ThinkPad X1, X230, X230t, T430, T430s, T530, W530, L430, L530 Official

I've seen the pictures, and yes, the X1's screen looks matte to me. Though I have no doubts that it will probably cost more than a MacBook Air...

 

Higher resolution is inevitable; apple simply has the richest customers so they can lead the change.
Either way, agreed, the next generation of thinkpads should offer some interesting high-res screen options. Especially now that they have conditioned us to be excited about things that should go without saying, like 900p on a 12-13in.

 

Just checked with my sources at Lenovo (press relations, not engineers), they can't confirm its IPS, I thought it was or at least heard somebody mention it at the Lenovo event. However, can't confirm so need to fix that, always assume not unless they specifically say. Sorry if that was misleading/got your hopes up guys.

 

X1c is a gorgeous laptop. Did they get rid of the corning glass due to glare?

The X230's keyboard will be a big change to many thinkpad users. Wish I could see both these units in stores when I am ready to buy. I assume the x1c will have a $200 premium over the x230.

 

The gorilla glass does add to glare, I don't know if that's the specific reason they avoided it, but I would assume as they're not skimping on anything else here. They know their business customers want matte, so anything else would be a negative.

I don't know about pricing, I would guess around $1,399 or $1,499 starting before any sales kick in.

 

That's really a shame. Pretty much rules out the X1 for me then. I need to be able to connect to external monitor, lan, USB both at work and at home.

IMHO their entire Thinkpad lineup is supposed to cater to the corp and power user and should include docking capability. Maybe they'll throw a thunderbolt port on the X1 at least? Not that there's any docking solutions for TB tho.

 

Hmm, I wonder when will they release a thinkpad that can fully benefit from windows 8. One that can be a roughed laptop and light enough to be a portable multi-touch tablet to use on one hand.

or it that the x230t that I should be looking at.

 

The W5x0 machines of late don't really need a screen upgrade. The FHD screens were already pretty darn good.

The screens between the X220 and the W5x0 are a different story. They need IPS screens badly. Especially on the X1C. I hope Lenovo isn't discounting how important screens are going to be in this era.

 

Rumor has it that they plan to release it next year, see this thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/661900-lenovo-will-develop-thinkpad-windows-8-tablets.html

 

According to the Lenovo New Products Showcase, they will be selling the X1C and the T430U.

 

Can't say I'm surprised, but thanks for the update, and hopefully they'll get back to you with clarification soon.

 

Chassis-wise, it looks good. But I wouldn't say it's a killer, though.

I suspect the X1 Carbon uses the same 14" 1600x900 screen as the T420/T430. Nothing really impressive.

I don't consider 1600x900 "high-res"! (By "next generation," did you mean 2013+? )

 

Do you all think it'll accomodate a mSATA SSD+HDD setup? I don't think 128Gb will cut the mustard for me.

 

Early rumors on the X1 update indicated it would be an IPS screen. The Verge gallery and other pictures seem to indicate it isn't IPS. If it's the same screen as the screen on the 14" T420, I think that would be a mistake. It would be a show stopper for me.

 

As it would for me. Won't get the X1 Carbon for slimness alone.

Chiclet keyboard + fantastic screen = look elsewhere.

 

I think it's mSATA only.

As for the screen, doesn't look like IPS to me either. Guess the X230 will be the only option for those of you who want that.

 

thanks for this

 

At first glance I have to admit, I'm not happy with the switch to chiclet keyboards and the elimination of the 7th row on the x230 and the other core ThinkPad lines.

Now I may be exaggerating here, and I realize I don't speak for every ThinkPad user. But it seems that every refresh brings along new complaints with how Lenovo is slowly chipping away at the good will of the ThinkPad brand. If you took a look at every blog post on the old Lenovoblogs, you'd always see at least one comment about these changes. I think that the keyboard layout switch may finally be the straw that breaks the camel's back for a lot of users. You can argue keyboard flex or lid materials, the durability of plastics vs. roll cages, and the screen quality and 16:9 vs. 16:10, or even 4:3. But changing to the 6-row chiclet keyboard may finally be the one sticking point that alienates a lot of ThinkPad users. But then again, who knows? Maybe Lenovo will report record sales from this refresh. This is just my speculation.

Personally, I'll still consider ThinkPads when it comes time to upgrade from my x200. But it probably won't be as clear a choice as it was before.

 

The screen image at ThinkPad X1 Carbon - tough, reliable Ultrabook Laptop from Lenovo (US) looks like it is Photoshopped.

Lenovo stoops to false advertising?

 

LOL, sadly most product images for laptops have "simulated" screen images.

 

There is no disclaimer stating it is simulated.

 

You always have other options. HP, Dell, Samsung, Apple, Acer... I'm upset by the lack of a seventh row, too, but it's a minor sticking point for me.

If you were upset by the move from 16:10 to 16:9, Apple still makes laptops with 16:10 screens - chiefly, these are the MacBook Pro and the 13-inch MacBook Air, but I think they will eventually move to 16:9 in the next refresh, too.

 

Is it me or did I not see any Ethernet port on the X1? Does that mean we have to use WiFi exclusively? What happens when you check in a hotel that only has Ethernet based connectivity? USB Dongle converter perhaps? Not sure if this is a Road Warrior's dream just yet.

 

Yeah, it's too thin to have an ethernet port. Then again, the new MacBook Pros have been rumored to drop the ethernet port, too. I suppose you will have to deal with the dongles - though I personally have never had to use the ethernet port on my T420 ever.

 

Some ultrabooks come with USB ethernet adapters. Maybe the X1 will include one.

 

Lack of a ethernet port will be a major disadvantage (for me at least) as sometimes you need real Gigabit performance that a WiFi connection cannot provide especially when using today's faster SSD drive. I don't think a USB to Ethernet can provide Gigabit performance either due to increased overhead and latency in addition to USB's inherent limitations.

 

What are you downloading onto your laptop, if I may ask?

 

I'm glad I didn't buy that x220 the other day. Assuming the x230 turns out well, I think I know where my money is going...

 

I'm not downloading large files but rather transferring them between servers and my laptop. We have many large CAD/CAM files that I often need to view (but not necessarily modify).

Plus more and more files are coming in ISO format whether it's Windows 8 previews or software images I need copy and/or move around. Plus, files are only getting larger as video content becomes a larger part of media (due to cell phones, etc.).

Here is an interesting picture (if I can get it to post) of true bandwidth per media:

http://images.appleinsider.com/exploring-tc-part2-1.gif

 

I agree that loosing the ethernet port hurts.

When dealing with very large files or large amount of data, gigabit ethernet is the fastest solution in my experience (moving ISO files around, moving RAW photos to backup, etc). I usually use Wifi, but for some of these special transfers I like to plug in a gigabit ethernet cable.

Besides, wifi is not available everywhere. Sometimes when you are at a customer or maybe travelling in a hotel, all they provide is wired internet. Granted, this is less and less common.

Hopefully they have the sense to provide the ethernet adapter in the sales package and not make it a ridiculously priced accessory.

 

People find what they're looking for. And "Lenovo == bad ThinkPads" is something they've been looking for since December of 2004.

I wonder what the feedback would be like if it were announced that Lenovo was going to license the ThinkPad brand name to Acer to manufacture a budget line of "ThinkPads", or that some ThinkPad designs would be "badge engineered" and sold under a variety of other brand names/models...

Anyways, back on topic:

Personally I like the X1 Carbon design and think that this sort of branching out is a good thing, as it prevents the "jack of all trades, master of none" thing that some people are concerned about. (That said, I don't really "get" the ultrabook craze... but whatever.) The X230 and W/T series updates look good, but nothing major.

As far as the keyboards are concerned... well... personally I really like how they feel. I'm not thrilled about the switch to 6-row, but then again it's not like I'm devastated by it either. I'm actually a fan of removing the blue Enter key -- it's a return to the classic coloring IMHO -- although I did prefer it back when it was accompanied by the grey function keys (T3x/T4x).

 

They have already done that with Edge line and Thinkpad-branded netbooks, didn't they?

Actually I like the Back-Forward buttons gone, and PgUp/PgDn taking their place in the new layout. Insert/Delete/Home/End isn't too bad either. Still, there was plenty of space at the top ( http://www8.pcmag.com/media/images/289835-lenovo-thinkpad-x230t-tablet-keyboard.jpg ) to keep that large Esc key, avoid moving PrtSc and dropping Pause/Break key altogether.

 

Will USB 3.0 provide the bandwidth necessary for a gigabit adapter?

Also, don't see a reason to upgrade from my X220 as I prefer the classic looks, but that X1 carbon is beautiful. Thinkpad haters would consider it one of the best looking windows laptops if the branding wasn't there!

Well, I would've considered upgrading to that if it had an IPS!

 

As for Thunderbolt, is it only the Core i7 version of the T430s getting it? Pity... always wanted a TB port for future-proofing.

 

In theory it should, and there are at least a few USB3.0 docking stations on the market, with Gigabit Ethernet, couple of monitor outputs etc., from Toshiba/Targus/Startech etc.

Whether it will actually transfer files at 100MB/sec+, as normal Gigabit Ethernet does, in such a dock remains to be seen. But can't be worse than than WiFi speeds.

 

This website says that we will have the choice between backlight and the old ThinkLight: Lenovo Unveils new ThinkPad Lineup with Intel’s Ivy Bridge, new Keyboard Design

 

Yes. There's a bunch of wasted space at the top right. Really annoying.

I don't mind the chiclet keyboard so much as the removal of that 7th row

 

Theoretically USB 3.0 has 5 Gbit/s, so it should be able to drive a 1 Gbit/s ethernet connection. What this means in reality ... who knows.

 

That left me wondering if you could choose both. Don't see any hardware-based reason you wouldn't be able to...

 

What about USB 3.0??? Isn't that much faster than USB 2.0 and comparable to Ethernet?

 

Agree that the only way we will see the true performance (or lack of it) in the USB adapter would be with some throughput benchmarks.

What I really don't like about the USB solution is that it almost definitely will be slower than a native Ethernet connection due to converting the signals from USB to Ethernet packets (and then back again for the round trip). Don't think this would be a big deal for simple file transfers but for things that are latency sensitive (voice and video) it could be a factor.

 

Any word on what dedicated GPUs will be available in the T series?

 

Can someone pretty please put up a comparison table with all of these laptops' specs?

My mind has been blown and unfortunately funked, juggling numbers among X1C, T430u, T430s, T430, T230, T230t, and god knows what else. I am definitely keen on whether X1C has an IPS and dedicated graphics options, whether T230/T230t can do 1600x900 possibly with IPS and a dedicated graphics option, and whether T430/T430s/T430u can do 1600x900 with IPS. So many questions still remain.....

 

NVS 5200M, I believe? 28nm shrink of Fermi, with 96 shader cores. 64-bit memory bus (why?).

 

1600x900 is too much for a 12.5-inch screen. T series has never had the IPS option, but we'll see.

 

I have had several 15" Flexview IPS T60p's that would refute that.

 

I think it will be beautiful in the 12.5 in form factor, and everything I've read so far indicates that it will be an option for the X230.

 

Fair enough. I stand corrected.

Depends, but everything on the screen might be too small...

 

It's only "too much" if the software is not smart enough to know how to handle it properly. The way Windows handles screen resolution and font rendering is a disgrace. They'd better fix that in Windows 8.

Is 2048x1536 too much for a 9.7-inch screen? The same page with the same words and lines and paragraphs, in the same font sizes, look absolutely stunning and natural on the new iPad. The "too small" problem simply does not exist.

 

Read all about Windows 8 scaling here. There's a lot of good news, but it seems to apply mostly to Metro.