ThinkPad X1

that's a pretty sexy machine...but i just ordered the X220T

 

I am not sure about you guys, but that PCworld comparison makes me want to get the Toshiba R830, but it's the poor screen quality that stops me. Then again I want to see how the X1 looks with the battery slice on.

 

The only advantage I see for the Toshiba is battery life. The slice could negate this. Other than that, the X1 seems to outclass the Toshiba in every category for $399 more. Even without the slice, I don't see the Toshiba as competition for the X1.

As much as I don't want to buy a new computer, the force is strong with this new unit.

Bronsky

 

More photos added including side view, back view and bottom view, external battery. The machine dose not support the UltraBase.

 

What's the connecter or slot to the left of the USB 3.0 port on the back?

 

I guess it's a DiaplayPort or a hybrid port of DiplayPort and VGA.

 

Another interesting aspect of the pictures is the slice. Notice the connections and posts? Lenovo had previously said the X1 was too thin for a docking station connector. I'm not so sure about that now. There appears to be enough engineering rigidness for one.

 

Thanks. Damn! This X1 looks very good. Just wish they'd up the screen res. This would be a perfect machine. Combine it with a portable 500GB external HDD when mobile and a larger monitor at the desk and I would have a brilliant machine. Expensive too!

How durable do you think this would be given its slim profile? And, if this is going to - in part - compete with the Air and the Samsung 9 Series, how durable is the Air and the Samsung in the first place?

 

Pretty typical of the 'the fastest Vista notebook is a Mac' closet-Applezombie PCWorld morons to publish a directly converted US$ price.

What fairly minimal education and a general awareness of things will get you is the ability to realise that taxes are fairly high in Europe.

What 30 seconds on Google will get you is the MSRP's of at least the Macbook Air in Switzerland. (SFR2299. USD$1599 for the same item)

Which, less than one minute later, means you'll have a far more probable US price of $1800 for the X1.

If you have a brain that is.

 

I can live with the resolution as long as the display is bright and clear with adequate contrast. Man ... that slice is ugly. Wish they had extended it under the whole X1. Looks too back heavy.

Display looks like a satin finish. That would work for me.

What's everyone's guess for availability, the fall? The later in the year, the better. Then I would not feel so bad about replacing my 3820TG.

Bronsky

 

I would agree with having the slice extend under the body, part of the reason why the Toshiba looks like a better value for my wallet.

 

The Toshiba is 1.05 inches thick, which I don't consider it a MBA competitor. To put thing into prospective the Macbook Pro 13 is only .95 inches thick. I can't not believe PCWorld listed the R830 as an competitor.

 

I guess they did it because their weight is similar, and you know the Vaio Z would be in that comparison also if the SB upgrade was announced.

If the battery slice was something that covered the whole bottom, I'd think I may go for it.

 

I think it's a button or slider to eject the slice battery.

the other ports are:
Left side: USB and headphone (port covers )

Right side: Expresscard 34 (maybe a 4-in one reader but it looks a little bigger than that), wifi switch

Back: Kensington slot, power, USB+eSATA, miniDisplayport, HDMI, USB 3.0, the button to eject the slice battery (my theory), and ethernet port.

The bottom doesn't seem to have any sort of eject mechanism for the slice battery.

 

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 spotted in the wild -- Engadget

n/m- the pics at engadget have already been posted here

 

Up for preorder in the UK already. Lenovo Thinkpad X1 13.3-inch Notebook (Intel Core i5-2520M, RAM 4GB, HDD 320GB, Window 7 Professional 64 Bit): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories Release date, May 20. Battery life is listed as 8 hours. Also says Mag alloy top and bottom covers. This is a metal clad notebook? Not Thinkpad plastic?

Bronsky

 

Wow, I just read about this new 13" laptop today !!

I was wondering when / if Lenovo was going to come out with a laptop that would replace the X301.

This laptop does look great, and the specs are impressive, BUT it just looks too much like the Thinkpad Edge.
Not that that's a bad thing, but (and perhaps I'm just too old school / picky), I was at least hoping for the traditional styled Thinkpad keyboard, CD drive, etc. I know that if you want a SUPER thin laptop, such as this X1, you have to make some compromises.
They should just name this the Thinkpad Edge X1.

Oh well, I'll be waiting forever for a replacement for my X301, although my X301 still has plenty of life left in her

 

38.4wh battery? won't it have horrible battery life?

 

ya this differently not a x300/301 replacement. Not even close.

 

Maybe it's the reflective screen and the non-traditional TP keyboard that put people off, but I at least find this machine a lot better looking than a regular TP, and the keyboard probably isn't that bad since the keyboard on the other edge notebooks have good reviews. If only the price can be lower...

 

There is no doubt that this newer styled "chiclet" keyboard isn't good (in fact, MANY people think it's fantastic). I've never used that style keyboard, so it is unfair for me to comment on it's performance.

I'm just going by what I'm seeing in the photographs. I'm used to my old T61, and X301 (the "real" Thinkpad's if you will) and not another style of the Edge laptop.

It will be interesting to see how well this X1 will sell. I know the X301 was a dog in sales, due to it's insane price. BUT, people such as myself who WILL pay top dollar for a top of the line machine, expect a LOT for that top dollar price. And for some reason, that "Edge" look just throws me off.

I can't really explain it better than that, I guess it all just boils down to personal preference. It's clear to me, that Lenovo wants to put more focus on the Edge styled laptops.

Now, the X220 with the IPS display, BRING IT ON !!

 

The only Edge-like element I see in the X1 is the chicklet keyboard. If that is replaced by a conventional ThinkPad keyboard would you reconsider? Perhaps I am missing other Edge-like elements...what are they?

 

Besides the keyboard, it has no optical drive (the X220 doesn't as well, I do realize this), no mention of a built in roll cage(s), no buttons for the bottom portion of the track-pad, somewhat low res screen, and (what appears to be) a glossy display.

Just a few of my nit-picky things to point out

All in all, it just doesn't seem like the classic Thinkpad to me. Maybe I have to try the newer keyboard, and all in all somewhat different design for myself before talking about it

 

If I am not mistaken the X220 also features this. I can't really say that the screen is low res as that is pretty standard for a 13in machine, not to mention there aren't many 13in using a higher res than that currently out on the market(save for the 13in MBA, and Sony Vaio Z). I wish Lenovo would give this and the X220 a higher res option for those who want it(specially with the IPS screen option).

 

it's tough to think that X-series in the past had high res options but that's probably now gone (though they were s types). It's a shame, I thought that really put the X series above and beyond your average ultra-portable.

But the X1 looks pretty slick overall. The keyboard shouldn't be too bad, I think the real advantage of the Thinkpad keyboards has been the shape of the keys, so as long as they aren't spaced too far, it should still have the same feel.

 

I agree...the keyboard would be the most worrying part for me. I have not used the chicklet keyboards save for when I was tinkering around with a friend's machine...and from what I remember, it was a different experience. Whether or not I would be able adjust to this difference is another matter.

I would guess that the slender form of the X1 dictates the chicklet keyboard? Is it not possible to have the traditional keyboard?

Edit:

@MikesDell: See this description on Amazon UK. It says:

I don't exactly know what this means - is the Mg-alloy top and bottom cover a reference to a roll-cage or does it refer to a Mg sheet? Probably the latter.

Edit:

I just came across this and while it does not relate directly to the X1, it may be indicative of how Lenovo is thinking about ThinkPads and the space between "business" and "consumer" segments of the market.

 

I absolutely love the Edge keyboard. Without a doubt, the best I've ever used and I've owned some of the best (Thinkpads, Elitebooks, Dell Latitude). Feels like my current Thinkpad, but considerably quieter, doesn't get as shiny from finger oils, and looks more aesthetically pleasing IMO.

 

The keyboard does get shinny overtime like the regular Thinkpad keyboard. I notice a slight shine If I look at it in an angle on my keyboard after a couple month of use. Whether the paint coding last longer than the regular Thinkpad is a different question.

The thing I am think is a game-changer for Lenovo is their little experiment with back-lit keyboard. I guess they will add this feature to the E230s and E430s in the next year and might spread to the Ideapad and the cheaper Thinkpad Edge.

 

I don't know what you're talking about. Every Thinkpad I've ever owned had a metal top and bottom. The plastic is on the inside.

 

From the T61 onwards, the exterior of the T-series was all plastic. The T60 had a magnesium alloy lid, I believe. The R6x and Rx00 series were all plastic on the outside. The X2xx exterior is all plastic as well. In interior of these laptops, on the other hand, are magnesium alloy "Roll Cage" reinforced. You must not have had a recent Thinkpad.

I generally dislike chiclet keyboards, but the X120e keyboard is just as good as my T500's, in my opinion (save for the missing back and forward keys). It does seem to collect less oil from fingerprints, for some reason. Not sure how I feel about the backlit keyboard as I generally prefer the ThinkLight, but it's a smart move since nearly all reviews and many consumers complain about the lack of a backlit keyboard.

 

I don't think that's quite right.

The X200 and X201 chassis had a magnesium alloy bottom. The X200s and X201s with WXGA+ screens (as well as some WXGA models) had a carbon fiber composite lid, while the X200, X201, and some WXGA-equipped X200ss had a magnesium alloy lid.

None of the X200/X201-series machines had an internal "roll cage", however.

 

+1 the lid and base on my X201 are certainly some kind of metal, dont know about roll cage-but should be able to find out from disassembly pics

 

The X1 does have a roll cage design. The keyboard is simply superb, and I've used a lot of ThinkPad and Edge keyboards in the past several years. This is my favorite thanks to key sculpting, keyboard size and tactile feel. It's also backlit!

Rest of post removed due to embargo issue. Whoops. You'll have to wait awhile longer.

 

omg this may be my next laptop then....will have to find a way...sigh...

 

It is.... PERFECT.

 

whats up with covering the headphone port though.....i listen to music all the time

 

YES.

This has solved my college laptop dilemma.

felt the X220 was too small, but T420 too large.

Perfect balance and size, yet still looks durable

 

The link is gone :-(

Guessing Lenovo insisted the video be taken down.

 

Haha must have just taken it down like a minute ago.

Wish I took some screen shots, a video was included too lol.

 

There was a misunderstanding and it turns out there is an embargo, so we pulled the video review. It will be back once the embargo is over, definitely a machine worth considering!

 

Any ETA on when the embargo is over? Are we talking days, weeks, a month?

Thanks

 

Haha, I didn't get to see the video but I still have the hands-on open in my browser. *J Walter Weatherman moment* And THAT'S why you always check if there's an embargo on your prerelease stuff.

 

I've disassembled a number of the X20x machines. There is no "rollcage."

 

Everyone seemed really impressed with the video. What was so impressive. I blink for a second and I miss everything.

Bronsky

 

Being under embargo, I guess I can't really say. But the first post in this thread seems like a good guess to me.

 

wondering the same thing

 

I was mostly impressed with the super thin design that still seems to retain all of the durability that we love about thinkpads.

Spec and performance wise it is equivalent to a X220.

But for me, I'm mostly going to buy this due to the bigger screen, chiclet keyboard, thinner nature, and more comfortable palm rest.

5 hours of battery life is pretty decent also, but adding the wedge battery will get you another 5 hours without increasing the size much at all.

 

Is the display glossy and reflective? It doesn't look matt from the pics. I prefer an 13" display as well. Looks like a great notebook.

Bronsky

 

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 coming May 17th, with Gorilla Glass screen and spill-proof keyboard (video) -- Engadget



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Will this take a standards size ssd as the Initial reviews mention drive up to 160gb but that would be to small for me?