thinkpad?

Is it just me or every non-Thinkpad is Ugly? Look at the dell xps and the stuff from Hp. Maybe I've been using my Thinkpad too often, but macbooks and Thinkpads are probably the only "good looking" notebooks.

 

I think Thinkpad and MBP are the polar opposite in terms of design philosophy. Personally i like both. I don't find any of the current HP laptops to be particularly attractive in terms of design. The only current Dell laptops i like are the M15x and M17x Alienware, which have something original in terms of design that other laptops don't.

 

I like the new XPS line over the previous Studio/Studio XPS (biggest garbage line Dell ever released IMO). But you can't really compared an XPS to a business line, but the 3rd generation E series is...ugly. It's horrible. I prefer the older D series to the newer E series. The E6410 is the last decent Latitude not counting the specialized models. Precisions didn't have a major change but it's not like they sell the amount of Precisions compared to the Latitudes. I haven't seen the new Vostro line, but generally they have been kept in check but usually offer funky colors..

HP have been getting worse and worse. HPs got bashed for glossy this glossy that, so everything now has a matte plastic/metal finish but they took a turn for the far worse to service (at least their consumer models). The new Elitebook looks like a glorified Envy, and is everything a business notebook should not be.

I have always respected ThinkPads for their supreme reliability, but I always thought they looked...not so pretty but it has grown on me to which I bought a ThinkPad. That classic look, you know you have a serious business machine. And Lenovo did not detract really from that look, but made it cheaper than the older IBM ThinkPads, and I praise them for that.

 

Also i am not sure why HP is offering all the recent Elitebooks in such a shiny silver colour, it is so distracting to look at them sometimes.

 

thinkpad and “good looking" in the same sentence?

 

I don't like a lot of bells and whistles, contrasting colorschemes etc. that distract me from using a notebook. That's why thinkpads and MPB's attract to me, they don't get in the way. They both focus on usability and reliability, but with almost opposing design solutions. the thinkpad is something like an 'anti-design' thing, which I like. It's a bit difficult to explain but the 'ugliness' of a thinkpad appeals to me in a way.

 

Ugliness is sublime, especially where ThinkPads are concerned...

 

"And Lenovo did not detract really from that look, but made it cheaper than the older IBM ThinkPads, and I praise them for that."

I do NOT applaud this at all.

Renee

 

Two years ago I thought ThinkPads looked hideous but that's when I knew little about ThinkPads. Later the 7900GS inside my Dell died and long story short I fell in love with ThinkPads. To me they are the best-looking laptops out there, followed by Apple and Alienware (the newer M17x, M15x, and M11x).

 

ThinkPads aren't ugly, but not visually appealing to the average person. It isn't a Sony. But tend to like a basic notebook design, and that's why I love my new ThinkPad.

No need to get snappy at me...I was just talking about how they kept the same looks/design but at a lower price..

 

To me ThinkPad designs are "retro", while there are some variations over time the key fundamentals are still there such as the black paint job, black keyboard, the red trackpoint etc.

For long time ThinkPad users the design gives a sense of nostalgia, looking at my R61e right now it looks like a stretched version of my very first ThinkPad the R50e (which I’m fond of). I’m pretty sure there are “golden oldies” from the early 1990s that provide a much better example than mine!

In a way that’s a good thing, you can’t do that with say a Dell Latitude as it lacks design consistency over time. Plus ThinkPad’s make great collectors items to look back on too - just like someone on this forum in which I shall keep him anonymous hoho!

 

Yeah, though the said person removed his signature, people who have been here long enough know who we're talking about here.

 

If mac didnt use chicklet I would consider getting a 11in MBA. As for thinkpads I LOVE the design of dell business and thinkpads. Sleek and sharp lines mixed with keyboards that cannot be beat (both dell business and thinkpads).

As for the previous dell SXPS series they are pretty nice machines. The onyl thing that turns me off is the lid feels and looks cheap. Mixed with the partially blocked vent makes for a weird computer, but I still love mine. I just wish I could find a use for such a powerful computer other then the occasional DVD backup. That or it got better then 4.5 hours of battery life and had a trackpoint.

 

Personally, I think Thinkpads are contemporary looking and sleek.

They are visually appealing to me. Other notebooks are very artsy which is not my style.

 

Their understated elegance is visually appealing to me as well.

 

You can only find 2 brands of computers on permanent exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art: Apple and ThinkPad.

 

I must meet that mysterious person someday.

Whoa I do have good taste, at least for computing technology.

 

lol the laptop on the right looks like a Latitude actually...

But ThinkPads have that retro look that I like...

 

Thinkpads have an understated beauty. I can still remember buying my first one, a used and worn 600. I guess that is one of the qualities I seek in the tools I buy, the ability to age well.

And yes, I still use my Nikon F2.

 

It will be a sad day if they ever change the thinkpad styling.

 

Did you see this?

Time to give up TrackPoint?

 

I think there should be more choice. People have their preference and probably few will change. This is particularly true on the X series, where having the trackpoint cuts into the usability of the touchpad because it's so small to accommodate the trackpoint buttons. If there were no trackpoint you could make the touchpad much bigger and more usable. Likewise, you could have one without a touchpad for those who like the stick.

 

JaneL says: First chrome and now no TrackPoint? You can’t be serious.



The other comments are also interesting.

 

Just browsed it and I have to say Im quite upset now. I use my think pad with the trackpoint 100% of the time. I dont even bother with an external as it just doesnt feel as good as the trackpoint. Like ZaZ says below there should be a choice and a trackpoint should always be a choice. Its a thinkpad staple just like the keyboard setup is. Without a trackpoint I feel there just isnt much incentive left for purchasing a thinkpad. I wish that I could have had the option of no touch pad on my t400, and have wished this since day one. Slippery slope I say...

I agree that there should be a choice for the user between touchpad, trackpoint or combo. I honestly would have gladly done away with the touchpad on my t400 in favor of just the point. Over the past 2 years of ownership I have had it enabled only long enough to disable it after a reformat.

 

I responded to it. Couldnt resist. I may have gone a bit far, but I said what i felt and held nothing back.

 

Just read the article, shocked coming from an official Lenovo blog. The day the Trackpoint dies on the ThinkPad would be the end of the brand we know, it simply would not be a ThinkPad without one. It would be sad to see years of IBM engineering being tossed away to accommodate the crowds of "multi-gesture touchpads", something which I don’t use and tend to disable altogether.

I’m quite worried on what Lenovo is doing with the ThinkPad brand of late. I respect Lenovo as a company that wants to make profit but it seems the ThinkPad models are starting to lose their edge (no pun intended there) over time - no more flexview screens, perforating the solid keyboard design, absence of the screen lid rollcages on newer models and now they’re thinking of taking away of one of the most iconic assets on a ThinkPad. I can't say i'm very well pleased...

 

I think which ever company first loses the trackpoint first will be the beginning of the end...wait HP already did for some of their models. Mainstream Latitudes still have it

 

Multitouch can never replace the trackpoint, because you have to move you hand up and down the keyboard. The best way lenovo could do is to go back to 19:10 ratio and replace the regular trackpad with a large apple-like one. They better find a way to perfectly emulate the macbook experience or it will be a POS(HP no button & the G series)

I really enjoys using the trackpoint when I have to program in Visual Studio or any program need consiant changes between typing and cursor movement, there is noway a

 

I've always subscribed to the idea "Any color, as long as its black." My Thinkpads hold well to that tradition, with the perfect red accents. I absolutely love the new commercials that use the red and black look for the background. Other laptops may be "aesthetically pleasing" to some, but the Thinkpad is cool. Why do you think stealth planes are black and angular? That's right, they wish they were Thinkpads.

Also, just to address the touchpad/trackpoint discussion.

From Computer Systems

That is a brand new X201. Specifically requested in the order - NO touchpad. My Thinkpad will not be soiled with a touchpad, so long as there is an offering without it!

 

What happened to the innovative designs of ThinkPads? Looks like they stopped making ThinkPads that would make people go "wow" like the butterfly keyboard. These days they would just reuse the same old cases and update only the guts, e.g. T400, T410, T420, etc.

 

Part of the reason why innovative designs die in the PC vendors is that it has become a commodity, all the maker does now is putting component together from supplier. Most of what they do if focus on industry design and not actually anything with the WOW factor. Since in a commodity the profit margin are usually slim, I think that is why IBM lsold the PC division to Lenovo. The only company that is currently innovating among the PC vendors are Apple. But most of their innovation are not in their PC portion of their business.

 

I think the Dells and HPs are very ugly (the consumer models), just can't get over it.

 

Like this?

 

Don't remind me... but I was thinking along the lines of the chassis, so cheap and plasticky looking, especially the keyboard designs they use, just can't stand it.

 

I like the ThinkPad look, and I love my s30

Check this one too: Inside the Box TrackPoint P.S. — Thanks, and fear not!

 

As Steve Jobs said it is a Post PC era now, the majority of profit or revenue will not be derived from laptops or desktop computers now. Given that many of the laptops are designed and made by ODM, unique hardware innovation is something hard to find (the best you can hope for is some new softwares).

 

I respectfully can't agree with you on that lead_org. If we are in a post pc era, then what are we all using? And I think laptops and desktops are still quite profitable for the oems, especially for microsoft.
If I understand the situation correctly, oem's still design their own laptops, then send that design to the odm's, who manufacture them. Unless I'm missing something? The only alternative that I could imagine you might be talking about are smart phones, and there's no way they will ever supplant PCs, no way.

 

^^^ Yes, notebook and desktop computers, as well as "big iron" servers, are still being designed, produced, sold and (please) bought. Roger, we're all using "PCs," for sure, but we're at the trail end of the PC-dominance curve. For design, development and business-sustaining uses, the "boxes", big and small, will remain. However, we are witnessing the emergence of new forms of computing tools, not "dumbed down" notebooks, but tools that embody new design ideas and enable new usage patterns. Even digital cameras, media players and GPS devices are becoming irrelevant, as separate tools.

lead_org was quite observant (as usual): "unique hardware innovation is something hard to find (the best you can hope for is some new softwares)." That's right: new software applications, and I would add: for "vertical markets," like legal and medical. I have some neat ideas and, to me, they will be best developed for the iPad/iPhone platform.

 

Well, what new "tools" are you referring to? That might help give me a better understanding of what you mean.

 

To spell it out more concretely: the so-called "smart phones" and "tablets." Of course, they won't "supplant the PCs" (as you noted), but they are becoming more and more relevant.

As a concrete example, one would still need Mac "notebooks/desktops" to develop and test iPad/iPhone apps. Such apps may access, and even collaborate with, "servers" all over the globe.

 

I see... I just don't believe it, but that's me. I can see those all-in-one devices taking a stronger hold, but I don't believe we're in a post PC era.

 

Yeah, "post PC" may give one the impression that the "PCs" are disappearing. I guess the term suggests a growing emphasis on "non-PC" devices.

Not too long ago, Microsoft was refusing to believe that the newly invented HTTP and browser, let alone the Internet in general, were relevant. I remember, back in 1997, Microsoft was trying to sell me BBS (Bulletin-Board System) services. Incredible!

Suppose the "PCs" continued to be BIG, Microsoft would bet the company on Windows 7 SP1, SP2, SP3, ..., Windows 8, Windows 9, ..., Office 14, Office 15, ... But it does not.

 

I was referring more to the technology innovation and revenue source side of things, i wasn't suggesting that PC are dead or anything. However due to the commodisation of PC, there is not lot of profit to be made, which therefore also cut down on the amount of R&D that most brand companies are wiling to invest.

 

Until you can compile code or do most of the tasks a PC (includes mac, linux, and ms) can do I dont see the PC platform dying. Granted the smartphone and tablet markets are eating up laptop and desktop profits. I think that is greatly attributed to the combination of the economy and the fact that most computer users tasks can 100% be done on a tablet or smartphone. Think about it. My mom is a great example as she only plays some games (most on the mobile markets), surfs the web, emails, and some office work. All of which can be done on her ipad or the talbet she tested out. Have a lengthy document or email? well there are great keyboards like the zagg that work well and add as a case and protection for the tablet. She could get rid of all of her PCs and be fine and not have to sacrifice anything to do so and I know she is not the only one.

I wish I could have done that with my t400. The touchpad is useless to me and nothing but an annoyance.

Thats the joy of thinkpads. Just like jeep did over 60 years ago they found a style that worked well, was rugged and easy on the eyes. Most of us want it to stay that way and to be 100% honest if I buy another thinkpad and it looks identical to my t400 Ill be happy. Why? because I love the way it looks and the form and function is amazing. So my question to you is why mess with a good thing?

 

the prettiest might be the x61s w/o the fingerprint reader - edge to edge bezel and slight taper from front to back.

the x21 was a very clean design too, evenly thick all around and no protruding battery.

the early thinkpads were bricks in weight and form. i don't think they can be judged on appearance.

 

I like the simplicity of the Thinkpad's design. I never owned a Thinkpad before I got my X40 a year or so again. When I pulled it out of the box, I immediately liked it.

I later bought my T60 and I love it. I miss the red buttons on the trackpoint, but I do like the new volume buttons.

My X60s I purchased was extremely rough when it came in. The palmrest was shiny, the memory door was bent, the lid was extremely marked up. I replaced the palmrest and bottom cover and pledged the top panel. The top panel came back, and now it almost looks new. Shows the durability of them though, I'm pretty sure it was dropped at one point as the fan housing was bent.

 

It's simple.

If someone thinks a ThinkPad is ugly, they don't get it; they're probably too busy keeping their Facebook status updated every twenty minutes.

If someone thinks a ThinkPad is ugly and thinks any laptop that comes in multiple glossy Lifesaver-type colors is "hawt", they're a teenybopper.

If someone thinks a ThinkPad is ugly and thinks Apple computers are the only good looking computers on the planet, they're a hipster.

If someone thinks a ThinkPad looks good --they understand the concept of computing at a minimum, and probably at least basic concepts of engineering.

(and yes, this was intended for mild humor and this disclaimer is being made before someone takes offense).

 

Yikes, this is so hideous. There is a lot of beauty in intelligently crafted design of ThinkPads that combines power and convenience. That colorful cover is not beauty. It looks like someone spilled paint all over the laptop. A mess is a proper description of that picture.

 

hahaha I gotta give +1 to LoneWolf15. ThinkPads are simple, and that's what I love about them. Guess reliability comes with the package.

 

Lonewolf said it all.