ThinkPad Anniversary Edition 25: Limited Edition ThinkPad Goes Retro
by Brett Howse on October 5, 2017 8:30 AM EST
As part of its celebration of the 25th anniversary of the ThinkPad lineup, Lenovo is launching a limited-edition ThinkPad Anniversary Edition 25. It feels like Lenovo might have an issue with this though, because ThinkPad loyalists are all going to want one of these exclusive devices. It features a retro look, along with some of the retro capabilities that ThinkPad has always been known for, but all built on a modern version of the device.
The original ThinkPad 700C was announced on October 5, 1992. It’s kind of hard to believe it’s already been that long. The ThinkPad name is still going strong, 25 years later, and it was only back at CES in 2015 that Lenovo had on display the 100 millionth ThinkPad ever produced.
The Retro ThinkPad offers a backlit 7-row ThinkPad classic keyboard, which the more traditional blue enter key, and of course a TrackPoint. There are dedicated volume keys, and status LEDs that tend to be missing on newer devices. The Thinkpad logo is also the more traditional multicolored version.
Under the covers, the Anniversary Edition 25 is based on the T470 laptop, and features a Core i7-7500U, paired with a GeForce 940MX GPU, in this 14-inch laptop. It features all of the modern IO and capabilities you’d expect in a laptop in 2017, despite the retro styling, and I would guess Lenovo isn’t going to have any issues selling the entire allotment.
For anyone wanting to purchase the device, they’ll have to act quickly. The ThinkPad Anniversary Edition will be available in limited quantities in select countries, starting at $1899 USD.
Source: Lenovo
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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!)