ThinkPad X300 Information Leaks Out

Not quite correct. Sure the current ThinkPads don't have the stripes today, but Lenovo has officially communicated and decided that they will put back the colored stripes (red and blue) on the TrackPoint buttons as soon as possible. This was a decision based on customer polls. Many people who have followed ThinkPads closely actually expect the new line up to have the colored striped buttons.

 

ah. i stand corrected.

 

Sounds like someone is a little envious to be honest!

 

That's what I call ultraportable without compromise

 

I'm not an expert on LV processors, but is there a possibility this 2.0 ghz LV processor will underperform compared to non? No specs on cache size though...

 

Exactly. I don't personally think of this as a MBA killer, or the MBA as the Thinkpad X300 killer, as they're really for two different markets...the MBA is more for the mobile professional who really values style and design, while the Thinkpad X300 is more for the professional who values having the "business" look and build quality.

What I mean is, the majority of MBA users, who want style, will not be considering this Thinkpad X300, while the majority of Thinkpad X300, who value build quality and getting the "boardroom meeting" look, will also not be considering the MBA. That's what I mean when I say they're against different markets, the MBA notably targeting the smaller market.

I like this X300. If I was looking for a lightweight Windows PC, I'd really consider this.

 

Sounds great. Now give me the same specs on a 12" 4:3 screen at 1280x900. or something just a bit lower. With all USB ports on the side and classic hinges please :-o

 

Featurewise the new MB is disappointing. I'm waiting for a nice 11" though. Hope to see Sony finally put a decent integrated chin in the TX. Anyone know if there is a nice 11" with an updated integrated GPU?

 

Notice the "new Thinkpad keyboard" on the technical features list?? Does this mean the main selling point of the thinkpad is being corrupted? The keys look mighty thin on the picture too but I don't have a Thinkpad so I can't compare.

 

Nothing new about that. There are other ThinkPads than the T61 which has the off center screen. The X61 has an aligned screen. Then again that is not 100% true, as the X61 screen is minimally positioned to the left. Judging by the picture the X300 screen is slightly to the left as well.
In fact, if you look closely on many notebooks, they have screens which are slightly off center.

Look again.

No, from the picture the keyboard looks the same as current ThinkPad keyboards. In any event, I would be very surprised if they change the keyboard from the current legendary standard. The changes seem to be the wider touchpad and the colored striped TrackPoint buttons.

 

As already mentioned, Its rather moot point comparing the MBA to the X300.

One is a business tool, the other is more of a fashion statement. Now, which is which, well, I'll leave it to the individual owner


THe ultrportable market is getting very crowded indeed. With UMPCs in the small and light end, and the 13.3" thin and lights on the top end, it doesn't leave the ultraportables very much room to breath. Then, you have a further bluring of the lines with 12" Thin and Lights (Vostro, Acer, someoen mentioned Clevo as well). Makes for confusion in the segment.


I like the X300. It is Classic Thinkpad design.



However, I wont go more than 1200x800 on a 13.3 screen. 1440x900 is fine for a 14.1. If I needed more resolution and desktop space, I use my external LCD. I have a Dell 820 in service with our engineering department with 1920x1200 15.4" screen. That thing is almost unreadable.

However that said, someone still uses 800x600 on a desktop monitor?? And then complains the font is too small? wow...hmmm...

 

I think Air is not a laptop,but a fashion or show off distinguish.
And x300 is a notebook,just like HP or DELL,for you work or business.
so there is no competion between them

 

I have an old IBM x40 and it is more stable,quaiter and cooler then any of my other laptops(HP dv9000,Compaq V2000z,HP tc4400,HP 7400).It is very comfortable and its desine is nice and without any unneeded junk.And i think so is this new x300.It has just everything you need.I like macbook air`s design design but this one is just so better...

 

It does have wireless usb.

 

agree with you. this 2 notebook actually playing their own role on different market segment

for the eye catching one go for macbook air off course
for the basic usage of computing. Thinkpad for sure!!

 

Was Lenovo really leaving that much on the table with the X61s?

This X300 has a larger screen, integrated optical, and a touchpad and still manages to weigh ~.8 lbs less than the x61s? Ok a lot of the weight is probably due to battery size difference, 3 cell compared to an 8 cell.

Although this laptop will cost a good amount, the specs are really impressive. Hopefully it will be offered with non-ssd as well?

I agree that not that many people will be cross shopping this and MBA; probably only a few notebookreview.com users

 

Since the x300 does not run OSX, I see no point in comparing it to the MBA.

People who want windows buy the x300, OSX users buy the MBA.

Simple as that.

If I needed a Windows based notebook in that size and weight, The x300 looks very promising indeed.

 

via http://www.51nb.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=633439

 

Spoken like a true zealot. If it runs OSX, it has no flaws. If it doesn't run OSX, then it's not worth your time. Funny, though, that your second post was about a product that, supposedly, you have no interest in.

 

I'm not sure that this notebook will ever see the light of day, or that it will live up to all our hopes, but it would be amazing if they could pull it off for (substantially) less than $3000.

The MBA is pretty cool too, but it really sours me on the Macboys when then their first response to this amazing notebook (x300) is that "it's ugly". Maybe I'm a little old and boring, but I'm a little more concerned with what a $2000 notebook does and how it works than with how pretty the baristas at Starbucks think it is.

 

Every notebook has flaws, even Apple's. The point is that I'd overlook several to run OS X over Windows. For current users who have a lot invested in OS X software, then yes, a Windows machine may indeed not be worth their time. I understand it's a considerable barrier for Windows users considering Macs, though this has been lessened somewhat by Boot Camp, Parallels/VMWare Fusion and CrossOver Mac.

I do find it interesting that one spec that wasn't leaked is price. It will be interesting to see how much this baby costs.

 

Yeah, one of the big reason I was interested in the rumored MBA was the rumor that it would have an SSD standard and sell for $1500. Sufficed to say, I was a little disappointed with what they released.

One size-to-feature ratio, the x300 is amazing, but I'm also worried it'll be too expensive for my cheap butt.

 

So true, can't believe all the Windows bashers in this thread..

And not like Thinkpads can run Linux or anything...

The X300, even if they pull it around $3000 is an amazing computer. The connectivity options are sweet!

PS Oh and here's a big FU to Steve Jobs on allowing Virtualization of other OSes on OSX but won't allow the opposite to happen.

 

So the Macbook Air does not have a removable battery? Wow, that's just dumb. I mean, if it was like $800 or below USD that's understandable; >$1400 on the other hand is another matter. So what, you're forced to buy a new Macbook Air every two years before the battery fades out?

Kudos to Lenovo, but a 3-cell battery huh... I 'd hate imagine the aweful battery life.

 

You can get them replaced, but it'll cost $129 and it's expected you'll have to give up your notebook (with all your personal info and important work) for about 5 business days. Other reports suggest that it wouldn't be too difficult for the average user to replace with a screwdriver, but that may void the warranty.

It's very probable that Lenovo would release an extended battery that would sit in a modular bay (usually occupied by the disc drive). Also, the great thing about a user-replaceable battery is that you can carry around extras. When your battery dies, you can always toss in one and keep on truckin.

 

I'd take that X300 or an HP Compaq 2510p over a MacBook Air any day.

 

They are going to release a 6 cell battery as well, at the very least, if not a higher capacity 8 or 9 cell, so I don't think it should be too much of a problem.

 

This Thinkpad is very near to my ideal computer. If the battery life is good and if I can swap in a 2.5" largeish capacity drive instead of that SSD, it would be just about perfect.

For the record, I love the Thinkpad aesthetic. The MBA looks to me like some kind of space lozenge from the past's future.

 

I think x300 with ssd will cost over 3000$,and normal x300 will cost 1200$..

 

perfect notebook. hopefully the screen is bright enough and a non-ssd hd will be available. but there won't be a 2.5". Only 1.8" are fitting.

 

This is one of the main mistakes of these machines, it is just not worth saving the space for a 1.8" drive vs. 2.5" in terms of capacity, price, and compatibility.

 

since this a 100% portable business notebook with only 1.2 kg weight I can live with that. but i really hope there is a different option than only having a ssd.

 

For you. My laptop needs to be portable above all else, give me the 1.8" drive, please. This is what ultraportables are about, using the smallest and coolest parts possible to minimize size. To deviate from that, is to not be an ultraportable.

That's why some people are having trouble calling these ultraportables, they already compromise to include a 13" screen. Also, the optical drive is stretching things a bit, but by having the extra footprint from the screen there's a fair bit of space for the ODD.

 

The X300 specs sure look great. I have only two caveats.

1. 1.8" HDD will affect performance very badly unless SSD is chosen.

2. Why oh why did they make the ODD slot just 7mm? If they had made it 9.5mm then they could have made it into an Ultrabay slot that would accommodate 2.5" HDDs.

There is one thing though that raises my suspicion. The mention of the Dual Core Hybrid LV 2.0 GHz CPU with a TDP of only 12W. Except in the leaked x300 specs, there is no mention of such a CPU anywhere. The fastest Core 2 Duo LV CPU today runs at 1.8 GHz and has a TDP of 17W.

I realize that the CPU in the MacBook Air is unique and that information on it could not be found on Intel's web site. However, the MacBook CPU was an LV CPU that had lower TDP than the "regular" mobile Core 2 Duo's but not a lower TDP than the real LV Core 2 Duo's.

Check out the table below (blatantly ripped from Anandtech).

CPU	Core	Clock Speeds	Voltage	TDP
Intel Core 2 Duo	65nm Merom	1.80GHz - 2.60GHz	1.0375V - 1.3000V	35W
MacBook Air CPU	65nm Merom	1.60GHz - 1.80GHz	1.0V - 1.25V	20W
Intel Core 2 Duo (Low Voltage)	65nm Merom	1.40GHz - 1.80GHz	0.9V - 1.2000V	17W
Intel Core 2 Duo (Ultra Low Voltage)	65nm Merom	1.06GHz - 1.33GHz	0.8V - 0.975V	10W

If the x300 specs regarding the CPU are correct then Intel suddenly managed to produce a 2.0 GHz CPU with a TDP that is only 2W higher than their current ULV CPUs, which max out at a clock speed of 1.33 GHz. That would be very cool indeed but it sure looks suspicious to me.

 

Keep in mind that Intel is set to release more processors with Montevina in May or June. Still, 12w for an LV model does seem a little low, 15w wouldn't surprise me, though. Of course, that would be a 45nm Penryn, maybe they're just getting really good energy efficiency out of their new process.

 

The CPU with the closest spec that is announced is the Penryn SL9400 which will feature 1.86 GHz with a TDP of 17W.

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/01/15/intel_montevina_15_cpus/

The spec sheet for the x300 says that it will feature a Merom 2 GHz CPU with a TDP of 12W.

I realize that errors can be made in spec sheets. However, if you have totally wrong info about the CPU, it makes me suspicious and makes me question the accuracy of the other specs of the x300 i.e. maybe it is to good to be true.

 

Does anyone know anything about how the X300 be able to compare with the ThinkPad Kodachi leaked a few weeks before?

 

I agree. I'm sure it's an early draft, I'd guess from the design stage rather than something actually drawn up for marketing and accuracy.

But, that kind of error makes me lean more towards this machine actually being real, and that document being authentic. I would expect someone making phony documents and images to use an actual, known CPU, or at least a more current core.

 

I think the X300 is the Kodashi, though there have been rumors of a 12" X200 which sounds like the logical continuation of the current X series. I'd expect that to be even smaller, without an optical drive, and maybe they'll finally go ULV. I'm sure it would be LED backlit, and maybe they'll finally give it a trackpad and widescreen? (since widescreen is actually useful with these smaller panels"

I also heard a mention of a T62 for the same May/June timeframe over at Ars, but just a mention, nothing about the major redesign I'm hoping is taking place. I'd guess they'll rename it to T400/T500 when they do complete a redesign, so maybe we have to wait another generation for that. I sure would love a ~4lb T series, though.

 

Thanks Ethyriel!! i wonder what kinda gpu they're gonna put in this unit? inputs from anyone?

 

Oh, it is only a 1.8" HDD. Damn. So, like the MB Air, it will either be really slooooow (4200RPM HDD), or really really expensive (SSD). Fantastic.....Not really.

 

Nothing exciting. It'll be enough to surf the web, but be happy if you can use it run WoW.

 

From what I have read around the internet, the so-called X200 is mostly rumored to carry a 11" screen, rather than a 12" screen. However, at the moment it is anyone's guess if it'll be 12 inches or 11 inches.

Regardless, I hope it will not come with a widescreen, as it will only make the footprint bigger/wider. The current X61 with the thin bezel has the perfect size IMO. Less wide than the 11" widescreen notebooks I have experienced such as the Sony Vaio TZ and Asus U1.

It is difficult to assess from the pictures on the web:

I assume it will be Intel X3100 graphics, since the spec list says Intel Crestline Integrated Graphics.

 

Oh wow, I didn't see anything mentioning an 11" screen. That would probably make more sense, so there's more of a gap between it and the X300, and more reason for them not to include the optical drive. It wouldn't explain why it's called X200, though, I had assumed it was based on screen size. I was fully expecting T400 for the 14" T, and T500 for the 15" T.

Personally I hate widescreen panels on laptops, except when you get to about 13" and down. At that point it's nice to have the extra width for tiling a narrow window, or to zoom into a document. But on larger screens like 14" and 15, I want a high enough resolution that I don't need any extra width, and I'd rather be able to see more of a document vertically. I don't favor widescreen again until 24" desktop panels.

But, I care more about weight than footprint. Once you get down to 13" I'll have no problem carrying it around or fitting it into my bag, so I just want to keep the weight down. Having a widescreen also allows for a larger keyboard.

 

Both the X300 and X200 are interesting to me (heck, all pending ThinkPad revisions interest me, as I need to buy this coming summer) but it seems "odd" to me that these are apparently based on Merom core... why release a new model without what will presumably be the current chipset and CPU architecture (Montevina/Penryn)?

 

X300 is beginning to turn up in official sales listings (see the other X300 thread). It turned out that the CPU info in the leaked specs was false. The X300 will ship with a 1.2 GHz C2D and not a 2.0 GHz C2D, which is a significant difference.

 

I agree.

The reason these all have a VGA port is they are manager machines, and the managers will use the VGA port for hooking up the machine to the projector. Which have VGA ports.

It's still horrible to have to connect to an external monitor via an ancient analog port.

This would be the main reason for me to not get this. But maybe they'll have a dock with a DVI out - then it would be OK

 

Not really - all Apple authorized dealers will replace the battery free of charge. So you can buy a new battery at any Apple store which is exactly as it is for any other laptop, but they'll install it for free. Sites like iFixit said it's not all that hard to replace & takes only a few minutes - but I guess the point is moot as there will be no 3rd party batteries so if you are already at the Apple store buying one, you might as well get it installed.

 

Thanks, that's the info I was looking for! 1.2GHz ULV processor makes sense considering the size constraints and 3 cell battery. But it sure is dog slow, I saw some comparisons where the MBA's 1.8GHz C2D just wiped the floor with a Sony running a 1.2GHz ULV CPU. The difference was much bigger than the clock speed would imply, more like 3x.

Guess you can't have everything - it's like the elections, you have to pick your evil

Sneak peek by Mossy here:
http://mossblog.allthingsd.com/20080213/x300