What will the next T series Thinkpad bring and WHEN...

[Crunch]

...will it "bring it"?

Does anyone have any inside information as to what we will see after the T61/T61p series? T62's? T70's? What "must-have's" will be inside?

Or is it too soon? On average, how often do new Thinkpad series come out?

Finally, what do you guys WANT to see in a new Thinkpad series, besides higher speeds, and other obvious, yet still enticing new toys?

[sethstorm]

Finally, what do you guys WANT to see in a new Thinkpad series, besides higher speeds, and other obvious, yet still enticing new toys?

The option to refit with IPS post-purchase, and a regular sized media bay.

IPS cannot be said enough, and if they won't put it in, allow for it to be put in if we supply the panel. Just make it possible to do the switch on a 15" model to accept T60p, T4xp screens, and any of the other display panel vendors out there who do 15" 1600x1200 IPS.

The slim media bays are nice, but the lack of variety in optical drives isn't welcoming(I can swap in a slotload DVDRW drive into my A31p, but not my T42p). Another thing of note is that those slim optical drives seem to have an issue with the drive catching on the top panel, making it nearly unremovable.

[msb0b]

On average, how often do new Thinkpad series come out?

Every time Intel releases a new mobile platform. So the next one will come out around May, when Intel is slated to release the Montevina platform. It will have 1066 MHz FSB, DDR3 and DDR2 support, WiMAX, etc. What Lenovo will include is anyone's guess.

According to leaked information, the new T series will be named T400 with 14" display, and T500 with 15" display.

[Isaac000]

I'm okay with what the Thinkpads have now. Just minor improvements.
- Better speakers. I know it's a business laptop, but Apple does much better and even my old 770X puts the newer machines to shame.
- Top of the list : Better battery life. I want to be able to run a full day without recharge.
- Extra large touchpad. Keep the Trackpoint, but I want something easy to take notes on, so make the touchpad "writeable".
- Thinner, lighter...

[eyestrain]

Want to see... if I were planning to buy:

-Fan that can run at low RPM. This could probably be done on old models too, with a BIOS change. Better to run long and quiet than in loud bursts.

-Better power and cooling management, so fan can be even quieter/slower. Maybe a larger fan, so can be quieter per cubic foot of air moved. Maybe a ULV CPU option.

-Better keyboard. My 770E's keyboard is far superior to the one on my T60. (I haven't checked to see which model of keyboard I got.) A little extra size and weight would be worth it to me.

-DVI, at least digital. Even if it's a micro version that needs an adapter. If DVI-I, then with adapters, no VGA port would be needed.

-esata port, bootable

-gigabit ethernet port near the power cable, for those of use who use wired. (not on two different sides)

[Crunch]

The option to refit with IPS post-purchase, and a regular sized media bay.

IPS cannot be said enough, and if they won't put it in, allow for it to be put in if we supply the panel. Just make it possible to do the switch on a 15" model to accept T60p, T4xp screens, and any of the other display panel vendors out there who do 15" 1600x1200 IPS.

The return of IPS will be more than welcome. Awesome. So that means, I will be easily able to wait for the post-T61 era with my T7600.

For the same reason, I would also very much welcome for the BIOS restrictions to disappear. Otherwise, they will need to be hacked. And what a good argument to make: Accessibility for third-party vendors. Excellent.

Every time Intel releases a new mobile platform. [..] Montevina platform. It will have 1066 MHz FSB, DDR3 and DDR2 support, WiMAX, etc. What Lenovo will include is anyone's guess.

Looks like I won't need extended warranty post mid-2009 after all. WiMAX sounds awesome!! I usually always wait 6-12 months, as the latest and the greatest is usually just bragging rights, without enough software developed to justify the purchase. It's like a car. You drive that Thinkpad off the lot, you can take off plenty of $$ and kill any resale value.

Very encouraging posts! Thank you everyone! Awesome!

[cj3209]

I would like to see better battery life: at least 5-7 hours would be nice in the REGULAR batteries and not in the extended ones that stick out in the back (which I hate). The extended batteries should give us around 8-10 hours.

Lighter weight would be nice as well; my 15.4" T60p is heavy on my shoulders.

I like the idea of using a CD/DVD drive WIRELESSLY from my desktop, a.k.a. Apple Air - I think that's a great idea and would save some weight not having a drive.

My two cents...

CJ

[masterus]

Hi,

There's a list I'd like to have in new version of Tseries:

- Backlight screen with glossy like in SONY,ACER,DELL
- Better GPU: like NVidia 8600GSM/8400GSM
- Better speakers
- HDMI or DVI instead of VGA
- Smaller WiFi switch
- 2,0MPx or 1,3MPx WebCam
- No BIOS lock for HDD,WiFi etc.

Regards,

[ocellaris]

I just want to see options for better screens. The T61 I am using now has some fairly bad viewing angles that make the notebook difficult to use in some conditions. For a premium priced notebook, the screen quality should match. No upper tier business notebook should have viewing angles so bad that the brightness at the top and the bottom of the screen are completely different if you sit close.

[Crunch]

I just want to see options for better screens. The T61 I am using now has some fairly bad viewing angles that make the notebook difficult to use in some conditions. For a premium priced notebook, the screen quality should match.

Screens, screens, screens...That's what most people in all the forums I'm a member of want. Very much including myself of course. I've read the words "glossy" and "LED backlit" on many peoples' wishlists. What exactly is that? How does it compare to IPS, if anyone knows?

I only know IPS as excellence in screens, but I don't have to have it if there are comparable technologies out there that generate a fantastic screen, including the wide viewing angle, etc., but use a totally different approach.

[msb0b]

WiMAX sounds awesome!

I will remain cautiously optimistic until I see the price and coverage of the WiMAX network. The biggest WiMAX service provider in US is Sprint, and I dread the mobile phone approach they will take toward the service.

I've read the words "glossy" and "LED backlit" on many peoples' wishlists. What exactly is that? How does it compare to IPS, if anyone knows?

Glossy screen can achieve deeper blacks but at the price of having glares. In comparison, matte anti-glare coating scatter light, so black part of the display seem grayer. Personally, I don't care much for glossy displays. ThinkPads are business tools most often used in brightly lit offices.

LED backlight has many benefits. Lower power draw, better color spectrum, thinner panel and no mercury. LED backlight will phase out fluorescent backlight when the production ramps up.

IPS panels are nice but the manufacturers are moving away from it. I don't think any company has made a widescreen IPS panel, and pretty much all computers have widescreen displays from here on.

The other LCD technologies available are VA and TN panels. VA panels (MVA, PVA, etc) have viewing angle just as good as IPS, almost 180 degrees both horizontally and vertically. They suffer from a slight color shift to lighter shade when the user moves from the straight on position. TN panels are the cheapest and the worst. They have the worst viewing angle. The colors can turn negative if you move too far from straight on!

I will accept VA technology. Anything but TN.

In non-LCD display technologies, OLED looks the most promising. Because OLED technology emit light, not filtering them like LCD do, OLED will have the best contrast ratio. Sony just released the first consumer OLED TV late last year. 3mm thick and 11" for $1700. The price is still too expensive. It will take few years to come down. Maybe Sony will put OLED in laptop first, since they are farthest ahead in R&D, and Sony tends to put cutting edge technology on their laptops. TX was the first with LED backlighting and carbon fibre chassis.

[ocellaris]

Screens, screens, screens...That's what most people in all the forums I'm a member of want. Very much including myself of course. I've read the words "glossy" and "LED backlit" on many peoples' wishlists. What exactly is that? How does it compare to IPS, if anyone knows?

While I am not completely up on specifics of LCD manufacturing, you can cretainly make better screens than are currently in use without the need for glossy or LED backlighting. Most of the test notebooks I have at work (Dell, Sony, HP) are pre-2006 model notebooks and they have better viewing angles than a lot of the new LCDs I see getting used.

I would not mind paying a little more for LED backlighting or having an option for glassy screen finish. For me at this point, its all about getting better view angles to make the notebook easier to use in cramped seating or when demo'ing apps to other people. When the next gen T6x or T7x come out, I will be one of the first people in line to get one presuming the screens are better.