Why doesn't Lenovo put the T410s in the x301 chassis/case??

[ThinkP]

The x301 is the best designed Thinkpad since IBM left....It is the closest thinkpad that resembles the IBM design quality/sturdiness and that great rubberized feel all around that we all miss from those iconic thinkpads.

It's the thinnest Thinkpad chassis I believe and why not just fit the T410 series in this case with the same nice build quality and rubberized feel. The difference between the T410s and X301 is fractional in thickness...I don't mind if it's a 14" screen...but keep the x301 external design.

I will miss the x301...I hate the plastic feel and creaking noises of the palm rest on the new Thinkpad models....

I would like to see the power of the T410s in the x301 chassis and that what would be the perfect Thinkpad.

I miss the IBM days.. :\

Will they listen to their customers?

[sanjuro]

One issue is heat. i5 520M or 540M processors produce more heat. The thinner X300 can tolerate less heat producing ULV processors, but will have problems with regular voltage i5 or i7 processors. Other components will see more heat, leading to higher failure rates. Typing on the keyboard may be less comfortable if the chassis is hotter.

Addition of more power hungry CPU will require redesign of the airflow and cooling fans - with the result being that there isn't enough space to safely and comfortably accommodate i7 processors. This is the very same reason why X200/X200s/X201/X201s are thicker than X300/X301.

Another is battery life. Smaller footprint means smaller battery. Add in CPU's that require more power mean a shorter battery life. Ditto for 14" LCD. Larger LCD requires more backlighting, thus more drain on the battery.

All these issues aside, I wish that Lenovo keep the X301 chassis around and offer more option in terms of CPU and LCD... Intel's future coming Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge processors should have enough performance at low heat dissipation to support decently performing CPUs in the X300/X301 chassis.

[ThinkP]

Yes I agree with what you've said....it's still a shame though.

here's an interesting article about Lenovo axe-ing the x301 series.

http://cultureby.com/2010/07/it-extract ... oftly.html

[sanjuro]

Yes I agree with what you've said....it's still a shame though.

here's an interesting article about Lenovo axe-ing the x301 series.

http://cultureby.com/2010/07/it-extract ... oftly.html

As the article states, it is a bad move in terms of marketing.

In terms of competition, Lenovo is badly getting behind the curve. As someone had recently posted on another topic, competition is catching up withToshiba offering a strong competition in the ultraportable market: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/12/tosh ... 05-review/

[ThinkP]

Agreed.

The Toshiba Portege R705 is a fantastic machine and the price is excellent.

But in the Thinkpad situation...it's a higher class/quality/design of product for business users over the generic Lenovo laptops. The Lenovo consumer laptops if anything have gained from the Thinkpad brand and engineering experiments...like the x301..