How do Dell Latitude notebooks compare to IBM Thinkpads?

[mshan]

How do they compare in terms of overall build quality, keyboard feel, screen quality, and overall performance and reliability?

 

[fstime]

I have no clue but I do know IBM makes the best notebooks.

 

[wcoffey]

overall i think it's hard to beat the mid to high end ibm laptops. we see very few failures except the power adapter plug and if you do have a problem it's easy to find parts. to find a better setup i would look at one of the smaller vendors. alienware would be at the top of my list. you can build a system to your own specs. and they have a great reputation when it comes to service.

 

[magomago]

IBM for sure. Customer service is top notch.

One day a few weeks ago my friend's IBM t41 died and gave HDD errors. He called on a monday NIGHT and they sent him a new HDD and format CDS that arrived wednesday. He popped in the new stuff and for some reason the seconds disc produced read errors. He called in and they next day aired him new restore cds. Those CDs had the same problem. He called in and they next day aired him a new CDROM drive which arrived on friday!
That still produced problem so he sent in the laptop on a monday, and they RETURNED IT TO HIM WORKING BY WEDNESDAY.

Everything they paid for, and he said customer service was smooth and easy (Save for one guy...but the others were fine). Considering he had it all solved within a week I was very impressed, and if I get a laptop in the future I know when i'm paying more for an IBM that it is WORTH IT

 

[wisdomtooth]

I love my T41. Though after "All your computers are belong to us" Lenovo starts making Thinkpads, I think I might have to go Dull.. Er, Dell.

 

[mshan]

How do the Apple iBooks compare to the IBM Thinkpads?

 

[wisdomtooth]

Apples to oranges, er, Thinkpads. :laugh:

If you run Mac stuff, stick with the ibook.

If you run Windows stuff, stick with Thinkpad.

 

[mshan]

Is the Apple iBook comparable to the IBM Thinkpad in terms of build quality, reliability, and performanc?

(obviously, different operating systems and software base)

 

[akugami]

IBM - BMW
Dell - Ford

They both get you from point A to point B. One might not be necessarily faster than the other. The style and reliability as well as service is what you're paying the extra money for. Let's face it, once you add some wear and tear, a Dell starts to show it's age fast. The BMW...er...IBM holds up so much better. I'm typing this on an IBM laptop right now in fact.

 

[corkyg]

Agree with the BMW etc. analogy. But - how long will it last? Do you suppose that Dell's quality will someday be better than Lenovo's?

 

[Venomous]

I have a latitude and currently have gone through 3 screens and im on my second hard drive.

Others i know, have inspiron's with just as many, if not more problems then i have occured.

The Dell was my very first laptop. 1 Gig, 15 inch screen, native 16X12, etc. It was the only one i could afford at the time with the features.

Personally, i think Toshiba is the best laptop on the market. If you want longevity/reliability, i would not consider Dell as an option unless it was price.

As far as calling Dell a Ford, i diagree.. I currently own 3 Ford vehicles, 02 Lightning, 03 Cobra and 02 SVT Focus. I have yet to find a BMW that can keep up with my truck, let alone the cobra.. Esp for the price. The reliability of my Ford are far superior to anyone i know who has owned a BMW.

 

[metalmania]

Originally posted by: magomago
IBM for sure. Customer service is top notch.

One day a few weeks ago my friend's IBM t41 died and gave HDD errors. He called on a monday NIGHT and they sent him a new HDD and format CDS that arrived wednesday. He popped in the new stuff and for some reason the seconds disc produced read errors. He called in and they next day aired him new restore cds. Those CDs had the same problem. He called in and they next day aired him a new CDROM drive which arrived on friday!
That still produced problem so he sent in the laptop on a monday, and they RETURNED IT TO HIM WORKING BY WEDNESDAY.

Everything they paid for, and he said customer service was smooth and easy (Save for one guy...but the others were fine). Considering he had it all solved within a week I was very impressed, and if I get a laptop in the future I know when i'm paying more for an IBM that it is WORTH IT

Looks like IBM product sucks except their csr.

 

[Czar]

Dell's are made of plastic, IBM's are made of metal
Dell's are large, IBM's are compact

at work we used to buy just dell laptop untill I convinced them to get ibm's, hardewarely neither have had any problems but the factors I described above is why I put IBM's above dells

 

[jdiddy]

Its not even a contest to be honest. I have a IBM Thinkpad 780ED my first laptop. Manufactured in 1996. That badboy is still going strong today. Original hard drive original everything. Battery still holds a hour charge. I gave it to my 17 year old cousin he beats the hell out of that thing and its still working. IBM's are awesome.

 

[Vegito]

I use dell daily and dell are generic.. nothing fancy, no special features and its dirt cheap with all the discounts.. IBM are nice..

 

[wisdomtooth]

Originally posted by: Czar
Dell's are made of plastic, IBM's are made of metal
Dell's are large, IBM's are compact

at work we used to buy just dell laptop untill I convinced them to get ibm's, hardewarely neither have had any problems but the factors I described above is why I put IBM's above dells

Nobody ever gets fired for buying IBM! :beer::thumbsup:

Though I think the jury is still out whether anyone will get fired for buying Lenovo..