Release date T430S?

[nimrod]

So Ivy Bridge will be here in april. When do you think T430S will be announced?

[ZaZ]

I thought I saw 3Q 2012, which means around when Windows 8 is released.

[sanjuro]

It could be 2Q 2012 since some Ivy Bridge mobile processors will be released in April 2012. So it can be early as May 2012 depending on which CPU will go inside T430s.

[Alejandro Audisio]

Great thread, Im also eagerly awaiting Ivy Bridge CPUs..... does anybody know if Lenovo introduces new CPUs to a specific series of machines first, or do all the Thinkpads get them at the same time...? To be more specific, do the W series machines get the newer CPU's first or at the same time as the T series machines...?

Thanks.

[Kirkster]

I don't think there is going to be a ThinkPad T430s, which sucks, since I have a T410s and was looking forward to upgrading.

Instead, there will be the normal T430, a T430i (like T410i and T420i), and a T430U, which is the thin and light version, the "U" is for "Ultrabook" I think. It looks like a nice machine, but it has the chiclet keyboard, instead of the "real" keyboard like the T410s and T420s have, and will have the very-low-voltage version of the Core i5/i7.

On the other hand, it will still have the option for Nvidia switchable graphics, or plain Intel integrated, and a 14" inch matte display (you can google the specs for the resolution, etc).

So, I might end up getting it when it FINALLY comes out in the second half of the year. I really wish they could have fit a normal Thinkpad keyboard on there, though. Cest la vie.

[Q-Ball]

Taking the last release cycle from when Sandy Bridge processors and chipsets became available:

Mobile Sandy Bridge processors popped up in January 2011, and the laptops were released at the end of March/April; a 3 to 4 month gap (420s came out at the end of April).

So if we assume that the x30 series (minus the Ultrabook) have the same chassis and near-identical planar, we should expect to see them in September or October. The 'U' is likely going to take a month longer, if the T420s is any indicator.

We also still don't know what the Tx30 series is going to look like. I suppose it's analogous to the T40/41/42's this time, but I still want to know- are we getting a chassis re-design, or are they sticking with the T400s/T510 chassis?

But I'm still not quite sure what to make of the X1's bigger brother.
I still wish they'd bring an X300-like machine (let's call it the X330) with a 13" 1920 x 1080 matte IPS screen (come now... you can get better resolutions in TABLETS than is offered in these machines), the original keyboard used (none of this chiclet stuff), Ivy Bridge and all that comes with it... and most importantly, an expansion bay.

Throw in a battery slice like the X220 has and you'll have T420s users jumping ship left right and center- you could have conceivably marketed that as an Ultrabook in the first place, though back then there was no such word- Ivy Bridge is a "configurable TDP" processor meaning that you can step it up to standard voltage when adequate cooling is available should the opportunity arise. Essentially, heavier Turbo Boost.

[bapatterson]

I thought I saw 3Q 2012, which means around when Windows 8 is released.

ThinkPads have historically been released in connection with the availability of new hardware--not new software.

You can expect Lenovo to release the next generation of laptops when Ivy Bridge processors and chip sets are available in sufficient quantities. If or when Win 8 is on the horizon, which I don't think is likely at the time the next generation launches, Lenovo will just throw an upgrade coupon in the box.

[SmoothRunnings]

The T430s won't have a DVD burner as the machine will be too thin to support it. So you'll have to carry around a USB drive with you.

A.

[Q-Ball]

the machine will be too thin to support it.

Yeah, yeah... but since when did "slim" stop ThinkPads from being ThinkPads? And this concept's over 4 years old!

[wolfman]

The T430s won't have a DVD burner as the machine will be too thin to support it. So you'll have to carry around a USB drive with you.

A.

Possibly, but the last time I used the DVD drive on either my current or previous Thinkpad was to burn the recovery disks. Then out it came and was replaced by a second hard disk drive adapter for the rest of it's life... DVD drive collecting dust in a plastic bag.

They don't seem to be quite as useful as they once were.

[Ole]

Bumping this thread, release date June 5th.

[jayton4]

The Ivy Bridge Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 2093-4FU has been out for over a week now. The i7-3610QM is a beast in that little 14" machine. It is amazing the kind of power Intel is producing these days. I got 68 GFlops out of it using IntelBurnTest. The Asus G74SX with the i7-2670QM could do only 52GFlops, and it is a massive 10 pound 17.3.

Maybe the idea of a quad core i7 in a 14 inch laptop will become a much more common occurance going forward.

[Kaze22]

Possibly, but the last time I used the DVD drive on either my current or previous Thinkpad was to burn the recovery disks. Then out it came and was replaced by a second hard disk drive adapter for the rest of it's life... DVD drive collecting dust in a plastic bag.

They don't seem to be quite as useful as they once were.

The lack of DVD burner has never been about burning disks. The DVD burner allows for a Bay level attachmet, which can be anything from a 3 Cell battery to a HD Caddy.

I've never seen the DVD burner as anything but an empty slot for an expansion. So if the T430s will not have a DVD Burner it's pretty much a huge step back in design.

The reason why I didn't swap my X301 for a X1 was because the X1 didn't have a DVD slot, which I always use for a second 3 Cell battery. Having no DVD burner is a big deal breaker for me, especially on the 13.3 and 14" models.

[jayton4]

New T430 (non s) news.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/leno ... ge-laptop/

[bill bolton]

Bumping this thread, release date June 5th.

It looks like its orderable from about that date, but not physically deliverable for a couple more weeks after that

Cheers,

Bill B.

[bapatterson]

Interesting that the listing at St. John's University shows the old style keyboard on the purported T430.

http://www.stjohns.edu/about/it/aci/lap ... o/t410.stj

[Ole]

That is true, guess "release" is an ambiguous word.

It looks like its orderable from about that date, but not physically deliverable for a couple more weeks after that

[jayton4]

Interesting that the listing at St. John's University shows the old style keyboard on the purported T430.

http://www.stjohns.edu/about/it/aci/lap ... o/t410.stj

$49 for a 3 year accidental plan is the lowest I have ever seen. Almost seems like a typo.

[FragrantHead]

Interesting that the listing at St. John's University shows the old style keyboard on the purported T430.

The speakers look too wide to me for a 14" model. Probably a picture of a T520.