Any chance the next X1 Carbon refresh (Broadwell) reverts back to the old keyboard?

I have the Ivy Bridge X1 Carbon and it's been a great laptop. Some quibbles about the build quality and placement of the USB 3.0 port but otherwise it's been just fine. Would love the extra battery life from the Haswell architecture but there's absolutely no way I'm going to bother upgrading unless the keyboard reverts back to at least what is in the first X1C. It was enough learning a new layout when upgrading from my T410s, but the Haswell X1C's keyboard is just a complete non-starter

Any idea if the feedback has been so negative that they drop the silly adaptive keyboard and return the caps lock key?

 

I'm on the same boat as you. If they could revert to the previous keyboard AND trackpoint (with buttons), I would be a very happy camper. Love the new performance and features but the ergonomics are a step backwards.

 

None of the keyboard changes bother me, although this is my first Lenovo and I don't heavily use the F keys. The one I was most worried about is the backspace/delete combo but backspace is actually located where my finger normally strikes anyway.

The keyboard itself (keys, typing) really is a delight; I guess this is why Lenovo users really love their keyboards.

All that said, I haven't really read any positive reviews of the changes so I wouldn't be surprised if the next X1 goes back.

 

If you've used the older generation keyboards, especially IBM Thinkpad ones before the Lenovo takeover, you'll know exactly where these guys are coming from. They were miles better.

 

I can't say I'd be surprised, but it seems unlikely that Lenovo would change given their willingness to go their own way.

 

Well, if that's the case the X1C I currently have will likely be my last Thinkpad.

Was a good run while it lasted.

 

Honestly, I don't understand their reasoning behind deviating from what consumers want...

 

Would be great if they could release an updated keyboard (with the buttons we want), that could be retrofitted onto existing units. Maybe even someone with some engineering skills could make an aftermarket unit themselves and sell it?

What's strange is they sell backlit and non-backlit keyboards so why not trackpoint centric vs touchpad centric? Don't think much engineering would be involved on Lenovo's part.

 

Sometimes, you just really don't know why a company makes a certain decision, when everyone knows that the decision is pretty darn wrong.... I guess lenovo has its own vision--one that is different to the original IBM designers/engineers that got thinkpads going.

 

They tried to be innovative but ended up spoiling their own products to an extent they can't imagine. Somehow I recall watching the Science of Stupid on Discovery yesterday and it rings a bell here. I have been waiting for a "matured" X1 Carbon since 2-3 years ago and after a few upgrades and releases, this is the best they could come up with. My biggest complaint would be the adaptive keyboard and mouse buttons. I can live without the SD card although that is a major drawback for photographers. Caps lock is ok, just a matter of getting used to pressing it twice.

 

As far as i know from a customer point of view, the hybrid touchpad and trackpad is not a popular design change with lot of the enterprise customers. Touchstrip wise, i don't think in the current implementation is a great design, where you have to cycle through the fn row to use the multimedia and function keys. Hopefully they retain it as an additional row on top of the dedicated Fn key.

 

I'd second this, the adaptive strip offers such great potential, if you are willing to make use of it. For example it could replace the status indicator LED's or even serve as a battery bar. (since the power manager was removed in Win 8)

 

The adaptive strip is nice to have but having it to replace the function keys is a big drawback. I have yet to see a review site that's supportive of the idea, and for an ex-ThinkPad fan for over 20 years, I have read quite a bit.

 

i will be giving feedback to ThinkPad product managers at the end of month, so will give feedback to them about the trackpad and trackpoint.

 

I get the adaptive key idea but the implementation is horrendous.
I'm a heavy user of the F keys and cannot tolerate such a change.
I would prefer to have a good keyboad and a 1024x768 resolution ... it's that bad.

I see two fixes to this:
1. release a model with the some old keyboard, any other keyboard would do ... If I wanted a touch screen as a keyboard I would get a tablet.
2. stick a piece of epaper on the normal keys and have it display whatever you want.

This change really shows you that they don't understand who exactly is buying the X1 Carbon.
Really? Battery indicator? Really?
Indicate on the damn display and leave by keyboard alone.

Please please ... keep the keyboard as "hardcore" as possible.
Offer alternative keyboards if you must innovate.