ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 3

[Puppy]

http://www.51nb.com/viewnews-96488.html

+ trackpoint buttons are back
+ no adaptive keyboard joke
+ 14" 2560x1440 IPS (?) display option
- still 14" FHD TN garbage instead of proper display
- tablet-like flat display design with additional layer (affects display quality), hopefully for touch version only ?
- keyboard layout still broken (weird design again, there are two Esc, Delete, Home, End keys ? )
- no status LED indicators
- brown color instead of classic black (is the "carbon" name still meaningful ?)

Summary: fail again

[ajkula66]

Summary: fail again

My thoughts exactly...

[killer]

The colour looks like graphite to me. Now, what element does graphite consist of? Aha, it's carbon.

I wonder what it looks like with a UK or US keyboard?

[ajkula66]

The colour looks like graphite to me. Now, what element does graphite consist of? Aha, it's carbon.

Fair enough. With that said, I hope it doesn't end up looking anything like the weird finish seen on T440p...

I wonder what it looks like with a UK or US keyboard?

I'm reasonably certain that the keyboard in the picture is not real, but a Photoshop piece.

With that being said, as attractive as Carbon as a concept might be, it's still a no-go for me as long as it's missing the 7th row.

[killer]

If you were to ask my wife about the X1C, she has had the 1st generation model for nearly 3 years, she would say the concept of the X1 Carbon is faultless. (Light, long battery life, thin, tiny, etc.)
If one argues with the missus then all hell is let loose so I agree. 3rd Generation looks very similar but with a much better screen available.

Happy Christmas to you George. We all need to enjoy the fact that the days are getting longer even if the keyboard rows seem to get smaller by the day.

Have fun.

[pianowizard]

3rd Generation looks very similar but with a much better screen available.

In the sense that it's IPS. Unfortunately, 2560x1440 on 14.0" (209.8 DPI) is too high for programs that don't scale. There are numerous complaints of such programs being "unusable" on Wintel laptops with super high resolutions. "Retina" resolutions are really suitable only for tablets, smartphones and Macs.

I wish 2048x1152 had caught on. I have it on three desktop monitors and like it even more than 1920x1200, let alone 1920x1080. A 2048x1152 IPS panel would be awesome for the X1 Carbon, or any 14.0" laptop for that matter. At 167.8 DPI, programs that can't scale would still be relatively easily to see. In fact, I probably wouldn't change the default scaling at all since I use my Sony Pro13's 13.3" 1920x1080 IPS screen as is. IMO, 2048x1152 is what "full HD" should have been.

On the other hand, 2560x1440 would be quite nice for 17.3" and 18.4" laptops. My ideal workstation is a nearly bezel-less 17.3-incher that weighs under 5 lbs and has 2560x1440 IPS.

[ajkula66]

Happy Christmas to you George. We all need to enjoy the fact that the days are getting longer even if the keyboard rows seem to get smaller by the day.

Have fun.

The very best wishes to you and the family as well, my friend.

May we continue having fun and good times while agreeing-to-disagree in the most agreeable manner in the upcoming year as well...

[erik]

I'm reasonably certain that the keyboard in the picture is not real, but a Photoshop piece.

sadly, no.   there were enough complaints from enterprise customers that the adaptive row got nixed and trackpoint buttons returned.   while both positive points, the actual execution is a gigantic band-aid to save from a complete retooling of hardware and rewrite of BIOS.

one can hope that the generation following this band-aid will return to what was on the "original" 6-row systems.   it still won't equal a 7-row, however.

[ajkula66]

sadly, no.   there were enough complaints from enterprise customers that the adaptive row got nixed and trackpoint buttons returned.   while both positive points, the actual execution is a gigantic band-aid to save from a complete retooling of hardware and rewrite of BIOS.

one can hope that the generation following this band-aid will return to what was on the "original" 6-row systems.   it still won't equal a 7-row, however.

Oh brother...that's one really weird keyboard then, at least in my opinion...

[Ibthink]

I'm reasonably certain that the keyboard in the picture is not real, but a Photoshop piece.

That is correct. Seems like this is an internal render where someone took the X1 Carbon 2 keyboard and simply attachted Trackpoint buttons and the F keys - a big photoshop failure...

Oddly enough, they have a picture of the real layout there as well: http://abload.de/img/postpmu6f.png

[erik]

Oh brother...that's one really weird keyboard then, at least in my opinion...

but, how else would you offer both options for physical keys and the adaptive row without massive inventory of keyboards?

it's a band-aid, literally.

[ajkula66]

but, how else would you offer both options for physical keys and the adaptive row without massive inventory of keyboards?

I don't know...not that I've given that idea much thought because you know how I feel about the newer ThinkPad keyboards...

it's a band-aid, literally.

Well, I liked the one that I attended - Wembley, 1985 - a whole lot better...

[erik]

I don't know...not that I've given that idea much thought because you know how I feel about the newer ThinkPad keyboards...

rhetorical question, really.   terrible layouts can't be fixed with equally terrible layouts.

my favorite is still the T400s~X220 7-row with large escape/delete keys.   i'll be using that layout until no longer possible.   i have a few spare NMB keyboards ready to go.

Well, I liked the one that I attended - Wembley, 1985 - a whole lot better...

ha!

[brchan]

Call me crazy, but I am starting to like the keyboard layout on the new thinkpads (not the adaptive keyboard). The home, end, insert, and delete keys are seem easier to reach, and the pgdn and pgup buttons are quicker and easier to press using my pinky finger. One change that I would like to see is for the delete key to be placed within easy reach as well. Maybe shrink the backspace key in half, and have the right side of it be a delete key, or make the windows key the delete button. I do miss the browser backward and forward buttons though.

[JaneL]

I've had a preproduction unit since before Christmas. It's black as ThinkPads should be.

It is a lovely machine. This is the first thing that I've seen that can replace my beloved X301. The keyboard feel is excellent, the build is solid, and the touch screen is bright and clear. The return of the TrackPoint buttons is a win for users. Wish it still had indicator lights for those WHAT ARE YOU DOING moments, and I could use a little more space between the function key blocks. And I'll never stop loving the old 7-row keyboard. But overall this is a return to ThinkPad excellence.