Details surface for future ThinkPads: X200, SL, T and R series
By Darren Murph 
posted Jun 8th 2008 9:40PM
posted Jun 8th 2008 9:40PM
- 12-inch WXGA panel
- 45nm Core 2 Duo CPUs up to 2.4GHz
- Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology
- SSDs up to 64GB
- WiMAX / WWAN / GPS / WiFi / UWB / Bluetooth
- Magnesium alloy top and bottom covers
- 9.6-hours of battery life on the 9-cell pack
- DDR3 RAM
- 1.3-megapixel camera
- DisplayPort connector
- 3 USB ports
- Starts at 2.93 pounds
Highlights of ThinkPad SL Series:
- SL300 / SL400 / SL500 models
- 13.3-inch / 14.1-inch / 15.4-inch WXGA panels (SL500 has WSXGA+ option)
- Core 2 Duo processors
- Integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD or discrete NVIDIA GeForce 9300 graphics
- ExpressCard / FireWire / 3+ USB ports
- Optional Blu-ray drive
- WWAN / WiMAX / WiFi / Bluetooth / GPS
- T400 / T500 models
- 14-inch / 15-inch panels
- Intel Centrino 2 with vPro up to 2.8GHz
- Optional 64GB SSD / 320GB HDD
- 512MB ATI Mobility FireGL V5700 graphics
- DDR3 RAM
- WWAN / WiMAX / WiFi / Bluetooth
- 14.1-inch R400 / 15.4-inch R500 models
- Montevina Penryn Core 2 Duo processors
- Up to 320GB HDD
- Up to 4GB DDR3 RAM
- Integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD or discrete ATI Mobility Radeon 3470 graphics
- 3 USB / FireWire / ExpressCard / VGA
[Thanks, Timothy]
Buh bye air..
yea.
not a single air will be sold from here on.
wait...really?
And... Here comes... You know who...
*hides*
@J.C.
What! No more air!
Nononononononooo!!!!
I can't breathe! HEEELPPP!!!!
*dies*
There's no air,no air...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Icv6DgZ-9O4
*sarcastically*
X200 has 64Mb of SSD storage. woooooooooooooooo
Now, I'm hot and bothered....
Hot and bothered by the fact that this article has absolutely nothing to do with the 3G iPhone or what color mock turtleneck Steve Jobs is going to wear for the WWDC Event of the Year.
Oh noes. I have a strange feeling I'm going to get Low-Ranked for this comment. I guess I'm able to see into the future. Please don't ban me. I'll try to do better next time.
Yes, But can it cut cake?
about 12 more hours and it is iPhone2 time!
Dude, what the hell does this have to do with kick ass ThinkPad laptops?
we have a winner! a whole 6 minutes after the article is up, the first totally on topic iPhone reference. in a post that is definitely about phones.
As a Mac user it hurts to read your posts, I don't even know how the windows guys feel about you.
Can't wait to see the price for X200. If it is reasonable, I think I am ready to switch back to the dark side.
where is clak?
There should be a Goldwin's Law for the iPhone, Microsoft and/or Apple.
From "http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/02/asus-prepping-wimax-usb-dongle-base-stations/"
iEye @ Jun 2nd 2008 7:34PM
"You will not have 1 comment from me relating to any Apple product until the 3G release"
So you lied again, eh?
clak would say:
But it runs on windows.
this is what all apple fanboys say when they have nothing to win.
Wait! There is one thing that both the Thinkpads and Iphone have in common - they are both are overpriced!
If it sounds too good to be true.......
.... its probably more than I can afford.
X200 will most likely start around $1300... $1700 if it's SSD only.
R-series and T-series will almost certainly be between 0.9x and 1.1x the price of the current R and T models. SL models will probably start at R-series prices but max out higher.
The R's look decidedly more expensive than before. They have dual roll cages now (at least the R500), yet they're still heavier than the T. These things are going to be tanks. But it does look like they may be holding back the latest chipsets here, so we'll see.
It looks to me like the SL are going to be the new R, with some interesting twists like flashier designs and GPS (are we sure these aren't Ideapads or 3000 series?) I wish the T's and X's would have GPS. And let me tell you, that addition could very seriously challenge Dell for some big accounts like Xerox for their service techs. Anyway, back to the SL, maybe they're trying to target college kids with this move. They've been trying since the Z and just haven't been able to get it right. I just don't get where the Ideapad is supposed to come in if that's the case.
Anyway, the T's and X's look great. I'm disappointed to not see an X400, but not at all surprised. Here's hoping they have a more cost effective refresh of the X300 around the corner.
i got my x61s for ~$1100.
1.6GHz ULV Core2Duo
80GB SATA
12"
2.5 lbs
7 hour battery.
Lenovo has 20% off coupons all the time, just be a little patient.
Oh my....DO WANT indeed...
WOW very nice!
The X200 might cost 2500$ and up!
i'll wait till they drop the benjamins on this.... I'm sure it'll be something that will definitely break the bank...
Now this is something to get hyped about. I'd very much like to have the pictured ThinkPad.
Egads! Is that an actual contour on the thinkpad I see?
I love the specs.... but shamefully admit the aesthetics of this machine doesn't appeal to me.
Is the nipple patented? Tried my friend's thinkpad and the nipple beats trackpads. It'd be nice to have them on something like the Vaio ZX.
I'm pretty sure Toshiba used to have them on their laptops... I've had several ThinkPads over the years and I miss the nipple on my MacBook Pro.
i wonder how much it will cost to get one of those x200 laptops
Is the x200 a smaller screened x300?
Seriously though, Lenovo needs to figure out the double mouse once and for all. OR at least provide a bigger touchpad. And, although I think Thinkpads look sleek with the cover down, once you open em, they are sort of meh. Seriously Lenovo, leave the keyboard as is, and put some gloss into it.
also, scrap the 3000 series and offer the ideapad in 13.3in and in Canada.
They give you gloss on the 3000 series, the Ideapad, and now the SL series of Thinkpad. Everybody else gives you gloss almost exclusively. Now stfu and let the rest of us hold onto this one last bastion of our sanity.
I don't know why you got low ranked, they're objectively ugly computers. The Ideapads look nice, I don't know why they can't spend a couple thousand redesigning the Thinkpad. Just because it's business-class doesn't mean it has to be no-class.
Granted I've been using Thinkpads for over a decade now, so I'm likely to be biased, but I *really* like the look of them.. In a word: class. While everyone else is either making monstrosities of curving plastics or listening to what over-paid idiots on madison ave tell them, the Thinkpad line has kept a very conservative non-descript look that I seriously value.
Matte black is where its at. If I wanted everyone to notice my notebook, well I'd f**king shoot myself for being some attention seeking wannabe who got a notebook to look cool at the coffee shop. Maybe nobody at a LAN party would like it, but I'm OKAY with that. When you walk into a professional business meeting a Thinkpad is what you're going to want to be setting on the table - not some shinny flashy kids toy. ...and if I'm out an about on my computer its because my pager went off and the last thing I want is some dork staring at me.
The thing is a freaking tool that allows me to get my job done, and I feel it does so in style. I equate the thinkpad to a nice benz or BMW or a nice suite.
I realize it's a tool, and it does its job admirably, they're always really nice computers. I just hate that they look like they're 40 years old. Like I said, the Ideapads are really good looking, and if they ported some of the design features over they could have a real winner. Why can't something have both utility and fashion (and why do so many people seem to disagree with me)?
Its all great until you see the $$$
Hmm... I'm really considering selling my X61s for that X200. Sure my X61s gets 8h on the 8-cell, but 9.6h on the 9-cell X200... that's tempting.
something in my pants suddenly feels all warm and tingly...
That is interesting and definitely too much information.
That is interesting and definitely too much information.
Sorry about that double post, damn iPod touch!
@Agent42: that'd be your phone vibrating, and maybe it has one of those fake batteries.
I'm very happy to see the new SL line will still have nVidia graphics. I'm a big fan of nVidia, so I was disappointed to see the R and T series were going ATI.
The SL is hardly a Thinkpad, though, so it's not all that great of a win if you ask me. On the other hand, ATI's Linux drivers are getting better and better, so it's meaning less and less to me.
Yeah, I understand. I guess the SL line will be consumer oriented ThinkPad. I don't use Linux though, so ATI's drivers for Linux are of no use to me.
If I was going to buy one of these new ThinkPads, it would certainly be a T500. I did just buy a brand new T61 is March though, so I'll be good for a while.
anyword on tablets?
YES there IS A TABLET X200!!!! woo hoo!
Bye Bye Air????
Ok, you do realize that the main reason people buy Macs is so they don't have to use "Ghetto" Computers using crappy, bloated, buggy Windows. So to say that just because a nice looking computer comes out from Lenovo, all the Mac users are going to run and say.
"Oh look, a nice thin light laptop from lenovo. Let me run and partake of the slow, buggy, bloated, drm laden Vista and get rid of my nice Mac." Back away from the bong and get a breath.
I'm sure this is a nice piece of hardware from Lenovo. If it comes with a nice version of Linux and the price is right, I might even consider buying one. But to have to go back into the windows nightmare....no thank you.
when I first started reading your comment I was going to say "have you ever heard anyone say linux was 'crappy, bloated, buggy'"
but then you mentioned linux at the end...
I run my laptop with a small win XP partition for running windows only software and games, then the rest is for Ubuntu or Fedora, depending on my mood when I periodically upgrade.
I'm feeling the need to smash your head with a brick.
& I /own/ a mac...
@Velorium:
me too
@Shenzhov - you can put linux on yourself (apparently its free!!!)
or you can hack os x on, its quite easy.
and I don't get what you mean by drm-laden.
The only things that typically don't work when putting OSX on a Lenovo is the sound and maybe the WiFi with an Intel chipset. Other than that, multiboot away!
Guess what vPro is? Yup, more DRM.
http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/hardware/Intels-new-vPro-two-steps-forward-for-x86-and-for-DRM-andor-P2P.ars/2
Great post!
So any word on the new tablet? Maybe X200T?
yes please where is our Lenovo tablet news? (/signed)
I hope the x62 (or whatever they are going to call it) is still the same formfactor as the x61, and don't go wide screen.
Tablet's coming a few months after all of these. We're planning a big T400 order for fall, and were told new tablets would not be available, so we're doing X61t's instead.
Wow, that WiMax is gonna come in REAL useful *roll eyes*
Hey, if you're buying for the future...
I'm sure it will be fairly widespread well within any of these laptops' reasonable life span.
Suuuuuure it will, if you keep laptops for 7-10 years
Hey, I'm not saying it's going to be available in Poke-in-the-ass, Montana; but most major cities should have it within 2-3 years from Sprint alone.
This might be useful if it runs Linux well or we wait until Windows 7 comes out, assuming it actually is an advance.
Hm.
12" ... too big. I want an 8" screen, no bigger.
No pivot touchscreen laptop/tablet version? meh. Maybe a 12" screen would be ok if it had this, and a virtual thumb keyboard (like the samsung Q1).
And what about vendor supported Ubuntu? (like, drivers and such for that nice wireless networking stuff, WiMAX, WWAN, Bluetooth, etc.)
I don't see a lot to get excited about here.
I had a thinkpad. Always hated the blue enter key. Why is it blue?!
With a screw driver, some white-out, a small stencil with the word 'enter' on it, and http://www.orientaltrading.com/ui/browse/processRequest.do?requestURI=processProductsCatalog&categoryId=377320&BP=8110&sku=73%2f53821&cm_mmc=NXTG-_-Art%20Supplies-_-Spray%20Paint-_-Krylon%20Interior%2fExterior%20Spray%20Paints%20-%20Semi-Flat%20Black , you can fix that in about 2 hours.
Now that's much a better design than the X300.
9.6 hours? even if they've overshot the estimate by 50%, that's still a hell of a long ass time.
gimme gimme gimme
I love my thinkpads but their displays are crap. Hopefully these LED screens will be much better.
When are they coming out?
Centrino 2 is due out mid July.
You'd think these would be available then....but I am thinking September is a good bet.
Holy cow... I think I might actually be willing to pay up to 2k for this thing. I currently have the HPtx1000z Tablet PC, so I'd lose the touch-screen capabilities if I got this one. Come to think of it, I don't even use the touch-screen often, so this would definitely be a step up. =)
-Blade Genexis
Thinkpad: Still ugly as hell
Or still awesome looking. Eye of the beholder.
Chuck Norris says "awesome looking", you lose.
Chuck Norris says "awesome looking", you lose.
Chuck Norris says "awesome looking", you lose.
...and low resale value - super!
Try doing some research, that's not at all true.
Lenovo needs to use higher quality panels for their screens before I buy one.
Wait a minute, so the X200 with the 6 cell gets up to 8.8 hours and with the 9 cell, only 9.6 hours? Its a 50% increase and less than an hours extra life?
Am I missing something here!?
I think it's because they have started to mix li-po and normal li-ion batteries in a single battery, making it harder to judge what's actually "one cell". But yes, it doesn't make much sense.
Wow those are some great stats, lets hope the price doesn't kill it
Those laptops looks great, especially the R500 (well except for the graphics part, which will certainly retain some people to buy it...)
And furthermore, the laptop doesn't seems a lot expansive (compared to others Montevina laptop) : http://www5.fsa.ulaval.ca/sgc/servicesressources/environnementtechnologique/environnementulysse/ordinateurportatifrecommandefsa/pid/12270 (in french)
$1000 for a P8400 (2.26GHz), 2Go 1066MHz DDR3 RAM, 160Go SATA 5400 RPM, 15.4" WXGA screen. I suppose that with a better processor (the P one at 2.53GHz), a faster hard drive, and a WSXGA+ screen it must cost around $1500 ?
Does a 12" screen mean its a non widescreen?
And is it non glossy?
If would be true, and the battery life would be remotely accurate, then I WANT!!!!!!111!!!eleven!!1!
It's widescreen from now on, get used to it. Most people prefer widescreen and I can see why since it gives more space for a proper keyboard and are better for viewing movies. Lenovo can't fight the tide, every panel manufacturer out there is moving away from the 4:3-format.
I was a bit disappointed that the T-series didn't come with the new quad core mobile chipset. The R-series were always too heavy and bulky for my liking.
Not consumer orientated - but orientated towards SMBs who dont know what the hell they are buying.
Sadly the day we feared has come, covering a generic piece of crap in black plastic and sticking a ThinkPad logo on it does not make it a ThinkPad.
yaaay DisplayPort \o/
.....i hope it will be available on the 12" model
damn these look to be good specs
well lenovo, good job taking over IBM Commercial
this is really good though cause we now know that apple is gonna match if not top this because of what happend to the MBA
yes
but the x200 and the t do look really nice
why cant they plate the things with aluminum or titanium cause magnesium isnt cool
how bout something strange like selenium or iridium or eistienium
that would be coooooooooool
So is this X200 basically the next X series laptop after x60/61?
There will be no x70orx80?
july 15
http://www.law2.byu.edu/admissions/laptop.php