Monday, May 01, 2006

A ThinkPad with Jumper Wires?

Do you want to buy a ThinkPad with Lenovo Logo?

China IT web portal IntoZGC.com revealed that jumper wires were found in ThinkPad laptops, such as T60, T60P as well as X60. In all cases revealed so far, the yellow jump wire was connected to a Maxim IC 1540E, which regulates internal voltages. ThinkPad T60P200793C, the model which was found with jump wires, is selling at around $6,000 in the market, a laptop assumed to be as good as money can buy. Jump wires are like band-aid or patches, which may ease the pain, but not with potential stability and reliability problems.

Nicked named 'Black Little' by many Chinese gadgets enthusiasts, ThinkPad had been seen as the alias of top-end laptop. Lenovo Group acquired the PC division of IBM with $1.75 billion.

This is not the first time a laptop, or a ThinkPad was caught with jumper wires, however, it happened at a sensitive time when customers were sceptical on Lenovo's sincerity and capability in keeping the legend of high-quality ThinkPad. Lenovo issued an official response on April 27, 2006, which stated jumper wires were common for early released models and were not considered as a defect. This is not only unacceptable, but definitely a public relation disaster. Lenovo's last PR disaster was when they introduced a silver color ThinkPad Z60.

Explanation from Yamato, the Japanese firm where ThinkPad is designed.

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