does the T41 have a slicker form factor than T61

First post so let me say hi to everyone here.

Currently have a IBM T41 WSXGA centrino. was planning to purchase a T61 to take advantage of core 2 duo and dedicated graphics. one of my colleagues purchased a T61 and at firt glance it looked really chunky. my t41 looks slimmer and more elegant.

I love my T41 becasue while performing well it also looks really slick and thin. The T61 seemed to look more like the prev generation laptops like the T30's

was it just my eyes playing games or has the T61 really become thicker? If not what has chnaged that makes it look so last gen.

any help greatly appreciated. thanks guys

 

I believe it is a bit thicker than the T41. Still a great piece of equipment though.

 

Yeah, the T6x models are thicker and chunkier than the T4x models. I don't like the changes that Lenovo has made over the past couple of years (yes I know it's the same design team). I also do not like the redesigned mouse/TP buttons. The buttons are now squared off and smaller and lost the distinctive colored strips. The last time I checked peoples's fingers aren't getting any smaller so why shrink them?

On the widescreen 14" models they neutered the machines with a small capacity 4-cell battery that will barely get you thru a long meeting. If you need longer run times you can get a higher capacity battery that sticks out the rear of the machine. Either way you still don't get the capacity or run time that you can from the 9-cell available on other models.

It seems the only thing that Lenovo does get right these days is .... um let me get back to you on that one.

 

Yeah, its thicker and a bit heavier, but sturdier now with the roll cage.

I'm hoping that in a year or so when components that produce less heat become available, the T-series will lose maybe half a pound.

 

thanks for confirming my doubts. although it sounds shallow the slick form factor of the T41/2/3 is really a big plus for me as it makes it look better and is to some extent a pleasure to work with than thicker models. Guess I will stick with my T41 till they reduce the thickness of the T60.

 

You know that nowadays we are running massive softwares on our PCs. all the components are designed to consume more power than before. Even on Desktops, lots of them are running on 500w (300w was plenty for our old pc?) Charging your battery properly and using power manager

I like the new design better! it's trendy as well as reliable. all of my colleagues like the new T61 better than T41. we are happy so far. by the way, no body has complained the buttons are too small.

 

That's a bit one-sided. Yes, it is true that the T61 is bigger but it also holds more power/features than older ThinkPads, making it a challenge to stick to the same dimensions as in the past. Needless to say, all manufacturers are facing the same challenges, but not all are equally rugged as the ThinkPads.

As for the red/blue stripes on the trackpoint buttons. They are planning to put those back simply because people liked the colors. Shrinking or slightly redesigning the buttons have not made an impact on my use of the ThinkPads. In fact, I haven't noticed any difference at all compared to my old ThinkPads.

As for batteries, the sad trend is that development of general notebook technology surpasses that of the batteries. Until they either make the computers consume significantly less power or make extra high capacity small form factor batteries, you will get the bigger batteries that stick out. Again this is not unique for ThinkPads. I am personally glad that the battery does not stick out in front like on new latitudes. On my X61 I use the 4-cell enhanced battery which does not stick out, but always bring an extra 8-cell battery for the extra long (3+ hours) meetings.

As for Lenovo improvements. Since Lenovo took over they have made some positive changes such as improved physical protection and thermal design. I assume you forgot the significantly lower price levels (especially in the US) compared to the past? This cannot simply be attributed to lower costs of materials, but rather a different sales strategy by Lenovo. I consider this an improvement made by Lenovo.

Things change. Some will be happy and some will not. But in the case of ThinkPads we're talking about evolution - not revolution. On the larger scale of things, I see no difference between the development of ThinkPads and other notebook brands, besides the significant fact that Lenovo is still sticking to a design and construction concept which is true to its heritage. There are few, if any, other notebook manufacturers who are as loyal to the original concept. For that I think people should be appreciative.

 

Check out the form factor of other 14" widescreen notebooks and you'll see that they are able to pack a higher capacity standard battery in the same size or smaller package as Lenovo.

Where were you a couple of years ago?

 

while I agree that making the laptops sturdier and adding new features is good its also important that you dont take a step back in aesthetics.

the T41/2/3 series looks very sexy and elegant. I think as a consumer it is natural to expect that they wont get bukier or uglier. thats the feeling i get looking at the current crop of T60's.

e.g. take a look at the ipods. they have become slimmer while at the same time adding more capacity and features. now it may not be the most fairest of comparisons but you get the idea.

lets hope lenovo does something about it in the next iteration.

 

Are you sure you're comparing the 14" non-widescreen version of the T61 to the 14" T41? A lot of people don't realize both the T40 and the T60 series come in 14" and 15" versions, with no difference in the name but big differences in size and weight. According to the official specs, the 14" T61 is 0.1" wider, 0.1"-0.3" thicker and 0.1 lbs heavier than the 14" T40 series. Hardly a big difference.

Specs:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-67883#oe
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-57839#oe

 

why? i was in New Zealand, and still in New Zealand now.

 

That wasn't a literal question. When Lenovo switched buttons on the Z and T models a couple of years ago there was a big outcry from the Thinkpad community.