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Some of the classic ThinkPad features just aren't relevant anymore today. For example hot-swappable batteries feel outdated to me in the age of USB-C PD power b

Some of the classic ThinkPad features just aren't relevant anymore today. For example hot-swappable batteries feel outdated to me in the age of USB-C PD power banks, as those are easier to recharge and not tied to a specific laptop model. Other features such as user-replaceable RAM and storage, and a great keyboard, are dearly missed and make me feel like we've gone in the wrong direction. I love my M1 MacBook Air, but not _because_ of the thinness and the things that have been sacrificed to achieve it.

whatusername 5y ago
The hot swappable CD drive / HD bay / extra battery was pretty awesome in my memory. But I agree I'd be unlikely to use it now. I haven't used a thinkpad in the last 8 or so years -- but I do miss the keyboard on some of my early models (eg: t40p)
tsm 5y ago
Hot-swappable batteries may be less relevant, but easily-user-replaceable batteries are sorely missed. I still do some work on a T60 (from 2006, I think) whose battery was obviously toast. It took $15 on eBay and ten seconds to pop the old one out and get a brand new one in. Meanwhile my wife's MBP's battery is also about dead and figuring out how to replace it is just enough effort that we haven't made it happen yet. While I'm here: other features I miss include the Thinklight, literally everything about the keyboard (layout, not being chiclet, key depth), dedicated trackpad buttons, the lid latch, …
- paulmd 5y ago
  aftermarket batteries are AWFUL though, I played that game with my Thinkpad for a number of years before sucking it up and buying an OEM replacement. I was lucky to get six months out of an aftermarket battery and sometimes they were out of balance and dying within a matter of weeks. And once the OEM supply is truly gone (or aged out of existence) you're done anyway, unless you crack open the pack and replace the cells yourself. The way you replace a MBP battery is you take it to apple and have them do it for you. It makes absolutely no sense to pay to have it cracked open and serviced and then put a $30 ebay shit battery in it that will fail in 3 months - which if you're not going to an apple service center, is probably what you're getting. $200 isn't cheap but a genuine lenovo OEM battery (one which even still may have been sitting on a shelf for years and the cells are no longer at their best) will cost you about $125 from a legitimate source. $200 for a fresh battery with installation isn't really all that bad. For something with a 3-5 year lifespan, that's just the cost of using the device, same as a phone. I like serviceable devices too, and I think the parts should have to be made available to the market, but batteries and screens are two areas where I "get it" in terms of the protectionism around parts supply. There's a huge difference between the OEM and the aftermarket parts in these areas, and customers are going to want to know why YOUR device is draining THEIR battery in 30 minutes all of a sudden. Don't you know they just had the battery replaced last month!? It's YOUR fault! Regardless of whether it actually is, you've got a lot of extra service work and a lot of upset customers. Louis Rossman is a cool guy and I'm sure he personally is careful to only use legitimate parts (or at least be upfront that it's not an OEM part) but he's only presenting his half of the story there.
  - cehrlich 5y ago
    Absolutely. I replaced the battery on a 2015 MacBook Pro 15" myself with one I bought from iFixit, who I thought were a reputable dealer, and one year / 150 cycles in it was swelling to the point where I felt it was dangerous to continue using the computer with the battery inside. I had a similarly bad experience with third party batteries on my iPhone 6S. I'm all for keeping things as user replaceable as possible, but personally I'm only using OEM batteries from now on.
  - fomine3 5y ago
    I partially agree for battery because it's dangerous. But why also screen?

whatusername 5y ago

The hot swappable CD drive / HD bay / extra battery was pretty awesome in my memory. But I agree I'd be unlikely to use it now. I haven't used a thinkpad in the last 8 or so years -- but I do miss the keyboard on some of my early models (eg: t40p)

tsm 5y ago

Hot-swappable batteries may be less relevant, but easily-user-replaceable batteries are sorely missed. I still do some work on a T60 (from 2006, I think) whose battery was obviously toast. It took $15 on eBay and ten seconds to pop the old one out and get a brand new one in. Meanwhile my wife's MBP's battery is also about dead and figuring out how to replace it is just enough effort that we haven't made it happen yet. While I'm here: other features I miss include the Thinklight, literally everything about the keyboard (layout, not being chiclet, key depth), dedicated trackpad buttons, the lid latch, …

paulmd 5y ago
aftermarket batteries are AWFUL though, I played that game with my Thinkpad for a number of years before sucking it up and buying an OEM replacement. I was lucky to get six months out of an aftermarket battery and sometimes they were out of balance and dying within a matter of weeks. And once the OEM supply is truly gone (or aged out of existence) you're done anyway, unless you crack open the pack and replace the cells yourself. The way you replace a MBP battery is you take it to apple and have them do it for you. It makes absolutely no sense to pay to have it cracked open and serviced and then put a $30 ebay shit battery in it that will fail in 3 months - which if you're not going to an apple service center, is probably what you're getting. $200 isn't cheap but a genuine lenovo OEM battery (one which even still may have been sitting on a shelf for years and the cells are no longer at their best) will cost you about $125 from a legitimate source. $200 for a fresh battery with installation isn't really all that bad. For something with a 3-5 year lifespan, that's just the cost of using the device, same as a phone. I like serviceable devices too, and I think the parts should have to be made available to the market, but batteries and screens are two areas where I "get it" in terms of the protectionism around parts supply. There's a huge difference between the OEM and the aftermarket parts in these areas, and customers are going to want to know why YOUR device is draining THEIR battery in 30 minutes all of a sudden. Don't you know they just had the battery replaced last month!? It's YOUR fault! Regardless of whether it actually is, you've got a lot of extra service work and a lot of upset customers. Louis Rossman is a cool guy and I'm sure he personally is careful to only use legitimate parts (or at least be upfront that it's not an OEM part) but he's only presenting his half of the story there.
- cehrlich 5y ago
  Absolutely. I replaced the battery on a 2015 MacBook Pro 15" myself with one I bought from iFixit, who I thought were a reputable dealer, and one year / 150 cycles in it was swelling to the point where I felt it was dangerous to continue using the computer with the battery inside. I had a similarly bad experience with third party batteries on my iPhone 6S. I'm all for keeping things as user replaceable as possible, but personally I'm only using OEM batteries from now on.
- fomine3 5y ago
  I partially agree for battery because it's dangerous. But why also screen?