Would you buy an Ideapad?

Well, would you?

The price and features of the Y580 are pretty sweet right now.

 

I was ready to pull the trigger on a T430 but the panel issue has me looking elsewhere. Maybe I'll stretch into the W530 but the price is very high. I've read (elsewhere) where the Ideapad is an inferior Thinkpad and built for the mass market not dedicated professionals. Since I'm a dedicated professional, I plan on staying away from the Y580. Maybe I'll have to choose another manufacturer.

 

Sorry, this thread was moved. I wanted to ask this question of the general Lenovo population. I'm not sure the question is relevant here.

 

I bought the Z575 and I'm happy with it. Though it's not the Y580, is there anything you want to know specifically?

 

Hmm. Not sure I wanted to add to this, but why would you ask people on the ideapad forum if they would buy an ideapad?

Obviously. That's why many of us are here.

 

The y580 is a thick, heavy, relatively powerful laptop for entertainment purposes. Although I do not have mine in hand yet, from what I can gather it has so-so battery life and will get a bit warm at times, as most performance laptops do. My opinion is that It's probably not the best option for web browsing in bed, much less as the primary laptop of a "dedicated professional."

Having owned two Thinkpads over the past seven years, I can tell you they are generally the opposite of what I described above (depending on the model you choose). My current x61 tablet is pretty small, has excellent battery life, and hasn't had a single issue in the four years and one month I've been using it. However, it can play games (and even some video) about as well as my toaster oven.

I guess it depends on what you mean by dedicated professional; that's not a very helpful term. It really depends on your needs. For me, I'm a student who wants a computer capable of occasional light gaming, lots of movies and music, and typing papers. I will have no problem hauling the y580 to campus as I generally have several large textbooks in my bag anyway, but I'm not sure it would be very fun to fly with frequently if that's your thing.

Also, I have a Galaxy Tab for traveling and general web browsing around the house, so my new y580 can stay on my desk where it will be most at home.

 

I would take a serious look at your expectations and usage patterns to decide if the Thinkpad lineup or the Ideapad lineup is right for you. Or you could be like me and own both an Ideapad and a Thinkpad...

 

LOL.. I originally posted this to the Lenovo/IBM main forum. The moderator moved my post here. I too feel the moderator made a mistake by moving my post. It does not belong here.

Sorry again

 

Thanks everyone!

I travel 100% of the time. I live 10 days in a hotel or furnished apartment then go home for 4 days. I will take my laptop with me from home to work to hotel, etc. I'm a technical writer. I write test scripts for computer systems that are used in the manufacture of drugs. My protocols (test scripts) are review-able by the Food and Drug Administration. Clients are charged over $100/hour for my services. I don't think an Ideapad is appropriate but I just don't know. Your thoughts seem to concur with my impressions.

Thank-you very much.

 

Thanks Talin. I was just wondering if an Ideapad would stand up to the rigors of extensive air travel, national and international.

What do you think?

 

sounds you will be better served by a thinkpad such as T430s.

 

Yeah, I agree.
Thanks!

 

Yeah, I second that. While the Ideapads are built pretty solid, the Thinkpads are bulletproof. And you have more battery options.

And I don't like coding with a glossy screen.

 

Honestly I would say no, but mine stays desk bound so I couldn't say with absolute certainty. It's definitely not as robust as thinkpads are (having owned a couple of them in the past).

 

B575 owner here...the build quality id good for what the laptop is...however they make the thinkpads more exactly for frequent travel and abuse. While i like my B575 if i had to use it for travel more then say once a month or so? I would not trust the build quality to live up to that sort of abuse.

 

If I needed a new laptop, I'd definitely consider the Ideapad line. I've played around with a few of those laptops and they're nice for a consumer laptop. For durability though, I'd still use my Thinkpad .