Thinkpads Forum

I've been in the market for a new laptop for a couple of months now, and as I've followed the lead up to and eventual release of the Santa Rosa platform there were rumors that Lenovo would be moving all their models to widescreen in the near future. However, given the X61(s) stuck with the usual and (imo outdated) 1024x768 I'm a bit disappointed.

Has anyone heard anything else about the possibility of a widescreen x-series being released any time soon, or are my hopes all for naught? The x-series blows the doors off basically all the other ultraportables on the market in terms of performance, but that narrow screen is a serious downside for me.

-Fin

Given that changing the screen aspect ratio requires a wholesale redesign of the chassis and plastics, I think the odds of seeing a widescreen X-series system prior to the X70 (or X62?) is very, very small.

(edited for tablet/laptop launch differences)

Lenovo had just introduced the x60 tablet (oops/edited, not platform!) in November, so the x61 is mostly a fine-tuning of that tablet (not platform!) rather than a new model in itself.

They are probably working on the next platform (maybe different for laptop and tablets?) as a widescreen as the next major modification, and maybe this fall or early next year would be the launch of it. I don't know Lenovo's cycle timing for full updates of platforms, but I bet it coincides with their normal timing for doing that.

I imagine that the non-tablet version would come out first if it was launched apart from the tablet in wide screen. It's also possible that since the tablet itself is not as large a volume seller as conventional laptops, it may get lower priority (except that they charge for this config at a premium) and thereby delaying its retooling somewhat....

I wish they were both widescreen, and to be honest, I wish it looked more up to date in design in general. It truly is a decendent of their design approach from the 70s or 80s at IBM (which was good for its time), and is woefully in need of some fresh aesthetics. (I ordered one anyway though, the x61 tablet).

gdavis wrote:Lenovo had just introduced the x60 platform in November, so the x61 is mostly a fine-tuning of that platform rather than a new model in itself.

As I recall, the first X60 models were launched in February 2006 -- certainly not in November. I personally don't expect to see a new model range launched until Intel does their next Centrino chipset refresh (Montevina, about a year from now). They will need to do a model update for the new chipset in any case, and introducing new "ïnterim"models on the Santa Rosa chipset really doesn't make a lot of business sense.

As to the aesthetics, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I, and many others here, love the minimalist/ascetic ThinkPad design approach, and happily leave the bling-bling look for the other manufacturers.

I agree. I've been drawn to the x-series for a while as a nondescript, well built machine with stellar performance AND battery life. Unfortunately, the lower quality low resolution screen is probably going end up being a deal-breaker for me. A widescreen x-series would be mine in an instant though.

-Fin

tomh009,

You are correct about the laptop launch, I've been so focused on the x61 tablet launch that I grouped them both mistakenly together as one platform, which is clearly not so simple. It was only the tablet that got launched in November from what I can tell and the laptop was much earlier in the year as you said.

It's true that to each his own when it comes to appearance, and I respect yours on the x61 as well. I too am not into bling-bling as well.

Fin wrote:I've been in the market for a new laptop for a couple of months now, and as I've followed the lead up to and eventual release of the Santa Rosa platform there were rumors that Lenovo would be moving all their models to widescreen in the near future. However, given the X61(s) stuck with the usual and (imo outdated) 1024x768 I'm a bit disappointed.

I'm with you completely. I've been using X-series for seven years now and I love them. I'm disappointed though that the X61 screen resolution is exactly the same as the X20 I bought in 2000. All the other displays I use are widescreen, and other manufacturers already have widescreen ultraportables available - why not Lenovo?

I'm looking at the Santa Rosa Sony SZ and Dell M1330 for my next system, unless Lenovo pulls something out of the hat in the next two months...

For as many of you who like widescreen aspect ratios, there are as many, if not more, who hate them. I for one am glad that atleast the X6x series is available in regular aspect ratio. As soon as it's gone I'll be gone as well. Widescreen aspect ratios are horrible and I do not like them, especially on a machine this small (well not entirely horrible, but on a screen this size they are). What will the resolution be? I don't know off hand but I am sure that the y-axis will be smaller than the current y-axis, making viewing documents horrid (16:9 - 1280×720). A screen this size also throws the "increased performance" argument out of the window as well - you won't be running 2 firefox windows next to each other. If you argue that it will be good for movie viewing that may be true, but if you're also one who wants the X6x series to be more bling-bling then I believe you'll find the Dell store a click away.

I've seen people with widescreen Dell latitudes and the loss of vertical screen space is just painful (while not as easily noticeable at higher resolutions).

If they kept the vertical at least 1050 I could live with the wider keyboard, perhaps the same size as my A31.

1866x1050 yea that would be ok. IPS and NO shiny reflective surface is a must though. I really love this X60T screen, and everyone compliments it.

No bling! The X30 is actually better looking as far as overall style. I like the palm rest.

Antioch wrote:For as many of you who like widescreen aspect ratios, there are as many, if not more, who hate them. I for one am glad that atleast the X6x series is available in regular aspect ratio.
[...]

Amen. Keep that ugly widescreen away. 4:3 is much more pleasant (IMO). A higher resolution screen would be nice, though.
I have got a screen beside the X60, though, and on the go screen resolution is less important than portability (IMO)

proaudioguy wrote:If they kept the vertical at least 1050 I could live with the wider keyboard, perhaps the same size as my A31.

I think one major problem is that of all the X series lines, only one of the X61Tablet configurations even offers 1050 vertical! Most likely, if they did move to WS on the X, they'd use an WXGA/WXGA+ screen as a compromise to offer more pixels than 1024x768, but not having to spend as much as required to offer 1400x1050. Either way, you'd still have far less pixels than the 1400x1050 4:3 screen.

Personally, I'd like to see 1400x1050 (4:3) screens being offered on more lines of the Xseries before Lenovo considers introducing WS.

Well, I've heard on a Lenovo event talk this month, that they won't add widescreen panels probably before the end of 2008 to the X-Series at all. - Maybe it's since a move over to widescreen X-Series models would also need a completely new overall widescreen case design for the actual X-series, but that's just my guess.

Related to 4:3 SXGA+ panels for the common X61/X61s series, if you look over the notebook LCD panel supplier market, you will recognize that there aren't much 12" 4:3 SXGA+ panels available at all. The only ones I know of are those from Boe-Hydis and TMD, which are meant for Tablet PCs with digitizers and which might need a slightly different display-cover size. - Everything else in the 12.1" panel segment has usually a 4:3 XGA or is widescreen.

I tend to believe the 2H 2008 ... I expect that it'll be mid-year availability for the Montevina platform (ie the Santa Rosa replacement), and Lenovo will launch the T models first anyway.

Fin wrote:

snip - Has anyone heard anything else about the possibility of a widescreen x-series being released any time soon, or are my hopes all for naught? - snip

I've just read a notification from Lenovo regarding X61s widescreen, here a little summary:
CPU: C2D T7100, T7300 or T7500
Intel GM965 Express chipset
Intel GMA X1300
12.1" WXGA Vibrantview display
Integrated 1,3 Megapix. camera (selected models)
HDDs 60,80,100,120 or 160 - 2.5" 5400rpm

EDIT: Optical drives: 24x maximum CD-RW/DVD-ROM or DVD Recordable

! Two -button Touchpad with scroll feature ! - No Trackpoint mentioned

Width: 12.0" Depth: 3 Cell Batt. 8.95", 6 Cell Batt. 10.2", Height: 1.25" max., Weight 4 - 4.32 lb.

Hope that all helps a little.

Hmmm ... could I have been so wrong?

andyP, was there a date mentioned?

@tomh009 Sorry, no date mentioned, experience would say 3-4 weeks

BUT, there was something else I missed earlier which was bugging me, so I looked again. The dimensions and weight didn't seem right and I think I've found it - it has internal optical drives listed (have edited my post above).

Is this because the lenovo 300 V100/200 hasn't sold too well

Interesting ... it's really quite a bit different from the current X60/X61: 1.5" wider, 0.7" deeper, (a bit thinner though?), 0.7 lbs heavier, and with an optical drive and optional webcam. And the wide screen, of course.

Assuming it's a "real ThinkPad" and not a rebranded 3000 series, I think it'll make many people happy, even if the screen is 1280x800 rather than 1440x900. But it won't change my choice: I'll stay with my plan for the current-spec X61.

Thanks, again, Andy, for the market intelligence!

So according to that post the X60s goes from being the lightest of the light-weight thinkpads to the heaviest of the lightweight thinkpads. Somehow I find that hard to believe. Also, do any other thinkpads have a built in webcam? I don't believe the T6x series does (at least my T60 doesn't and didn't have the option).

I don't know. I just somehow find the above post very difficult to believe.

T61 has the webcam option (and I recall that Z series did, too).

If Andy's information is correct, I am absolutely certain that these systems will complement, not replace, the current X61, X61s and X61 tablet. (Really, they shouldn't be called "X series" at all, but then no one from Lenovo has called me yet to consult regarding that question!)

Antioch wrote:

I don't know. I just somehow find the above post very difficult to believe.

I didn't believe it at first, but I assure it's there in black and white. I think they need a replacement for the Z 14W which proved to be quite popular in the USA.

I am happy to send someone a copy as a pdf file to "moderate" if you like. As a suggestion maybe tomh009 would like to send me a pm with an e-mail address, or an e-mail if he has access to my member details and I'll send it.

andyP wrote:I've just read a notification from Lenovo regarding X61s widescreen, here a little summary:
CPU: C2D T7100, T7300 or T7500
Intel GM965 Express chipset
Intel GMA X1300
12.1" WXGA Vibrantview display
Integrated 1,3 Megapix. camera (selected models)
HDDs 60,80,100,120 or 160 - 2.5" 5400rpm

EDIT: Optical drives: 24x maximum CD-RW/DVD-ROM or DVD Recordable

! Two -button Touchpad with scroll feature ! - No Trackpoint mentioned

Width: 12.0" Depth: 3 Cell Batt. 8.95", 6 Cell Batt. 10.2", Height: 1.25" max., Weight 4 - 4.32 lb.

Hope that all helps a little.

Sounds a lot like the Lenovo V200:


Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB
12.1 inches WXGA VibrantView TFT with integrated 1.3MP camera (1280x800)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
2GB PC2-5300DDR2 SDRAM
160GB 5400rpm Serial ATA
8X Max DVD Recordable (Dual Layer) PATA Fixed Media Bay drive
Integrated fingerprint reader
Bluetooth Version 2.0 + EDR,Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
Dimensions Width 12.0" x Depth 10.2" x Height 1.25"
6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery
Weight: 4.2 lbs (source)
No trackpoint, two-button touchpad


Hmm?

Andrew kindly shared his document with me, and we were able to do some more reading and exchange some ideas on what this really is (thanks, Andrew!).

It indeed looks an awful lot like the V200, as qviri pointed out. Further, in the detailed descriptions there are multiple references to the "Lenovo 3000 V200". Now, these could be copy/paste errors, or it rally is a rebranded V200. Something doesn't quite jive 100% here, so we may have to dig deeper on this one.

tomh009 wrote:Andrew kindly shared his document with me, and we were able to do some more reading and exchange some ideas on what this really is (thanks, Andrew!).

It indeed looks an awful lot like the V200, as qviri pointed out. Further, in the detailed descriptions there are multiple references to the "Lenovo 3000 V200". Now, these could be copy/paste errors, or it rally is a rebranded V200. Something doesn't quite jive 100% here, so we may have to dig deeper on this one.

I agree, more infos and pdfs are underway to tomh009, if I could remember to attach them - he'd get them

Andy came through with more docs ... it's looking like someone at Lenovo got parts of multiple documents mixed up, as there are too many things that don't make sense.

So this may be a false alarm yet ... but stay tuned in case we find more information.

Well, I just hope they release an X61/s with an SXGA+ display - and soon. I'm waiting and hoping they'll do it, but I'd like to purchase my X61s one of these days.

There's no info in those pages about that, is there?

Alas, no.

As much as I'd love to have a widescreen X-series laptop, I kind of hope this really is the V200. A Thinkpad without a Trackpoint would be castrated.

tomh009 wrote:Andy came through with more docs ... it's looking like someone at Lenovo got parts of multiple documents mixed up, as there are too many things that don't make sense.

So this may be a false alarm yet ... but stay tuned in case we find more information.

I've been through the documents again today and have arrived at the following coclusion:

Standard text blocks or whole docs are used to create new docs, in the one doc quoted by me above I now believe a V200 doc was used and basically the the titles were changed with little regard to the content and accuracy. How this came about, I don't know.
Tom did spot one important fact and point it out to me; three docs were edited and published by the same person within 45 minutes. Now if we were talking about single page docs I don't believe that would be a problem, but they have what would be about 5 - 10 pages of normal legal. um?

So basically it would appear that what I posted was a load of crap Although I don't feel at fault for creating it, I should have restrained my excitement a litte, "wow that's gotta go in the forum", and engaged my brain a little more before posting and hereby apologise to this forum should I have provoked unnecessary excitement or dissapointment.

Best regards to all

Andy

Well, those who have participated in some of the Lenovo events last month should know better about the overall X61-series timeline and that there will be no widescreen model before 7/08.

For those interested in it, take a look over the the "2006-08 ThinkPad X Series POR workhorse transitions" slice number 41 of the following referenced ppt-file. However, note that this ppt is mostly written in german and that the file is huge in size, namely 29.8 MB, so be aware of it's size before downloading.

http://www.pc.ibm.com/de/lenovo/live/do ... bender.ppt

The above Notebook Desktops Breakout presentation also contains informations about the new T61/R61 series, their estimated timelines (slice 39) and so on.

vkyr wrote:Well, those who have participated in some of the Lenovo events last month should know better about the overall X61-series timeline and that there will be no widescreen model before 7/08.

If this is true then it is disappointing that Lenovo/Thinkpad is leaving the Ultraportable Widescreen market segment for Dell, Sony, Asus, HP, et al to chomp away in for a whole year.

I also noticed that although the German Lenovo Live event was in May, some slides in the presentation date from as far back as November 2006.