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Lenovo unveils new ThinkPad design

blog.lenovo.com

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Re: Lenovo unveils new ThinkPad design

#61

Post by backprojection »

drivebyacct2 wrote: post #57
ericabiz wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Your X1 Carbon is equally gorgeous with an equally crappy screen." I believe you have incorrect information. I own a Thinkpad X1 Carbon. Its screen resolution is 1600x900, which is not only higher than the typical 1366x768 resolution found on most laptops, but it's a nice resolution that doesn't require switching into and out of "retina" mode. I'm quite happy with my X1 Carbon, FWIW. My favorite feature is the rapid…

>It's a nice resolution that doesn't require switching into and out of "retina" mode. I use an OS that fortunately isn't encumbered with those problems. I use a 2560x1440 monitor, a 2560x1440 tablet, and a 720p phone, the fact that a 14" screen is inferior to all of those is embarrassing. It does make a difference, especially when I'm considering switching from my MBA (which already has a higher density than the X1 i…

I completely agree with your sentiment. My impression is they're releasing more models, redesigned like this, in the near future; we can only hope they'll have a high-res option.

I really don't mind paying $200 extra for a great screen.

> 2560x1440 tablet

If that's the nexus 10 you're referring to, it's actually 2560×1600 :)

Re: Lenovo unveils new ThinkPad design

#62

Post by [deleted] »

old-gregg wrote: post #21

I have two nearly new Thinkpads right now and I don't need a 3rd laptop. But with this shit hitting the market soon, I am contemplating ordering a T530 and perhaps an x230 in top configurations and keep them in a closet for future use. After this pinnacle of Lenovo engineering goes on sale there won't be a single laptop on the market worth using. Not sure what I think of Apple right now. On one hand, they catapulted…

[deleted]

Re: Lenovo unveils new ThinkPad design

#63

Post by old-gregg »

yolesaber wrote: post #55
old-gregg wrote: post #21

I have two nearly new Thinkpads right now and I don't need a 3rd laptop. But with this shit hitting the market soon, I am contemplating ordering a T530 and perhaps an x230 in top configurations and keep them in a closet for future use. After this pinnacle of Lenovo engineering goes on sale there won't be a single laptop on the market worth using. Not sure what I think of Apple right now. On one hand, they catapulted…

Have you looked into System76's machines at all? Right now I am using their Gazelle Professional model ( https://www.system76.com/laptops/model/gazp8 ). I have to say it is the best damn laptop I've ever owned and this is coming from a long-time Thinkpad user

I look at them every time I'm shopping for a laptop. They never offer anything comparable to a proper Thinkpad. The laptop you're linking to lacks nearly everything imporant:

  * No trackpoint  
  * Touchpad buttons are in the wrong place (must be on top, under thumbs)
  * No IPS display 
  * Keyboard is crippled. Compare to a proper keyboard [1]
The #1 and #2 basicaly mean "this laptop has no mouse" Apple-style touchpad is useless for people who type a lot (you can't use them while your hands are in FJ-position).

#3 means "cannot work with images with more than 65K colors".

[1] Proper keyboard: http://www.notebookcheck.net/typo3temp/pics/ea701ff5cd.jpg Things to notice:

  * Giant "Esc" key
  * Dedicated forward/backward buttons for browsing
  * Full-sized Fn keys
  * Dedicated blocks for navigation keys
  * Because it's ergonomic, it's not a dumb rectangular shape. Lenovo hates 
    this IBM design because it is more expensive to produce.
Also, look at how UltraNav works: you can use the mouse by keeping your hands in a typing position (FJ). This way you can nearly instantaneously replace the previously typed word by using the trackpoint + buttons under your thumbs. This speeds up your typing or coding significantly. This gives Vim/Emacs users superpowers! :) Cheap laptops force you to move your hands a lot to switch between the mouse and keyboard.

Re: Lenovo unveils new ThinkPad design

#64

Post by grannyg00se »

piyush_soni wrote: post #45

That ugly trackpoint (that red dot in the middle of keyboard) and that extremely irritating swapped position of Fn and Ctrl keys are the two things that keep me away from this otherwise excellent laptop. (Though the Fn and Ctrl keys can now be swapped from BIOS, but why ? )

Ugly trackpoint? Are you trolling? Trackpoint is one of the most significant reasons people buy a thinkpad over any other trackpad only laptop.

I've heard the ctrl and fn placement is an issue for many people, but I don't understand why you'd want the more frequently used key further away than a hardly ever used key. Or maybe people actually use fn more often than ctrl? That doesn't seem likely.

Re: Lenovo unveils new ThinkPad design

#66

Post by sigil »

old-gregg wrote: post #21

I have two nearly new Thinkpads right now and I don't need a 3rd laptop. But with this shit hitting the market soon, I am contemplating ordering a T530 and perhaps an x230 in top configurations and keep them in a closet for future use. After this pinnacle of Lenovo engineering goes on sale there won't be a single laptop on the market worth using. Not sure what I think of Apple right now. On one hand, they catapulted…

> I am contemplating ordering a T530 and perhaps an x230 in top configurations and keep them in a closet for future use.

Welcome to my world. I exclusively use Thinkpad T40s, T41s, and T42s, the last few models to be manufactured by IBM prior to the 2005 selloff. (The T43 was the very last, but had more hardware issues for some reason.)

Even today it's not difficult to find used models in decent condition. They last me a few years until I utterly destroy them, which is something of an inevitability given the amount and type of usage they see. When that happens, I buy another for $150 - $200, pop in the old hard drive, and I'm off.

Thinkpads are amazing.

Edit: While quality initially suffered in the IBM -> Lenovo handoff, I do think it recovered eventually. The x220 and x230s I've used at jobs seem just as solid.

Re: Lenovo unveils new ThinkPad design

#67

Post by stiff »

old-gregg wrote: post #21

I have two nearly new Thinkpads right now and I don't need a 3rd laptop. But with this shit hitting the market soon, I am contemplating ordering a T530 and perhaps an x230 in top configurations and keep them in a closet for future use. After this pinnacle of Lenovo engineering goes on sale there won't be a single laptop on the market worth using. Not sure what I think of Apple right now. On one hand, they catapulted…

Schenker does quite nice generic laptops:

http://www.mysn.de/

You can do a custom configuration and for not so much money you can get a powerful CPU, fast SSD drive, lots of ports etc., and most importantly an IPS screen. The finishing quality doesn't look bad either. Example:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Quick-Review-Schenker-XMG-A722-...

Might not be exactly ThinkPad quality, but when they start marketing a thinner bevel as a "screen innovation" one might want to reconsider...

Re: Lenovo unveils new ThinkPad design

#68

Post by jblow »

I used to buy ThinkPads all the time. But they just keep getting worse (along with all other Windows laptops).

As for the new Thinkpad described in this article... lack of physical mouse buttons = instant fail. This seems like a weird style-oriented consumer move, not a business-user kind of move. I don't understand why everyone is in such a hurry to try and copy the MacBook (badly).

At this point, availability of physical mouse buttons is very high in my list of selling points for a laptop. I doubt I am alone.

Re: Lenovo unveils new ThinkPad design

#69

Post by MBlume »

grannyg00se wrote: post #64
piyush_soni wrote: post #45

That ugly trackpoint (that red dot in the middle of keyboard) and that extremely irritating swapped position of Fn and Ctrl keys are the two things that keep me away from this otherwise excellent laptop. (Though the Fn and Ctrl keys can now be swapped from BIOS, but why ? )

Ugly trackpoint? Are you trolling? Trackpoint is one of the most significant reasons people buy a thinkpad over any other trackpad only laptop. I've heard the ctrl and fn placement is an issue for many people, but I don't understand why you'd want the more frequently used key further away than a hardly ever used key. Or maybe people actually use fn more often than ctrl? That doesn't seem likely.

Don't think further away. Think corners. Corners are easy to hit, you know where they are. Second from the corner requires more effort. Same reasoning as "hot corners" in operating systems.

Re: Lenovo unveils new ThinkPad design

#70

Post by grannyg00se »

MBlume wrote: post #69
grannyg00se wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ugly trackpoint? Are you trolling? Trackpoint is one of the most significant reasons people buy a thinkpad over any other trackpad only laptop. I've heard the ctrl and fn placement is an issue for many people, but I don't understand why you'd want the more frequently used key further away than a hardly ever used key. Or maybe people actually use fn more often than ctrl? That doesn't seem likely.

Don't think further away. Think corners . Corners are easy to hit, you know where they are. Second from the corner requires more effort. Same reasoning as "hot corners" in operating systems.

I can understand that. I guess I've gotten used to the close pinky curl-under that hits Ctrl just right.
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