Any news if Lenovo is abandoning the stupid off-center screen design?

Any news if Lenovo is abandoning the stupid off-center screen design in their next gen thinkpads?

 

The screen on the latest ThinkPad, the T400s, is centered. Then again, I thought I would have an issue with off-centered screens due to all the whining on this board, but I am a proud T400 owner and can say THE OFF-CENTER SCREEN IS A NON-ISSUE. There are many more important things to be whining about.

 

to be honest, I notice my screen being off the center well after I got the laptop ... like when somebody posted about this.

on a second though, this screen being like that actually looks cool, like more cyber oriented

 

Has anyone noticed that Thinkpad keyboards aren't symmetrical ? Yeah, there is a "return" and "backspace" key on the right side, but not the left. Doesn't this bother anyone ?

(Sorry about the sarcasm--but I really get tired of the topic of a slightly off-center screen.)

 

i have a t42p which has a centered screen but when i saw the new models, i couldn't care less about the screen not "centered".

but actually, the keyboard symmetry of my US keyboard with German stickers on it was quite an issue. so much, that i bought a real german keyboard, with the bigger enter key...

seriously... i think this tiny enter key on the US keyboard has more impact on ergonomics than the off center screen

 

Also if you take out a ruler you'll notice the TrackPoint and associated buttons is about 1/2" more to the left than the right. What on earth were they thinking .

 

I've had my T61 for about a year and a half, and I must say that my non-centered screen does not bother me in the least. In fact, if I didn't read about it not being centered, I probably wouldn't have noticed in the first place.

 

My T40 screen from 2003 is not centered, but who cares

 

the 701c i had 14 years ago had a display that was further off center than any notebook to date.   it never bothered me for a second simply because i always found myself looking at what was on the screen, not the bezel.

off-center displays used to be an IBM trademark and made it easy to spot a thinkpad from across the room.   people used to appreciate this attribute for what it was.   now everyone complains.

i blame the internet.

 

You are probably not concentrated enough on your job/task to notice something insignificant as this.

 

I agree with what being said above. There is no perfect machine. Selecting a notebook is a compromise of many many factors such as performance, reliability, style, size, weight, support etc. and last but not least, the cost. To you, maybe the non-centered screen is a key factor that you can never accept. To me, this is a non-critical issue that I am willing to compromise in exchange of the other benefits.

 

Windsor you have just described life and every choice ever made .

 

haha,yes ... we have to learn the art of compromising in life - when and what to compromise

 

this topic is driving me crazy.. do you constantly nitpick and have to find something wrong with something enough to b### about it on a forum? Who gives a #### about it? My T43's screen is slightly off center as well, do i care? No. In fact i think this design "flaw" brings a certain look to the laptop and accentuates the plastics, i like it. I think they look alot more generic with it centered.

 

The important thing is to get back to 4:3, off-center or not.

 

in fact, the GFs Dell D630 has also off-centered screen. Not by much but still .. lol.

but yes, 4:3 ftw. With external 20" monitor here

 

Ya, I wish we still have 4:3 at least for external monitors...I have a samsung 20" that is 4:3 (1600x1200). That's good dot pitch density .

 

maybe it's just me, but I think widescreen is better. Heck, I'll take 16:9 if it means having a number pad. (no number pad, no 16:9, please.)

The off center screen isn't really an issue, but I can see that symmetry beats out asymmetry in pure aesthetic terms. I think the T400s is an indication of future Thinkpads so I think the others will have centered screens. I'd really like less bezel though, I think you could fit a 17 inch screen in the current 15 inch chassis. Though I'm not holding my breath.

 

Really ? I have a Samsung Syncmaster 204B (20" and 1600 x 1200) that I am happy with.

Yes, 4:3 notebooks would be nice.

 

Mine died this summer, but luckily was just in the last couple months of warranty coverage (yay for 3 years). So it got replaced under samsung's quick RMA process and I have another one.

 

Well, well, well.

Those who are bothered by the off-centered screen would:
1. not have bought it in the first place, or
2. have gotten rid of it ASAP.

Those who still own it would not so bothered.

Funny thing though.

Hardcore diehard ThinkPad owners/users are quite anal about their keyboards. But are not so about the off-centered screen? Makes me suspicious.

The "excuses" I see in the posts so far can likewise be used to justify a "flexxy" keyboard, no? After all, if you're really working, you shouldn't be noticing the keyboard, right? (according to the prevailing "logic" as it were, thus far).

However, if ergonomics per keyboard is important, then why not aesthetics per display? And build quality, and speaker quality, and so on and on...

I am happy my X61. It features a centered display - with slim bezels to boot! I rather not have it any other way.

1. 4:3 ratio! plus
2. Centered display! plus
3. Slim bezel! plus
4. Ultralightweight portability! plus
5. Extended battery options! plus
6. 2.5" HDD versality! plus
7. Core2Duo power!

= W.I.N.N.E.R !

 

A couple millimeters off is hardly any ergonomic detractor in comparison to the potential of a "bad" keyboard.

Those are not comparable if you're actually trying to be reasonable.

 

for me, I notice it and i will certianly prefer a laptop with a centered screen.

i think this is also related to the kind of person you are intrinsically. for example, people who are either more observant or picky in life about things, people who are perfectionists, people who are professionals in a related PC field, professional designers in other fields, engineers, etc - may realize these little things a little more than probably the 'general population' that may or may not realize/care about this because their only concern is probably for a functional product (i.e. a PC that has a keyboard screen and OS - for which probably any company will do and not simply only thinkpad) or are not 'trained or nurtued' to care about little nit picky things.

e.g. einstein did not like the idea of the non-deterministic nature of quantum mechanics because he is anal about the idea the universe is one that is deterministic and cause and effect for which everything can be accounted for and understood from a fundamental perspective and fundamental actions. other scientists are treating quantum mechanics as exactly and merely only as a 'tool' and care not to understand anything. they will even argue it cannot be understood as the core property of nature. however, whether laws of science are determinsitic or not, cannot be realistically known a priori meaning nobody is right or wrong in this matter as of yet. although QM is 'useful'. anyway, most of the population don't know this and will simply don't care. I think its related to whether its your field or things that tick your interest or not.

 

I just received my T500 today. Upon opening the laptop, the first thing I noticed was the off-center screen.

However, once I turned it on and actually USED the laptop, I didn't notice it at all.

 

The screen on my X301 is centered.

 

Bottom line: if IBM/Lenovo is/was capable of producing models with aesthetically pleasing centered displays with slim bezels, I see no reason why they can't expend similar effort & energy they put in their deservedly excellent keyboard on things like centered, slim bezel displays, among other issues which will translate into a truly excellent machine without peer.

For crying out loud, they even shave off a fraction of a millimeter off the spaces between individual keys just so the keyboard is more resistant to crumbs! C'mon! Have the same dedication for all aspects of the laptop, will ya?!

No one should put up with sloppy engineering that requires a lopsided bezel just to fit some antenna (or whatever lame excuse).

 

I think the bottom line is that while Lenovo is probably aware of this off-center screen issue, they (and just like many other users here) do not take that as a key issue and hence, it has a low priority in their to-do list. Maybe they take that even an non-issue because as many people said here, once you start focusing on your work, you can hardly notice it. (To me, a dead spot is much much more serious than a slightly off-center screen). But of course, to those who are so sensitive to that and are looking for perfection, then there are other models or brands to choose from

 

I don’t consider that sloppy engineering, but I do consider the people that have major issue with this somewhat obtuse. Sloppy engineering is when [a major computer manufacturer] builds a metal notebook enclosure that interferes with the wireless antenna’s signaling.

 

To put the ball back in Lenovo's court, a place where engineering could be improved is the rubberized material on the LCD cover. I carried motorola phones with a similar textures for years and the texture endured. Within a couple weeks the stuff was coming off my LCD cover. I don't mind the off center panel at all, but I would like to see this addressed. I am really considering a black powder coated macbook pro as my replacement. Poor reception and all...

 

the coating has been improved since the T61.   while not perfect, it's much more robust than it used to be.

in all fairness to lenovo's engineering department, it's more difficult to adhere the rubber coating to magnesium than it is plastic.   however, plastic creates its own challenges with petroleum-based plastics like ABS+PC (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene + polycarbonate) due to the constant ventilation of the substrate and plasticizer.   in layman's terms, the plastic is constantly venting gasses that get in between the plastic substrate and rubber coating, causing them to want to delaminate.   with magnesium it's simply an adhesion issue.   couple that with the added wear on sharp angles (edges and corners) and you have a difficult task ahead of you when it comes to making rubber stick to things.

 

Yeah.. ummm.. hasn't this topic been beaten to a bloody pulp by @@@@@@@ who have nothing better to do than nitpick? Who really cares about off center screens. If you want centered screens, this, this, and that, you might as well just get an Apple if you want "sterile", "malnourished aluminum" looks. Look at the Apple Air to the ThinkPad X300, the ThinkPad beats the Air hands down.

 

Since it appears that you are in the know, it's quite possible to covalently attach polymers to metal and metal alloys as opposed to adsorbing. The chemistry is present throughout the current literature. Translating that technology to the Lenovo processing plant lands squarely on the desk of the engineers. The tools exist poor implementation is a fault here. In addition, the amount of off gassing associated with the afore mentioned polymers is negligible if they use materials with high M(r).

 

it would land on the desks of the chemists at mitsubishi, foxconn, etc.   the "soft touch" coating used on new thinkpad palmrests (X61 RE, X300, X301, T400s) is the same as used by other manufacturers.   whether a chemical or ionic bond is used may not be up to lenovo, depending on how much say they have in the matter (factoring in costs and feasibility).   but , you're right... in the end, it's up to lenovo to request it to work and the vendor to make it work.

technical jargon aside, the new coatings DO adhere better than the old, which is the first thing i said in my previous post.   things have improved and lenovo has noticed this issue enough to rectify it.   my second point was simply to say that doing so isn't always an easy task, especially when your hands may be tied with vendors.

 

i think there is a certain amount of intrinsic beauty in symmetry. further i think its related to the fact its kind of industry standard. for example how would people react if the screen was closer to the top than the bottom leaving a large bezel space on the bottom more (e.g. one of dell's laptops are like it) - it will be pretty wierd too. plus, im sure there must have been workarounds to fitting the antennas rather than bunching them on one side and shifting the screen.

correct me if im wrong but i do believe the rubberized material on the t400 is bonded to another polymer. i.e. the magnesium alloy frame on the lcd (aka the rollcage) is a separate piece that is then mechanically fitted to a polymer cover piece with the rubberized exterior finish

and yea, it is certainly possible to bond polymers to metals that does not rely on weaker interactions like van der waals forces. some polymers can have functional groups that bond with metal very strongly (e.g. thiol-gold) or you can rely on a series of processing steps to introduce reactive groups (e.g. thermally grown oxides) that can then covalently bond to another reactive moeity on the polymer chain or you can use composite layers (e.g. some kind of metal-oxide deposited or sputter deposition that can allow reactions with suitable polymer chains provided there may be activating agents needed or intermediary binding agents etc)

 

Perfectionists are stakeholders who drive products to be better. By insisting that no one takes the easy way out.

Plebians are, of course, get all defensive and are quite satisfied with sub-standard design. They deserve what they get.

Do recognize that cognitive dissonance is at work here.

Lenovo can - and should - extend the commitment to excellence to every aspect of product and engineering design. No reason to rest it laurels on just keyboard excellence alone.

 

Those silly plebs...

 

Some people might be looking for a PerfectionistPad. These do not exist yet and their 5000-dollar price tag will insure they are only available to non-plebeians. For most of us though, the careful balance of quality and pricing provided by ThinkPads tends to meet our needs most of the time.

 

I have only one complaint about my t61p and it does NOT involve an off center screen in any way.

Renee

 

why are some of the keys on the keyboard not the same square shape as the qwerty keys?

like why the hell is the spacebar so big and whats up with the volume buttons; why are they circles and not squares?

i'm calling lenovo tomorrow to complain!

 

What is the complaint?

I'm glad to know that it is improved. Out of curiosity what is your day job?

 

This thread is more dedicated to the widescreen units like t61 , t400 ect.

The Screen bezel on the top and right side of these these units is so ridiculously thick its like you bought a laptop from 20 years ago. There is nothing cool about it.

 

Folks, keep in mind this guy is just trolling you. He's done it on this forum before:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=390023

He just likes to say stuff intentionally to see if he can rile any of you up. Don't pay him any attention and he'll go away like he did last time.

 

This is so stupid, who really cares? To me symmetry on these screens ain't beauty, it's a sign of conformity, i think it's boring if it's centered, who cares anyways, perfectionists are those people that drive costs up because they will send something back for any little thing, or that order a blizzard at DQ and demand this in it, that in it, but not too much of this, and put whipped cream on the top but only up to exactly 4.6554434214351616CM, and still ***** about it being too expensive.

 

that shows you don't respect and understand the unchangable nature of the human psyche, and hence you probably shouldnt be the customer relations fields. customers are always right, period - customer relations 101. you dont challenge this, you accept this and just do to make them happy and your business more than likely will succeed better than if you hadnt.

plus, with that attitude youve already lost the battle. theres nothing wrong with perfection. while it may be unachievable in most cases, it should be respected and the goal for everyone. nothing bad about striving for the best.

 

Well personally i don't really care.. but ok.

 

The off-center screen doesn't bother me at all but it is rather strange. More importantly I completely forget about it when I'm working or using it. Only when the screen is off does it remind me of the strange offset. I find the overall spectacular design of the Txx makes up for this slight flaw.

There's no comparison to the build quality of the Dell that I also have...it feels cheap compared to the Lenovos.

 

"I have only one complaint about my t61p and it does NOT involve an off center screen in any way"

What is the complaint? With a 9 cell, my t61p is heavy.

 

Renee it is reassuring to know that your T61p to this day is still functional, mine thanks to an irresponsible eBayer will take a long time to get here but can't wait to get it.

 

Any news if iGrim has abandoned his anti-ThinkPad campaign?

Oh, wait...

P.S. I don't even notice that the screen is off-center...my eyes spend too much time focusing on the SCREEN, not the bezel.

 

Actually to me the thing that bothers to me the most is the keyboard, I've not tested a T61 NMB Keyboard buy I have a Chicony keyboard and is not pleasant to write on, it's noisy, not exactly like my T42p NMB keyboard.