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How IBM’s ThinkPad Became a Design Icon (2017)

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Re: How IBM’s ThinkPad Became a Design Icon (2017)

#91

Post by unethical_ban »

rainhacker wrote: post #53

Any recommendations of Thinkpad model to buy in 2018 ? I can wait if anything promising is coming in 2019.

I just bought an E485 (AMD Ryzen). I'm enjoying it thoroughly. The "E" series has integrated battery and fewer USB/data ports/less dock compatibility, BUT battery, drive, and RAM are all "user-serviceable" meaning not soldered in.

And I got a great deal with some discount codes, now expired... AMD Ryzen 2700U, 16GB RAM, 128GB NVMe drive, 1080p matte screen for $670 plus tax and shipping.

If I had more money, I would have gotten the A485 (AMD fanboy) as the A and T series are easier to maintain and have more features like keyboard backlights.

Re: How IBM’s ThinkPad Became a Design Icon (2017)

#92

Post by kleff »

rainhacker wrote: post #53

Any recommendations of Thinkpad model to buy in 2018 ? I can wait if anything promising is coming in 2019.

X-series is always a safe bet if you want something a bit more portable than the T-series, but with the same build quality. I don't know about the newest (x280), but I'm rocking the previous X270 and I'm really happy with it.

I also never see people mention it, but the L-series feels a bit underrated. I handled some older ones the other day and was super impressed by the build quality. I think they go for like half the price of T-s too.

Re: How IBM’s ThinkPad Became a Design Icon (2017)

#93

Post by acomjean »

Waterluvian wrote: post #80
lqet wrote: post #61

Last year, I decided to build an X62 (Thinkpad X61 or X60 with custom hardware) after reading about it here [1]. Shipment of the modification kit (some plastic parts + a new mainboard) took 2 months from China to Germany. It took me a while to find a brand-new screen as a replacement for the original 1024x786 screen (which has to be modified, including some minor metal-working). After roughly a year of heavy daily us…

The one problem I have, rational or not, is just how worn out those laptops look over time. The plastic gets all shiny and worn down and the thing just starts looking greasy. That's probably the only thing I miss from my older macbook.

stickers to the rescue? Or as a protective measure. I've noticed I've been replacing older stickers that have been scratched badly on my MacBook. Goo Gone is what I use to remove the adhesive glue from the old stickers.

Re: How IBM’s ThinkPad Became a Design Icon (2017)

#94

Post by noir_lord »

InclinedPlane wrote: post #78

One time I was using my T60 on the floor and managed to tip an entire full glass of water right into it, absolute worst case scenario. I turned it off, pulled the battery, drained it, let it sit for about a day to dry then checked if it still worked. It was totally fine. Another time I had a T43 sitting on the high arm rest of a couch, open, and knocked it onto the floor where it fell directly on the corner of the di…

How much of the floor did you have to replace though?

Re: How IBM’s ThinkPad Became a Design Icon (2017)

#95

Post by jschwartzi »

Jonnax wrote: post #69
rainhacker wrote: post #53

Any recommendations of Thinkpad model to buy in 2018 ? I can wait if anything promising is coming in 2019.

Is weight an issue? I recently got the P51 for work and was really surprised at how solidly it was built. My previous laptop was a T450 the ThinkPad reputation really surprised me because it felt a bit flimsy

The P51 actually has a magnesium body, which I only found out because I was leaning it against some concrete walls in a parking garage while troubleshooting some equipment with it.

It's a tank.

Re: How IBM’s ThinkPad Became a Design Icon (2017)

#96

Post by jschwartzi »

noir_lord wrote: post #94
InclinedPlane wrote: post #78

One time I was using my T60 on the floor and managed to tip an entire full glass of water right into it, absolute worst case scenario. I turned it off, pulled the battery, drained it, let it sit for about a day to dry then checked if it still worked. It was totally fine. Another time I had a T43 sitting on the high arm rest of a couch, open, and knocked it onto the floor where it fell directly on the corner of the di…

How much of the floor did you have to replace though?

I would guess that the downstairs neighbors were upset to come home to a hole in the ceiling and a laptop stuck halfway through their coffee table.

Re: How IBM’s ThinkPad Became a Design Icon (2017)

#97

Post by vvanders »

lqet wrote: post #61

Last year, I decided to build an X62 (Thinkpad X61 or X60 with custom hardware) after reading about it here [1]. Shipment of the modification kit (some plastic parts + a new mainboard) took 2 months from China to Germany. It took me a while to find a brand-new screen as a replacement for the original 1024x786 screen (which has to be modified, including some minor metal-working). After roughly a year of heavy daily us…

If you like the 4:3 the 3:2 of SurfaceBook is an okay compromise for something that's a bit easier to source.

Re: How IBM’s ThinkPad Became a Design Icon (2017)

#98

Post by keithpeter »

kleff wrote: post #92
rainhacker wrote: post #53

Any recommendations of Thinkpad model to buy in 2018 ? I can wait if anything promising is coming in 2019.

X-series is always a safe bet if you want something a bit more portable than the T-series, but with the same build quality. I don't know about the newest (x280), but I'm rocking the previous X270 and I'm really happy with it. I also never see people mention it, but the L-series feels a bit underrated. I handled some older ones the other day and was super impressed by the build quality. I think they go for like half t…

L540s (4 or 5 years old now) used by the dozen in one of the places I teach, the managers have them as portable work machines. They seem reliable, they get a beating. Quite big 15inch screen, thick bezel &c.

Re: How IBM’s ThinkPad Became a Design Icon (2017)

#99

Post by bdcravens »

Waterluvian wrote: post #80
lqet wrote: post #61

Last year, I decided to build an X62 (Thinkpad X61 or X60 with custom hardware) after reading about it here [1]. Shipment of the modification kit (some plastic parts + a new mainboard) took 2 months from China to Germany. It took me a while to find a brand-new screen as a replacement for the original 1024x786 screen (which has to be modified, including some minor metal-working). After roughly a year of heavy daily us…

The one problem I have, rational or not, is just how worn out those laptops look over time. The plastic gets all shiny and worn down and the thing just starts looking greasy. That's probably the only thing I miss from my older macbook.

Doing a plastidip on ThinkPads is a common fix, if you can tolerate that aesthetic

Re: How IBM’s ThinkPad Became a Design Icon (2017)

#100

Post by stiGGG »

paol wrote: post #73
solatic wrote: post #45

It's really sad that Lenovo has driven the design into the ground. I have a X201 running NixOS, that I still use from time to time, and I pulled it out recently to show it to friends. Physically speaking it's a revelation . Three USB ports? Check. Because even today, one port permanently has a YubiKey Nano, one port permanently has a Logitech Unifying nano receiver, and I'll probably be charging my phone out of the t…

> Six-key home/end/insert/delete/pgup/pgdwn cluster that mirrors that on a desktop keyboard? Check. I miss this so much. Laptop keyboard layouts are usually a disaster. Lenovo was the shining exception[1], then they went and fucked it up for no apparent reason. [1] If you excuse the wrong placement of Ctrl and Fn, but from the x10 generation onward this is swapable in BIOS

This is why i love Macs, IMHO the keyboard layout is superior than everything else. home/end/insert/delete/pgup/pgdwn can all be done without specialized keys (and faster because you don't have to move your arm). I am using the small Apple keyboard that matches the one from the Macbooks on my desktop since over 10 years and never ever want such a big clunky board back on my desk like most PC users still use.
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