I have privately been using ThinkPads exclusively for many years now.
These are the best laptops I ever used (and I am being supplied with work laptops that ranged from MacBook to Dells).
The part I relate the most with in the presentation is that ThinkPads are not trendy or flashy. No they are not, they are not gadgets or things you show off, they are functional tools that just work.
The one thing I don't like about ThinkPad is that like pretty much every PC maker they insist on bundling their own software (in their case, ThinkVantage). I wish PC makers would start shipping PCs with Windows, any necessary hardware drivers, and nothing else. This, more than anything, is what makes me dread buying another PC.
I agree. I tried to multiple times to purchase ThinkPads without the bundled software (I use Linux). But it is not an option.
This in fact is the only reason why I look at other offers at all. Every time I need a new laptop I re-check whether I get a ThinkPad without Windows, then I look around for other offerings that do not bundle useless software; so far the ThinkPads have just been better.
First thing I do is wiping the Windows and "factory" partitions and install Linux.
In the case of the ThinkPad bundled software stuff it's also that they seem to look unchanged since the Windows 95 era or so. Nothing terribly wrong with carrying on with a brand and look, but to me the Windows built-in controls for Wifi, etc. are far more usable than the strange bundled software (which may have had its place up until Windows XP got native Wifi support, I guess).
The part I relate the most with in the presentation is that ThinkPads are not trendy or flashy. No they are not, they are not gadgets or things you show off, they are functional tools that just work.