3 ms·

Lenovo, Why Are You Designing ThinkPads No One Wants?

4 points by kunai 13y ago

smacktoward 13y ago
This article confuses me. Let's look at the list of complaints. Chiclet keyboards I was skeptical of the new island-style ThinkPad keyboards too, but most reviewers who have tried them found them as good as or slightly better than the old keyboards. Examples: http://blog.laptopmag.com/thinkpad-type-off-is-lenovos-new-island-style-keyboard-better-or-worse http://blog.laptopmag.com/thinkpad-type-off-is-lenovos-new-i..., http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/1/3055686/lenovo-thinkpad-x230-review#section_3 http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/1/3055686/lenovo-thinkpad-x23..., http://www.gottabemobile.com/2012/05/23/lenovo-thinkpad-x230-keyboard/ http://www.gottabemobile.com/2012/05/23/lenovo-thinkpad-x230..., http://www.slashgear.com/lenovo-thinkpad-x230-hands-on-21229256/ http://www.slashgear.com/lenovo-thinkpad-x230-hands-on-21229... Based on this feedback I bought a ThinkPad X1 Carbon recently, and I've found the keyboard to be excellent. Like the reviewers, I found my fears about the shift to be entirely unfounded. Removing the buttons from the touchpad I would think the first thing a real hard-core ThinkPad fan would do is deactivate the touchpad altogether and just use the TrackPoint nub. Eliminating the removable battery It's true that the particular model he's complaining about, the T431S, doesn't include a removable battery. But that's because "S"-model ThinkPads have always been pitched as slimmer and lighter versions of the standard model, and removable batteries add weight. You can get a removable battery with the non-slim-and-light version, the T430 (http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/t430/ http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/t430/). loading Windows 8 without the benefit of an IPS (In-Plane Switching technology) display, let alone a touchscreen My X1 Carbon came with a touchscreen. It worked fine with Windows 8, and even works reasonably well with Ubuntu 13.04, which I happily replaced Windows 8 with shortly after the machine arrived. They don't have a touchscreen model in the T series yet, but I have to think it's only a matter of time. (The lag may be due in part to the notoriously slow speed at which big enterprises adopt new tech -- the T series is supposed to be the basic workhorse ThinkPad, so I'd be amazed if sales to enterprise customers aren't a primary concern for Lenovo for that line.) Until then, if a touchscreen is a must-have, you can get one of the many other (http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/#/?facet-5=3&page-index=1 http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/#/?facet-5=3&p...) ThinkPad models that do include one.

4 points by kunai 13y ago

This article confuses me. Let's look at the list of complaints. Chiclet keyboards I was skeptical of the new island-style ThinkPad keyboards too, but most reviewers who have tried them found them as good as or slightly better than the old keyboards. Examples: http://blog.laptopmag.com/thinkpad-type-off-is-lenovos-new-island-style-keyboard-better-or-worse http://blog.laptopmag.com/thinkpad-type-off-is-lenovos-new-i..., http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/1/3055686/lenovo-thinkpad-x230-review#section_3 http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/1/3055686/lenovo-thinkpad-x23..., http://www.gottabemobile.com/2012/05/23/lenovo-thinkpad-x230-keyboard/ http://www.gottabemobile.com/2012/05/23/lenovo-thinkpad-x230..., http://www.slashgear.com/lenovo-thinkpad-x230-hands-on-21229256/ http://www.slashgear.com/lenovo-thinkpad-x230-hands-on-21229... Based on this feedback I bought a ThinkPad X1 Carbon recently, and I've found the keyboard to be excellent. Like the reviewers, I found my fears about the shift to be entirely unfounded. Removing the buttons from the touchpad I would think the first thing a real hard-core ThinkPad fan would do is deactivate the touchpad altogether and just use the TrackPoint nub. Eliminating the removable battery It's true that the particular model he's complaining about, the T431S, doesn't include a removable battery. But that's because "S"-model ThinkPads have always been pitched as slimmer and lighter versions of the standard model, and removable batteries add weight. You can get a removable battery with the non-slim-and-light version, the T430 (http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/t430/ http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/t430/). loading Windows 8 without the benefit of an IPS (In-Plane Switching technology) display, let alone a touchscreen My X1 Carbon came with a touchscreen. It worked fine with Windows 8, and even works reasonably well with Ubuntu 13.04, which I happily replaced Windows 8 with shortly after the machine arrived. They don't have a touchscreen model in the T series yet, but I have to think it's only a matter of time. (The lag may be due in part to the notoriously slow speed at which big enterprises adopt new tech -- the T series is supposed to be the basic workhorse ThinkPad, so I'd be amazed if sales to enterprise customers aren't a primary concern for Lenovo for that line.) Until then, if a touchscreen is a must-have, you can get one of the many other (http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/#/?facet-5=3&page-index=1 http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/#/?facet-5=3&p...) ThinkPad models that do include one.