Last IBM ThinkPad

[ThinkRob]

Yes, I was aware of that. Most of these are low-end laptops, for which Acer, Toshiba, HP etc. need to minimize production costs. Hiring people to design these laptops would have cost too much.

Correct. I actually *like* the ODM re-labeling concept. It's a pretty efficient way to produce a product as cost-effectively as possible when you think about it. Low-end boxes like those won't win any durability or innovation awards, sure, but they're a great way of getting tech into the hands of more people -- and that's something I can support.




Well... maybe not the hands. But at least onto the sturdy, dry, shaded, out-of-harms-way desks of more people!

[ThinkPad560X]

Heres some pictures of my Z60m. http://imageshack.us/g/96/0730110217a.jpg/ The images are fuzzy but was just a quick pics.

[ThinkRob]

Heres some pictures of my Z60m. http://imageshack.us/g/96/0730110217a.jpg/ The images are fuzzy but was just a quick pics.

It's still a Lenovo ThinkPad.

[ThinkPad560X]

Wouldn't it say System Manufactuer: Lenovo instead of IBM then? I did a bios update on my Z60m and it changed my IBM ThinkPad splash screen to the new THINKPAD a Product of lenovo splash screen.

And since im talking about my Z60m, I need a battery for it and the T/R60 battery don't fit in it. I did some searching on ebay and it shows a Z60t battery alittle diffrent but says only for Z60t/Z61m/Z61t not for Z60m. I did happen to buy a Z60m Battery witch didn't fit in it, so I installed it in my T60 since it had a 3rd party battery and the one I bought was lenovo. And are the Z60s all diffrent or the same? Mine has a rounded back.

[mariol90]

Wouldn't it say System Manufactuer: Lenovo instead of IBM then? I did a bios update on my Z60m and it changed my IBM ThinkPad splash screen to the new THINKPAD a Product of lenovo splash screen.

And since im talking about my Z60m, I need a battery for it and the T/R60 battery don't fit in it. I did some searching on ebay and it shows a Z60t battery alittle diffrent but says only for Z60t/Z61m/Z61t not for Z60m. I did happen to buy a Z60m Battery witch didn't fit in it, so I installed it in my T60 since it had a 3rd party battery and the one I bought was lenovo. And are the Z60s all diffrent or the same? Mine has a rounded back.

the Z60t/Z61t use a different battery (4/7 cell) than the Z60m/Z61m/Z61p (I believe 6/9 cell). it looks like the Z6xm uses the same battery as the T/R/W series... so they should fit? does your Z60m battery fit in your T60?

[ThinkPad560X]

The battery I got fits in my T60/R60 but don't fit in my Z60m. I can clearly see what its hitting, its a solid gray plastic part, looks like a grov that the battery slides on. I can take a photo of it. Heres my ThinkPad Z60m specs to make sure: 2529-E3U.

I can probably brake it off but not sure if it will crack the entire part.

Update: did some looking, the plastic part is the rollcage plastic material. http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com ... llcage.jpg

[dr_st]

Apparently, the 9-cell batteries are compatible between T and Z, whereas the 6-cells are different (T series back is flat, the Z back is curved).

[ThinkRob]

Wouldn't it say System Manufactuer: Lenovo instead of IBM then?

No. Part of what Lenovo bought when they acquired IBM's PC division were the rights to use the IBM name and logo in a variety of ways (rumor has it that those rights were a surprisingly large chunk of the total deal's cost.)

If you flip your Z60m over, you'll find (in small print) a notice that reads "Registered Trademark of International Business Machines Corporation | Used Under License". You'll also read (somewhere else on the label on which the first notice appears): "Assembled in China* for Lenovo"

* You might also have slightly different wording, depending on where the machine was manufactured.

[ThinkPad560X]

From my ThinkPads. They say, 1 Made in U.S.A., Made in Mexico, Made in Twian "i Series and my R31/R40" and I think one says made in Japan and the Rest all say made in China, witch are later ThinkPads such as the T/R/X60. I think IBM kept their Desktops made in Mexico because my ThinkCentre's say made their, including my old Aptiva. The ThinkPad made in USA is my 755CD. If I remember, I think I saw my R51 made in Canada, I'll check it again, I don't remeber them being made their. From what an IBM sells/tech guy told me was IBM Japan Yamato was developing the T/R/X/Z60 in 04-05 and lenovo bought ThinkPad during the time of that and started to sell under both the IBM/lenovo name. Atleast thats where I got my information from.

[ThinkRob]

I think IBM kept their Desktops made in Mexico because my ThinkCentre's say made their, including my old Aptiva.

The did make some in Mexico for quite a while as I recall. Still, they definitely produced them elsewhere -- and by 2003 they weren't producing any of them, as they had (at that point) sold off their desktop production facilities to Sanmina-SCI.

From what an IBM sells/tech guy told me was IBM Japan Yamato was developing the T/R/X/Z60 in 04-05 and lenovo bought ThinkPad during the time of that and started to sell under both the IBM/lenovo name. Atleast thats where I got my information from.

Correct. The *60 generation was in development right before the transition, so I suppose (in a way) you could say it was the last IBM ThinkPad. That said, the brand was certainly 100% Lenovo by the time the first model was ever manufactured (and none of those models were actually built by Lenovo or IBM themselves), so the difference is academic at best.

[ThinkPad560X]

I found this site to be helpful, and also gives out information about upgrading ThinkPads.
http://patbry.weebly.com/products.html

I found a timeline on their, And I guess the T/R/X/Z60 was the first lenovo ThinkPads.

[ajkula66]

A23? G42?

They've got to be kidding...

[ThinkPad560X]

I never heard of those models, I sent a request email for them to update that. Their was a website I saw along time ago that had T50, T51 in their buying list

As were talking about IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads, Was Lenovo the one that made the ThinkVantage Button and all ThinkVantage products? Like back in the Day IBM had the Access ThinkPad and Access IBM. I found this on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThinkVantage_Technologies
I just thought Lenovo was the one that developed ThinkVantage since I didn't hear about it until the 60 series came out, Although my Z60m says on the corner top lid Sticker http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/59 ... 0215a.jpg/ too hard to read on the image. But says "Take advantage of ThinkVantage Technologies - - - -ThinkPad comes with - - - Double-click the IBM ThinkVantage Technologies icon on your desktop to learn how to better use your system.

[ThinkRob]

But says "Take advantage of ThinkVantage Technologies - - - -ThinkPad comes with - - - Double-click the IBM[/size] ThinkVantage Technologies icon on your desktop to learn how to better use your system.

The ThinkVantage brand is indeed a Lenovo brand. Still, up until 2007 or so, Lenovo was making heavy use of the IBM name, hence the "IBM ThinkVantage" to which you're referring. The brand license extended far past just the stickers on the case.

[ThinkPad560X]

Working for a similary type company. Probably the reason for seeing T40/T42/T43 Earlier T43s and X32/X4 with lenovo markings such as manufactured for lenovo and ThinkPads with IBM logo or just ThinkPad logo were leftovers. Such as a T42 never bought. So they die cutted a new bottom base print sticker with the system type and just added the lenovo information since it was under lenovo now. Same company I work for does this, If the old company we were doing products for got bought by another company, We kept the same product and just placed the new companies logo and information on it. That could be why you have a big mix of different years of who made what.

[T60]

About the logo: my T60p, bought in Italy in december 2007, had still the IBM one. I remember that, while waiting for the thinkpad, I was worried to not find it in my unit. Some times before, I had read an article in which was written that Lenovo, even if it had the right to use the IBM logo for 5 years, had decided to renounce to it. The decision was sudden as shown by the fact that the following T60 and T61 have the new Thinkpad Logo inside the same shape of the IBM one and to adpat the first to the second they had to add "T Series". That is because probably palmrests and cases were already built. The newer model (thankfully) have just "Thinkpad" in the logo. The transition logo was not very nice, just because it was something improvised.

[ThinkPad560X]

Yes, The palmrest were already made and had to use them or it would of been a big waste of money to throw them out. So that was the big mix of IBM and lenovo branding on the ThinkPads. If their would of been a line between IBM ThinkPads and Lenovo ThinkPads. IBM could of finished out the complete line of say T60/R60/X60/Z60 series and Lenovo could of started the T400/T500 Which I think that was probably the first Full Lenovo ThinkPad with out any IBM. From what I seen with Lenovo ThinkPads they used triple digits rather then IBM double digits. "IBM ThinkPad T43" "Lenovo ThinkPad T400" "Lenovo ThinkPad SL500" "Lenovo ThinkPad X200" But just my guess IBM's Last ThinkPads were the 60 Series.

[ThinkRob]

IBM could of finished out the complete line of say T60/R60/X60/Z60 series and Lenovo could of started the T400/T500 Which I think that was probably the first Full Lenovo ThinkPad with out any IBM. From what I seen with Lenovo ThinkPads they used triple digits rather then IBM double digits. "IBM ThinkPad T43" "Lenovo ThinkPad T400" "Lenovo ThinkPad SL500" "Lenovo ThinkPad X200" But just my guess IBM's Last ThinkPads were the 60 Series.

As I mentioned above, the T60/R60/Z60/X60 series didn't go into production until after the acquisition. The design process started right before the sale, but the first ship level units definitely weren't assembled until the brand was absolutely, 100% under Lenovo's ownership.

[pianowizard]

There is really no need to argue over when IBM ended and when Lenovo started. Just look at the Personal Systems Reference PDF files listed on this page:

http://www.lenovo.com/psref/psrefs_withdrawn.html

The tawbook and trwbook list IBM Thinkpads, whereas the ltwbook list Lenovo Thinkpads. Notice that the oldest Thinkpads listed in the ltwbook include the R40e, T41, X31 and G40. Of course, all these were sold when the Thinkpad brand was still owned by IBM, but presumably Lenovo was already contributing so much to these models' design and manufacturing that Lenovo considers them its own products.

I believe that these documents give the most official answer to the question "Which was the last IBM Thinkpad?". Based on the trwbook, that would be two models of the R51 introduced in July 2004, i.e. 2883-8QU and 2883-ARU. End of the debate; let's move on.