What you're looking at is a genuine Lenovo device taken by a trusted source from inside of a showroom within IBM's Beijing headquarters Lenovo's Beijing office. The details sent to Engadget Chinese are brief so we can't tell you if it's a working model or not. Nevertheless, it bears all the hallmarks of a ThinkPad Reserve Edition with just a tad of VAIO P thrown in for taste... so to speak. A few more hurried shots at the break.

Update: Tipster clarified that the pics are from a showroom inside a Lenovo office, not IBM's Beijing HQ.

When Lenovo throws a party for the ThinkPad, does IBM get invited? We'd certainly hope so, considering it was the venerable US computing giant which first released the 700C back in 1992, and only gave up its claim to the name a mere two years ago with the completion of its PC division sale -- but don't worry Big Blue, even if the new guys forgot, we still sent you a card. For its part, Lenovo once again trotted out the limited-run Reserve Editions laptops -- those 5,000 French leather-clad X61s's -- and reiterated its commitment to post-sale doting over the select few folks willing to throw down five grand for the privilege. Well you won't find us standing in line to pick up such a luxury item, but we do have to give Lenovo credit for avoiding the obvious temptation to go with a traditional 15th anniversary theme, and unleashing a crystal-studded monstrosity that would make IBM execs cringe with horror and regret every time they saw one being flaunted by a colleague. Got any fond memories of your ThinkPads? Feel free to share 'em in the comments...

[Thanks Sourabh, headline wordplay courtesy of Lenovo PR]

Those hoping for more than an X61s in cow's clothing will be disappointed to learn that there isn't much more to this ThinkPad Reserve Edition mystery. Lenovo unveiled the laptop today, with the expected Executive Support services and of course that leather case distracting from the fact that the laptop is nothing new hardware-wise. The support staff apparently will go the extra mile for you, with guaranteed on-site support in major cities within four hours, and even preventative tune-ups to make sure nothing does go wrong. Lenovo used some fancy Japanese saddle stitching techniques for the leatherwork, and left plenty of room for that extended 7 hour battery to do its thing. Specs include a Centrino Pro Core 2 Duo L7500 processor, WWAN, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD and of course that 12.1-inch not-a-touch-screen. Lenovo even tosses in an external multi-burner and an 80GB USB drive for good measure, but despite all the freebies, we're having a hard time swallowing that $5,000 pricetag. Which is just as well, since the laptop is currently being sold "by invitation only," and we're not sitting on any invitations. Let us know if you have better luck.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

It's only 2 days from launch and already the mighty El Jobso himself is toting a ThinkPad Reserve Edition laptop. That'd be Fake Steve Jobs supposedly carrying the "Chinese uber laptop" delivered (and engraved) personally by Fake Larry Ellison. Too funny. Oddly enough, the TRE (minus the engraving) looks to be the real deal in that photo which makes the true identity of FSJ all the more intriguing.

[Thanks, Emil P.]