Features I would like IBM add to ThinkPads!

[arion]

People can add to this thread more ideas.

How does someone send these ideas to IBM ?

What are the chances of these being added to ThinkPads ?

• Built in TV Tuner (ASUS has them now) preferably HDTV capable
  
  DVD Burner cabale of DVD+/-R/RW and region freeable (and not Mastashita / Panasonic)
  
  Widescreen so I can have two web pages or documents open side by side
  
  LCD panels with faster response times
  
  Decent speakers
  
  Replace the Analog Monitor out with DVI out and just supply the DVI to Analog connector
  
  Separate key to turn Wireless on/off
  
  maybe Firewire but I have no use for it
  
  Remove the Parrallel port (more USB2 ports instead)
  
  Hardware enctyprion of the Hard Drive

[rocketman]

Uh, lets see how much longer Thinkpads are going to be around before we go ahead and give IBM ideas on how to improve them!

[lvlolvlo]

Uh, lets see how much longer Thinkpads are going to be around before we go ahead and give IBM ideas on how to improve them!

yup

[Flightvector]

Well thinkpads will probably be here for a long while, even with IBM's sale of the business, the thinkpad line is a prime reason that anyone would want to buy IBM's PC business. I just hope the thinkpad line will still be recognizable in the future.

[rocketman]

Well the last I heard IBM is trying to sell the PC division in such a way that the IBM as well as the Thinkpad name will still be used. Perhaps through some sort of licensing agreement.

[xerxes1358]

Hardware enctyprion of the Hard Drive

Are there any chips we can buy and put in the laptop later on ?
xerxes

[Plinkerton]

Maybe this will be one of those company sales that the consumers hardly even notice. If the name and products are kept the same, maybe it will just be different on the books. There have been many ownership changes that people never realized, because of this.

I hope things don't change too much.

[t41user]

As people on this forum sometimes point out, IBM seems to market thinkpads, or at least certain thinkpad lines, for business use and users. If that's the case, it's not clear why they should add a tv tuner or better speakers, for instance. On the other hand, I wouldn't mind such features on my thinkpad.

[AtmosMan]

Maybe this will be one of those company sales that the consumers hardly even notice....I hope things don't change too much.

I will hope so too. It would be nice to see things shift slowly. I am an ATT wireless customer, and I got my phone and plan last February. Then I heard that Cingular acquired ATT. The merger is now complete, and it was no big deal. Smooth sailing. I hope that this thing is like the ATT-Cingular merger. It should be a win for IBM, Lenovo, and its customers.

[Zirynx]

Bus-Powered Firewire port...... please!! You could put a whole battery of them where that parallel port lives!

It's the only thing that is stopping me buying a T42 right now, in case the eventual T43/50 has one, though I'm not holding my breath!

Acers have them, but who really wants an Acer?

[beeblebrox]

well, there is no reason to believe that IBM will stay on the Thinkpads as a name. Legally it is then Lenovo, unless they form a joint venture, but in a sale, the name IBM will be gone.

Anyway, there is also no reason to believe that the line will deteriorate, because once you have aquired a prime business for prime money ($1.5- 2 Billions) you will do everything to focus that venture to succees.
I am thrilled actually that ThinkPads are sold to a real computer company that focuses on its business instead of a computer service company, that at least is quite mediocre in innovation PC-wise. IBM had a few good ideas to compensate for their lack of innovation. Just look at the Thinkpads and compare their features to other brands. Yes, there are some nice unique things, such as the Thinklight (which doesn't work properly in T40s) and the good keyboard. On the other hand, there is nothing unique anymore, not even the high price tag anymore. It is in line with other brands now. They distinguish in service which adds a lot of costs for the consumer market, which is NOT their business.
IBM had a 17% increase in notebook sales in the last 3 quarters, say - someone woke up to market reality and they focus on sales suddenly?

The focus of IBM on services is absolutely right, that't where their strengths are. The PC is only coincidence from Boca Raton facilities and IBM never had a leading edge. That were Compaqs at that time, now it is Dell and Samsung and Acer.
The rest is just me-too commodity products.

So I think, if Lenovo will "sweat" its acquired assets it will do everthing it can to push Lenovo ThinkPads to market domination to fight of the Dells. Lenovo is strategically way better positioned than IBM due to their high volume production and low cost base. And it is their core business for the future.
I wonder however, how IBM and Lenovo will handle the transition of existing business customers to the new organization, since Lenovo is only starting to expand internationally now, and they have no foot in the professional business market. Probably thay also buy the whole PC support business. I am curious how IBM and Lenovo will define a proper business set-up.

TV tuners and all those gimmicks do not belong to business notebooks. Lenovo would have to completely separate the ThinkPad lines into consumer and business lines just as HP and Dell did. I am sure the ThinkPads will remain the premium business line. TV tuners, wide-screens etc. could probably go into the "MediaPads"...

Just a few reflections...

[rocketman]

Yes, there are some nice unique things, such as the Thinklight (which doesn't work properly in T40s) and the good keyboard.

Yes the keyboard is great but the Thinklight is no big deal. The Powerbooks ambient backlit keyboard has it all over the Thinklight.

[beeblebrox]

I think the Thinklight was the best innovation on the ThinkPads,
I am always thankful when I can use it on the overnight flights, with everybody asleep with me typing the meeting reports on the ThinkPad.

But, the ThinkLights on my T20 were fantastic, on the T40 it is complete crap! They are not recessed anymore but shine straight into your eyes. Useless crap!
A tiny 2mm lid in front of the LED would have solved the problem.
Anyway, the T40 series is only mediocre in design and quality. The T2x series was much more thought thru, and more solid.
I guess that IBM outsourced the design as well and only gave it its ok at the end. They probably only set the design specs and let some sweatshop in China make the design.

[K. Eng]

As far as I can tell, the T4x was designed by the same group in Japan that designed the T2x and T30 series. I consider the T2x to be sturdier than the T4x, and attribute this to the designers wanting to make the T4x as thin as possible.

Overall, I like the T4x slightly better - the side port layout is more convenient for me, and the T4x's keyboard has a solid stroke similar to the old 600 series. The T2x's keyboards in comparison feel a bit mushy.

As for all those extra features listed by the original poster - the widescreen, powerful speakers, and tv tuner card would add significant weight to the machine while contributing little useful functionality for the corporate market.

Anyway, the T40 series is only mediocre in design and quality. The T2x series was much more thought thru, and more solid.
I guess that IBM outsourced the design as well and only gave it its ok at the end. They probably only set the design specs and let some sweatshop in China make the design.

[Kenn]

As for all those extra features listed by the original poster - the widescreen, powerful speakers, and tv tuner card would add significant weight to the machine while contributing little useful functionality for the corporate market.

Yep. I'd like to see DVI, firewire (a port actually exists in one of the t4x flash demos, right between the fan vent and PC card slot on the left side), hardware encryption, and a separate wireless on/off button, but the rest of features are give and take, and I'd rather have the weight.

While we're at it, power and HDD LEDs that are more visible when the cover is closed would be quite useful as well (I always have to look to drive bay light next to the VGA port to see if it's still on.

Thankfully the t42 thinklight is more recessed, and has a larger lip/shroud around it so it doesn't glare. However, In the 6 months I've had my laptop, many of the keys have been worn away to a mirror shine and the thinklight glares off of them quite noticeably

[beeblebrox]

yes, I agree, my new T40p keyboard looks after 6 months like the old T20 keyboard. However they stay like that and the symbols don't rub off. Therefore no complain.

I wished for IBM ThinkPads: Manufacturing quality and quality design!!!

Actually, you can make a light and sturdy design. It is just that the designer possibly forgot some mechanical skills (maybe a new, young team in Yokohama?) how to put in mechanical stabilisators in the frame. Doesn't add weight.
The noisy plastics cover around the cursors and palm rests are really embarassing. The designers simply forgot to put in a screw next to the cursors. The T40 flexes a lot when you take it up with one hand, so where is the all titanium/magnesium/kryptonite stuff from the commercials? Imagine the stress load on the motherboard. Do this for a year and you develop fine fractures in the electronics board.

All this titanium composite stuff is only marketing speak. The contents of carbon is so little in the plastics, you can rather ignore it. I glued the fractures of the case with regular plastics glue and it just worked fine. No difference to cheap ABS.

I am not talking anymore about the stupid battery on the back that doesn't fit tighly so I have to use a cloth to fix it. (Uhmm... well, this is a $2000 IBM machine? Right?!)
So, I better stop here, before I get flamed by IBM afficionados.

[whizkid]

Built in TV Tuner (ASUS has them now) preferably HDTV capable

Well you COULD get yourself a 750C and the optional internal tuner pack. It swaps with the 2.88MB floppy drive.

Of course, the CPU is a 33MHz 486 and the 750C came with 4MB RAM standard, so it would be good for little else.

Needless to say, it's NTSC only, not ATSC.

[arion]

The speakers in the ThinkPad T4x series need to be much better they are hopeless.

So called "Bussiness users" also have the need for the TV tuner not just for recreation but news and stockmarket information.

[beeblebrox]

yeah, the only purpose of those T40 speakers is to hear the Windows beeps.
IBM even delivers R50e systems with only one speaker. Yeah, they save 10 cents on each unit and then have very excited customers who find out they have mono audio.
Great!

The T20 was really good, solid speakers, that you can hear.

[Steve007]

People can add to this thread more ideas.

How does someone send these ideas to IBM ?

What are the chances of these being added to ThinkPads ?

• Built in TV Tuner (ASUS has them now) preferably HDTV capable
  
  DVD Burner cabale of DVD+/-R/RW and region freeable (and not Mastashita / Panasonic)
  
  Widescreen so I can have two web pages or documents open side by side
  
  LCD panels with faster response times
  
  Decent speakers
  
  Replace the Analog Monitor out with DVI out and just supply the DVI to Analog connector
  
  Separate key to turn Wireless on/off
  
  maybe Firewire but I have no use for it
  
  Remove the Parrallel port (more USB2 ports instead)
  
  Hardware enctyprion of the Hard Drive

Our machines are aimed at the business sector. If you want crap such as a built in TV Tuner buy a Dell or something.

As useless as a parallel port is to you, we have thousands upon thousands of customers who require it hence why it's there.

If you want more USB ports, buy a ThinkDock. ThinkPad's have never been aimed at the home user hence why we don't include 4-6 USB ports on the unit.

Replace the Analog Monitor out?? Great idea if we wanted to alienate thousands and thousands of customers. Those that want a DVI out port need a ThinkDock.

And the speakers are perfectly adequate for business use.

[meditate2001]

hey guys,
we already had this subject:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... highlight=

so probably we should all collect the wishes and have a sticky subject with that, so that everybody cann add more. and yes, probably send it to ibm...??

[beeblebrox]

TV tuner doesn't make sense, since watching TV does not involve any thinking. It is a "ThinkPad" for working.
Well, it is a business tool. (You probably rather buy a Lenovo MediaPad later next year.)

I prefer widescreen:
- according to the long recent article in Digitimes, the LCD consortium at least has agreed on the next widescreen dimension , set to 16:10, except HP.
And they say, that IBM and Compaq are to follow the widescreens standards. We'll see.
Now 14,1" widescreen in 16:10 would be just perfect to work on a Powerpoint slide in "paper" settings and not in display settings, thus no screw-up of the formats during printing.
And, widescreen would allow two Word documents side by side.

Cheaper DVD RW drives:
Why are the IBM DVD burners in such stratospheric price regions? Any consumer notebook these days has DVD burners.

[beeblebrox]

I forgot: my premium Xmas wish.
Make that touchpad somehow precisely sensitive, so that I can use it like a touch screen.
Offer the option of a Wacom Graphics touchpad instead of the generic finger touchpad.

The first time I used the touchpad I thought I could use a pen on it and draw on the screen, make annotations to documents and do charts, etc.

I was very disappointed, that only my finger can be detected.
At least, as an extra option, this would be fantastic!

[cj3209]

All I want is for prices to come down so that the masses can enjoy the ThinkPad. And, I for one, believe that the distinction between a 'business' notebook and a 'home' notebook will blur.

A firewire port would be nice though...

[lfeagan]

I forgot: my premium Xmas wish.
Make that touchpad somehow precisely sensitive, so that I can use it like a touch screen.
Offer the option of a Wacom Graphics touchpad instead of the generic finger touchpad.

The first time I used the touchpad I thought I could use a pen on it and draw on the screen, make annotations to documents and do charts, etc.

I was very disappointed, that only my finger can be detected.
At least, as an extra option, this would be fantastic!

It actually can detect it, but it is setup such that it doesn't key on that as it assumes it is anamolous since it is such a small point. The touchpad is a Synaptics on the IBM and my HP notebook also had one, but with its driver I could alter what it would key on as the minimal area needed to be detected as a "touch", thus making it work like a tablet by lowering it. Basically, it tells the touchpad

if( (contiguous area touched) < minumum finger area)
then ignore touch

The touchpad also has a setting that does the opposite, called palm check. It sets the maximum area which is interperted as a "touch". If you exceed that area, then it says "oh, that must be a palm touching me, I'll ignore that then." So, if you can find an appropriate driver you should be able to set it to work as a mini tablet.

[arion]

@Steve007, bit aragant aren't you TV tuners are not crap and are only a few small cost

The speakers are not good even for "business use" the quality is crap and at full volume it often can't even be heard over background noise

If people want the Parallel they can get the dock. There are almost no devices made any more that use parellel ports they all use USB now

What does USB ports have to do with home users. A lot of people complain about the lack of USB ports. Many devices now connect via USB eg keyboards, mice, printers, stockmarket data feed devices, cameras, phones etc which are all used for business use like that matters

How would giving people DVI aliante anyone since the DVI to Analog connector gives everyone Analog but an Analog only port can't give digital

[SimonCC]

id like to see a return of the titanium chassis, no more of this magnesium composite lid and carbon fibre enforced bottom rubbish!

[Kenn]

@Steve007, bit aragant aren't you TV tuners are not crap and are only a few small cost

The speakers are not good even for "business use" the quality is crap and at full volume it often can't even be heard over background noise

If people want the Parallel they can get the dock. There are almost no devices made any more that use parellel ports they all use USB now

What does USB ports have to do with home users. A lot of people complain about the lack of USB ports. Many devices now connect via USB eg keyboards, mice, printers, stockmarket data feed devices, cameras, phones etc which are all used for business use like that matters

How would giving people DVI aliante anyone since the DVI to Analog connector gives everyone Analog but an Analog only port can't give digital

I understand your feelings, but Steve is making a good argument here.

1) computer manufacturers are kept up at night over "small cost" price differences in components. Economies of scale mean that saving $0.50 here or being exempt from a $1 component price increase can make a huge difference in net profit, or getting a big sales contract. A TV tuner takes up space and is a nontrivial cost addition.

2) Speakers are a bit weak, especially since they point down to bounce off the table. I don't mind, but it might not hurt to have them face-up on the palmrest side.

3) Your argument goes well for home users, but the fact is that there are many businesses with hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more) with specialized legacy peripherals that need to be supported. This is a huge part of IBM's market (and is one of the several reasons why the TP is so often referred to as a "business laptop"). As a core market segment, these people shouldn't be tied to down to a dock (desktop replacement) for the features that they need (parallel port dongles for specialized software, specialized and large-format printers, etc.).

Also, DVI is new and great and all the rage, but the number of analog DB15 devices out and in use vastly outnumber the digital. Not every business can spend millions to upgrade literally thousands of seats of functional equipment to the newest technology just because it exists. Also, making people carry DVI converters is anti-productive if 90% of vga-out users use analog). That number is made up but pretty much ballpark considering existing external monitors and projectors. Losing/forgetting these things happens all the time and is a nightmare for IT.

Again, I'd like the TP to support everything you want as much as anybody else, but the reason it doesn't has nothing to do with lack of vision. The huge investment in existing infrastructure that many businesses have require a kind of lowest-common-demoninator support, which may be unfortunate for the advancement of technology, but is the only way a lot of businesses can get a return on investment for the equipment they use.

And that's why there's choice. If you really need firewire, TV-Out, DVI, and 6 USB ports, there are peripherals available, or other laptops that are designed more for your needs. Just don't assume without proof that everyone has the same needs you have.

[Leon]

don't know why everybody is bickering over this... I want ALL the features that everyone has mentioned above in my next T.... and it better be half the weight and cost of my current T42... anybody else NOT want that?

[Steve007]

@Steve007, bit aragant aren't you TV tuners are not crap and are only a few small cost

No, I’m not arrogant. I see threads and hear conversations like this often, and the suggestions some people make (the removal of the parallel port, TV tuners etc) are made by people who do not understand the ThinkPad concept. I agree that things like extra USB ports, built-in DVD Burners would be ideal for users like you and I but if we thought it would be beneficial and profitable don’t you think they’d be included as standard? The overwhelming majority of ThinkPad users simply use a ThinkPad for tasks such as e-mail, internet browsing, spreadsheets, databases etc. They don’t need anything fancy, just a barebones unit. The reason we include a DVD/CD-RW combo drive in so many models these days is because the cost of manufacturing this drive is fractionally higher than the standard DVD-ROM drive, the DVD Burner costs a hell of a lot more to produce but in time the price will drop and it will make sense for us to include this drive in most models as standard.

The speakers are not good even for "business use" the quality is crap and at full volume it often can't even be heard over background noise

They are perfectly fine for business use. Remember, the ThinkPad is a business tool.

If people want the Parallel they can get the dock. There are almost no devices made any more that use parellel ports they all use USB now

We have millions of customers who have millions of parallel devices such as printers, zip drives and custom hardware. If the user is working remotely then what use is a ThinkDock?

What does USB ports have to do with home users. A lot of people complain about the lack of USB ports. Many devices now connect via USB eg keyboards, mice, printers, stockmarket data feed devices, cameras, phones etc which are all used for business use like that matters

I understand what you are saying but the vast majority of our customers are business users so they’d print to a network printer. As for keyboards and mice, then businesses will buy a TFT or CRT screen and dock the ThinkPad.

I’d agree that businesses use digital cameras, scanners, phones etc but the chances of them all needing to be connected at the same time is extremely remote. Having said that, 2 USB ports is a tad stingy, 3 should be the minimum in my opinion.

Remember – we all have different needs but you really need to look at what market the T series is aimed at to understand why the T4x series includes/lacks the functionality it currently has as standard.