Re: my thinkpad beefs

["Eric Trepanier" <etrepani@qc.bell.ca>]

Hello Mykle,

> hi.  i feel strangely compelled this morning to vent my spleen over
> a couple of annoying Thinkpad problems, just to see whether anybody
> else's experience is similar.
> 
> the first problem i have is really a sales problem.  when i ordered
> the machine -- a 760EL -- i asked for a second drive to fit in the
> UltraBay(tm).  when i got the system unpacked, i did indeed have
> a second drive, but i couldn't fit it in the UltraBay without an
> adapter device, which wasn't included and which i haven't seen any
> reference to in any of the IBM sales literature.  i felt somewhat
> ripped-off, but i may have been unclear when i ordered the second
> disk drive that i wanted it for the Ultrabay specifically.

I've had more than my share of gripes with the IBM ThinkPads.  In a similar
manner, I ordered a 760CD, fully equipped with a Dock II, a monitor, an ISA
TokenRing card, etc.  This was to be used as a mobile desktop replacement. 
When I received everything, I quickly realized that I couldn't put the
monitor on top of the Dock II docking station.  I called my IBM rep and he
said, "ah yes, if you want to put the monitor on top of the Dock II, you
must also buy a Dock II display shelf."  A 125$ ripoff that allows you to
mount the monitor...

It's not so much the price itself (since I was already paying well over
15000$ for the whole unit) but I wish the rep would have told me so before.
 So I ordered the thing and it took me only 2 months to receive it
(back-order...).

> the second problem i have is with the process of switching items in
> the UltraBay.  this really couldn't be much more awkward.  [...]
> [...]  why, oh why, couldn't IBM just give the floppy a full-face
> front panel of the same shape as the CD-ROM's?  it would just plop right
in.

Amen to that...  That would simplify things greatly...

> caveat: i will never, ever, complain about my nice job where they
> buy me these fun toys.  i just am griping because i dislike bad
> computer designs on principle -- as a sysadmin, i am usually the 
> one who suffers because of them.  =)  thanks for listening to me
> gripe.

My biggest gripe yet is the incredibly badly engineered AC adaptor
connector.  Why they came up with this 2 inch horizontal connector is
beyond me.  I have already had to replace 3 AC units this year, because the
connector things keeps breaking off at the slightest pressure.  Of all the
laptops I have used before (Dell's, Toshiba's, Compaq's, etc...)  I have
not once seen such a lousy design...

Still the 760CD is one hell of a nice machine to work with.  It just seems
like it suffers from a couple of very bad hardware design issues that could
be so easily corrected...

Eric
--
Eric Trepanier (514-391-8126)
Bell Sygma Telecom Solutions
Internet: etrepani@qc.bell.ca