Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

lifespan of notebooks

Mar 2, 2005 2:58AM PST

What is the average lifespan for a notebook? And what is the reason for this death within just a matter of years? Will the newer models have a longer life? Finally, What brand is known for longer lasting notebooks...if any?

thanks...sorry, I've got a lot of questions. But I need to start at looking things for college

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
what about IBM?
Mar 2, 2005 3:33AM PST

Another quick question...Everybody is reccomending computers left and right, but I do not hear too much about IBM. Is there a reason for this?

- Collapse -
Simple issues.
Mar 2, 2005 11:24AM PST

1. The upgradeability of such is almost nil.

2. The battery does die/degrade in 500 charges or 18 months to ??? Many will rail against replacing it.

3. You drop it, it's likely going to break.
(Unless it's a Toughbook)

4. People do mistreat these things. I see people drop their laptop bag all the time. Hard to believe they complain it dies in 2 or 3 years.

5. IBM has a horrible distribution channel. No store presence, but most models were nice to have.

Funny you should mention college. After last week taking our son to local colleges, all had great deals with Dell or Apple which included a 4 year service plan. Consumers would kill for such.

Bob