Lenovo had been making the ThinkPads for years, but they were sold under the IBM name, so the machines you see today are basically unchanged from years ago in terms of design and quality. If you want a Windows only machine the Think Pads are rock-solid. If you have the choice, however, go with a Mac. The hardware is as good as the ThinkPads in my experience and the OS leaves Windows far behind.
Get a MAC! Soooooooo much better than Windows machines. Faster, easier to use, fewer to no issues with viruses, spyware, etc. And, if you are going to do any wireless work, Airport (Mac’s built-in wireless) is nothing short of fantastic. Check Amazon for prices, as there have been some deals there that also offer a $100 rebate, free shipping, and no sales tax…
FWIW, IBM will remain the majority owner of Lenovo. The Chinese company that purchased 40% of IBM Thinkpad from IBM is a large and very successful company in China. (Lenovo is a household name in China. For comparison, think of Walmart’s success here in the USA.) The IBM (Lenovo) laptops are rock solid. I watched a 250 pound guy stand on his IBM laptop once at a trade show. Also, watched him pour a coke into the keyboard with no issues. The IBM keyboards are watertight. He then held up an HP and Dell and they had holes in their keyboards, so you know those would have problems if they got wet.
The reason Dell gets some bad PR from computer propeller-head types is because they use backlevel technology. (They’ll put a fast processor in their systems so that they look good in a side by side comparison, but their system boards are usually back level.) They were the last major computer company to move to the new cooling technology in their desktop systems. (Good for Dell profits, bad for the Dell consumers.)
Go to your local Bestbuy or computer store, grab each laptop screen by the top corner and see if it flexes. It shouldn’t. If it does, its cheap.
Oh yea, don’t set your Starbuck’s cup on your Dell system, it will void the warranty. That’s the answer given when I asked if I could put my monitor on top of my Dell system. They said to put nothing on it, nothing. Must be cheap construction.
And for some really interesting trivia… Remember the kid (young adult) Dell used to use in their advertising. I think he used to say, Dude, where’s my Dell. Well, after Dell fired him for smoking pot, IBM hired him for one commercial. It was the commercial where two guys are in a cafe eating and one guy talks about the THinkpad shock protection and drops the other guys laptop. Then the guy says, “that wasn’t my notebook”. Well, the Dell kid walks in after returning from the bathroom and says his famous line, Dude, where’s my Dell, when he sees his broken notebook on the floor. The last part of that commercial never aired, but I saw it at a trade show. it was pretty funny.
Get a Mac.
I ended up buying a MacBook only last week. I did a lot of research and liked the features the best. It’s my first MAC and it’s very easy to use and it’s a perfect compromise of business and consumer features. However, I did strongly consider the Lenovo/IBM T60, which is an excellent computer in its own right. The deciding factors for me were the extra consumer features, like the widescreen display, price and not having to deal with mac-only software. Like others have said, with a free program called Boot Camp, you can load Windows and run all of the same programs you’re used to. Do a lot of research, but you definitely won’t be disappointed with either.
Look at review sites like www.cnet.com.
I work for HP, so I’ll put in my plug there. I believe HP is the first technology company to be certified by JD Power for customer service, and also still offers a 1 year warranty when many others have scrimped there. Recent scandals notwithstanding, it’s a fantastic company, and I’m proud to work there.
Stan
As an IT professional the only recommendation I generally give is BUY A 3-YEAR WARRANTY.
Each notebook I have had gives me trouble at around the 13-month mark – Dell, Compaq(RIP), IBM, Zenith(RIP), etc.
As a former IT pro (am in the process of changing careers) that used to run a laptop program at a high school, we did a lot of research on ALL of the laptops that were out there. We first implemented the program in '96, and went with IBM as they seemed to have the best machine out there. We did the same each time that we have since gotten a new lease. Picture a laptop in the hands of a 12-18 year old boy, and I’m sure you will realise why we needed to have a machine that was sturdy and could stand the test of time.
On a personal note however I am personally running a Dell Inspiron 9400 (E1705), and I love it, although I find that there is some bleeding issues on the LCD. The system runs really well, and I hope to have the machine last for a good 4-5years before I need a replacement.
I’ve contemplated Macs. I run a lot of Wordperfect and they don’t make one that is Apple OS native. I’ve heard the Macbooks run the PC based stuff a bit more slowly. Any truth to that?
Grab a macbook and install bootcamp and windows on it. You should be able to get a well equipped one for around $1200, leaving you a few bucks extra for a monitor/keyboard/mouse for when you’re using it at home.
If you want to run Windows, you can do Boot Camp, which as the name implies, means you have to re-boot to switch from one OS to the other. Alternatively, you can buy a program called Parellels, that will run Windows from within the Mac OS, much like the old Virtual PC program of old. I have not tried this personally, but the reviews have been positive.
yeah just get the macbook pro and your set.