We’ve heard of art collectors and music groupies, but what about a tech collector-groupie? To mark its 15th anniversary, Lenovo unearthed its most ardent fan, with the largest private collection of ThinkPad notebooks in the world.

Jacob Almagor, now based in Australia, has what is believed to be the largest private collection of 35 ThinkPad notebooks, spanning from the IBM days to the current Lenovo models. All are in working condition (many of them refurbished by himself), and networked in his home.

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Almagor says he “simply loves” the notebooks for their ergonomic, solid design, performance and great levels of after-sale support and service. He said that while other notebook vendors may be able to match the ThinkPad in performance, the combination of these factors puts the ThinkPad ahead of the rest.

And while other notebook companies have looked at glossing up their notebook designs, or heading into different colours, Almagor stressed that the Lenovo’s refusal to change its traditional black and red chassis, and general keyboard layout and design has been a major point of appeal for himself and other ThinkPad users.

“There are so many things to think about when you’re working on a notebook, if you know exactly where to find certain keys, it is one less thing to worry about. It is clear that everything has been clearly thought out in designing these notebooks,” he said.

Describing the notebooks like a true artistic aficionado, Almagor added, “When you’re working on it [a ThinkPad], it’s like playing music,” and “The visual language of ThinkPad is superb.”

Lenovo Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Alan Munro said “Going forward, Lenovo will move into other streams, but ThinkPad will always remain a core arm of our business.”

Almagor was reluctant to admit how much his collection was worth, but mentioned vaguely that it was “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

See: www.lenovo.com.au