RE: [Thinkpad] Whole lotta reasons not to buy dell instead of ibm

G'day Matt,
 
Why thanks for asking - I was just waiting for an opportunity to relate my experiences! ;-)
 
I am the proud owner of a Dell Latitude CPiA which I purchased second hand from my then employer in 2001. The machine was in constant use for the first year of its life (2000 - 2001) and has seen an average of about 4 hours / week use (with some bursts of much higher usage) since then.
 
While obviously not in "as new" condition, the machine has withstood the test of time incredibly well. The keys have become pretty sloppy, but they all still operate. The LCD, hinges and case are all in great condition, although the power cords leading to and from the power brick have seen better days (I suspect they've been run over by one too many wheeled chairs). To date I have not had a single item of hardware fail, and as an added bonus the OS has been remarkably stable as well (it's still running the same Windows 2000 instance I installed when I originally purchased it in 2001 - nothing short of a miracle in my book).
 
In summary I'm amazed that a 4 year old machine (and a laptop of all things) is still running so well.
 
Since that time I have also had the following laptops:
* Dell Latitiude CPx (two different models - only difference was CPU speed)
Very poorly built keyboards - shift and control keys only lasted a matter of months before ceasing to function. That being said, the support I received from Dell for these two machines was SUPERB. In 3 separate cases I had technicians turn up at my place of work (and being a consultant, that varies day to day) and replace the keyboard (and in once case the motherboard as well) on the spot, in a matter of minutes. I was VERY impressed. Of course this was during 2001 and 2002, and I don't know what their service has been like since then.
 
* IBM Thinkpad T23 (two different machines, due to hardware problems with the first one)
Very nicely built machine, but in both cases the keys went "sloppy" within a matter of weeks. The first machine also had a hardware problem with the sound card (some people here may remember my posts on that issue), and IBM flat out refused to support the machine since I was running Windows 2000 Server on it (apparently they don't certify the Thinkpads with Microsoft's "Server" operating systems - what a load of ****).
 
That being said, the second machine worked flawlessly, even though the keyboard had softened to the point that I found it irritating to use.
 
* IBM Thinkpad T40 (my current machine)
I've only had this machine a couple of months, but overall I've been very impressed with the build quality. The keys have obviously softened on this machine as well, but it's still not to the irritating stage (yet), plus no keys have stopped functioning. I just pray that nothing stops working, since if past experience is anything to go by, I'd rather chop my own nose off than deal with IBM support again.
 
Cheers,
Peter

        -----Original Message-----
        From: thinkpad-bounces@stderr.org on behalf of Matt
        Sent: Thu 11-Mar-04 2:03 PM
        To: thinkpad@stderr.org
        Cc:
        Subject: Re: [Thinkpad] Whole lotta reasons not to buy dell instead of ibm
        
        

        I'd ask anyone with a two year old Dell laptop how well it has withstood the
        test of time.
        
        Ask about how upgrades went, hardware replacement history, dependability,
        support that was (or wasn't) available from the manufacturer, etc. Inspect
        the upper and lower case, as well as the LCD hinges, to see how well the
        machine has aged.
        
        Then ask anyone with a two year old or more Thinkpad the same questions.
        
        During years spent in hardware support, I can tell you that most of the new,
        low end, low priced, "bargain" laptops are now sitting on shelves, unused
        and/or unrepairable, and the folks who bought them now have better quality
        equipment in use.
        
        FWIW, I don't know anyone with an old (more than two to two and a half years
        old) HP, Dell, Compaq, Sony, Panasonic, Fujitsu, Toshiba laptop that's STILL
        in use as a daily workhorse. I DO know many Thinkpad users who have older
        machines that keep running, still have parts available when needed, and a
        healthy group of experienced users who know how to make them work to full
        potential.
        
        Plus, I defy anyone to consistently find five year old drivers on any other
        laptop manufacturer's website. Try reloading an older laptop with no
        available bios upgrades, modem drivers, on a machine full of proprietary
        components.
        
        Today's bargain could be in the junkpile faster than one might think.
        
        Whatever you do, pick yourself a winner.
        
        
        _______________________________________________
        Thinkpad mailing list
        Thinkpad@stderr.org
        http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/thinkpad
        

_______________________________________________
Thinkpad mailing list
Thinkpad@stderr.org
http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/thinkpad
Received on Thu Mar 11 17:47:16 2004