Tossing my investment...

[msbendts]

(sigh)

I have purchased the following additional components for my ThinkPad 770:
o ultrabay DVD drive
o ultrabay ZIP drive
o ultrabay floppy drive
o ultrabay HDD adapter (w/5Gig drive)
o ultrabay battery adapter w/battery
o 64Meg memory module
o 128Meg memory module
o AC/DC auto/air adapter
o 3COM 10/100 PCCard
o Adaptec SCSI PCCard

Besides the two PCCards and the AC/DC adapter, would anything be reusable on another laptop?

I'm guessing NO. Not even the memory modules.

I use these regularly, and I have quite an investment going which I just can't "toss" aside for a new system.

This sucks...as a consumer, I love the concept of an internal ZIP drive that fits into the ultrabay (lower in weight, and no cords), but it isn't capable of moving to the next generation laptop. Same goes for the rest of the items which I purchased.

(sigh)

This isn't a ding against IBM (directly), more against how the whole industry treats the notebook users.


Does any notebook vendor have any plans to conform to any design consistancies so that, at a minimum, auxillary hardware (ultrabay) can be used from one generation to the next?

Or at least make the ultrabay components also be USB capable. Why couldn't my ultrabay ZIP/DVD/CD/Floppy drive also have a USB port? I can use the device in the ultrabay, or via an USB port. I'm willing to carry one common cable for all my components...I just don't need to carry an AC adapter for all of them, and I don't want them to be any bigger than they need to be. Why should I buy an external ZIP drive that requires a power supply and has a case that is three times as thick as it needs to be when the thin internal (ultrabay) component could have a USB port?

(sigh)


Here's what is happening...I would like to upgrade, but due to the investment that I have made in my equipment, I'm going to *not upgrade* until what I have is completely unusable (dies).

And here is the important item to remember...at that time, I know that everything thing I put into in this system will get "thrown away". If all my auxillay hardware components only work with my specific model (of one line from one manufacture), and it is dead...then all my auxillary hardware components are also dead (might as well throw them away).

THIS MEANS THAT I NO LONGER HAVE ANY TIES TO THE LAPTOP MANUFACTURE AND THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE I MAY NOT BUY FROM THAT MANUFACTURE AGAIN!!! I'LL PROBABLY BUY WHAT EVER IS HOTTEST DEAL ON THE MARKET AT THE TIME, INSTEAD WHAT IS THE BEST THOUGHT OUT PRODUCT FOR THE LONG HAUL.

If the auxillary hardware componets were compatible from one line to another, all from the same manufacture, then you better believe I'm going to lean towards a new system from the same manufacture again! I've already made the investment, why loose it?


(sigh)

Here's the key message for the design engineers...

...by making the laptops more upgradable and compatible, they can *KEEP* a larger portion of their current customers during the crap-I-have-to-purchase-a-new-laptop delima. Their investment in the manufacture's product isn't completely discarded between generations of laptops.

Hook them, and keep them...

(sigh)

I'm tired of this problem, and I've stated by peace. Now I'm going back to being the pathetic customer annoyed with an industry who won't listen...

Mike

 

[Guest]

Dear Mike,

I agree. I like the idea of notebook peripherals that move from one model to the next. Like I bought a Nikkon F in the sixties and several Nikon bodies over the years because I owned a good set of Nikkon lenses...there were times I wanted to switch to Cnnon but the lens investmenrt kept me loyal. I think you are dead right about what the top notebook makers should be doing.

My solution to keeping peripherals has been to purchase a mini CD RW drive. It is an ARCHOS I found at Fry's in California. I think it cost about US$275. It looks like a regular portable CD player. It has both USB and PCMCIA interfaces. I use the PCMCIA interfce which is actually faster than the USB. It does need a separate power supply hovever - so no cord saved here. The power supply is good for 100 to 240 volts...necessary for me because most places I go have 240 volt current. The big advantage is that I can use this unit with my next notbeook. I use the Archos mini-CD mostly for backup. I haven't had much need for other peripherls like you do.

Cheers

Lgude