So it’s official. The company that started the PC revolution, in its current incarnation anyway, is no longer making PCs. On Monday, IBM formally cast off its desktop and notebook PC manufacturing business into a “strategic partnership” with Lenovo, a virtual unknown with even less of a reputation than the likes of no names like Averatec or Soyo. Although the announcement was made months ago, the deal officially closed at the beginning of this week.
Let there be no doubt that I’m skeptical about this. IBM has built a reputation for notebooks that can take a beating. It’s a nice, heartwarming made-in-America legend that has suddenly been thrust into the hands of a PC manufacturer from China… a region virtually synonymous with cheap mass production.
Well, with my own laptop, a Gateway (what a mistake) getting a bit old, I decided to take the plunge while I still could, and ordered from Tigerdirect what might be the last of the real IBM thinkpads. Seeing as it’s only a matter of time now before the ThinkPad line gets assimilated with what Lenovo currently thinks is “quality,” I felt this was my last chance; that I should buy now and ensure that I get a true Raleigh, North Carolina-built ThinkPad the way IBM intended it.
And no, this isn’t some “buy American” tirade that I’m going on. I don’t have a prejudice against buying Chinese-manufactured goods. Hell, most laptops, including the Gateway I’ve owned for the last four years, have been manufactured in Taiwan. My problem lies in that from here on out, an IBM computer really won’t be an IBM computer anymore. It will simply be a copy, made by a different company, most likely with parts that are simply inferior to what IBM used to produce.
Think of it this way: up until Monday, having The Logo on your equipment was like buying a new Lexus. The IBM Logo alone adds to the cost of the laptop because the company that slaps that logo on are known for building durability and longetivity into their products. Now, imagine buying a Lexus and discovering that you paid a Lexus price for your car, only to discover that Lexus didn’t really build your car… instead, a bottom-tier company like Kia did and simply slapped the Lexus brand name on the hood under license from the real company. Wouldn’t you think a little less highly of your car? So then, why pay IBM prices for a machine that will only be an IBM in appearance and name only?
One thing is for certain: this is the last IBM product I will ever buy. And that’s truly a shame.