Thinkpads Forum

When do you think the T400 series will be updated with a new chassis? I read and watched videos of people telling audiences that the current chassis is not up to par with previous Thinkpad models.

I have an aging T42 Thinkpad and it is solid. I paid an arm and a leg for it 3 years ago but it is very sturdy. Thinkpad's still command a premium and it does not look like the current T400 models deserve it with the build quality.

I was wondering if fellow thinkpad forum goers have any information on the likelihood of updates to the quality of T400 in the near future?

bunnyblaster wrote:I read and watched videos of people telling audiences that the current chassis is not up to par with previous Thinkpad models.

Some people are just never happy.

There is nothing wrong with the construction of the T400 chassis and it uses a MUCH more robust "roll cage" design than the chassis in your T42

Cheers,

Bill B. (very satisfied T400 user)

I don't think they need it really. Any more would be extra weight and overkill. I can already use my t400 as a step-stool (literally.) They aren't advertised to be army-grade, just strong enough to handle life.

Fair enough. That is interesting that someone said that the T400 roll cage is stronger.

I have a few other issues with it:
- Weight. It seems heavier. My T42 is 5.2 with battery while the T400 is 5.3-5.4. I expected the T 14 inch series to go down in weight not go up.

- Monitor is not centred. This really peeves me off.

- The useless room on the side of the keyboard. I expect something there. Or better yet, it looks big enough to fit a mini number pad there.

- Why does thinkpad T400 series not have native DP or DVI built into it. You have to rely on a stupid port replicator

Your T42 has an off-center LCD. Yes, look at it.

I actually did not notice it. Now that I have, I am beginning to be bothered by it too.

How hard is it to design a monitor in the centre?

I have owned both the t61 and t400, and I think the build quality is pretty good on both, with the t400 being slightly lighter. I doubt that they make any huge changes to the next model, my guess is it will include Intel's nahalem mobile CPU, a displayport, and (hopefully) they will ditch the absolutely horrible t400 keyboard and go back to the old one they were using with the t61 and earlier laptops.

I own a T61 and have purchased a few T400's for clients. My T61 had the bad keyboard in it and I replaced it with the nice one from another T61. I'm waiting for a new series also, the T400 is nice, but it doesnt offer enough to leave my T61. Off center screen? After a few minutes using the laptop you wont even notice. Why is it off-center? For all the wiring and antenna's that run along side the lcd screen.

I think the notebook processors are just not up to speed yet. They need to make them more powerful and dynamic so that when you are on battery you could survive 3 hours.

The ultimate machine, to me anyway, would be the base from a T60 combined with the lid of a T400. That would be awesome. For those of you who think the T400 is better:

1. Set your T400 flat in front of you and open it.
2. Rotate it 90 degrees.
3. Grab around the HDD bay with your left hand.
4. Grab around the Ultrabay with your right hand.
5. Move your hands.
6. Watch it bend.

I think they might have done this on purpose, though, as induced flex on that area would theoretically help absorb HDD shock.

The Enter and Backslash keys also flex because of thinner metal underneath. Yes, I have a T61 keyboard.

People cried and wanted lighter. So this is what we got.

Ah, current vs. past Thinkpads rants. My favorite.

sparta.rising wrote:Your T42 has an off-center LCD. Yes, look at it.

True, but only so lightly. Almost impossible to notice, unless you look at it. On the T61/R61 and later T/R models it just screams at you "I'm ugly!". Probably because the bezel itself is very thick and flat on the left side.

The T60 (both 14" and 15") were the most symmetric as far as screen goes (and even they are not 100%). The 15" T4x is almost symmetric too, except for the antenna enclosure on the right side, which makes the bezel thicker there.

bunnyblaster wrote:- Why does thinkpad T400 series not have native DP or DVI built into it. You have to rely on a stupid port replicator

There is a blog post about this exact thing on Lenovo blogs. But it's not like any previous Thinkpad for that matter had any digital video output ports on the machine! The T500/W500/W700/X301 are the first models that do.

bradhs wrote:Why is it off-center? For all the wiring and antenna's that run along side the lcd screen.

True, but as was mentioned, previous generation screens were also a bit off-center but not in such a glaring and ugly way.

wswartzendruber wrote:People cried and wanted lighter. So this is what we got.

I dunno. Lenovo's lightest 14" to date remains the Z61t, and somehow it manages to be very light and very sturdy, with a rollcage, a good keyboard, with a centered screen, and overall looking like a laptop that was carefully designed, whereas the new series look like someone took a hatchet and carved something out of a piece of plastic. As far as designed Lenovo have definitely gone backwards on the newer models, strength notwithstanding.

It's interesting that my ThinkPad has an off-center screen. I keep forgetting as I use it.

I actually did not notice it. Now that I have, I am beginning to be bothered by it too.

Hilarious. Really outstanding. I laughed my a** off. By the way, if you dont like the black color of your T400, your T41 is black too. SCNR.

Back to topic: I agree that the overall appearance of the post-T61 models ooze less quality. It's about material, haptics and fitting of the part.

Americans do it better! And I can tell this as a German

ibmguy wrote: Hilarious. Really outstanding. I laughed my a** off. By the way, if you dont like the black color of your T400, your T41 is black too. SCNR.

Don´t even mention that, check here