Future Thinkpads

http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/19/leaked-lenovo-roadmap-shows-calpella-laptops-coming-january-2010/

Any other info on these future Thinkpads? Any word on if they'll have USB 3.0? Will this update be significant, as in a major design change, or will it just be a spec bump?

For me, the one to watch will be the T410. I love some of the features of the new T400s like the microphone mute and the eSATA port, but I want a dedicated GPU and a 2.5" hard drive. Oh also, any word on the GPUs that might be available? I'd like to see a t410 with an Nvidia G210m in addition to a 9400m in hybrid SLI.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Nvidia_graphics_processing_units#GeForce_200M_.282xxM.29_series

 

Anything you hear here will just be speculations. Product testers have to sign a NDA contract, and can't disclose anything.
Personally, I think you're dreaming too big, as historically Thinkpads have used ATI GPU more, but who knows, anything can happen, and it's good to dream big.

 

Major design change? Heh heh. I cannot remember when the Thinkpad line last underwent a major design change. In Thinkpad world everything is incremental and connectivity usually lags a generation.

 

And yet I've seen some product testers (who've signed an NDA) talk about a future product. I remember on the Dell forum someone was testing an E4200 and talked about it, and even posted some pics. Well anyways I'm wondering if anyone has any info at all. I'm ok with an ATI GPU, but I personally hope it's the G210m instead.

 

lol, some major changes through the years:

1) Added touchpad
2) Offered fingerprint scanners
3) Switched to widescreen displays
4) Offered webcams

major design changes:

none


They will probably update the keyboard to one similar to the new T400s though.

 

I sure hope they don't change the design. Oh and if they go to 16:9 Ill be VERY disappointed. I'm hoping lenovo and dell business can hold out with 16:10 til I have to replace my 17in.

 

I think the switch to widescreen was pretty significant.

I agree about 16:9. It's crappy, you always end up with less pixels! It makes no sense for business laptops to have 16:9.

 

Yeah I never understood the switch (aside from the cost to OEMs). Either way I hope its just a phase and they go back. Or at least offer an option of either ratio as Id pay extra for the res.

 

There is no going back! Once it's done, it's done!

 

I didn't say that the switch over to widescreen wasn't a significant change, I said it wasn't a significant design change. If you set a standard screen Thinkpad next to a widescreen Thinkpad, both still are obviously Thinkpads.

The switch to widescreen displays was all but inevitable, but Lenovo did hold out quite a bit longer than its competitors.

 

4:3 displays? Heck NO! Widescreen is so much better.

 

Which is why Im hoping they will hold on to 16:10 for a while so when my dell does die officially I can look into a w700 (or if dell business sticks with 16:10).

 

The new line won't be that significant (Calpella based but from what I've seen, most users won't benefit much - except video encoders and those doing heavy CPU calculations, which isn't a big portion of the population), no major design changes, nor is it "just a spec jump." It won't have USB3.0 either.

The T410s revision won't have discrete graphics nor will it have hybrid graphics; however, the T410 will have hybrid graphics and switchable graphics - whether or not it will be nVidia, remains to be seen. I don't know about the T410s' hard drive situation and I hope they change the main drive to a 2.5" but it seems very unlikely...

 

I'm not asking too much that Lenovo make excellent keyboard like the ones before the T60/T61 era, my T42 NMB keyboard was a dream kb to use, my T61 keyboard is crap compared to that, it only have 1 screw to attach on the laptop chassis and it feels as if it's loose, and the keys are not as firm as I would like. I would not rant anymore about widescreens even though I hate them I just hope in the future to have a decent keyboard legendary IBM's Thinkpads were known in the past, that's the only thing I'm asking Lenovo.

 

I guess I was expecting too much to have USB 3.0 built in, sigh.

I have a T61p (it's my first Thinkpad), and its keyboard is leaps and bounds ahead of every other laptop out there. Maybe it's not as good as past Thinkpads but don't be so down on it. I've used some old Thinkpads (T23 and T42) and yes they had better keyboards, but my T61p is actually quite good as it is.

 

Do you guys think we will see better battery life with the refresh?

 

It also did not make sense for a business laptop to get a widescreen ... really do you really put two documents side by side on a tiny screen or have very large Excel sheets ? Much more important for me is to be able to read ... as in have more space going down ... not to the sides. I say make a Thinkpad
X70 with a 4/3 ratio with various resolutions (for me lower is fine), and make it really light like 1 KG sort of like Toshiba and Dell. And get an optical drive in though not very important. Also as a business user I use Skype and video-conferencing a lot, so a nice webcam and adequate speakers please ... I can never understand why they cannot get a 2nd speaker and some more volume in an ultra-portable, escpecially when there is no optical drive. Again look at what Toshiba gets in too the very light R600. And please make it a metal alloy like the Macbook Air and beat them at their own game ... technically it can de done ... I am all for the Thinkpad X70 !

 

I love having a Word document open with two pages side by side at 97% size, so much so that I cannot stand to use my brother's 4:3 monitor that cannot do so.

 

What happened to all the 13.3" Lenovos???

 

Keyboard is a subjective thing, but I find the keyboard in T400s to be their best ever (much better than the T42 i had a while back, dont remember which manufacturer I had then). BTW i was never a fan of NMB keyboards, Alps was my favorite in T60 series, i found NMB to be too tight. The keys have fantastic tactile feedback and dont feel very tight, and are not very loud at all. The keys are slightly bigger and the whole keyboard is just amazing for fast accurate typing. By far the best keyboard i've ever used on any laptops including older thinkpads. Also there is no flex anywhere whatsoever. Whenever I use my T400 with T61 keyboard installed, the keys there feel clunky and limp in addition to sounding like crap. If they use this new keyboard design on new thinkpads, I dont think you will be disappointed.