If ThinkPad Was a Car…
Americans have had a love affair with the automobile for decades. It’s forever etched into our society and culture like the horse was for the cowboy. For most of us it begins at a very early age. Toy cars, model cars, movies about cars, and of course our first car are all part of the deal. My first real car was a 1969 VW “Beetle.” It was a beautiful dark green with a pure white interior. I think it cost about $1800 new. I loved that car, the design, and what it stood for. If only I had never sold it.
Interesting that we even develop nicknames like ”Beetle” for our cultural favorites. The real name was the Volkswagen Type 1. Hard to have a realtionship with a number. More Beetles, 21 million total, were sold than any other car design in history. It should have been the car that Volkswagen marketing people hated due to it’s lack of newness, but instead they turned it into one of the most formidable designs, brands and advertising campaigns in history. As Beetlemania swept the nation during the 60’s, Volkswagen drivers began to descreetly signal like owners with a raised fore finger as they passed to acknowledge membership in the devote group. Today this near cult-like behavior is reserved only for fellow motorcyclists. Cars need not apply.
People develop incredible brand loyalties for their favorite cars. They wash, wax, detail, and polish them. They modify, restore, collect, and of course talk about them whenever possible. People often become so hooked that they buy them for life whenever possible. In 1999 Volkswagen even brought the much celebrated “Beetle” back to life , although in a much altered state. The design was the brainchild of J Mays, a fellow Oklahoman who I would like to meet someday to swap cultural backwater stories.
Oddly enough car “personalities” are even transferred to other products. My favorite of course being ThinkPad. I can’t begin to tell you how many meetings I have been in where the car analogy has been made. By that I mean a comparison was drawn between ThinkPad and a specific automobile brand. I’ve done it many times to drive home a point with greater clarity. The referenced car can be from the past or on the market today, it really doesn’t matter. It’s a larger challenge, however, to draw a comparison to the legendary Studebaker Avanti, Ford Edsel, or AMC Pacer in a crowd of 20 somethings than the latest incarnation of the venerable Mustang. I prefer the original.
I’ve heard ThinkPad compared to numerous car brands over the years. I’m sure you can imagine a few on your own. I thought it would be interesting to poll the Design Matters readers to see which of the ones I’ve heard most often mentioned hit home with you. If you don’t see the one you relate to most, feel free to add a comment with your own thoughts.
David Hill
January 13th, 2009 at 3:52 am
How about the Dodge Charger? I am extremely biased since I own both that and an x60 tablet… the Charger has a less developed design heritage (disrespectful to the original Charger, etc) but the engineering benefits of the DaimlerChrysler days. It is popular with both police and consumers.. much how Thinkpad is with both business and end-users.. both are serious business and very practical, but also sexy designs
January 13th, 2009 at 4:11 am
Since Unimog (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unimog) is not a choice
, i would say Volvo. Secure and stable with a bit of understatement, yet classy.
January 13th, 2009 at 4:39 am
For me ThinkPads are just like Mercededes-Benz w190, w202, w140 – praktisch, quadratisch, gut
not too sexy but recognizable and reliable
January 13th, 2009 at 5:16 am
Hmm, that’s easy – Porsche. Same basic design, but endless tweaks and changes underneath. Volvo isn’t timeless enough to qualify, surely? Name me a Volvo designed car that’s iconic like a 911 is?
January 13th, 2009 at 6:55 am
The Beetle analogy is nice but not completely appropriate. The ThinkPad is always up to date with the latest developments, whereas the overall design of the Beetle (just look at the body) dated back into the 1930s.
January 13th, 2009 at 7:21 am
Christoph, the Beetle continuously evolved from a technology perspective but maintained the original design essence for decades. Of course this is a very similar story for the 911, and Jeep. Interesting discussion isn’t it?
January 13th, 2009 at 9:54 am
Jeep. Square. No pointless shiny. Solid functionality. Can be used drive nails through walls. Some people call it ugly.
Just stating the obvious, really.
January 13th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
SAAB 900 – iconic, form follows function, built like a tank, fits like a glove
January 13th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
SAAB, of course. Not that interesting on the outside, but certainly recognizable. Does more or less the same thing as it’s competitors – but in a great way. Also does pioneer things once in a while – still conservative on some points.
Not to say the least – I love both…
January 13th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
I’am sorry I can’t vote, since for me and most europeans the ThinkPad is for long over a decade the so called *Mercedes* synonym of business Notebooks.
BTW, Mercedes since those cars in history always had a sort of reputation for being the best in good quality, sturdy, failsafe and expensive etc.
Well, times do change and of course not only in the car industry, but nowadays there isn’t any real difference among the better line models of german top cars like Audi/VW, Porsche, BMW and Mercedes. So I believe you can choose any one of these, as far as it is one of the above named reputated *german* cars!
January 13th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Great post. I didn’t participate in the poll since I couldn’t decide which one to choose. The Jeep analogy from David Allouche fits as well as your Beetle analogy. However, I’ve always somehow linked thinkpad design and, um, feeling to mid-80s BMW.. a car design i feel strangely attracted to.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albu.....loe007.jpg
Funny you mentioned the discrete signals between members of a “brand club”, which is something I also experience quite often when using my notebook within vision of other thinkpad users. A slight glimpse in a public library, the short sparkle in the others’ eyes, quick-checking which model you have. Although I initially didn’t choose thinkpads because I wanted to be a “part” of something, those moments can be pretty convenient.
January 13th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
I vote for Mercedes (what it used to be until the 80ies), too.
The beetle is not a good model to imitate, in my view. Although the ad is great.
Volkswagen hung on to it for too long. The car body did limit improvements in performance and features. Impossible in an area where technology moves fast.
For laptops, as mentioned in my other post today, I admire Apple’s ability to go from classic to classic, with clear traits that let you identify them immediately. Car makers work hard to combine identifiability and modernization as well. Thinkpad would have to be much more conservative, robust, where Apple is daring, radical. But conservative should not mean never moving the design as a whole in a new direction, or taking away elements that have better alternatives with new technology.
January 13th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
I choose Volvo.
I believe the team has incorporated a very strong and consistent design to Volvo.
You can recognise a Volvo far away. And the dashboard is given a very ‘clean’ look.
January 13th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
As a happy ThinkPad owner, I would compare it to a BMW. Understated appearance, well-engineered, and looks good in black. (Saab/Volvo/Subaru also come to mind, with their general focus on engineering and practicality). Opinionated comparisons follow: HP = Ford, Macbook = Volkswagen, Toshiba = Hyundai, Dell = General Motors, Asus = Fiat.
January 14th, 2009 at 2:43 am
Volvo.
With a Volvo 200
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_200_series
you could easily win a tank battle. Rock solid, no frills, plenty of power under the hood (for the time).
Why not the others?
- Jeep: A TP is a workhorse alike, but you should not attach surfboards to it.
- BMW: Very close in performance and precission, however the image of ‘I am here to rule you, and this beauty will do my will’ is missing.
- Porsche: Nah, you can’t use a porsche to chop wood. Rather go and show it off to your friends in the golf club.
- Beetle: classic design, however long time outdated. Not business class.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:41 am
Porsche definitely! It hasn’t got too much bells and whistles outside and the outside bits practically never change. Also it has got some really solid engineering inside. Plus Porsches come in a linear lineup: Boxter (R-series), Cayman (T-series), 911 (W-series).
January 14th, 2009 at 4:02 am
Thinkpad are like AMGs – discreet, well built, not to be messed with. Their values are sound and robust and it was this approach that would set the Thinkpads from the rest of the laptops. The other companies, you see, would concentrate on making a really really fast laptop, but then they start to worry about all the practical stuff, like ‘where’s the keyboard gonna sit and can the user type on it?’ or ‘how to join up all the screen and the chassis?’. The Thinkpad way, however, is to start with a good, ergonomic industrial design and make it really fast. Look at the T61p, it’s one of the best laptops in terms of built and ergonomics but it just happened to go like a stepped rat. It’s not just about being fast, it’s about being able to feel the passion and soul that the designers’ have put in when designing the machine.
And you see, if I am using an Alienware at work, some of my colleagues would secretly hate me; but everybody loves the Thinkpad, it may not be as flash and a bit pricey, but somehow, it’s of the people. This is the way a Thinkpad should be, keep it this way.
January 14th, 2009 at 7:29 am
If form and shape matter, Thinkpad must be a Land Rover (Defender to be precise), which has been retaining the same form factor for decades.
January 14th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Merc for the win actually!top class with top performance,enough said.voted bettle just before the blog showed up lol due to ,some reasons that i cant explain – the most suitable answer maybe?
January 14th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
A good choice would be Land Rover. I see Thinkpads as sturdy, utilitarian and understated design-wise. Just as you can see political dignitaries being transported in a Land Rover you often see engineers and businesspeople carry a Thinkpad. A Thinkpad gets a serious job done.
January 14th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
I work in the automotive industry and have been car obsessed for all my life. I also happen to love Thinkpads, and photography (more on that later). To me (and to validate some comments above), Thinkpads could be old Mercedes (W124!), some BMWs (E39,E36), Porsche 911 for sure, SAABs, and Volvo too. They all share some qualities that Thinkpads also have and richness of history. I could relate to Mercedes for solid build, BMW and Porsche for performance, understated looks, SAAB for being ‘left-wing’ or ‘thinking man’s choice’, Volvo for safety, scandinavian design principles.
As with Photography, I’ve often wondered about this and think about the analogy of major camera brands.. I like to think of Nikon as Mercedes.. tradition, history, reliability.. Canon as BMW.. performance, technology.. Minolta/Sony as Audi.. cutting edge technology, avant-garde design.. and Leica as Porsche..
If I have to choose one car/model to represent Thinkpad, I would go for 911. 911 signifies the pinnacle of engineering, understated look (for performance car), reliability, history and heritage, and value for money (arguably, but compared to its competitors..). I believe for people who know cars and buy a 911 for what it’s designed for, they didn’t buy it for showing off. There are other cars for similar amount of money that will attract more attention (and get the ladies) way more effectively. Dare I say it, I know heaps of people that say Porsches are ugly, including my partner.
Other brand that I also love and can highly relate to Thinkpads… Lamy pens. They are beautiful in a distinct way, purposeful, functional, and reliable. Anyone agree on this?
January 15th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
The thinkpad laptop design and build reminds me too much the land rover all terrain vehicles. but was out of the survey.
January 15th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
SAAB, of course. Same religious attitude towards the product, loyal owners seeing themselves as the select few – very same people even. Endless fears of brand dilution & ownership pride. Some of us are also Leica cultists and fountain pen lovers – must be something in the head dpt. And mostly cheap freaks – our favorite brands are unbeatable for secondhand value, if anything. I am guilty as charged. It’s fun.
BTW – SAAB drivers wave to each other. At least the right ones do
.
January 15th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
I have always loved the somewhat quirky design of the Saab 900. A true classic.
January 15th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
I would say Audi. Classy, little bit overpriced (I see this as an advantage – quality comes at a price), timeless.
Unfortunately I am afraid things change in new models. Widescreen, keyboard quality issues… it is not what I expect of an Audi-class notebook.
January 16th, 2009 at 3:42 am
What about Audi? Like Saab, Volvo or BMW its technically advanced, stable and well engineered, but I think the car design also fits. Its somehow designed around the technology..
January 16th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
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January 17th, 2009 at 2:16 am
I think it’s the VW, when I drove friend’s Golf Mk2 diesel, I thought, this feels just like Thinkpad: solid, reliable, firm, no bullshit. Also all VWs have design that relies on their roots, you can immediately tell a VW from other cars, though their design is conservative. Yesterday I asked a guy who bought W700 to bring it, so I can look at it, he said: It’s a Jeep (jeep in Slovenia can mean any 4WD terrain car), it’s ugly, it’s a workhorse.
BTW, I have a friend who has a 1965 VW beetle and a Saab 900 – I love the Saab. His notebook is Toshiba Satellite
.
January 17th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
VW = HP
VW + Audi = HP + Voodoo
VW + Audi + Seat + Skoda = HP + Voodoo + Dell + Gateway
Mercedes = IBM
Mercedes + Chrysler = IBM + Lenovo
Chrysler Crossfire = Lenovo ThinkPad
January 17th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
My cousin Wentworth aka wjli2, made the Volvo and Thinkpad comparison in April 2008, in the following post on the Lenovo forum.
http://forums.lenovo.com/lnv/b.....34004#M506
January 18th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Either the 1990-1993 generation Honda Accord–solid, high mph, very low maintenance, highly efficient and runs like a charm or the Mercedes Benz 200–a tank that runs like new 40 years later, no matter what conditions you throw at it.
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:39 am
[...] und andere gut gestaltete Produkte geht, scheint im Moment Deutschland-Wochen zu haben. Erst wurde das ThinkPad mit dem VW Käfer verglichen, wobei die Leserschaft aber doch eher Ähnlichkeiten mit einem Volvo sah, und jetzt geht es um die [...]
February 27th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
[...] response to my If ThinkPad Was a Car blog and related poll has been very interesting. Clearly Volvo is winning the day by a wide [...]
March 13th, 2009 at 5:56 am
BMW 7 series
April 6th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
I dont usually comment, but after reading through so much info I had to say thanks
May 7th, 2009 at 5:58 am
If ThinkPad was a Car, it would definitely be similar to the Beetle. They improve a lot of the hardware and software inside, but the design stays similar.