Thinkpads Forum

I was eagerly waiting to see how much this pc is going to be, and thankfully it is less than $2000, but it is still about twice the price of the t400...so now I am torn.

Lenovo has a video of the t400s on their website, and this link is the first "release" that goes into detail on the specs and the price.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/art ... src=kc_top

So with what should be a much better screen, better keyboard, multitouch trackpad, more than half a pound of weight lost, and excellent business communication (VOIP) - I just don't know if this is really worth an extra $700 compared to the t400.

In case you did not see it yet, I also thought to mention that there is a very good review of the t400s on notebookreview.com

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5097

Most senior law students advise to get as light a laptop as possible. Here is a light laptop that comes with the os that my school prefers, and it is durable with a good keyboard. I think maybe the touchpad will be a potential problem. Because it is flush, I would expect more inadvertent cursor insertions, but maybe the dimples help to minimize this. I would have expected Lenovo to introduce it with a sale price, and if that is the case, then the educational discount will bring it down by another 15% - so maybe the final price will be closer to $1100 as I had hoped and then my decision becomes easier.

I'm surprised to see the new T400s offered at this price point, then discounted as well. Especially since it's lower than the X300/301 models were when first introduced. I expected the T400s to be released at a higher price simply based on past trends. Due to several new design changes as opposed to the existing T400, these two should not be compared. As far as being worth the price, that can only be determined by the individual user.
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Cheers...

New T400's start at 3.9lbs and .84inch thick.....

WOW.....................

Ron

archer6 wrote:I'm surprised to see the new T400s offered at this price point, then discounted as well. Especially since it's lower than the X300/301 models were when first introduced. I expected the T400s to be released at a higher price simply based on past trends. Due to several new design changes as opposed to the existing T400, these two should not be compared. As far as being worth the price, that can only be determined by the individual user.
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Cheers...

Reg price is about $1800, sale price is $1599, with educational discount is about $1300, and after upgrades is $1400. I think Lenovo really listened to what people said about the t400 and made most, if not all, of those improvements. Notice though, that switchable graphics is not an option on the t400s. It sure does look fantastic! I have never seen upgrading to a ssd to be so inexpensive (but then the laptop is already more expensive). I do think it should give Dell Adamo a run for its money. Not sure how those considering macbook pro will feel now.

ohioan wrote:I do think it should give Dell Adamo a run for its money. Not sure how those considering macbook pro will feel now.

Dell Adamo? How is it even in the same niche of the T400s?

It's $2100 here in Canada with a SSD upgrade cost of only $64

No discount yet. Although when that comes I will certainly be purchasing it.

I was very surprised to see the T400s for under $1600 (& $1,300 with edu discount). I am more certain than ever that I am going to buy this computer for law school next year. Just got to wait three more days for that free Windows 7 upgrade option!

I have to agree with dr_st, not really sure that this is a Dell Adamo competitor, more like a new Dell Latitude Z series or Macbook Pro competitor.

So many exams, assignments, case search catalogs are digital now, your laptop is going to be like a third arm for you over the next three years, ohioan. I think it's worth investing in yourself the difference in cost between this and the T400.

Also, I agree that the lack of discrete/switchable graphics is disappointing but not a deal breaker by any means. Also a little cranky that lenovo charges $560 for a blu-ray upgrade when Dell offers it for like $200. Oh well, you get what you pay for and with Thinkpad I know I will get a quality machine.

I thought Dell should be coming out with a new latitude series, but had not seen anything on it. I made the light comparison of Dell Adamo to the t400s because both represent the slimmest laptops for each manufacturer, but that was the only aspect I was considering in that statement.

I do think the t400s is a good choice, but spending an additional $700 for a better screen, better keyboard, better touchpad, 1 lb lighter laptop, better communicating laptop...hmmm, okay as long as the new touchpad does not promote inadvertent cursor insertions, I'm sold!

ohioan wrote:I thought Dell should be coming out with a new latitude series, but had not seen anything on it. I made the light comparison of Dell Adamo to the t400s because both represent the slimmest laptops for each manufacturer, but that was the only aspect I was considering in that statement.

I do think the t400s is a good choice, but spending an additional $700 for a better screen, better keyboard, better touchpad, 1 lb lighter laptop, better communicating laptop...hmmm, okay as long as the new touchpad does not promote inadvertent cursor insertions, I'm sold!

Having a flush touchpad is a little different, but hopefully the texturing will prevent problems. One thing that was not leaked, that I find VERY cool, is the multi-touch capability of the the new touchpad. Watch this video, about ~1:10 in, they talk about the new touchpad. VERY cool zoom/rotate/etc stuff.

http://www.thinkpadtoday.com/full-launc ... m#more-697

Wow, T400s looks like a real winner. The integrated graphics aren't bad (same integrated as T400), but the lack of switchable is a deal-killer for me. I have the MacBook Air as my ultraportable, and the T400 steps in when I want more power, like for playing games or working with high resolution photos or video.

The real question is whether the T400s can do everything you want your laptop to do. If you like playing high-end games on your portable, then the T400s is deficient. If you want it for work and perhaps watching movies it should be more than adequate.

I also noticed 6 hour battery life, which is impressive for the weight, but limiting if you want more flexibility. I would assume you could use the ultrabay battery to increase runtime to about 8 or 9 hours, but well short of the T400 with 9 cell and ultrabay batter.

What does that 'halogen' thing means?

asiafish wrote:The integrated graphics aren't bad (same integrated as T400), but the lack of switchable is a deal-killer for me.

Lenovo provides us with the new T400s Mini Dock Plus Series 3 with dedicated gpu. This dock with the dedicated gpu is only 30 $ more than the dock without dedicated gpu. "Switchable" is possible when connecting your T400s to the dock. There will be no "mobile" switchable mode, though. For me, this new approach is a great one.

agarza wrote:

What does that 'halogen' thing means?

As part of the focus on "green manufacturing" hard drive makers are reducing the levels of halogen in manufacturing their products. In some cases completely removing it. Apple was one of the first to advertise their computers as "green" which led Lenovo and others to begin to share with the public what they are doing to be green. Here's a link
http://www.slashgear.com/hitachi-5k500b ... s-1122244/

Cheers...

Nice explaining archer

Didn't knew halogen was involved in the manufacturing process of Hard Disks. But I suppose those Hard Disks available on the T400s customize page are 1.8" drives right, a 2.5" would not fit in such a tiny case.

I've heard so many reviews about the 5K500.B I might order a single platter just to see if the drive beats my current silent 80GB stock drive. How many more minutes could I squeeze with a drive like these having the 'Eco-Friendly' technology.