Computer technology has been on a constant upward trend for decades, especially when you consider that seven billion paper punch cards (an old data storage method from the mi) would be needed to store the same amount of information as you can on a modern four gigabyte USB flash drive that fits in the palm of your hand.
Such rapid progress is great, but it also produces equally rapid obsolescence, with devices that perfectly served their purpose just a few years ago being constantly washed out by newer, shinier devices that feature the latest advancements.
However, in this land of fleeting dominance, there exists one line of products that's somehow kept its spirit and performance alive while barely making changes to its design. I'm talking about the Thinkpad line of laptops and portable workstations, formerly produced by IBM and later by Lenovo.
In 1990, German industrial designer Richard Tapper sketched a new design for a laptop computer based on the concept of a traditional Japanese Bento lunchbox. These boxes typically hold rice, fish or meat and pickled or cooked vegetables in a simple-looking container whose design suggests little about the contents inside.
Thinkpads are similar. Though variations have surged over the years, the main design is industrially plain and uninterestingly black, remaining modest about the professional-grade technology used inside. Since going public in 1992 with the inaugural 700c model, the Thinkpad line of laptops has collected hundreds of awards not just for design, but for performance, especially in business applications.
Downsides do exist of course, mainly in the visuals department. Unless you purchase one of the graphics-oriented models, the screens are not the best money can buy. Video sometimes looks devoid of color or otherwise unsharp.
By the same token, however, Thinkpads are incredibly tough—they can withstand humidity, high or low temperatures, keyboard spills and drops from higher-than-you'd-expect heights. This characteristic provides substantial peace of mind when you're carrying your machine with you everywhere you go. Their keyboards are also a dream to type on.
The lasting legacy of such a successful lineage of machines is that some of the older models (around 2008 and onwards) make for great cheap laptops that can still run modern applications and even some games. My personal favorite is the Thinkpad T400, which sports a dual-core Intel processor, ATI Radeon graphics and a sizeable four gigabytes of RAM (random access memory).
In plain English, this means that the T400 can negotiate Internet browsing, Netflix streaming, light gaming and even video editing with ease. Best of all, since these computers are older and admittedly very ugly to the average consumer, they're available online at low prices. I got my T400 for just 80 bucks with free shipping, with the only con being a dead battery which I had to replace.
Here is a comparison of two Thinkpad models, the X61 and X200.
If you're looking for a new laptop computer but are on a budget, give a vintage Thinkpad a try. eBay is the best place to find one of these on the cheap, and spare parts like batteries and system internals are also easy to come by.
The best part of it all is that since Thinkpads can be as unattractive as mentioned earlier, they're less susceptible to theft! Unless the potential thief has read this article, of course.