[michaelt]

  I've never heard this before.

For several years (after the ThinkPad brand got sold to Lenovo who promptly started shipping it with spyware) there wasn't really a PC laptop brand with a rock solid reputation for high build quality.

Lots of companies were putting their badges on inch-thick, mostly plastic 15" laptops with mediocre touchpads that never delivered the battery life they promised. And if your employer issued you with a Windows laptop, that was what you got. Remember laptop bags, when moving a laptop needed padding and a shoulder strap and pockets to carry your mouse and power brick?

That's not to say there weren't some good products out there - there were some well designed Vaios, some pretty daring early tablet PCs and so on. But there wasn't a brand where you could say "Just buy an X" and know that you'd get a good quality product.

Of course, in recent years a lot of PC manufacturers have stepped up their game (or maybe I'm just spending more money?) while Apple has had a few stumbles.

[Stratoscope]

> ...the ThinkPad brand got sold to Lenovo who promptly started shipping it with spyware...

That's incorrect. You're referring to SuperFish, which was only on Lenovo's consumer machines, not on ThinkPad.

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/product_security/superfish

[michaelt]

Nonetheless, it cast a big shadow over the brand; you couldn't just advise someone to buy a Lenovo.

[Stratoscope]

Oh, I would never just advise someone to buy a Lenovo. They might end up choosing some mediocre IdeaPad!

I only advise people to buy ThinkPads, and I make specific recommendations on what model to get and which options to choose after we talk about their needs. For example, most people are better off getting a better display instead of a faster CPU if they don't have the money for both.

Everyone I've advised like this has been delighted with their ThinkPads. If there is any "shadow" over the brand, it hasn't affected them or me.