Difference between ThinkPad X1 and cheaper IdeaPad?

[Nejmann]

Short story: Returned the ThinkPad T420s because of serious heat/noise/ultrabay issues and my supplier recommended the X1.

Except for the corning gorilla glass itself I am not able to distinguish this laptop (the X1) from the cheaper IdeaPads (the Edge models even has matte screens).

The batterytime is nowhere near the 10 hours advertised (with the slice), the fan is as noisy as the T420s, the keyboard lights are visible from an angle and the screen is so glossy that I can't even see anything on a cloudy day: Picture  (btw. that's an old T61p in the background).

Anyone care to tell me what I am missing?  

[ccl13]

I am half kidding: you are missing a normal expectation.

Whatever, whenever, wherever you are, do not trust advertising. They are about bragging, they don't have to be real, they only tell you how good it could be and never let you know about how bad they may be. But they usually don't dare to lie much, so take them as a reference.

In your case I believe you are expecting too much from X1 and T420s. You should actually try them out before order. It is easy to understand the reflection, it is because of the Corning Gorilla glass. It is a big pro but also brings about a few cons I think I can generalize every piece of your disappointments into this, like the heat and noise are because of the much improved computing power. You just have to think it through before buying.

And to the difference part. Quality cannot be measured without time. That is the difference.

Anyway I am not selling Thinkpad, I am just a fan. I understand that actually the brand is not as shiny as before, but it is still the greatest to me.

[Nejmann]

I am half kidding when I say that I do expect quite a bit from a laptop priced at what is equal to $2800 US  

Now I get your point but I don't think you got mine. I have had a great deal of ThinkPads between my hands and even though I have been very disappointet with the latest (slim) offerings from Lenovo (T420s, X1) because of the noise/heat issues and for the X1 especially the screen (I can use it as a mirror on a shiny day... ) the question was actually meant to be taken seriously - no sarcasm involved. What exactly is the difference?

I have been sitting with equally spec'ed IdeaPads some even with better screens (Edge) and all of them with a lower noise level and all of them could be equipped with at least the same amount of RAM and a SSD hdd for less money.

So far the closest thing I have come to the difference between these machines and the X1 is that you think the X1 will last longer because of better build quality? That just makes me wonder because a litle tiny whining fan that constantly spins at 4400 RPM from you boot the laptop just doesn't scream quality to me? The same can be said for the screen. Lenovo has never equipped their business laptops with glossy screens and therefore it didn't occur to me that they actually would put their ThinkPad name on a laptop with this kind of screen which is useless for anyone doing any normal work/traveling?

By the way it has actually never been necessary for me to test out the ThinkPads we have bought in the past because they have always been the best and that is a fact. That might also be a part of the disappointment because now we have to hold back until I have tested the laptop/seen it firsthand before I order a new model. 

[ccl13]

I am not trying to argue, before everything.

Yes I think the quality is better than other brands, but no I cannot assure you it is better than before, and no I cannot assure you it must be better than other brands for this time. It's a faith thing, that yes the absolute quality is dropping but I still believes it is the best in world, the relative quality is still top 1, because I think this happens before.

It is a sad truth that everything is always going a down turn. Have you heard of "Bad money drives out good"? It is a economic phenomenon, but the heart of it is the greedy of human nature and it happens to every aspect of human life. I think this is just what happened to the new thinkpads - that the lowered market expectation made Lenovo to build laptops cost less but gain more.

I don't think I made it clear enough, but I think you can get it.

Personally I am comfortable with my X220. I have been using my friend's T420s for a while (we exchanged our laptops) and I did not see the noise/heat problem. I am not saying you are wrong about them, but I think at least not everyone experienced the same problem. And the tough feeling of the T420s still makes me think it should last longer than any other laptops.