Any IBM Employees? - Page 2

I suppose.. but there are plenty of other companies out there who have "IBM reliability" with a lower price tag.

I seriously would recommend you guys get an ibm and use it for at least 2 - 3 yrs, and see how you feel then.

I'm a poor university student who can't afford an IBM
I had to get an ASUS instead

Here's a prediction: One year from now you will be able to afford an IBM.

Why? Because IBM is gonna get their laptop-clock cleaned this coming year by the company which took the top selling position in Europe this year: Acer. IBM will have to react and price their products to match the competition in a competitive market place for business notebooks.

Acer has the internal/external design and manufacturing ability to beat IBM in the business notebook market with quality machines having current specs and very competitive pricing. Acer will take the market lead in one year (2005) primarily because IBM and the other U.S. manufacturers are acting like fat, complacent cows chewing cud whilst standing on the railroad tracks.

Better hope that Taiwanese train has a cow catcher, hehe.

I doubt it, IBM has the better marketing campaign and brand recognition. Maybe in Europe it's a different story but I'm willing to bet that 90% of business notebook buyers here in the US have never even heard of Acer.

I received my T42 a few days ago. As far as looks go it is a simple design but it is not ugly, it's slim and looks stealth and professional. It's much better looking in person than in photos. I also have an Apple 15" Aluminum Powerbook and consider the T42 just as good looking but in a very different way.
The quality feeling of this T42 is great, I mean it feels so solid, I've played with many makes of notebook computers at stores like CompUSA, BestBuy and MicroCenter and none of them match the quality feeling of this Thinkpad, it's in a league of it's own as far as that's concerned.

Bull. I had an IBM laptop and its reliability was average, and "average" is an understatement. Let's go through the problems I had with it:

- 3 hard disks failed in about a year. IBM replaced 2 hard disks and didn't replace the 3rd one because the measly 1-year warranty had expired. IBM hard disks are utter crap, and to date I wouldn't touch any of them with a ten-foot pole. My advice: buy Toshiba, not IBM when it comes to internal laptop hard disks. I replaced myself the 3rd hard disk by a Toshiba with heavy mileage and had no problems at all.
- The map connecting the screen with the graphic card had to be changed. The laptop's design was so poor everytime you open/close the screen, it "slices" the map and progressively wears it. IBM said "bull" and I had to replace it.
- The USB port went dead. In fact, the USB port simply burned when I plugged a device (you know the smell of fried electronics). Unfortunately, the USB port is sealed on the motherboard so, to this day, the I have an inoperative scorched USB port.
- The battery stopped working after a short period of time only, though this is not really serious because in '98 most laptop batteries had problems. But IBM didn't want to replace it. I apologize for not remembering the phony reason they gave me.
- The floppy reader broke, after the warranty (not far after, though). Had to replace it.
- The CD-ROM reader broke, after the warranty (not far after, though). Had to replace it.
- There was a "consumer alert" with the power brick that "could burn under some rare circumstances". Except they didn't want to replace it because when I received the consumer alert, the deadline had expired. [insert crazy smiley here]

7 major problems in less than two years. My 1998 IBM broke down to pieces in two years, and I had to buy a new laptop in 2000 while I thought the IBM and its premium price would last much longer. Is that what you consider "reliable"? Or maybe your bigotry makes you less clearsighted?

Reliability improved, but IBM is not an exception here. IBM fanatics even find a way to label the "design", i.e. the plastic brick design that hasn't evolved at all since 1980, as a quality and not a drawback because it's a "proven" design. What's proven here? The proven fact that it's crappy?

When you buy a Sony, you pay for the design, when you buy an IBM, you pay for the brand. What you get is a computer with substandard performance for a premium price. But IBM has a great service. Uhh - no. When I had issues with my IBM, I had to call 6 times, talked to 12 different people in the process (I have all the names, maybe I should've proposed Susan a date because I have to admit - she had a lovely voice) to finally get nowhere. You know, the regular dead end: "sorry sir, I cannot help you, goodbye". Actually, I had the exact same problem with HP (except it finally got somewhere - I had to talk to an incomputable amount of people just to switch my processor from Banias to Dothan when my nc8000 was being built), but this simply proves that IBM's service is nowhere near stellar - it's not worse, but it's certainly not better than other brands in terms of service.

For my lastest desktop replacement purchase, the price wasn't a criterion, but I didn't choose IBM because HP offered more performance, more features, an equal solidity, for a lower price. I don't get the fingerprint scanner, but I think I will do without it. Oh, and also, I admit it: once bitten, twice shy

Bigot counterattack: I got unlucky. Hmm. Maybe so. But if so, then I know a lot of 'unlucky' friends and relatives. There are three categories of IBM users (works great with BMW cars as well):

#1 - Bigots who can't buy them but who say they're the best without even owning one.
#2 - People who can buy them but are so ashamed of the lemon they get that they keep raving about their new laptop/car.
#3 - And people who buy them and simply share their experience, positive or negative.

Are you number 2 or number 3?

number 3 i'm sorry it didn't work out for you. You seriously had some shit there going I have to admit. I hope you'll give the company another chance and see why the bulk and majority of thinkpad users are so god dman infatuated with their laptops even tho it looks like a black reindeer with a awfully red nose. Btw, what thinkpad did YOU purchase and WHEN ?

Fire GL T2 is the same as Radeon 9600 128 MB. It just adds Open GL support.

I would definately agree on your SONY statement. With SONY and Fujitsu, there is a certain level of innovation that you don't see in every other brand.
Of course, SONY will turn around and bite you in the rear later, like when you need a replacement battery and they want $300-$350 for it!! (which they REALLY do charge for notebook batteries). Fortunately, there are aftermarket accessory sources and EBAY to avoid those outrageous charges.
But I will agree with you, SONY brings more to the table than most other companies, you just pay more to get their products. But you can definately tell that an engineering team gave some thought to the design.

Andrew
Austin, TX

I purchased the iSeries 1400, completely loaded, in October 1998.

Indeed, which is why Sony has been labelled the "Apple of PC makers".

Good description! Quite appropriate.
Andrew
Austin, TX

I series were crap

MagicRobin: The I series were crap. At the time, IBM made the T, A and X series themselves (All were top notch quality), the I series was made cheaply by the Chinese/Taiwanese (Actually it maybe have been Acer!).

The A, T and X series are all amazing and have nothing in common with the SHIT I series. The I Series was really cheap and was made to sell at cheap prices and basically you got what you paid for.

I worked for the IBM helpcenter several years ago and that's where I've built an enthusiasm for IBM laptops. The IBM style is indeed very sylish, it's understated and professional. Believe me, if you're a lawyer walking into a meeting, you're much better looked upon if you take out an IBM then if you take out something flashy like the Acer Ferrari 3400. And like others have said, if you workd for a few months with IBM's T series everyone will grow to appreciate and fantastic they are.

I personally fell in love with the T series from IBM (ever since the T20, they look practically identical to the latest T42s, and that's not a bad thing. But I like most of you am dissapointed that IBM is always is step behind technology wise (WHY THE HELL CAN'T THEY PUT FIREWIRE ON ANY OF THEIR FUC*$!&#! LAPTOPS!!).

Regarding IBM's service, it's indeed bar none, if you travel around the world, the chances that if you're laptop breaks down in some strange foreign land and you'll be able to get serviced is much higher with IBM than with any other brand. For this simply fact, many people will pay hefty premiums for that kind of peace of mind.

I don't care. IBM sells their brand at a premium price, so for the logo I'm expecting solidity, reliability and great service. All three were completely absent.

Depends what you call cheap. Mine wasn't cheap (over $2000).

Don't think it gets better when you spend more. Because IBM still use crappy components such as their terrible homemade hard disks. Ask any IT professional and he will tell you that IBM hard disks are to be avoided at all costs. I wouldn't touch one of these with a ten-foot pole anymore. They are not reliable, and I'll favor a laptop with a Toshiba hard drive without the "airbag" technology vs. an IBM hard drive with the "airbag" technology anytime.

Stylish?

No, it's not professional, it's ugly. Saying IBM laptops are "professional-looking" (might as well find them elegant!) is bigotry pushed to the extreme. Even IBM lovers do admit that their current laptop line is very ugly.

I really don't care if I'm "looked upon" because I don't have the proper computer brand or car brand. I consider the IBM ugly, and if other lawyers digress, maybe they should buy a pair of glasses, or an Apple PowerBook G4.

Comparing an IBM and a Ferrari is comparing apples and oranges, the Ferrari is not a business laptop. For long distance travels, I would favor a 5-Series over a Subaru anytime but that doesn't mean the Subaru is a bad car. Try running some games on your latest IBM laptop and you should consider yourself lucky if it runs Warcraft 2.

I always favor what's inside vs. what's outside, which is why I have a nc8000 , but the current IBM line is:

- Ugly, so very ugly it's actually unpleasant to look at
- Specs are outdated and are not in par with the price tag (no Firewire for instance)
- Their online configurator ties the screen size to the graphic card (utterly stupid)
- Their service is just about like every other big company out there: from average to horrible
- Not as reliable as it looks
- The price is outrageous; even though I couldn't careless if I get a solid, sturdy laptop with an excellent support, this is simply not the case


Pray tell me what's so fantastic about the T42. Let's compare it with the nc8000 because when I had to buy a new laptop, it came down to the T42 or the nc8000 a few months ago. I dissected both computers and couldn't justify spending more for the T42. And it isn't even all about price (even though the nc8000 is less expensive but not by a wide margin): the T42 just lacks a few essential features.

So, no, the T series are not fantastic. They are above average but they are not fantastic. (Besides, no laptop is really fantastic especially now that for cost reasons, a lot of laptops share the same plastic, internal components, etc. There are less and less difference between computers than ever before.) The IBM T42 is just a regular laptop with regular components and a few useless 'technologies' such as their hard disk airbag system and their fingerprint scanner.

Which is one of the reasons why I did not take a T42. A $3000 computer lacks a Firewire port? No.

If so I assume the service you receive is related to the machine you own - if you have a crappy machine, you have a crappy service, right? Did you actually read my whole previous post I wrote for the sole purpose of your reading enjoyment or did you stop reading when you read that I had an iSeries?

First of all you don't have to spend $3000 on a T42 you can get a decent one for half that price if you know where to look.
Also IBM doesn't even make their own hard disks anymore, mine was shipped with a Hitachi branded drive.
As far as looks go I also think the Thinkpads have a simple and professional look.
A business professional in a very conservative suit would look a little odd toting a bright red laptop or something with an alien head on it. And yes for some jobs looking professional does matter.
Lack of fireware is a legitamite gripe but then again alot of laptops lack this and let's face it firewire never really caught on with the PC crowd as much as it did with Apple. And yeah we all know that Thinkpads have outdated graphics cards but not many people need a mobile radeon 9700 to run office applications and last I checked IBM stands for International BUSINESS Machines. If you need a laptop for gaming then get something that's bright red with a ferrari emblem on it (cuz that makes it fast) or a glowing alien head.

There are still plenty of other professional looking notebooks out there that are just as reliable, and have half the price tag.

and Firewire is used by many... apple or pc users. Video editing, for example, thrives on firewire... more so than USB

Hitachi took over the IBM brand of hard drives. The Hitachi's are the IBM Deskstar's and IBM Travelstar's re-branded with a Hitachi label on them, but the engineering and development was purely IBM. Yes, I think Hitachi is starting to engineer some of their "own" drives, but I think that the engineering team is primarily former IBM engineers (now working for Hitachi).

Andrew
Austin, TX