It's a maxed T470 with funky styling *and* a T410/T420 keyboard which IMO is significantly better in both feel and layout to the newer chiclet-style Thinkpad keyboards.
Not me. But I would have considered this if it had 8th gen. But honestly, I would also like them to release the old style keyboard that they had but canceled and now it is so much more expensive second hand!
I believe the final T61s I had out in the field finally failed around 2014. The dreaded GPU failure that inevitably kills all of them, mostly due to a poor cooling curve that can be fixed with the TPfancontrol utility.
It's actually amazing that, even though IBM still had a hand in designing the T61s, Lenovo managed to destroy the first thinkpad under their control with a bad firmware configuration.
Shoddy quality, defective USB ports, and poor customer support would follow. The only reason they held the sales crown from HP for so long (they lost it this year) was purely based on price. HP corporate laptops are expensive, and the HP's you get from Best Buy are compal crap not even made by HP. Honestly you'd be better off with a cheap Ideapad over a Pavilion. But the enterprise laptops...meet more MIL-810G specifications, the support is superior, and the overall quality is vastly better than Lenovo's. Most IT departments have been trying to push Lenovo's out the door for years and it's finally happening. It's been a hard push because, well, Lenovo's are cheap, and that is all the bean counters care about.
Paying $1800+ for a T470 with a cheap looking logo playing on the IBM trademark is just appalling. A zBook 14u is infinitely superior to this thing...
I haven't heard of rampant problems with the T60 series--they're regarded as some of the finest ThinkPads produced. The T4x series had GPU failures, which was due to possibly flex and soldering issues--this was not a Lenovo era ThinkPad, but an IBM ThinkPad. I love ThinkPads, both produced by IBM and Lenovo, but let's not glorify the IBM era. They produced great products, but also produced some that led to the coining of "StinkPads."
I happen to be typing this on a T61, although I usually use my T500 or W500. As long as this new Retro model is saddled with dismal 16:9 resolution, the appeal is minimal.
I understand the economics, but many of us use laptops for other than watching movies.
I have a T61 on my desk that I use every day. Have had it since 2008. Got it because it was the last greatest laptop with a 4:3 screen. Only this year I finally had the fan fail, which was easy to replace, because that's what's great about ThinkPads.
My other laptop is an X301. Another amazing device. Works great and have never had problems. I'm typing on it right now. No one every made a laptop like that before or after. 3.3 lbs with an optical drive and super durable magnesium construction. Companies are still hard pressed to make a 3 lb or lighter laptop, even without the optical drive and stripping out a lot of ports. X301 also as a 16:10 screen, which is at least better than horrible 16:9. (Ironically Apple started the stupid widescreen laptop fad and yet they are the only ones that at least stick with 16:10.)
Anyway, I wish Lenovo would make a version of the T470s with the old keyboard. Except for the processor upgrade, the T25 (aka T470) would be heavier than my X301, with a 14.1" 16:9 screen that still isn't quite as tall an useable as the 13.3" 16:10 screen on the X301.
Why would that even be an issue? 7th gen & 8th gen are the same CPU generation no changes to the tech on mobile probably just a name rebrand to keep it inline with the desktop line up naming. Besides that as a retailer 99% of the people do not care what it is as long as they get a well built product that will serve them well.
Bad timing for people want to buy it but the Anniversary Edition is clearly a marketing ploy to grab a quick buck and not a corporate halo product (Lenovo does not care about IBM lineage). The supply is "limited" so they can charge super premium price for a mid-tier last gen gut.
They did it last year with the T470 too. They always run a year behind on cpu's which is bad for sales, but great for business's who want a mature product without bugs.
Yeah, completely agree here. While I get that CPUs in ThinkPads (and their assemblies/motherboards/all that jazz) need months more testing and validation than in consumer PCs, I would be signing up for this in a heartbeat if it had an 8th-gen CPU and the MX150 GPU. Oh, and I have to say I like that they went for a 15W CPU plus a dGPU - according to reviews, the T470p struggles to cool its 45W CPU + 940MX. As such, an i5-8350 or i7-8550 would be utterly perfect for this. Other than that, this is pretty much the perfect laptop: perfect keyboard, good size and weight, dGPU, and excellent ThinkPad serviceability. I just hope they keep this on as a separate model (T470...x? S and P are taken, after all). Until then, I'll hold on to my X201 for a while longer.
Love the X200's. The last good X series. I still miss my X40, but I get to see it on occasion when I visit the friend I sold it too. He upgraded it to a 60GB PATA SSD because the 15 year old hard disk finally started failing. They just don't make them like that anymore. Lenovo is not IBM.
Part of the high price is because of 16 GB ram and 512 SSD in the default configuration, but 7th gen dual-core CPUs with an old GPU is unattractive.
If they're going to charge Apple-level prices though, it had better not have any flex. My old thinkpads were business-level quality, but not Apple-level.
I don't care for 4:3, but a 16:10 screen would be perfect.
-Core i7, 16GB, 512GB SSD -3 years warranty -mobile broadband + fingerprint -dedicated graphics which normally dont appear on the t400 (or most business laptops for that matter) -limited edition
Tired of this reverential nonsense about unibody laptops. "Apple level" is consumer-grade: impractical to repair, subject to failure from shock damage and spills.
Chassis flex is required for critical components not to take damage from drops, bumps, etc. This is pretty basic engineering.
I don't purchase computers to drop them from coffee tables and spill liquids on the keyboards.
If corporate-grade means flexible, creaky plastic panels, no thanks. Having tried corporate-grade thinkpad and consumer-grade Apple, I know which I prefer.
Because thinkpads have a vaunted reputation but they are mostly like corporate fleet cars. This current model was is somewhat appealing except for the 7th gen processor.
That's ignoring the point argument that you already have at least one choice of manufacturer who makes what you want though.
It's like with the headphone jack debate. People wanting something different, and projecting that want onto every product, when they are already amply served.
The specs really sink the whole premise. Quad-Core with decent graphics would have been perfect for me and many like me, even without 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. This... not so much.
Honestly, is there a warehouse full of these they're giving away for free? Why that when the MX150, its direct replacement, exists in the same power draw at twice the perf/watt?
If the 28nm fab still shaves off a few bucks, ok, but this is 1900 dollars. There are 800 dollar thin and lights (mi 13) that manage the MX150. They shouldn't have cheaped out on that.
Love the keyboard on my t520, especially the dedicated and easy to reach pageup/down keys (no fn combo needed). One question is will this have a quick swap removable battery, like the 420s and 520s. For those you can easily find a replacement battery for under $40 that lasts for over 7 hours (with a Sandy Bridge i7). I'm guessing it won't be that "retro" but one can hope?
"that folding full size keyboard" I take it you mean the ThinkPad 701's distinct "butterfly keyboard" design that extends past the laptop's width when opened?
Neat way to condense a bigger keyboard into a smaller space, but I'm guessing they don't do that anymore due to mechanical complexity and the required thickness.
If I hadn't upgraded about 6 months ago (didn't need to, just wanted more power) I totally would.
Thankfully I mostly type at desks with keyboards, but I still have my T61 around when I need to travel and type for a long time... and the fact I have 3 batteries for it :)
After waiting some years for this, and then giving up, I'm considerably underwhelmed and glad I didn't keep waiting. This is just a T470 with a good keyboard. The keyboard is a huge plus, but not enough to make me throw out my six-month old laptop and buy a new, more expensive one.
Lenovo's ongoing genericization (to coin a word) is starting to push me away. If they'd just make this keyboard standard, they'd win me back.
I like the keyboard. I wish they would give up on trying to be modern from a looks perspective and go with what is most ergonomic and works best for users - people buy these things to type on the keys, not stare at them.
But that's pretty much the only thing compelling about this particular laptop.
The screen could clearly & easily be 10% taller. Perfect for a 16:10 screen. However, they push forth cheapy screen panels instead. Sigh... lost a sale here fellas.
Yep they were well built products I actually still have 1 that was made by Lenovo just after they bought the lineup from IBM. To those complaining about 7th gen CPU used like WTF.6th,7th,8th CPU cores are all the same no performance difference at the core level. besides that 7th gen is less than a year old since release.
How is it Lenovo's fault Intel released the 8th gen (paper launch) 3-4 months early because they wanted something to compete better with the Ryzens. If you are already seeing mobiles with naming of 8th CPU's trust me they are just rebranded 7th gen CPU's.Intel.Nvidia,AMD all do it all the time stop being clueless already. I swear the internet is totally full of dweebs these days no offense or anything just stating the truth...lol
Get out of here, Lenovo! Any laptop with that kind of exorbitant price tag had better be packing a GTX 1070 (or at least a 1060) if it wants to justify the price premium.
Yeah, the dedicated graphis is dumb. I don't think of the classic ThinkPad fan especially wanting dedicated graphics. I like all Intel, so it works easily with Linux.
For those asking about 7th Gen vs 8th Gen, the announcement and availability had to be on October 5 (this was the actual 25th anniversary). I don't think 8th gen chips are available yet.
In terms of 16:9 vs 16:10 - going to 16:10 would have required a completely different design, new casing, new FCC evaluations (and the equivalents in 25 countries), etc. For the limited run of this laptop, it wouldn't pay.
I've used 8 ThinkPads at work, and I have 3 at home. There are laptops, and then there are ThinkPads. I've tried other brands, and they don't compare - I was horrified to open my current work machine (not a ThinkPad) and find that the hard drive isn't even screwed in place!
The real reason the butterfly keyboard isn't needed is that that was the first ultraportable - it had a 10" screen. With a 15" screen, you can cram in a numeric keypad to boot! Blame Apple for this - it has to be thin.
BTW, I don't consider this the classic keyboard - bring back the T400 keyboard instead! I want Insert and Delete on top of each other!
Yeah thin and widescreen are the fads Apple deployed to destroy all laptops. 4:3 is far more useful for everything but watching movies.
Also, the great X301, which came out right after the first MacBook Air, was just as light, but thicker, allowing it to have a great keyboard, a million ports, an optical drive, and easily opened panels to upgrade the internal components. Thinner does not necessarily equal lighter. In a highly portable device, it's weight I care about, not an obsession with shaving millieters. There was nothing amazing about the engineering on the MacBook Air. Strip everything useful out and of course you make a thin light laptop. Keep everything in and will, that's what makes the X301 a real feat of engineering.
I love the classic 7 row Thinkpad keyboard, but it is obvious at that price that Lenovo doesn't want to sell too many of these laptops. It doesn't even allow the customer to customize the components: https://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thi...
Obviously, Lenovo doesn't want anything to compete with its current lineup of bland Tx70 laptops. I have a T450s, which I use every day, but I don't feel any loyalty toward it like my old T410. The T450s has no indicator lights, the keyboard is a chiclet mediocrity with many of the keys missing and the 9x16 screen doesn't have enough vertical pixels for me to be productive. Why the hell won't any laptop maker offer a 3x4 screen with a traditional keyboard and indicator lights and a non-glossy screen? I hung onto my T410 for 5 years until it died and I loved it. Why the hell can't the laptop makers understand that many people use their laptops for their practical utility as work machines, not entertainment devices. We need as many vertical pixels as possible to read documents. We want a keyboard that feels nice to type on and has dedicated keys, especially Function keys. We want to be able to open our laptops to be able to fix them, not carry them around as a fashion statement. We want to be able to glance at lights to see what is working. So I wish Lenovo the best with this Anniversary Edition, but the company is giving us just enough to torment us, without giving us what we want in a laptop.
It's heavy (1.78kg!), has old dualcore CPU, old mediocre GPU (940mx? really?), terrible screen (16:9 FHD, bad color and low brightness), small battery (48Wh)
(new) Thinkpad carbon will have better quadcore CPU, way better screen, larger battery and significantly lighter too.
The CPU is laughable. As a programmer, i find my i5 X220 to struggle with modern stuff. However, this i7 (!) CPU is just 50% better than my 2011 CPU!
I would have bought this if only it came with a decent CPU. Come on Lenovo, put a real 8th gen i7 CPU in there! The idea is to be productive, not to show off! This also goes for the keyboard layout!
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ImSpartacus - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
So this is a maxed T470 with funky styling?notashill - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
It's a maxed T470 with funky styling *and* a T410/T420 keyboard which IMO is significantly better in both feel and layout to the newer chiclet-style Thinkpad keyboards.Cliff34 - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
One thing I missed about old ThinkPads are the keyboards. I am so tired of these chiclet keyboards we have these days.satai - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
Bad timeing to release an 14" with 2C i7-7500U just after 8th gen 4C mobile chips appeared only to catch an anniversary.peterfares - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
Very bad timing. Who is going to want to pay brand new prices on a 7th gen now that 8th gen is out?edzieba - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
The people who were clinging to their T61s.mmrezaie - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
Not me. But I would have considered this if it had 8th gen. But honestly, I would also like them to release the old style keyboard that they had but canceled and now it is so much more expensive second hand!Samus - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
I believe the final T61s I had out in the field finally failed around 2014. The dreaded GPU failure that inevitably kills all of them, mostly due to a poor cooling curve that can be fixed with the TPfancontrol utility.It's actually amazing that, even though IBM still had a hand in designing the T61s, Lenovo managed to destroy the first thinkpad under their control with a bad firmware configuration.
Shoddy quality, defective USB ports, and poor customer support would follow. The only reason they held the sales crown from HP for so long (they lost it this year) was purely based on price. HP corporate laptops are expensive, and the HP's you get from Best Buy are compal crap not even made by HP. Honestly you'd be better off with a cheap Ideapad over a Pavilion. But the enterprise laptops...meet more MIL-810G specifications, the support is superior, and the overall quality is vastly better than Lenovo's. Most IT departments have been trying to push Lenovo's out the door for years and it's finally happening. It's been a hard push because, well, Lenovo's are cheap, and that is all the bean counters care about.
Paying $1800+ for a T470 with a cheap looking logo playing on the IBM trademark is just appalling. A zBook 14u is infinitely superior to this thing...
grcosta - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
I haven't heard of rampant problems with the T60 series--they're regarded as some of the finest ThinkPads produced. The T4x series had GPU failures, which was due to possibly flex and soldering issues--this was not a Lenovo era ThinkPad, but an IBM ThinkPad. I love ThinkPads, both produced by IBM and Lenovo, but let's not glorify the IBM era. They produced great products, but also produced some that led to the coining of "StinkPads."ArtShapiro - Monday, October 9, 2017 - link
I happen to be typing this on a T61, although I usually use my T500 or W500. As long as this new Retro model is saddled with dismal 16:9 resolution, the appeal is minimal.I understand the economics, but many of us use laptops for other than watching movies.
d
gg555 - Thursday, October 12, 2017 - link
I have a T61 on my desk that I use every day. Have had it since 2008. Got it because it was the last greatest laptop with a 4:3 screen. Only this year I finally had the fan fail, which was easy to replace, because that's what's great about ThinkPads.My other laptop is an X301. Another amazing device. Works great and have never had problems. I'm typing on it right now. No one every made a laptop like that before or after. 3.3 lbs with an optical drive and super durable magnesium construction. Companies are still hard pressed to make a 3 lb or lighter laptop, even without the optical drive and stripping out a lot of ports. X301 also as a 16:10 screen, which is at least better than horrible 16:9. (Ironically Apple started the stupid widescreen laptop fad and yet they are the only ones that at least stick with 16:10.)
Anyway, I wish Lenovo would make a version of the T470s with the old keyboard. Except for the processor upgrade, the T25 (aka T470) would be heavier than my X301, with a 14.1" 16:9 screen that still isn't quite as tall an useable as the 13.3" 16:10 screen on the X301.
rocky12345 - Saturday, October 7, 2017 - link
Why would that even be an issue? 7th gen & 8th gen are the same CPU generation no changes to the tech on mobile probably just a name rebrand to keep it inline with the desktop line up naming. Besides that as a retailer 99% of the people do not care what it is as long as they get a well built product that will serve them well.jospoortvliet - Sunday, October 8, 2017 - link
Ehrm what stone are you under? The 8th gen version of this CPU has 4 cores instead of two... that makes a very big difference!wr3zzz - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
Bad timing for people want to buy it but the Anniversary Edition is clearly a marketing ploy to grab a quick buck and not a corporate halo product (Lenovo does not care about IBM lineage). The supply is "limited" so they can charge super premium price for a mid-tier last gen gut.Samus - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
7th-gen CPU's no less. They really should have waiting for the 8th Gen to hit mobile, then it would really be something special.Morawka - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
They did it last year with the T470 too. They always run a year behind on cpu's which is bad for sales, but great for business's who want a mature product without bugs.Valantar - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
Yeah, completely agree here. While I get that CPUs in ThinkPads (and their assemblies/motherboards/all that jazz) need months more testing and validation than in consumer PCs, I would be signing up for this in a heartbeat if it had an 8th-gen CPU and the MX150 GPU. Oh, and I have to say I like that they went for a 15W CPU plus a dGPU - according to reviews, the T470p struggles to cool its 45W CPU + 940MX. As such, an i5-8350 or i7-8550 would be utterly perfect for this. Other than that, this is pretty much the perfect laptop: perfect keyboard, good size and weight, dGPU, and excellent ThinkPad serviceability. I just hope they keep this on as a separate model (T470...x? S and P are taken, after all). Until then, I'll hold on to my X201 for a while longer.Samus - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
Love the X200's. The last good X series. I still miss my X40, but I get to see it on occasion when I visit the friend I sold it too. He upgraded it to a 60GB PATA SSD because the 15 year old hard disk finally started failing. They just don't make them like that anymore. Lenovo is not IBM.lurker22 - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
Ah touchpoint is still my favorite laptop mouse on Windows laptops. However, they should remove that touchpad since it's the anniversary edition!fmyhr - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
They got it half right, with the real (non-chiclet) keyboard. Put a 3:2 (or -- dare to dream! -- 4:3) screen on it and we'll talk... (and buy!)sork - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
I went to buy one and then saw the price. Damn.lefenzy - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
Part of the high price is because of 16 GB ram and 512 SSD in the default configuration, but 7th gen dual-core CPUs with an old GPU is unattractive.If they're going to charge Apple-level prices though, it had better not have any flex. My old thinkpads were business-level quality, but not Apple-level.
I don't care for 4:3, but a 16:10 screen would be perfect.
gofishus - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
-Core i7, 16GB, 512GB SSD-3 years warranty
-mobile broadband + fingerprint
-dedicated graphics which normally dont appear on the t400 (or most business laptops for that matter)
-limited edition
thats why its expensive...
Tylanner - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
I think a bunch of VPs just told their admin to have one shipped overnight....I know I would...Spunjji - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
Tired of this reverential nonsense about unibody laptops. "Apple level" is consumer-grade: impractical to repair, subject to failure from shock damage and spills.Chassis flex is required for critical components not to take damage from drops, bumps, etc. This is pretty basic engineering.
lefenzy - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
I don't purchase computers to drop them from coffee tables and spill liquids on the keyboards.If corporate-grade means flexible, creaky plastic panels, no thanks. Having tried corporate-grade thinkpad and consumer-grade Apple, I know which I prefer.
lazarpandar - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
Of course you don't intentionally make mistakes, that goes against the definition of a mistake... please use more fair language.lilmoe - Saturday, October 7, 2017 - link
Then go get whatever the heck meets your standards and spare us the whining?If you're happy with your Apple purchase, why comment at all? SMH...
lefenzy - Monday, October 9, 2017 - link
Because thinkpads have a vaunted reputation but they are mostly like corporate fleet cars. This current model was is somewhat appealing except for the 7th gen processor.Tams80 - Wednesday, October 11, 2017 - link
That's ignoring the point argument that you already have at least one choice of manufacturer who makes what you want though.It's like with the headphone jack debate. People wanting something different, and projecting that want onto every product, when they are already amply served.
Spunjji - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
The specs really sink the whole premise. Quad-Core with decent graphics would have been perfect for me and many like me, even without 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. This... not so much.CedarWind - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
Not a retro ThinkPad with a 16:9 display!prime2515103 - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
No Think Light? While I prefer a back-lit keyboard, they're not very retro. My T520 seems more retro than this.lefenzy - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
Yes. Where is the CCFL-backlit TN panel display? Not retro enough for me.tipoo - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
GeForce 940MXHonestly, is there a warehouse full of these they're giving away for free? Why that when the MX150, its direct replacement, exists in the same power draw at twice the perf/watt?
If the 28nm fab still shaves off a few bucks, ok, but this is 1900 dollars. There are 800 dollar thin and lights (mi 13) that manage the MX150. They shouldn't have cheaped out on that.
peterfares - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
This product must have been designed a while ago or missed some deadlines or something. Last gen everything.tipoo - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
One could have assumed they would have had ample warning for the 25th anniversary product, lolkwand - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
Sweet keyboard. I think the T420/T520 was the last one without chiclets.I have a T440 and I appreciate the lighter weight, lower heat and greater battery life, but I miss my T420's keyboard.
microerdna - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
Love the keyboard on my t520, especially the dedicated and easy to reach pageup/down keys (no fn combo needed). One question is will this have a quick swap removable battery, like the 420s and 520s. For those you can easily find a replacement battery for under $40 that lasts for over 7 hours (with a Sandy Bridge i7). I'm guessing it won't be that "retro" but one can hope?microerdna - Thursday, October 5, 2017 - link
According to Lenovo's website, 3 cell Li-Ion (Fixed) + 3 cell Li-Ion (Removable). Not quite the same but something.https://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thi...
grndzro77 - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
I would have paid several thousand for a large 4:3 screen, Trackball + Touchpoint, large keyboard, Decent integrated sound.Hell that folding full size keyboard would have been golden....This thing doesn't tickle any of those points.
NamelessPFG - Sunday, October 8, 2017 - link
"that folding full size keyboard" I take it you mean the ThinkPad 701's distinct "butterfly keyboard" design that extends past the laptop's width when opened?Neat way to condense a bigger keyboard into a smaller space, but I'm guessing they don't do that anymore due to mechanical complexity and the required thickness.
testbug00 - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
If I hadn't upgraded about 6 months ago (didn't need to, just wanted more power) I totally would.Thankfully I mostly type at desks with keyboards, but I still have my T61 around when I need to travel and type for a long time... and the fact I have 3 batteries for it :)
Evil Underlord - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
After waiting some years for this, and then giving up, I'm considerably underwhelmed and glad I didn't keep waiting. This is just a T470 with a good keyboard. The keyboard is a huge plus, but not enough to make me throw out my six-month old laptop and buy a new, more expensive one.Lenovo's ongoing genericization (to coin a word) is starting to push me away. If they'd just make this keyboard standard, they'd win me back.
alanh - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
No Butterfly keyboard == no buy for me. ;)twtech - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
I like the keyboard. I wish they would give up on trying to be modern from a looks perspective and go with what is most ergonomic and works best for users - people buy these things to type on the keys, not stare at them.But that's pretty much the only thing compelling about this particular laptop.
ied - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
The screen could clearly & easily be 10% taller. Perfect for a 16:10 screen. However, they push forth cheapy screen panels instead. Sigh... lost a sale here fellas.plewis00 - Saturday, October 7, 2017 - link
What about the buttonless touchpad? This weird one where the whole thing depresses is weird and imprecise and doesn’t register clicks all the time.rocky12345 - Saturday, October 7, 2017 - link
Yep they were well built products I actually still have 1 that was made by Lenovo just after they bought the lineup from IBM. To those complaining about 7th gen CPU used like WTF.6th,7th,8th CPU cores are all the same no performance difference at the core level. besides that 7th gen is less than a year old since release.How is it Lenovo's fault Intel released the 8th gen (paper launch) 3-4 months early because they wanted something to compete better with the Ryzens. If you are already seeing mobiles with naming of 8th CPU's trust me they are just rebranded 7th gen CPU's.Intel.Nvidia,AMD all do it all the time stop being clueless already. I swear the internet is totally full of dweebs these days no offense or anything just stating the truth...lol
NamelessPFG - Sunday, October 8, 2017 - link
Starting at $1899, but only has a GeForce 940MX?Get out of here, Lenovo! Any laptop with that kind of exorbitant price tag had better be packing a GTX 1070 (or at least a 1060) if it wants to justify the price premium.
gg555 - Thursday, October 12, 2017 - link
Yeah, the dedicated graphis is dumb. I don't think of the classic ThinkPad fan especially wanting dedicated graphics. I like all Intel, so it works easily with Linux.jbwhite99 - Monday, October 9, 2017 - link
For those asking about 7th Gen vs 8th Gen, the announcement and availability had to be on October 5 (this was the actual 25th anniversary). I don't think 8th gen chips are available yet.In terms of 16:9 vs 16:10 - going to 16:10 would have required a completely different design, new casing, new FCC evaluations (and the equivalents in 25 countries), etc. For the limited run of this laptop, it wouldn't pay.
I've used 8 ThinkPads at work, and I have 3 at home. There are laptops, and then there are ThinkPads. I've tried other brands, and they don't compare - I was horrified to open my current work machine (not a ThinkPad) and find that the hard drive isn't even screwed in place!
The real reason the butterfly keyboard isn't needed is that that was the first ultraportable - it had a 10" screen. With a 15" screen, you can cram in a numeric keypad to boot! Blame Apple for this - it has to be thin.
BTW, I don't consider this the classic keyboard - bring back the T400 keyboard instead! I want Insert and Delete on top of each other!
gg555 - Thursday, October 12, 2017 - link
Yeah thin and widescreen are the fads Apple deployed to destroy all laptops. 4:3 is far more useful for everything but watching movies.Also, the great X301, which came out right after the first MacBook Air, was just as light, but thicker, allowing it to have a great keyboard, a million ports, an optical drive, and easily opened panels to upgrade the internal components. Thinner does not necessarily equal lighter. In a highly portable device, it's weight I care about, not an obsession with shaving millieters. There was nothing amazing about the engineering on the MacBook Air. Strip everything useful out and of course you make a thin light laptop. Keep everything in and will, that's what makes the X301 a real feat of engineering.
amosbatto - Monday, October 9, 2017 - link
I love the classic 7 row Thinkpad keyboard, but it is obvious at that price that Lenovo doesn't want to sell too many of these laptops. It doesn't even allow the customer to customize the components:https://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thi...
Obviously, Lenovo doesn't want anything to compete with its current lineup of bland Tx70 laptops. I have a T450s, which I use every day, but I don't feel any loyalty toward it like my old T410. The T450s has no indicator lights, the keyboard is a chiclet mediocrity with many of the keys missing and the 9x16 screen doesn't have enough vertical pixels for me to be productive. Why the hell won't any laptop maker offer a 3x4 screen with a traditional keyboard and indicator lights and a non-glossy screen? I hung onto my T410 for 5 years until it died and I loved it. Why the hell can't the laptop makers understand that many people use their laptops for their practical utility as work machines, not entertainment devices. We need as many vertical pixels as possible to read documents. We want a keyboard that feels nice to type on and has dedicated keys, especially Function keys. We want to be able to open our laptops to be able to fix them, not carry them around as a fashion statement. We want to be able to glance at lights to see what is working. So I wish Lenovo the best with this Anniversary Edition, but the company is giving us just enough to torment us, without giving us what we want in a laptop.
piroroadkill - Tuesday, October 10, 2017 - link
What the hell is up with the screen? It's a letter box compared the AR it should be. Fail.piroroadkill - Tuesday, October 10, 2017 - link
Oh, and no quad core. Eep. It needs one of the new quads and at least a 3:2 (1.5:1) AR screen at a good resolution, and THEN we'll talk.nerd1 - Thursday, October 12, 2017 - link
It's heavy (1.78kg!), has old dualcore CPU, old mediocre GPU (940mx? really?), terrible screen (16:9 FHD, bad color and low brightness), small battery (48Wh)(new) Thinkpad carbon will have better quadcore CPU, way better screen, larger battery and significantly lighter too.
shinobicl - Wednesday, November 1, 2017 - link
The CPU is laughable. As a programmer, i find my i5 X220 to struggle with modern stuff. However, this i7 (!) CPU is just 50% better than my 2011 CPU!I would have bought this if only it came with a decent CPU. Come on Lenovo, put a real 8th gen i7 CPU in there! The idea is to be productive, not to show off! This also goes for the keyboard layout!