Thinkpad X1 Carbon 2012

The prices of the X1 Carbon will likely stay high until the delays are over.

 

Hello, I'm a student looking to purchase the X1 Carbon. From reading this thread, I can see people are getting the X1 with improved specs for less than I can manage to get the price to.

What are the most recent discount combinations people are using? It seems the discount offered by Barnes & Noble is actually better than the student discount.

 

You will probably want to use that B&N discount you mentioned. I managed to use an employee discount that had nearly identical if not identical rates to the B&N discount. I also managed to use the promo code provided in the e-mail newsletter shortly after signing up for it on lenovo.com. If you don't receive it right after signing up, try to modify your account settings to accept specials and deals in your e-mail.

I was able to combine this with the employee discount but I've heard it doesn't work for others anymore. It's worth a try. Unfortunately, for those who waited a bit, the promos have been removed and the price has gone up since it originally launched.

Good luck!

 

Does the USXDISCOUNT on the X1 Carbon through B&N expire Sept 1st? I'm still able to stack that with the newsletter code.

 

What price are you seeing for a 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD config? Is it $1503?

 

I'm seeing $1567.

I'm deciding whether or not to pull the trigger on the base i5 with 256gb.

 

Here is a mini-review of the Thinkpad X1 carbon from a Linux user's perspective. He was able to test it out using Ubuntu

Lenovo: X1 Carbon « Free Trader Beowulf

 

$1567 for the 8GB 256GB config isn't bad. $1503 is obviously better and I bet it will be there again.

FYI, there are some interesting prototypes on display in Berlin. Checkout some of the recent stories on engadget.com.

 

may i ask why not a single person has received their x1c yet?

i'd have thought the ones who ordered early on should have received theirs already by today, 8/31st!

 

Because apparently Lenovo is clueless when it comes to a proper new product launch. See the shipping thread.

 

Looks like Lenovo is going to be selling these cases to go with their ultrabooks. It lists them as compatible with the X1 Carbon (using either the small or standard sleeve) or the upcoming T430u (using the standard sleeve). Link shows two colors for these cases/sleeve combo units: black and brown

ThinkPad 14W Ultrabook Topload and Sleeve Sets - Overview

here are the actual part numbers for these:

ThinkPad 14W Ultrabook Topload and Sleeve Sets - Service parts

 

I can't seem to find these sleeves anywhere though. Yet the website says it was available on Aug 07?

 

Yes, I have been looking as well. It appears they are still not available at the Lenovo store. I'm quite interested in these though. At least it would take the guesswork out of finding a case that is a perfect fit for the X1 Carbon (seems like most case/sleeve makers of ultrabooks are targeting the ultrabook unit that shall go unnamed from the fruit company... ).

 

Don't be so sure about the perfect fit... Good fit, maybe... perfect... doubtful! My guess is that they will make these to fit many of their ultrabooks.

 

X1 carbon dimension:
331.0mm x 226.0mm x 18.9mm (13.03" x 8.9" x 0.74")


ThinkPad 14W Ultrabook Small Sleeve
◦Approximate Height: 8.9 in (226 mm)
◦Approximate Width: 13.0 in (331 mm)
◦Approximate Depth: 0.74 in (18.85 mm)
◦Approximate Weight: 0.42 lbs ( 0.192kg)

 

Precisely, seems that the case is too small... J/K!

 

oh my goodness: that sounds so perfect!

only issue for me:

it looks like this sleeve is the "not all sides closed" type. i.e. one side is essentially open except for one little closure clasp/strap.

i'm more interested in a sleeve that is closed in all 4 sides so dust is better kept away from my brand new laptop.

anyone knows of any that's exceptionally good?

thx!

 

This is a very long thread, but can someone confirm that the SSD in the X1C is proprietary? What about the RAM? Can I replace either of those parts?

 

The RAM is soldered to the motherboard. The SSD is a proprietary gumstick form factor and there are no aftermarket replacements at this time.

 

RAM is soldered to the MoBo and the SSD appears to be proprietary but as far as I know is user replaceable. I'm hoping (though not holding my breath) that one of the third parties will develop SSD's to work with the X1C.

EDIT: Whoops, sorry for the double answer! lol Guess I took too long to compose that post.

 

Does someone of you know if the mini displayport is a combo dp/thunderbolt? It would be useful to use this port with a thunderbolt/ethernet adapter (to not sacrifice one of the only 2 usb ports)....

t.i.a.

 

That's horrible news. Is the proprietary SSD reasonably fast?

 

It looks like Labour Day is rearing it's ugly head...



It seems like the ethernet adapter is the cause for delays and it looks like a 25 day lead time for orders as of today.

 

On the website its say order's will be shipped 9/7

 

Only a few of the reviewers have bothered to test the SSD I/O speed. The device is from Sandisk and a special X100 design just for the X1 Carbon. The reviewers that did test it indicate is performs very well.

It's a real shame the industry deviated from the mSATA form factor.

 

i don't understand this "ethernet adapter" business: this is a standard item that COMES WITH every x1c, right? i've seen box opening videos and this is one of the first items at the top.

why is there a selection there for ANOTHER ethernet adapter???

do we have to order that separately? i'm certain that every x1c comes WITH one of those, as it has been mentioned in virtually every review to-date.

totally confused now.

unless this usb ethernet adapter is something else entirely??

can someone shed some light on this please?

thx in advance.

 

The base model i5 no longer comes with an Ethernet adapter, so there should be no particular shipping hold up there.

The other models include the Ethernet adapter as it is selected as shown and it cannot be deselected. So this appears to be the part waited on for many who have orders in the system.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

Well, i just tried again on lenovo's site.

i didn't want to try the "base model i5" because i only want the i5/8gb RAM/256gb SSD option. in the i5/8gb RAM option, it actually says:

Ethernet Adapter: NONE

on the subsequent pages, there is NO OPTION to select to buy or order an ethernet adapter!

so my experience just now is different from what you've described.

does that mean if one were to order the i5/8gb version ( 3443CTO), that:

1) we won't receive ANY ethernet dongle? that would be highly unlikely, right, as the ultrabook specs require an ethernet port.

2) we will not suffer a delay?

3) we will also suffer a delay but it's simply poorly written up on their website?

i have no clue now!

i'm getting the feeling that they don't have a clue about how to handle the ordering and after sales aspects. this is horrendous.

i've only had one single experience with ThinkPads and it was roughly 8 years ago or so, if not more. it was, i believe, a T40 or something like that. i had a poor experience with that unit as the first one was defective, and i exchanged it promptly. the second one had issues too but those were the early days of WIFI so the fact that it didn't connect flawlessly to wifi wasn't exactly an unusual problem for many people, regardless of the brand. it was robustly constructed though, yet, getting someone to help on the phone was no fun whatsoever even back then, when it was still IBM ThinkPad.

ugh.

 

I would imagine the pages are changing rather dynamically. Also, I'm looking at the Canadian site.

Though I'm waiting for the chaos to die down and a slightly better spec, I'm checking the site regularly.

I'd actually prefer the adapter not be included since it is apparently only 10/100. I'd rather source my own gigabit solution since I'll typically only be using Ethernet in my home office at my desk.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

(slowly applauding) Nice, Lenovo, I'm really "impressed".

As a potential first time customer, your only chance having me buying your stuff is if nothing else better arise in Q3.

 

That's a good point, btw.

As much as i'm trying to buy my x1c, Lenovo is doing everything they can to STOP me from buying! hurdles hurdles everywhere!

i just merely wanted to read about early recipients' comments, i.e. if there are any unexpected issues of early production units. no one has posted any received units yet!

also: on the order pages, their listed delivery dates are all literally lies! that's pure and simple: lies. no way will people receive their x1c on 9/7th or several days after that (as the delivery date explanation says). the entire "delivery date" thing is fabricated and will simply not be on time. sigh.

 

I'm giving up on the X1C. My wife isn't crazy about spending so much on her school laptop and it appears there are delays on top of the higher price they are charging (relative to the release price). At least Lenovo will still get our money, just less of it for the X230. Anyone have experience and advice on getting a better deal through haggling over the phone by leveraging the B&N + email coupon price? Or should I just skip it and order it on line?

 

I gave up on the X1C too but opted for a refurbed X220. I really wanted the X1C but the price was too high and I felt I had to make too many concessions. Hopefully in a year there will be a refresh and they'll decide to make it user upgradeable.

 

The platform is too closed, delays are too prevalent, and the upsides of the T430s pulled me away from the fence on which I teetered. For an added pound I get 3 spindles including mSATA, SATA III, and a dvd-rw, up to 16 GB, regular cpu, NVidia graphics (I realize this is only a marginal advantage.), and I have ability to upgrade nearly everything I mentioned. I may buy from the X1 line someday, but that day is a ways off... Especially, if I can retrofit the screen from a X1 into my T430s. J/S!

 

That would be something.

 

Just want to throw in a bit of info about the WWAN/3G mobile broadband support on the X1 Carbon.

I've seen little information on what this card supports, and some incorrect information on this thread.

So, for reference, the WWAN card on the X1C is the Ericsson H5321gw. This is a UMTS/EDGE/GPRS only card.
This means it does NOT work with EVDO or LTE. It is not at all compatible with Verizon or Sprint in the US.

The card will be most compatible with ATT, where it will be able to use its 2g and 3g networks. It will have partial compatibility with T-Mobile USA, where it will be able to use its 2g networks (EDGE/GPRS) and a TINY amount of its 3g networks.

Bottom line:
- The WWAN will not work at all for Verizon, Sprint, or any EVDO or LTE network
- It will work well with ATT
- It will work with T-Mobile USA, but only 2g speeds in most areas.
- It will work well with almost all European 3g networks

For comparison, the card has similar connectivity capabilities to an ATT iPhone.


Source of this information:

WWAN Card specifications, direct from Lenovo:
ThinkPad Mobile Broadband Global Half Wireless WAN Module - Overview

UMTS Bands as used by carriers:
UMTS frequency bands - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

T-Mobile USA frequencies:
T-Mobile USA - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ATT frequencies:
AT&T Mobility - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

can the x1c drive two monitors without a hub by using the display port and USB 3.0?

 

Just stacked the LABORDAY and e-mail coupon on the i5/8GB/128GB SSD w/3 yr depot warranty and got $1,486.36 with a ship date of 09/08/2012.

Will go after a bigger SSD later.

 

Are you sure you stacked LABORDAY? LABORDAY doesn't even appear to be valid for the X1 Carbon...

 

Yes, it applied to the unit out of the gate and all of the accessories were marked down along the way (USB Ethernet adapter for $9.76, 3 yr depot for $79), then got another hundred and change with the e-mail coupon at the end.

Let me see if I can do it again (have the e-mail coupon on another addy) and capture screen shots along the way.

 

You're right. This morning I can't get to it. I did last night. Fluke?

 

If you are in the market for a machine and get a stackable advantage, take it. It isn't always possible.

 

Maybe Lenovo was switching something with the ethernet adapter's inclusion? I don't see it as a current option under System Components or Accessories.

 

Just wanted to say that seeing the value of some of the discount codes drop over time is disappointing. I've signed up to the newsletter hoping that I would get some sort of an email discount but haven't received anything for several weeks. On top of this, the pricing on the X1 Carbon has slightly went up.

I can see roughly 300 CAD total price (shipping+tax included) difference from the first time that I tested an ecoupon and now.

Call me crazy, but I think some people usually wait a bit to see how things unroll (e.g., feedback from other users, price drop) before jumping into a purchase. So, seeing everything go in the opposite direction is not motivating me to buy this or another Lenovo product.

 

I'm with you on that one.

I'm thinking of waiting for the ASUS U500 !

 

Considering they are having trouble filling orders they might be holding off discounts so that they can catch up.

 

I have been holding off on buying one. I wanted to hear what people were getting in real life scenarios for battery life as well as how the screen look for day to day use.

I am willing to pay $1500 for a i5/8gb/256gb machine or ~$1600 for an i7 model with the same options. However they won't get a dime more than that from me. When I can get a t430s and drop 16gb of ram, 480gb SSD for the less than a x1 carbon, that 1 pound seems less important.

 

I too am very tempted to go with the T430s because IMHO the X1 Carbon is overpriced. Given that its keyboard is not backlit (I think), does anyone know if it is equipped with a ThinkLight?

 

... You can add a backlit keyboard. I build an i5 with cam, finger print reader, backlit keyboard, 2x2 wifi, bluetooth 4.0, 1600p/w display for under $900. One could easily throw 16gb of ram for under $100 and put in a Samsung or Intel SSD for $400 and still come out ahead power wise. Plus it has dedicated graphics and you can swap the dvd drive for an added battery. The battery is replaceable.

The only thing holding me back is the trackpad which is a deal breaker.

 

The T430s trackpad is also making me very nervous. I probably would have bought a T430s already had it not been for that trackpad. You and I are in the same boat, my friend.