Comment Lower-quality, Market-trailing (Score 1) 271
I've used Thinkpads exclusively since I bought a 560 in late 1996. I'm currently using a 2009-vintage W500 and hoping it doesn't break, because it has more pixels (1920x1200) than any Windows laptop made today. They've always been rugged, functional, and effective tools for getting work done.
What did I want from yesterday's Lenovo announcement? A retina-class (i.e., 2560x1600) display, modern CPU/memory/SSD hardware, and no significant changes elsewhere, because Thinkpads are in fact pretty darn well-engineered (and designed), and remarkably reliable.
What did I get? A paean to how important it is to design for millennials (who apparently need dedicated multimedia buttons), a bunch of important features gone (physical buttons? function keys? replacement battery? indicator LEDs? Thinklight?) and an explanation that the single hardest decision they had to make for the T431 was how to re-orient the logo on the lid. I can't even get a big SSD--their largest is 256GB, unlike the 600GB Intel unit I installed in the W500 18 months ago.
Bah. I'd vote with my feet, except there aren't any alternatives. Why is there no Windows laptop with a high-resolution display? I suppose I can get a Macbook or a Chromebook and run everything in a VM. But then there's no Trackpoint.
What did I want from yesterday's Lenovo announcement? A retina-class (i.e., 2560x1600) display, modern CPU/memory/SSD hardware, and no significant changes elsewhere, because Thinkpads are in fact pretty darn well-engineered (and designed), and remarkably reliable.
What did I get? A paean to how important it is to design for millennials (who apparently need dedicated multimedia buttons), a bunch of important features gone (physical buttons? function keys? replacement battery? indicator LEDs? Thinklight?) and an explanation that the single hardest decision they had to make for the T431 was how to re-orient the logo on the lid. I can't even get a big SSD--their largest is 256GB, unlike the 600GB Intel unit I installed in the W500 18 months ago.
Bah. I'd vote with my feet, except there aren't any alternatives. Why is there no Windows laptop with a high-resolution display? I suppose I can get a Macbook or a Chromebook and run everything in a VM. But then there's no Trackpoint.