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
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!