5 ms·

Retro ThinkPad: It’s Alive

88 points by ptrptr 9y ago

webaholic 9y 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.
freddref 9y 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.
- dajt 9y 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.
- GuB-42 9y 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.
Crontab 9y ago
I am glad to hear that they didn't stop working on this.
jimmies 9y 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 9y 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 9y 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 9y ago
      It seems to me Apple is correcting though, looking at recent announcements. They seem to have been listening pretty hard. If they correct their messy port situation then all is pretty much in order again IMO.
      - copperx 9y ago
        Except for a 17" version. The 17" MacBook Pro will never come back :(
    - currysausage 9y ago
      > Why does everyone put junk ULV processors in laptops nowadays? Because nowadays they are up to usual tasks while allowing long battery life and light, compact devices. If you want more than a U processor, the T470p and the P51/71 are for you (Core i7-7820HQ or even Xeon E3-1535M v6 possible).
pasbesoin 9y 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 9y 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 9y 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.)
balladeer 9y 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.

88 points by ptrptr 9y 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.

freddref 9y 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.

dajt 9y 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.
GuB-42 9y 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.

Crontab 9y ago

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

jimmies 9y 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 9y 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 9y 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 9y ago
    It seems to me Apple is correcting though, looking at recent announcements. They seem to have been listening pretty hard. If they correct their messy port situation then all is pretty much in order again IMO.
    - copperx 9y ago
      Except for a 17" version. The 17" MacBook Pro will never come back :(
  - currysausage 9y ago
    > Why does everyone put junk ULV processors in laptops nowadays? Because nowadays they are up to usual tasks while allowing long battery life and light, compact devices. If you want more than a U processor, the T470p and the P51/71 are for you (Core i7-7820HQ or even Xeon E3-1535M v6 possible).

pasbesoin 9y 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 9y 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 9y 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.)

balladeer 9y 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.