Thinkpad Reserve Edition

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snife · #61 Post by **snife** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 11:11 am

I've now had a chance to play with one and the leather looks to be backed by metal which i'm assuming acts like a heatsync for disipatting the additional heat caused by the enclosure.

The more I look at it though I can't help but think how nice it might have looked in black leather with red stiching rather than the tan colour.

The system is packaged really nicely though - you'd almost think they have copied Apple and its nice to see over the normal drab brown boxes (small thing I know but I liked it).

The best thing about it though is the return of the soft touch feel to the palm rest (like from the 600) - I forgot how much nicer than plastic that was.

joepublic · #62 Post by **joepublic** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 2:16 pm

I gotta ask, how did you get a look at one?

What was the packaging like, besides reminding you of Apple?

beeblebrox · #63 Post by **beeblebrox** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 3:52 am

joepublic wrote:
beeblebrox wrote: Certainly not. I could imagine to get me one with this leather. Currently I am using a Samsonite hard sleeve, which looks almost exactly like that reserve edition when my thinkpad is in it and it's open.
I could just drop the sleeve. It would be nice to have that leather cover as an add-on accessory for other thinkpads (e.g. T4x series)
From the looks of the machine, it looks like the cover is solid throughout the bottom. So assuming it is thick, high quality leather, the standard ventilation system would not work well. Doubtful you could just take a real leather sleeve like this and put it on another ThinkPad - maybe they could make one designed allow the existing ventilation systems to work?

It Lenovo would offer the leather sleeve as an add-on to their existing line I would buy one immediately, if...
... the sleeve is quite thin leather (and not too heavy) and reinforced (e.g. a metal frame)
... there are other, better colors, such a marine blue or dark green with golden or yellow ThinkPad letters. It would fit to our boardroom meetings.
(can't help, but this brown leather looks somewhat "gayish". I somehow can't handle this particular color...)

Dead1nside · #64 Post by **Dead1nside** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 7:08 pm

khtse wrote:I don't think it is merely a leather wrapped thinkpad...

I love how they tried to cover it up, after everybody guessed just how simple it was. But it's not just a Leather-Covered Thinkpad, it's one with great support apparently...

furrycute · #65 Post by **furrycute** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:30 am

beeblebrox wrote: (can't help, but this brown leather looks somewhat "gayish". I somehow can't handle this particular color...)

That tan brown colored leather is a trademark color used by all the cowboys of bygone years. So what are you implying?...

sethstorm · #66 Post by **sethstorm** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 11:52 am

Dead1nside wrote: I love how they tried to cover it up, after everybody guessed just how simple it was. But it's not just a Leather-Covered Thinkpad, it's one with great support apparently...

I guess that a fully loaded T series is still too availible to mere mortals (especially when most of the advantages are being removed - IPS, non-widescreen LCD's, and keyboard quality to name a few).

I hope this is a one shot deal and not a regular occurence, since this looks to be something that hurts them more than anything. I see enough of this "coverup" with Google, Lenovo doesn't need to take any hints from them.

#67 Post by **K. Eng** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 9:22 pm

So did anyone actually buy one yet???

mattbiernat · #68 Post by **mattbiernat** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 10:39 pm

K. Eng wrote:So did anyone actually buy one yet???

no. and there is a good reason why. this "reserve" edition is targeted towards the same people who buy flashy apple products. unforutnetly Jobs does way better job than lenovo in making a kind of "fashion" statement. Lenovo is just trying to copy apple.

mattbiernat · #69 Post by **mattbiernat** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 10:45 pm

if lenovo actually constructed leather (or any other kind of material) case that would fit very tightly around entire thinkpad and be very light then this would really make sense. especially if it would be water resistant.

#70 Post by **ryengineer** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 1:05 am

K. Eng wrote:So did anyone actually buy one yet???

The reserve addition is only available to loyal friends of lenovo through an invitation.

snife · #71 Post by **snife** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 5:23 am

ryengineer wrote:
K. Eng wrote:So did anyone actually buy one yet???
The reserve addition is only available to loyal friends of lenovo through an invitation.

Not bought one - have seen and used one and am trying to 'procure' a permanent one at the moment. As of August 8th I think anyone will be able to buy whatevers left of them.

lilserenity · #72 Post by **lilserenity** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 6:21 pm

I think it looks kind of nice but not because of the 'fashion statement' thing.

It reminds me of a big letter sized notebook I got in the states about three years ago to do some of my writing in when I didn't have my ThinkPad with me (which is often when I go off into the wilderness camping and hiking

) and that was sheathed in a nice tan leather cover as it were, very nice looking.

Seeing this just reminds me of looking at it as more of a writing companion, that nice feel of a sturdy notebook (as in paper notebook) and a serious nitty gritty mobile computing platform, pretty darn cool I say!

Vicky

rleo25 · #73 Post by **rleo25** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 6:30 pm

Really guys would you pay 3 grand more for a leather sleeve and a premium 24/7 service? Is there a huge demand in the world for this product? How many notebooks are thinking in Lenovo will be sold? I am surprised with this commercial strategy, what is the message to the masses hidden in this exclussive launch?

snife · #74 Post by **snife** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 7:21 pm

rleo25 wrote:Really guys would you pay 3 grand more for a leather sleeve and a premium 24/7 service? Is there a huge demand in the world for this product? How many notebooks are thinking in Lenovo will be sold? I am surprised with this commercial strategy, what is the message to the masses hidden in this exclussive launch?

As i've mentioned before you have to think Vebra (horrendously overpriced Nokia phones), yeah you get a premium cover and yeah you get the enhanced support but what your really paying for is to have something that no-one else has, elitism costs and there is a market for it.

rleo25 · #75 Post by **rleo25** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:02 pm

yeah snife your point is ok, but bussines in niche markets?

#76 Post by **GomJabbar** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:12 pm

snife wrote:...what your really paying for is to have something that no-one else has, elitism costs and there is a market for it.

I agree with your point Snife. I tried to say something similar in another thread on this topic.

#77 Post by **K. Eng** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 9:27 pm

rleo25 wrote:Really guys would you pay 3 grand more for a leather sleeve and a premium 24/7 service?

Personally, I wouldn't. I'd rather invest the 3 grand in a retirement fund. But I am still curious to see what people's experiences with these things are.

snife · #78 Post by **snife** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 3:03 am

rleo25 wrote:yeah snife your point is ok, but bussines in niche markets?

The main market I see is in business, CEOs, CIOs etc who want a nice system that conforms to the company standards but is something special so they can take their cowhide system into meetings where the rest of the chumps have X61 systems and feel important.

lilserenity · #79 Post by **lilserenity** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 3:19 pm

I wouldn't for one minute buy one, especially at the price they are. i just think they look nice, I appreciate the aesthetic but not the price

And as for elitism, well they can go shove that right up their...

As it stands I get more than enough computing done on a T40, perfect system for what I do! Of course if I could get a similar case for my T40 for a few quid then I would but we would be talking more like £30 budget than $3000!!

#80 Post by **ryengineer** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 2:16 am

Thinkpad reserve edition is now available for consumers (select countries only) as well. Interested souls can visit http://www.thinkpadreserve.com/ to place an order.

mattbiernat · #81 Post by **mattbiernat** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 2:21 am

but except for buying yourself prestige and cowhide, what else do you get?

crashnburn · #82 Post by **crashnburn** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 3:26 am

snife wrote:
rleo25 wrote:yeah snife your point is ok, but bussines in niche markets?
The main market I see is in business, CEOs, CIOs etc who want a nice system that conforms to the company standards but is something special so they can take their cowhide system into meetings where the rest of the chumps have X61 systems and feel important.

I am not sure if they really intend for this to be a big SELL / PROFIT / REVENUE driver directly. I think they want to ESTABLISH and RE-ESTABLISH the Thinkpad with Senior Execs who will have SAY in the company around which Laptop Vendor to use.

So, the next time an Exec thinks of going to Dell or HP they have this sweet deal reminding them...

Its about making them taste some sort of Elitism, pleasing them and then getting the contract for those 10,000 x60 tablets for the field force.

Stuff like that. Impress > Personalize > Establish > Relate > Sell.

rleo25 · #83 Post by **rleo25** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 10:11 am

That does make a lot of sense crashnburn and yes that´s a hell af marketing move... why I didn´t think of it before?

bhtooefr · #84 Post by **bhtooefr** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:01 am

But, otherwise, it's just a bog-standard X61s (note that it's got an L7500, whereas the X61 would use something from Intel's T line) wrapped in leather.

Heck, my Tablet matches that machine in every way except:

It's a tablet
It's got SXGA+
I've got an UltraBase (which isn't even supported on the Reserve, due to the leather)
I don't have personal representatives to service my machine, but I do have 3-yr onsite+accidental damage. And, IBM support isn't exactly bad.
I don't have leather.
I don't have BlueTooth.
I have a 120GB hard drive, whereas this has a 160.

rleo25 · #85 Post by **rleo25** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:23 am

Yeah and you´ve got 3 grand in your wallet!

ducky2802 · #86 Post by **ducky2802** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 5:05 pm

haha...its Vertu, the luxury phone maker. And he's right...its nothing more than an symbian s40 OS Nokia phone, a whole lot of premium and precision parts, and loyal customers willing to pay up to $50,000 for a cell phone. On the othe rhand, it does come with that Concierge button, which has been riddled with myths as to what services are available to the lucky (and rich) mobile user.

I wonder if the reserve edition has that same button??? Hehe

wearetheborg · #87 Post by **wearetheborg** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:10 pm

taob wrote:Lenovo ought to be putting their money and effort into bringing decent 8-bit S-IPS displays to the Thinkpad,

Andersonjoe711 · #88 Post by **Andersonjoe711** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 1:33 pm

not that it matters anymore, but Didn't each Laptop cost somewhere around 3 grand when it first came out? Looking up old specs on my T23, it was around 3 grand when it first came out, so I don't see te price that bad for a new thinkpad, but I also don't see how a leather cover is gonna make people flock to get it.

pailhead · #89 Post by **pailhead** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:07 pm

Thinkpad: Douchebag addition

Proof that some people have more money than sense.

#90 Post by **JaneL** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:12 pm

pailhead wrote:Thinkpad: Douchebag addition

Proof that some people have more money than sense.

How very classy of you.

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