Retro ThinkPad: It’s Alive

Retro ThinkPad: It’s Alive(blog.lenovo.com)

88 points by ptrptr 8 years ago | 22 comments

freddref 8 years ago |

I wish more companies could just work on refining their products. It seems that many new products are no better than their predecessors, and in some cases they seem worse as companies strive to differentiate themselves at the cost of functionality.

I like the sound of a new ThinkPad.

GuB-42 8 years ago | |

Laptops are mature tech and smartphone are becoming that too. We are to the point where refinement won't attract customers. That's because all companies will eventually make close enough products so that price will become the differentiating factor. And the last thing companies want is a price war.

And they want you to continue buying their stuff too. They won't have it with products that just work.

dajt 8 years ago | |

That's my take on the mobile phone market. Pointless money and effort wasted every year rather than keeping the current perfectly good phone going with further OS updates.

pasbesoin 8 years ago |

I hope it will have retro-level screen quality (i.e. best in class).

(And, put those, at least as a consistent option, into the rest of your professional line, Lenovo. Really, it's become ridiculous, at this point.)

I really hope there will be no component/FRU lottery. I'd rather wait for the best part than worry whether I'll get the good LCD or the one that's washed out or with banding, perceptible PWM flicker, image-burn, you name it. Rather know I'm getting the right keyboard, than worry about squish, roll, etc. affecting my typing. Etc.

mikejmoffitt 8 years ago | |

I hope not. Except for a few choice models (the T4-T6 era "FlexView" IPS panels), the screens in ThinkPads have not been exceptional at all. Even the IPS choices were a total lottery.

pasbesoin 8 years ago | | |

Good point. I guess I'm influenced by the ones that were good.

Make it a damned good panel, Lenovo.

How do we interact with our machines? Display, keyboard, trackpad, Touchpoint. If those are second class, our whole experience is going to be second class.

(Speakers, I can always plug in or hook up. And I don't use the webcam much; that may differ for others.)

jimmies 8 years ago |

The Thinkpad line has a cult-like following like Apple products. It would help in difficult times, but the brand needs to reinvent itself like how Apple did. I would certainly love to see new products coming out with Thinkpad quality, durability, user-friendliness (the Linux crowd), and support.

phil21 8 years ago | |

It used to have a cult-like following. I'm know some still exist, but everyone I know who would have quit a job over not being able to use a Thinkpad has long since moved on. Including myself. Those that remain are the types who will use 10 year old laptops willingly.

Lenovo ruined the Thinkpad brand entirely. I'm hopeful for this old school return of a "quality tank of a laptop with a real keyboard" but we'll see. Recent track record tells me this won't be super interesting.

If I could get a modern-spec Thinkpad with a Macbook pro quality screen and the old school Thinkpad keyboard I'd be on board in a hot minute.

jchw 8 years ago | | |

I'm pretty disappointed with the specs on most Lenovo laptops anymore. Why does everyone put junk ULV processors in laptops nowadays? I'd die for a slightly thicker laptop that had good specs at a price that's more reasonable. No joke, you'd be much better with a used 2012 MBP than nearly any recent Thinkpad. I have an X1 Carbon that is just pathetic. With Apple going the direction it is, I really wish there was an alternative.

m_mueller 8 years ago | | |

Your recipy almost matches my dream laptop:

15'' ThinkPad, ca. 2005 era

KabyLake quad or more cores, maxed out memory

rMBP screen

All thinkpad ports in their modern incarnations (gigabit ether, USB 3.1, hdmi), add 1-2 USB-C

rMBP Touchpad before it became Forcetouch

Essentially, give me the Ford F-150 raptor of laptops. And I'm saying this as a European ;).

balladeer 8 years ago |

I would love an affordable and lightweight 13" ThinkPad like laptop (or any brand as long as it's good and reliable) where I can install an up and coming Linux distro like ElementaryOS after my old MacBook Air dies.

No, I am not going to buy those costly alternatives Apple has lined up after it's obvious they are killing Air (even though there might be a new one coming with almost just one tiny tweak).

But then again, Lenovo pretty much destryoed the ThinkPad brand and is on the path to do the same to the Moto range with their substandard quality and even worse service.

webaholic 8 years ago |

Can't wait for this laptop. I just hope they make enough of them and we don't have a fiasco similar to that of nintendo.

Crontab 8 years ago |

I am glad to hear that they didn't stop working on this.