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> Hortensius, however, says that what keeps ThinkPads relevant is trusty productivity rather than any specific aspect of a given model. [...] “It’s because I ca

> Hortensius, however, says that what keeps ThinkPads relevant is trusty productivity rather than any specific aspect of a given model. [...] “It’s because I can count on it that those things matter.” Funny to read this, as I await my Lenovo X1 Carbon to come back from repair, as it shut off one night and never came to boot again. I've also got an ~~IBM~~ (edit: it's a Lenovo!) Thinkpad X220, a motherboard-only shell that I plonked my own hardware choice into, taped a slew of Debian stickers onto and haven't had a fault with, ever. I'll defend the Thinkpad brand with a religious fervour, for the same reason Peter Hortensius says in the article. But under Lenovo's stewardship, I'm left with a lot to be desired. I hope I was just unlucky with this X1 Carbon, that fervour is willing to give Lenovo a second chance, here.

stilley2 8y ago
Once my current computer dies I'm done with lenovo for a while. Admittedly I got a mid range computer (yoga 2 pro) not a Thinkpad, but I don't think that excuses the fact that screws simply fall out of the bottom of the machine. Screws which require a nonstandard screwdriver of course. That being said, it is still kicking at almost 4 years, but it has been sent in for repair twice. I'm contemplating my next laptop as a relatively disposable Chromebook running arch.
rpvnwnkl 8y ago
Did IBM make the x220? I thought Lenovo produced that model (I have a Lenovo x201).
- userbinator 8y ago
  I believe the last IBM Thinkpads were in the X60/X61 era. I have an X60 with a mix of IBM and Lenovo branding. Everything after that was Lenovo.
  - csmattryder 8y ago
    Huh, TIL. I'll assume I'm right to give them a second chance, maybe it's just the X1 that's going awry? I've read a lot of reports about the X1's 2013 models that describe the issue that occurred to mine. Like I say, I love Thinkpads, even with this blip - my next laptop will still likely be a Thinkpad, be it IBM or Lenovo.
    - romed 8y ago
      It was possible until quite recently for businesses to order Lenovo machines with IBM branding.
  - philsnow 8y ago
    Sounds right to me. I have two X61s's that I refurbished for my kids (really just swapping in SSDs and a bit more RAM), one has IBM branding and the other has Lenovo branding.
YeGoblynQueenne 8y ago
Sorry to hear about your machine, I hope it gets better soon! The X1s are well built, though. I have the first-gen one and it still works just fine, dual booting Fedora (24? I think) and Win7. The one thing that ever broke was the square power plug. Not because it's square, but it did break- and then it took me a week of phone calls very patiently speaking to Lenovo reps until I convinced them that my accidental damage protection was still active and it covered the damage. Then they sent a tech guy to my workplace, just so I could let him know I had already mailed the machine to Lenovo, as we had agreed by email. Very well organised. I now have the 4th gen machine. I initially thought it looked flimsier than my 1st gen one, but then one day I dropped it from about 1.5 meters, on its side and nothing broke. It was inside my bag, and a laptop sleeve, but I'm pretty sure that most other laptops this end of a Toughbook would have ended up with at the very least a broken screen. Not my Splinter :0 Edit: now that I think of it, I've also stepped on it, dropped it from a coffee table and generally handled it roughly. It doesn't care.
- ajford 8y ago
  My one issue with the first-gen X1 is that they used an obscure SSD type (I'm betting it's a Betamax/VHS issue), which meant sourcing a replacement SSD when mine started to die was a pain. In the end, I decided that it wasn't worth the risk & cost (either source an OEM drive in limited size for high cost or an expensive adapter from unknown sources and a quality drive). I ended up buying a T460 and am quite happy with it. I still miss the old scissor keys in my old X201, but Lenovo's chiclet keys are still better than the Macbook I have to use for work.
  - acct1771 8y ago
    Exact same issue. Trying all the SSDs on the shelf, and "What the hell port is this?!"
- muro 8y ago
  Had small issues with X1 over the years - e.g. a key fell out (fixed next day by replacing the machine), but otherwise an excellent machine. The trackpad is bad (on Linux) and I didn't find a fix. I like touch to click (without pressing the dedicated button or pressing the trackpad) and it almost never works.

stilley2 8y ago

Once my current computer dies I'm done with lenovo for a while. Admittedly I got a mid range computer (yoga 2 pro) not a Thinkpad, but I don't think that excuses the fact that screws simply fall out of the bottom of the machine. Screws which require a nonstandard screwdriver of course. That being said, it is still kicking at almost 4 years, but it has been sent in for repair twice. I'm contemplating my next laptop as a relatively disposable Chromebook running arch.

rpvnwnkl 8y ago

Did IBM make the x220? I thought Lenovo produced that model (I have a Lenovo x201).

userbinator 8y ago
I believe the last IBM Thinkpads were in the X60/X61 era. I have an X60 with a mix of IBM and Lenovo branding. Everything after that was Lenovo.
- csmattryder 8y ago
  Huh, TIL. I'll assume I'm right to give them a second chance, maybe it's just the X1 that's going awry? I've read a lot of reports about the X1's 2013 models that describe the issue that occurred to mine. Like I say, I love Thinkpads, even with this blip - my next laptop will still likely be a Thinkpad, be it IBM or Lenovo.
  - romed 8y ago
    It was possible until quite recently for businesses to order Lenovo machines with IBM branding.
- philsnow 8y ago
  Sounds right to me. I have two X61s's that I refurbished for my kids (really just swapping in SSDs and a bit more RAM), one has IBM branding and the other has Lenovo branding.

YeGoblynQueenne 8y ago

Sorry to hear about your machine, I hope it gets better soon! The X1s are well built, though. I have the first-gen one and it still works just fine, dual booting Fedora (24? I think) and Win7. The one thing that ever broke was the square power plug. Not because it's square, but it did break- and then it took me a week of phone calls very patiently speaking to Lenovo reps until I convinced them that my accidental damage protection was still active and it covered the damage. Then they sent a tech guy to my workplace, just so I could let him know I had already mailed the machine to Lenovo, as we had agreed by email. Very well organised. I now have the 4th gen machine. I initially thought it looked flimsier than my 1st gen one, but then one day I dropped it from about 1.5 meters, on its side and nothing broke. It was inside my bag, and a laptop sleeve, but I'm pretty sure that most other laptops this end of a Toughbook would have ended up with at the very least a broken screen. Not my Splinter :0 Edit: now that I think of it, I've also stepped on it, dropped it from a coffee table and generally handled it roughly. It doesn't care.

ajford 8y ago
My one issue with the first-gen X1 is that they used an obscure SSD type (I'm betting it's a Betamax/VHS issue), which meant sourcing a replacement SSD when mine started to die was a pain. In the end, I decided that it wasn't worth the risk & cost (either source an OEM drive in limited size for high cost or an expensive adapter from unknown sources and a quality drive). I ended up buying a T460 and am quite happy with it. I still miss the old scissor keys in my old X201, but Lenovo's chiclet keys are still better than the Macbook I have to use for work.
- acct1771 8y ago
  Exact same issue. Trying all the SSDs on the shelf, and "What the hell port is this?!"
muro 8y ago
Had small issues with X1 over the years - e.g. a key fell out (fixed next day by replacing the machine), but otherwise an excellent machine. The trackpad is bad (on Linux) and I didn't find a fix. I like touch to click (without pressing the dedicated button or pressing the trackpad) and it almost never works.