Wanting update on which laptop brands are the best.

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

I'd like get an update on the opinions of the people in this newsgroup
about which brands of laptops have the best reputation for quality.

About a year and a half ago I posted to this news group asking this
same question. (Refer to the post titled: "Question about quality /
reliability of laptop brands." posted Aug. 8, 2003.) From the
responses to this post I got the impression that IBM and Toshiba were
the best quality brands.

Have opinions changed since this time or are IBM and Toshiba still
considered the best? Also, how has the recent news about IBM intending
to sell their PC business affected opinions about IBM laptops, if at
all?

After my research last year, I ended up buying a used IBM Thinkpad
600E and have been very happy with it. However, I now want to upgrade
to something with more functionality.

Here is basically what I am seeking in my next laptop.

Budget: Cdn$1000 (US $850)

+ Approximately the same weight and size as my current TP600E laptop
(essential)
+ CD-RW/DVD drive (essential)
+ Video-out port (essential, should come standard if a DVD drive is
included, I assume)
+ 2 USB ports minimum (essential)
+ 10 GB hard drive minimum (essential)
+ 14" screen (strongly preferred)
+ Built-in ethernet port (preferred)
+ CPU with some kind of energy saving features (like speed-step,
Cetrino will be too expensive) (preferred)

I like the IBM Thinkpads, (even with the pending sale of the PC
division) and I will probably buy IBM again this time. If you are a
Thinkpad guru, I would especially appreciate hearing your
recommendations on which model of Thinkpad I should upgrade to.

Lastly, Thinkpad enthusiasts might be intested in this. I was in a
museum in Munich, Germany in the summer (I believe it was the
Pinakothek Modern). They had a section on design which displayed
everything from a Poesche 911, classic 70's furniture, to computers.
Low and behold, in the computer section they had a TP 600 on display
as an example of excellent portable computer design!

-Jonathan

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

The iBooks are probably your best bet, unless you have some reason
that you NEED Windows and all of its problems.

If you need windows, or an X86 version of Linux (The same thing exists
for the MAC, it is just a recompilation for an alternate architecture)
then go with a Toshiba or an Asus.

As a note with the Asus notebooks, you build them yourself, so have a
massive level of customizability and end user repairs (if you have any
experience looking at the inside of a computer).

If you have the knowledge, go with an Asus as you have access to
anything you need for repair, replacement, or upgrades down the road.