New x210s or x302 ?

Hi,
I am deciding between a x200s and x301 presently. I just wanted to know whether any new laptops i.e x210s or x302 is on the horizon? Will they be physically(externally) different from the current generation i.e USB 3 connectivity, thinner or Will it be only minor tweaks internally i.e processor upgrades etc ? Any timeframe by which they would be announced? Is it worth waiting for the same? The present generation laptops are about a year old. I know technology gets old quickly but I would prefer getting the latest technology.

Any chance of seeing Backlit Keyboards on Thinkpads any time soon? I know thinkpad has thinklight but a backlit keyboard would be so darn good and aesthetically pleasing to the eyes while working in the dark. I would only wait for this feature if it would be incorporated in the upcoming thinkpads else I would buy the present generation thinkpad.

 

When do you need the computer is the question. And remember the costs will not be so cheap with the new products.

We don't have specific details on the refreshes aside from the new intel platforms that are obvious changes. You could wait until the new laptops are announced to see if there are any specific features you want to wait for but the gap between current generation and last generation will be quite a bit for a few months before sales hit.

 

According to a leaked Lenovo roadmap, they are expected to be released sometime in January-February of 2010, which means you will not have one in your hands until around February-March of 2010.

Basically, if you need a new computer, I'd suggest that you do not wait and get one now, otherwise, technology always progresses.

EDIT: I do not see backlit keyboards coming to Thinkpads in the foreseeable future. ThinkLights, like the legendary keyboards themselves, are too ingrained in the Thinkpad name to be replaced soon.

 

With the ThinkLight, it would seem a backlit keyboard is unlikely.

I'd have to agree, the newer Intel platform and all that entails would be a good bet for the new X series, but beyond that, you're not likely to get anything more specific than that from anyone here.

 

Are any major updates on the horizon according to the rumours ? If it relates only to processor upgrades and not something vastly different from existing machines then I would not want to wait for 4 to 5 months. Are new machines expected to be physically different to existing ones ?

 

We just said we don't really have details aside from the platform refreshes with new processors.

 

One confirmed feature of the new X series and T series laptops is that they will be compatible with all Series 3 docks (just like T400s). They will also most likely get the new keyboard layout (again, just like T400s).

 

No detail about the new Xs but USB3.0 connectivity will not be available until 2011 or later.
The most remarkable difference with the new Calpella platform would be the integrated GPU, which is supposed to make big difference in terms of power consumption.

 

You know, I would love if they eliminated the X200s, and just offered the LED backlit screen + carbon fibre on the regular X200. And then they would just have to offer the lower-voltage processors as an option on the X200. Everything else between the X200 and X200s is the same anyway.... That way, those of us who want the regular processors would benefit from the weight savings as well.

I'm really curious if there will be any improvements on weight and battery life in the next generation. But I've only had my X200 for a year, so I won't be upgrading for a while!

 

You can't benefit from the weight savings if you don't use the lower voltage processors.

But really there isn't too much to differentiate the two laptop series, just there has been two types for a while.

 

I think you still can benefit.. the led backlit panel is lighter than ccfl, and carbon fibre is much lighter than magnesium alloy...

The only weight savings that could come with LV cpus is from smaller heatsinks.

 

Well the s moniker on the smaller X series was always for the one with lighter screen options, which the x200s has. I mean there isn't a stark stark difference between the two x200 laptops (that arent the tablet). But lenovo probably wants to seperate it as much as possible.

The LED screen is lighter as you said and with the lighter "new roll cage".

 

Yeah, but that would make the X200 more expensive than it would be were it not "combined" with the X200s. I think it's perfectly fine that they split them into 2 different groups, but I really do not see why they cannot fit a camera into the X200s' bezel. I'm sure they could have found room for a tiny webcam...