Any Word on Nehalem-based ThinkPads?

[wswartzendruber]

Granted that the x00 series just came out not too long ago, but I'm wondering if anyone's heard anything.

Hopefully this next generation will be built like a tank.

* Fondly remembers the T60. *

The T400's light, and with a T61 keyboard it's actually pretty good, but the whole thing feels like a piece of paper, not to mention there's a little more flex.

[beGi]

I think your guess is as good as anyone's...

[mattbiernat]

that's why i skipped the T series and got myself an X300. built like a rock.

[wswartzendruber]

that's why i skipped the T series and got myself an X300. built like a rock.

While a slightly modified T400 is still awesome, I am a little disappointed in where it's gone. Still the best thing out there (once it's been refitted), but not quite the machine the T60 was. Don't even get me started on how much of a true ThinkPad the T60 was.

[mattbiernat]

Don't even get me started on how much of a true ThinkPad the T60 was.

- except for clicky, ugly silver buttons
- cheap and clicky touchpad buttons
- battery not sitting properly
- screen rattling
yes the T60 is extremly well build machine but not well polished out. the X300 has not only the original thinkpad appeariance (buttons, stripes, etc) but it is also well finished with all of its parts fitting each other and with little or not rattling. the T60 felt like it was a bunch of plastic put together with sticking out parts here and there. don't get me wrong the T60 is very reboust and strong machine but the X300 feels more like a well polished out thinkpad. it's like the T60 is a truck and X300 is a mercedes.

[ajkula66]

Hmmmmmm...........

X300 is very pretty where T60 was an ugly duckling, especially coming after the drop-dead-gorgeous T4x series...

Having said that, I'd take a T60/p with an IPS LCD over X300 any day of the week...in that respect that was the last full-sized ThinkPad, and all the LCDs that we got over the last couple of years (including ones on widescreen T60/p) are downright garbage...

Although I see X300 as being one of the Lenovo's best moments (along with unappreciated Z series), it does have two major issues in my book:

a) The fact that it was never offered with a conventional HDD, thus being overpriced for what it really is
b) That the weak CPU is way beyond the rest of the machine, and probably remains its only real bottleneck

Lenovo has gotten several things right, judging by the newest generation of ThinkPads, but seems to be moving farther and farther away from the ThinkPad concepts of yesteryear...the new machines lack the prestige and identity of the old ones, and don't feel sturdy enough, regardless of how well they might be designed on the inside...

If T400 felt as "tight" as T40 when these were new, there wouldn't be much to complain about.

If W700 were offered with an IPS/AFFS LCD, be it a widescreen if must, I'd be typing on one right now...

If Lenovo manages to focus on aspects of ThinkPad range that could use improvement instead of fixing what was never broken in the first place (keyboards, LCDs, black being the only colour or close to it, depot service quality etc.) they still may drive the competition out of business, because the engineering excellence is still on their side...

My $0.02 only...

[mattbiernat]

a) The fact that it was never offered with a conventional HDD, thus being overpriced for what it really is
b) That the weak CPU is way beyond the rest of the machine, and probably remains its only real bottleneck

i completely agree with you on point b. however i got my X300 for $1150 which was just about the same price that i got my T60 2.5 years before. and getting an SSD for such price was a deal that i could not say no to. of course the initial pricing was ridiculus and that's when they should have give an option for HDD. the x300 does feel a little bit fragile but not anywhere close to the T23. the T60 is of couse is a tank, and there is no comparison to it. you can't flex T60 unless you step on it (and you gotta be pretty heavy too!).

If T400 felt as "tight" as T40 when these were new, there wouldn't be much to complain about.

after watching this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8sOO-8LP4E
and reading several other reviews i have decided that the T series became just another consumer laptop.


hopefully the next generation of Nehalem-based T series will see an improvement on the build quality.

[Marin85]

it's like the T60 is a truck and X300 is a mercedes.

Nice , I always wanted a Mercedes truk.

after watching this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8sOO-8LP4E
and reading several other reviews i have decided that the T series became just another consumer laptop.

Nice link, but, wow, this T400 flexes even more than I thought my Z61p does... T400 is a nice combination of specs and form factor (even for me who doesn´t really like widescreens much anyway), I hope this flex is not a common issue with these machines.