Thinkpads Forum

I was helping a rising freshman at NC State locate a laptop and noticed some models on their student store website that I can't find any reference to in the TABOOK or online. Could this be an accidental pre-release of info on upcoming T61 models?

http://www.eos.ncsu.edu/soc/purchasing/ ... _specs.php

The entries are not very telling but it gives an idea of pricing and configuration.

The reason I first suspected these to be T61s was the mention of 14" WXGA+ screens. I thought at first that it was a typo but it's repeated 3 times.

Has anyone else seen these model numbers?

-darren

No, I hve not seen these models before either. These are T61s!

me neither.

They're definitely T61's, they are "Recommended Laptops for Fall 2007" and by that time we all know this series will be out for sure.

Nice Find!

There's also a 15.4" Widescreen T60p with WUXGA resolution (1920x1200) which, as far as I know, is not currently offered. The model number is 6457-5KU.

superhob wrote:There's also a 15.4" Widescreen T60p with WUXGA resolution (1920x1200) which, as far as I know, is not currently offered. The model number is 6457-5KU.

Yikes... 1920x1200 on a 15.4" diagonal! I'm running that resolution on my 24" display, and it's "just right". That's 147 ppi on the T61 display. This ought to spur on software vendors to concentrate on arbitrarily scalable UI elements in their products.

WUXGA

Too bad the weights of these T61's aren't listed. And where is the 14" WSXGA+ T series that I've been looking forward to? If it turns out there won't be a 14" WSXGA+ T series, then I would be forced to replace my current 14.1" SXGA+ T60 with a Panasonic Y5, which is also 14.1" SXGA+ but much lighter. This would be sad because I would no longer be a Thinkpad owner!

gator wrote:WUXGA

What's so shocking about that? The Z61p had a 15.4" WUXGA display. So does my Dell Inspiron 6000, which I love.

pianowizard wrote:But where is the 14" WSXGA+ T series that I've been looking forward to?

Keep in mind that this isn't a complete T61 lineup, just the models that NC State contracted to provide in a package to students. I would be shocked if a 14" WSXGA+ isn't one of the offerings when the line is released.

-darren

darrenf wrote:

pianowizard wrote:But where is the 14" WSXGA+ T series that I've been looking forward to?

Keep in mind that this isn't a complete T61 lineup, just the models that NC State contracted to provide in a package to students. I would be shocked if a 14" WSXGA+ isn't one of the offerings when the line is released.

-darren

Totally agree. Also, initially they won't offer all of them at once. They will start gradually through their own time span as they did with T60 WS and other resolutions.

darrenf wrote:Keep in mind that this isn't a complete T61 lineup

That's what I figured. You see, I am still a little bit skeptical that there will be a 14" WSXGA+ T61 because there has never been a 14" laptop screen with such a resolution. So I was hoping that the 14" WSXGA+ model would be listed, to eliminate my doubt.

I'll be quite happy with WXGA+ resolution at 1440x900. My current 14" SXGA+ (1400x1050) T40p is as big as I want to go, and I was hoping that they would not make a 14" wide-screen model by simply making it wider. The WXGA+ resolution gives me some hope that a 14" wide-screen model will actually be physically smaller than the 4:3 SXGA+ models.

I also still hope that there will be an option for an integrated webcam for video conferences and WSXGA+. My dream combination for the upcoming T61p.

MCheiron

Nilonym wrote:I'll be quite happy with WXGA+ resolution at 1440x900.

Ahh - well that's what I was looking for as well. I was guessing from the name that it was roughly 1024x600. 1440x900 in a 14" WS should deliver about the same dpi as the 14" SXGA+ which approaches the limits of my vision anyway.

-darren

Does anybody go to this school or knows someone who does? Maybe it's possible to get some more details on the specs...

Anyone have any guess on what the video cards might be from that information? Looks like still a 128mb X1400 and a 256 mb workstation graphics card on the higher end one.

brnf wrote:

Does anybody go to this school or knows someone who does? Maybe it's possible to get some more details on the specs...

Can somebody order one and get a closer look

I don't want to be the "party pooper" here, but I don't believe the TPs are T61.

There is nothing "new" in the components. (Z61p has WUXGA+ and is being discontinued, logical result is a T will come with WUXGA+)

It's been known for a while, (personally since Feb), that a 14" T60 wide would be introduced, these will have different model and type numbers to existing machines. As far as the 15,4" TPs are concerned, there are student TPs on the european market which you can't find in support or in the main catalogue.
IMOHP these are TPs built for a special student project, OR, somebody has made mistakes creating the website, OR, are these basically order numbers created by the seller which refer to his own inventory numbers and not the Lenovo numbers

I will have no objection if somebody can prove me wrong

andyP wrote:I don't want to be the "party pooper" here, but I don't believe the TPs are T61.

I think the most compelling evidence is the existence of the wide-screen 14" model. It seems highly unlikely that Lenovo would introduce a new model with such a substantial change this close to a major platform revision and for that new model not to be based on the new platform.

Also, the processor speeds don't match the current offerings (unless someone is rounding up).

-darren

@ Nilonym

They did it with the 15,4" T-Series, why not with the 14" wide?

andyP wrote:They did it with the 15,4" T-Series, why not with the 14" wide?

Lenovo introduced the 15.4" widescreen November 28, 2006. That was about 11 months after the January 5 introduction of the T60 series and the Napa platform, and at least 5 months before the presumed May 9 launch of the Santa Rosa platform. Since we are only a few weeks away from the Santa Rosa launch, it would seem odd for Lenovo to introduce a major model revision that was not based on Santa Rosa.

Just spoke with someone at the NCSU Bookstore and the posting of those models was a "screw up" because they are under a NDA. He did say that the models (not calling them T61s specifically) will be available in late May or "definitely by the first of June."

My nephew can't wait that long so we're going to purchase a T60 for him, but I wanted to share this info because it does give us a timeframe for the introduction of the 14" wide-screen T.

-darren

@darrenf

That's interesting, at least I know I was half right

regarding the other half:

@ Nilonym

You may be right, but I'm not sure because:

at a meeting in Feb. the Chief Strategy Officer of Lenovo, Yibing Wu, siad the T60 14" wide would be introduced.

As the 14" W was already in development in Feb. (or earlier), and santa rosa may come as you say in a few weeks, but not today. Question: it should turn up first in a "student" notebook

I find that hard to believe, but I'm prepared to let time tell

andyP wrote:...at a meeting in Feb. the Chief Strategy Officer of Lenovo, Yibing Wu, siad the T60 14" wide would be introduced.

Interesting. I guess we will know soon.

By the way, I did a quick search for that statement from Yibing Wu, but could not find it. Do you have a link?

Nilonym wrote:

By the way, I did a quick search for that statement from Yibing Wu, but could not find it. Do you have a link?

No, it was during a meeting of Lenovo business partners in Stuttgart Germany and during dinner afterwards, sorry

I wanted to edit my above post, but somehow no go

I should have added, when the 14" W comes, with whatever "guts" they can call it what they want T60 or T61 as long as it's still a ThinkPad.

darrenf wrote:Just spoke with someone at the NCSU Bookstore and the posting of those models was a "screw up" because they are under a NDA. He did say that the models (not calling them T61s specifically) will be available in late May or "definitely by the first of June."

VCU's student computer web site says:

Because we're waiting for new technology to be released, and we want you to have the best technology in your computer, these computers won't be available for purchase until May 15. Your patience will be rewarded!

Looks like we might be seeing something in about four weeks' time ...

Those prices look pretty decent. When is the official Santa Rosa platform launch? I think everyone will have their models ready by the launch, including Lenovo.

darrenf wrote:Keep in mind that this isn't a complete T61 lineup, just the models that NC State contracted to provide in a package to students. I would be shocked if a 14" WSXGA+ isn't one of the offerings when the line is released.

Then prepare to be shocked - have you ever seen a 14.1" WSXGA+ screen before? 1680x1050 on 14.1 inches???? It doesn't exist - not that it couldn't, but it doesn't. There is no demand for such a thing.

You need to remember resolutions are independent of screen size.

XGA = 1024x768
WXGA = 1280x800/1280x768
WXGA+ = 1440x900
SXGA+ = 1400x1050
WSXGA+ = 1680x1050
UXGA = 1600x1200
WUXGA = 1920x1200

fbrdphreak wrote:Then prepare to be shocked - have you ever seen a 14.1" WSXGA+ screen before? 1680x1050 on 14.1 inches???? It doesn't exist - not that it couldn't, but it doesn't.

Actually, according to a PM from gator, his professors have already pre-ordered several 14.1" 1680x1050 T61's. So, this will be the world's first 14.1" WSXGA+ laptop.

fbrdphreak wrote:There is no demand for such a thing.

How did you know that? My impression from what I've read on this forum is the opposite: Many people are very excited about such a T61.

The people on this forum are an exception, their desires are outside of probably 90% of consumer's wants/needs - they have also have never seen 1680x1050 pixels on a 14.1" widescreen. On a 15.4" screen, it is already tiny. On a 14.1", it would be near unreadable.

Mark my words - no 14.1" WSXGA+ screens exist and "gator" mis-heard or is yanking your chain.

Who wants to take bets?