Thinkpad Retro

[Slacker]

This might interest you guys - Lenovo is thinking about making a retro-styled Thinkpad laptop with modern guts, a trackpoint, traditional 7-row keyboard and a >> 16:10 SCREEN << !!! Frankly, I'll probably buy it for the screen alone. Shame it's not 4:3, but it's still better than awful modern shortscreens.

Let's hope it sells well enough for Lenovo to make similar machines into a permanent offering! Let the drooling begin...

 

[ekianjo]

They are not even talking about SELLING them yet. It's just concept-stage and gauging public's interest. 

 

[Slacker]

...which is a good start, isn't it?

 

[elwing]

yay! give me more superfish!

 

[rygD]

Almost all of the comments on the first page are about the keyboard, with some of those being about the layout (and only one person that seems to understand that Ctrl should NOT be on the bottom row).  See, it is important.  Others discuss mouse options and speak out against a chiclet keyboard (which I am also not fond of).

I might get one, but it is highly unlikely.  When I had a Thinkpad I bought it refurbished, and it wasn't the latest model at the time (but I loved it and miss it so much...I think it was the first computer I purchased).  I liked them back then (no experience with them after IBM that I recall), but the price was/is a bit much for me, even if the quality was/is good.  If it didn't suck, and I had the money and an excuse for it, I would buy one, even if only to support the idea.  For on the go stuff I plan on using my Pyra since I won't be doing too much while I am out that justifies something larger, more powerful, or x86.  This may change if I start traveling a lot again.  If that happens I would strongly consider a retro styled Thinkpad.

 

[ekianjo]

...which is a good start, isn't it?

Depends, because it does not connect at all with your "let's hope it sells enough" since it's even planning to be launched anytime soon.

 

[Slacker]

...which is a good start, isn't it?

Depends, because it does not connect at all with your "let's hope it sells enough" since it's even planning to be launched anytime soon.

Depends on your definition of "soon". That company blog entry wouldn't exist if there wasn't a serious consideration within Lenovo of bringing such a laptop to existence. They may not be yet committed to it, but I'd guess we have at least an 80% chance of seeing it in production within the next two years. Have you seen the thousands of enthusiastic comments under the article? If the goal was, as you say, "gauging public's interest", then that's a damn strong response to a post on a niche blog.

With the current drought of non-shortscreen laptops in the market, I'll take this spark of hope over accepting vertically-squeezed despair anytime. The reversion of other awful signs of "progress" like the hideous chiclet keyboards and squeezed Esc keys is but the icing on the cake.

 

[ekianjo]

The fact is that the pictures they have released is just a render, and it's not because you get people saying its great that it means they will buy it. That's not how you do forecast and you judge on the feasibility of a new model at all. 

Plus, it will take at least 6 months to 1 year before they can actually come up with that, if they are serious about it. It will take time even if it happens. 

 

[Slacker]

The fact is that the pictures they have released is just a render, and it's not because you get people saying its great that it means they will buy it. That's not how you do forecast and you judge on the feasibility of a new model at all.

You also don't throw the idea to the public without making at least a preliminary feasibility study first.

Honestly, I've met in recent years enough spreadsheet-poking business types and enough code-pushing computer geek types mourning the disappearance of normal-proportioned screens and those extra lines you could squeeze on them. Too many to expect such a laptop to sell anything less than like hot cakes, assuming ThinkPad quality and not-too-outrageous pricing. There is literally zero competition in this niche today, and it's hardly a narrow one!

Plus, it will take at least 6 months to 1 year before they can actually come up with that, if they are serious about it. It will take time even if it happens.

...hence I said "within the next two years".

 

[ekianjo]

There is literally zero competition in this niche today, and it's hardly a narrow one!

Yeah - I think there is indeed an opportunity there, especially anything that mimicks older styles of Thinkpads instead of the "all flat, no ports" UMPC crap trying to copy whatever Apple is doing these days.  

 

[FaeMinx]

I want.

 

[Slacker]

Yeah - I think there is indeed an opportunity there, especially anything that mimicks older styles of Thinkpads instead of the "all flat, no ports" UMPC crap

This. A thousand times this.

trying to copy whatever Apple is doing these days.

Yes, the scourge of contemporary electronics market. May Jobs burn slowly in hell for the unholy cult he'd created!

 

[levi]

I'm not personally bothered by 16:10 over 16:9 - they both win over 4:3 for me though, as it means I can have a couple of decently sized windows next to each other for preview/render, code/test or whatever.  The extra row of keys just seems to be a handful of keys next to the power button covering functions like print screen - not keys I use often so meh.  I've also no objection to a chiclet keyboard, although I've never used one (except the pandora, if that counts), but I understand the older Thinkpads had better travel and action, which I am in favour of.

I don't expect these rebooted Thinkpads to be cheap though, if they ever do come to market, so I'm unlikely to pay for that just for a slightly better keyboard.

 

[FaeMinx]

For some reason I can't like the above post, so...


+1000


Edit: the post above the post above....

 

[ThinkPad]

ThinkPad IBM quality and not-too-outrageous pricing

The good quality does not come cheap my friend. Especially when it comes to a high end business and mobile workstation class laptops.

 

[levi]

Edit: the post above the post above....

Edit: FWIW, you can't like guest accounts.

 

[rygD]

Slacker, you should create an account. Edit: I started typing this before the above several posts.

The back and forth did bring up a few points I want to expand on and discuss.  Part of what I meant by "if it didn't suck" is if it offered real expandabilty.  The ports are a concern.  What ports should it have?  Most things are USB now, so it would need some of those, and some form of display ports.  I haven't looked at too many new laptops recently, so I don't know what they have, but I really hope they at least have these 2.  Card readers are nice, so SD, CF and whatever else is popular would be nice, however USB readers are plentiful, and I have several.  A traditional serial port would be convenient, however it is mostly dead, and I know there are (iffy) USB adapters out there for those of us that still use them.  Some people would probably like eSATA.  Almost forgot ethernet, but that is pretty much it.  It seems like USB is good enough for most things.  I hope they are planning on including an optical drive.

ekianjo, is there something specific that is usually missing?  Do modern laptops not have USB ports?

As Slacker keeps mentioning, the display would probably make many people happy.  Although I am not super picky about this anymore since I have had to adapt to a variety of terrible displays, I would probably be one of them.

As for the keyboard, no the Pandora keyboard is nothing like a chiclet keyboard.  Every keyboard type has advantages and disadvantages, so there are some good points to chiclet ones.  I don't know why everyone seems to have switched over to them, since many people hate them.  I suppose the average user may be like Levi, and not know, and possibly not care.  HIDs are pretty important to me, so I hope they would either do some real research (or consider the existing research) or go with the retro option here.  Other than the display, paint, and maybe the shape, what else is there to go old school with than the keyboard?  The IBM inspired RGB logo, I suppose, but I don't care about that, plus it looks a bit ugly to me. Was that logo ever used?

 

[ekianjo]

ekianjo, is there something specific that is usually missing?  Do modern laptops not have USB ports?

not enough. 2 is not enough for me, i prefer when they have 3, as well as VGA, Ethernet (not mini), HDMI, Sd ports. Most ultrabooks don't have everything I need. 

 

[rygD]

ekianjo, is there something specific that is usually missing?  Do modern laptops not have USB ports?

not enough. 2 is not enough for me, i prefer when they have 3, as well as VGA, Ethernet (not mini), HDMI, Sd ports. Most ultrabooks don't have everything I need. 

Ah, ok.  I am with you on this one.  Most of the laptops I have are a few years old and have most of that. Some have HDMI or VGA, with only one or two having both.  The most recent had 3 or 4 USB ports.  All have some form of optical drive, which I infrequently use, but I do use them.  

I forgot what an ultrabook was for a moment and had to look it up.  I wouldn't want a "retro" Thinkpad ultrabook.  I want one that offers everything I need to get work done.  If I were to buy one of these it should be a normal fat ass laptop, with all the "extras", that has the look, feel, and quality of the old IBM ones. 

 

[ekianjo]

 I want one that offers everything I need to get work done.

I'd like something like the x220 (i have it currently and like it very much) with slightly higher resolution, as light, modern ports (USB3), a better trackpad, and maybe slightly thinner (but no need to make it flat either, i don't carry my laptop in an envelope .