So, before we get ourselves in a tizzy, we'll caveat that there are some seeming signs of Photoshoppery here, namely the edge around the keyboard and of course the pure insanity of putting chiclet keys and a white skin on a ThinkPad (Cloned In China thinks it might be an outright
KIRF). That said, there's something about the laptop that smacks of ultraportability and simplicity which we're not entirely averse to. And for the purists there's still that nipple and the third mouse button to be smug about, which is something for them to think about while the burn down the Engadget HQ in a rage for us even suggesting this could be a good direction. Check out another shot after the break, and shots of another even odder design at the read link.
posted Nov 2nd 2009 12:10AM
Wow The ThinkPads still look so dull after all these years kinda sad.
No they don't, really. Especially the slim models and X301. They're much more elegant in person than they seem in photographs. Whereas all the glossy consumer models photograph much better than they hold up to reality.
Lenovo makes glossy consumer ThinkPads now too - the SL series - and they look just as crap in real life as other glossy laptops. (I have one, it's *impossible* to keep it clean.)
Thinkpads favor functionality and durability over pretty. No one buys these to win beauty contests. Although that middle red nipple is damn sexy.
How could a nipple on a keyboard possibly be dull?
I like it. In fact it stands out bc of its plain utilitarian design and function compared to most of the gaudy, shiny crap thats out there.
These NO BS computers are made for work and they are very durable. Not to say my experience is true for all, but my $2000 plus macbook is falling apart. My 7-year old Thinkpad looks pretty much new and I go on the road with it far more than my macbook. In fact, my macbook pretty much stayed home.
This is a manly PC. Apple (or similar) products are for beta males.
To generalize, these IBMs arent for wanna-be hipster douches sitting in a coffee house clicking away on a macbook/iphone trying to look important. Important people actually do important things, and its pretty likely a good amount of them do work on an IBM branded PC.
Who cares if aint pretty. Are you that insecure that you need a cool-designed computer to validate your self worth. Grow up.
As for my comment above, I'm talking about IBM branded PC's in general and not this. This is a step in the wrong direction. I do not like.
Meh. The Lenovo's got some nice tech, but after owning a MacBoo Pro for only four months I can already tell I will never go back to the crappy-old trackpads. One-button glass trackpads + gestures FTMFW.
@Hugh Janus: are you talking about a $2000 unibody macbook pro? or a white polycarbonate one?( although at that price i doubt it).
Cause i can hardly see the unibody fall apart so soon and a 7 year old Thinkpad be all dandy. I'm not really an Apple fan but i had 3 laptops in my life: a Dell, a Sony vaio and a MBP (last 2 were given to me by my office) and the latter is by far the most solid. Plus the trackpad is probably the best one i've ever touched.
And what is it that you do as an important person on a Thinkpad that you cant do on the rest of the PC or Apple laptops? That's a genuine question, not a rethorical one - i'm inclined to buy a thinkpad for personal use in the near future cause i heard great things about them, but never played with one.
-Drop your thinkpad on the ground and stomp on it, then snap it open and resume working like nothing ever happened
-Drop a drink ONTO the thinkpad instead, then let it sit there while it drains out of the keyboard and resume working like nothing ever happened
-Crack open the thinkpad and change the keyboard without ever breaking warranty
-Type something up, use the trackpoint to click something, then go back to typing without ever leaving homerow on the keyboard
-Type something up in the dark using the thinklight
-Go old-school and write a quick note to yourself using the thinklight (something backlit keyboards can't do)
-Go out of the house for longer by swapping out your CD drive for a battery pack
-Switch between integrated and discrete graphics processors...on the fly
-Switch between wifi and built in 3G wireless data
-Fold your laptop screen all the way down flat (you'd be surprised how many modern computer manufacturers overlook this)
-Install Linux without hunting down obscure .dats and .inis and hacking them into Linux to make the computer even turn on
-Use a thinkpad on your lap without reducing your thighs to KFC
-Use a laptop without having to put on earphones just to drown out the fan noise
Am I missing something?
@ridley182
Here's a gesture:
Take your 3 fingers, any fingers, place them on your trackpad and then swipe to the left. Can you no longer see this text? Great, now you no longer have input in this discussion.
I commute on a Ferry frequently. One of the boats in particular vibrates pretty horrendously. At any given time there are a few dozen folks within sight using laptops. The Macs stand out against all the others because they are the ones where the screen is waving back and forth on their weaker hinges with the backlight occasionally cutting out. Meanwhile the Lenovo's keep humming, rock solid with their screens staying put. There is definitely something to be said about the durability of something built like a tank.
But hey, I guess the trendy coffee shops where Macs are most frequently used don't tend to rock and vibrate so much, so it probably doesn't matter.
@Moisiom
i love you!
My heart just sank, but considering they just released a major redesign across the range this last generation, it's doubtful. Maybe it's Lenovo rethinking the failure that is the SL series?
Yeah, these look more in line with the SL series. The keyboard look like typical Sony style crap, and the grills on the side are totally not thinkpad style. The trackpad and trackpoint are at least somewhat reminiscent of a thinkpad. I doubt this is the new direction of thinkpads. Lenovo isnt that stupid
...except that it's a 4:3 aspect screen. While I would love to believe they're returning to 4:3, Lenovo has stated repeatedly on their blogs that the cost is too high. While I might believe them returning to a 4:3 ratio for their high end ultraportables, the cost would certainly be too high for an SL-line ThinkPad.
Unless this is indeed a new, high-end ThinkPad ultraportable. Then: eugh. I might be more inclined to accept it if it didn't have the "look-at-me" glossy white case and knew that the chiclet keyboard felt the same.
as a Lenovo x200 owner... who loves his thinkpad... even I think it's ugly
I run an x200t and feel the same. It's not bad, but then again, the beauty of a thinkpad isn't really in it's looks. It's the durability, keyboard, linux community and trackpoint that will keep me running Thinkpads for the foreseeable future..
After a brief and disappointing few months with a MBP/OSX, I won't be changing again anytime soon.
Unless of course that image is real, and the keyboard feel I know and love is destroyed.
From my old T series through my current X series, they just can't be beat (unless of course you need to be trendy).
my eyes! the goggles do nothing!
If these are real, I really hope they didnt botch the keyboard, looks much more curved I mean why mess with pretty much the best laptop keyboards.
Why would they reverse their recent keyboard shakeup (esc key double size)? Also: glossy screen? Not buying it. They know better.
Eh? ThinkPads have had glossy screens for years now.
Lenovo has trampled all over what made ThinkPad buyers buy ThinkPads ever since they took the line over. Then they wonder why people don't buy them. They'll probably release this thinking it's fixed everything people didn't like about ThinkPads before, then they'll wonder again why it doesn't sell - never realizing that they've actually "fixed" all the things people *did* like about ThinkPads.
The SL line has had glossy screens for less than a year, nothing else does. Maybe you're thinking of Ideapads?
And really, they might have struggled a bit initially with the likes of the Z series, but recently each generation has been an improvement. The new major redesign is a big step forward, at least after they remedied the keyboard flex issues on the larger models.
@Jeff:
I owned a T23 and T41 back in the day and recently a Z61t. I of course loved all of them. But now I own a T400, and I have to say it shows big improvements. IMO Lenovo has nothing but good to the thinkpad line since their takeover. Each jump gets more refined and feature packed; and if you can't agree to that then you have to agree that they have taken no steps backwards.
Just more proof (if you can call it that) that the ThinkPad name is basically meaningless these days. Lenovo has done, and continues to do, a lot of damage to this brand.
At least it is a lot better and more durable than the legions of HPs, Acers and Dells that seem to be all over the place.
Nah this is real, a fake would have switched the fn and ctrl key.
Having the Fn key on the corner is actually really useful because you can easily find it without looking at the keyboard since it is at the bottom left corner. Having it there makes sense when you consider that the Fn button to turn on the ThinkLight is on the PgUp key, which is at the top right corner, so you can find the ThinkLight combo in the dark by just finding the corners.
I actually prefer the function key being on the right of the control key. I use the Ctrl key a lot and I'm only using my first laptop, so it feels natural to have a layout identical to that of a regular desktop keyboard. Most of the function key uses for my computer aren't things that I do too often either so I never really miss it.
It's even better once you make caps lock a control key, as it should be.
@Jeff,
I owned four thinkpads since '99, two prio and two after Lenovo. I am not noticing anything different and will not buy any other brands.
@Jeff
I have to agree with wjw9ubm02, we exclusively use IBM/Lenovo at work. At first, I was worried about the change to Lenovo, but I couldn't be more pleased. They have kept the Thinkpad line at its high standard and have actually made a few small improvements that adhire to the Thinkpad heritage. We still rarely have to call in for service with these computers, which is way better than all the other places I have worked at with Dell and Toshiba. They are still the same rock solid Thinkpads of yesteryear. The X300/301 and T400S are two prime examples of this.
Oh come on, Engadget..*might* be a fake? It might as well have "brought to you by Adobe" plastered across it.
Exactly! Look at how stretched out the "ThinkPad" logo is on the palm rest. It's either a chinese knockoff or a shop. I'm guessing its a knockoff.
I would buy this.
This is microSoft like windows vista
Huh?
We see what you did there, neflow. We... just don't understand it.
I remember reading somewhere that Lenovo was planning to release a new series that slots between the SL and R models. Maybe this is it? Looks like the result of a threesome with a T series, Macbook and one very horny Chinese.
My Thinkpad X-series laptops and tablets have been the best laptops I have ever used. Besides updating specs, I have not found a better laptop at any price range than my very old X40s. I have used them for all of my software development, except for iPhone dev - OSX required :( . I have really wanted a Thinkpad netbook but I require the absence of: touchpad & glossy case. And it should fit in a cargo shorts pocket. Even if I can turn a touchpad off, I just don't want it there. Someday I will pay Lenovo a fortune to custom-make a Thinkpad for me - it will be the X40 but smaller.
I dont know if I would buy this but I sure love my w500.
How many design cliches can you spot?
1. Faux chicklet keyboard (Dell Studio XPS).
2. Silver frame around chassis (XPS16, but really popularized by the iPhone).
3. White lid, black insides (fairly common with Dells and others, I'm sure).
The only part that's not at all cliched is the 4:3 screen. If you wanted to make a sleeker business machine, the HP Probook and Dell Lattitude lines really have a better template.
I think it just looks unfinished, probably one of many prototypes that are mulling production.
I agree.
Photoshop thats all im goin to say i can already c some of the tools they used
As for my comment above, I'm talking about IBM branded PC's in general and not this. This is a step in the wrong direction. I do not like.
Ouch! I love my Thinkpad X61s' keyboard. It's the best keyboard ever made and this is the nicest laptop I've ever owned.
I wanna order their ps/2 thinkpad laptop keyboard for my desktop.
I use it, and love it! Feels just like my T61p did (which was just slightly better than my current - and still great - x200t)
Though, I just today broke down and ordered an 'ergonomic' MS kb. I know I won't like the key feel, but I am spending so much more time in code::blocks and eclipse these days that I think I might be getting carpal tunnel or something. Hoping it helps with the wrist/forearm strain.
You might try a mechanical keyboard. I'm not making any medical claims, but there are those who believe that the good deep, firm travel is preventative. I do know that if I have to spend much time on a particularly mushy keyboard, I tend to have more problems.
The lack of a blue ThinkVantage proves that this is a KIRF ThinkPad SL.
Nice read link... fail.
If these are real the Thinkpad is officially dead to me.
Looks very old fashioned
You're analogically sick.
That laptop would look perfect in my garbage can.
This could be a real mockup, (Toshiba told me years ago their mockups were made of wood) but I doubt something like this would make production as a ThinkPad. The keyboard layout and power button location are very SL-like. But they've been making a bit of noise about the SL's 'hidden' hinges, which this doesn't have. And the non-repeat of the 'titanium'-colored lid on the Z60, and the move on the SL from glossy to matte lids methinks the white isn't for production.
My guess is this was a mockup for a to-be "SL210," which didn't come to be after they decided to drop the SL300 (which I have one of).
This is looking like the best answer here, considering the news of a 10.6" machine in FCC.
2 years ago I said I will never buy a mcbook due to pricing.
Since I see Pc laptops highend laptops only $100 difference from apple MacBook.
I'm finally ready to drop $899 for a MacBook pro. Apple. Com
Two years ago I was content with whatever my parents gave me after I begged then for it while slacking off and refusing to learn how to spell correctly.
But now that my trust fund has been released, I'm full of disposable income. Macbooks look good, and that takes prefrence over power or price, and since I'm doing a liberal arts degree, I onlty really need a word processor and an internet connection.
I can get one of these and literally hammer other laptops from HP, Apple, Dell, Acer, etc. and the Thinkpad will barely be scratched.
no
seconded
Is it too much to ask for functionality and pretty in one package?
You, sir, are looking for an HP Elitebook. You pay for what you get, though.
It seems like every laptop has a MacBook-like chicklet keyboard these days.
LOL. Apple copied the keyboard from Sony which copied it from I believe Toshiba.
@Cesium
You're probably right. The thing is, the reason why a lot of laptops have chicklet keyboards these days probably ain't because Sony and Toshiba had them in the past.
Egad. Nipple? Have you no class?
We like to call it the ThinkPad clit.
There seems to be two more pictures at this link http://www.51nb.com/viewnews-53678.html showing another model. Not sure if anyone has seen these other ones yet.
LENOVO - IF YOU MAKE THIS and DONT LEAVE THE X SERIES AS IT IS
I WILL LOSE FAITH IN HUMANITY
missing clam-shell is FAIL!
-> fake
@Bogdan:
As far as my jerkish comment about being 'important', I said that to lash out at people putting down Thinkpads and maybe I'm unfairly assuming the first poster is an apple fanboy.
But I dont care.
Thinkpads are the best laptops I've ever used when it comes to durability and construction. From my experience going back to the titanium powerbooks to my current MBP , theres always a problem when it comes cracks, creaks, and such. I'm a database analyst for the Department of Education and I travel all over the place within and out of state. Assuming you are not careless with your computer, it will be fine. My macbooks, for the most part, stayed in my house.
@Bogdan:
As far as my jerkish comment about being 'important', I said that to lash out at people putting down Thinkpads and maybe I'm unfairly assuming the first poster is an apple fanboy.
But I dont care.
Thinkpads are the best laptops I've ever used when it comes to durability and construction. From my experience going back to the titanium powerbooks to my current MBP , theres always a problem when it comes cracks, creaks, and such. I'm a database analyst for the Department of Education and I travel all over the place within and out of state. Assuming you are not careless with your computer, it will be fine. My macbooks, for the most part, stayed in my house.
Not sure about the glossy white, but a little visual update, though not necessary for the TP fanbase, could attract new customers. As long as the quality is same or better, and the keyboard feel is still top-notch.
I dunno, the white looks kinda cool (proud T500 owner, by the way).
The chicklet keyboard, however, can burn in hell.
i agree i HATE this type of keyboard. It is only good for about 1week, after which you realize - it sucks ass
Horrifying, stuff of nightmares.
Noooooooooooooooooooooo! Half-height arrow keys?!?!?! No 3x2 insert/home/pgup/pgdn/del/insert block? Um, I think it's time to stockpile X301s before they're all gone.
Hopefully this is a KIRF, and if not, the thinkpad line is officially dead.
Current Thinkpads are not as well made as older ones. My work issued T400 is noticeably less solid and uses cheaper plastics than the T61 and T43 I still have. Of course my 15 inch unibody Mac Book Pro walks all over any of them in durability and quality. Thinkpads are cheap fpr their quality level though. If you buy the higher end HP business laptops they cost as much or more than a Mac Book Pro.
I don't think that screen is glossy (it better not be)
gawd that's ugly
Dear Lenovo,
Keep the old school ThinkPad design motif alive. that way I know who to make fun of.
I'm pretty sure that says "ThinkPod"
Yeah, looks like a KIRF but I can see technicians using this out in the field at construction sites. Not all Labtops have to be pretty.
I REALLY hope Lenovo does not make the Touch and Nipple pad on the next X series - I will be SO MAD
I also do not understand why the X200 - and X200T have different keyboards. They x200t has a much better keyboard, i have had both of them and i just .. do not understand.
I now have a sony Vaio Z series and ... after 4 months am looking to sell it and buy an thinkpad x200, but i think im gona wait till january till the new line of X series are introduced.
x200 is like the BEST computer ever, i kinda wish it was still in the 3:4 resolution but... i guess you cant get everything that you want.
I was kinda disappointed with the X200T, its just so much heavier and bulkier. My friends X41T is just soo much smaller and lighter, like the x200 and T almost feel like totally different computers.
although they were both awesome
and way more awesome then my now sony z
my biggest reason for wanting to keep the Z is that i have another Harddrive stuffed into the DVD drive .. and its pretty awesome to have an SSD, and a 640GB HDD
People who buy thinkpads obviously don't give a shit about the looks of the computer. Fuck this thing is hideous.