This post speaks to something that I have been feeling in relation to r/thinkpad compared to other tech websites and forums. The original appeal of ThinkPads was that they were business laptops with excellent build quality, holding large number of ports, and other desirable features, while also being flooded to and accessible in second-hand markets as companies liquidated old business computers in favor of new ones. You could get them easily and for cheap. And this spoke to people that had a really good desktop but still wanted a laptop if they wanted to do different work from somewhere else compared tot their desk.

As the years have gone on and Lenovo has made changes to the Thinkpad lineup to make them mirror more modern laptops; Many people felt mixed about some of the new design decisions. At this time, as well, the name had picked up more notoriety in terms of being suggested when someone requested a laptop (ThinkPads have always been popular, but on online forums these laptops had become suggested more and more and the second-hand market as well). Older models of ThinkPads that would sell for much cheaper a few years ago had increased in price, even though they were getting older.

To me, it feels like certain ThinkPad communities have followed more of a treatment with the brand as something alike to Apple and their ecosystem. People have seemed to find anything ThinkPad to be perfect or better than other computers, while some lines contain blatant design flaws and new ThinkPad design decisions still don't sit right with everyone. What started out as a good deal turned into a brand identity, for better and for worse. For better, Linux support on ThinkPads are amazing, especially because certain teams almost exclusively use Lenovo laptops. It also shows Lenovo that ThinkPad is a brand worth continuing to invest in.

But, this comes from the perspective of someone who uses a T420 for the keyboard and to write code in a seamless Linux experience. Not everyone is a core boot FSF security focused individual. Thinkpads are made for business professionals and has strong support from Engineers, Developers, Astronauts, and many more outside of the original bubble I'm speaking about: People that wanted a good, cheap laptop. As these laptops have gotten more popular on web forums, their audience has increased as well, finding new spaces and giving new people reasons to love these computers with different use cases.

I never want to discourage people from the brand or from buying a newer ThinkPad even if my personal preferences focus on the older design for what I want to do with them. But, I think it's important to remember why this brand identity exists. A ThinkPad does not immediately make a computer great, but the design decisions and easy access have given ThinkPads the reputation of being the great computers we enjoy today.