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Today Lenovo announced via their Yamato Thinking blog that they will be implementing a BIOS switch in all future ThinkPad models that will swap the functions of the Fn and Ctrl keys at the bottom left of your keyboard. This is great news for some, and a sign of a good faith on Lenovo’s part, but does leave older models out of the key switching fun.
This is a great announcement from Lenovo. They recognize the adoption of new users and support of their loyal communities is important and are investing in this change to their products.
Unfortunately the phrase “in all future ThinkPad models” leaves a lot of machines out in the cold. Details are still forthcoming, but my interpretation is that the current T400/T500/X200/X301/etc generation of ThinkPads are the ones that will have their BIOS updated. This would leave -61 generation or older ThinkPads, ThinkPad X300, possibly SL400/500, and IdeaPads without nifty key switching.
Is this necessarily a bad thing? Sure widespread compatibility would be nice, but the older ThinkPads are mostly a moot point. The majority of the people who don’t like the Fn-Ctrl key layout are going to be the new users, who are more likely going to buy into the new models. This BIOS should apply to all existing ThinkPads, which have been on sale since mid last year and likely cover the majority of complainants. The most people left out in the cold are actually IdeaPad owners, but considering the engineering and development teams are entirely separate between IdeaPad and ThinkPad, I’m not holding my breath for an IdeaPad BIOS update.
Source: [Yamato Thinking]
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What leads you to believe the current generation will be updated? Any info on when Lenovo will be more forthcoming with more details, especially dates?
I guess their verbage is a bit open to interpretation. Why not leave them a comment?
I have. It’s awaiting moderator approval. Given past blog entries, however, I’m not too hopeful at expecting a response.
Is the windows key gone and full sized control key restored ? will that ever happen.
I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you
Oh great.
We can remap Fn and Ctrl, but not CAPS LOCK and CTRL,the original offenders.
This is easy to do in software. The problem with Fn is that it cannot be remapped without altering the BIOS, because it doesnt’ appear as a separate key to the OS.
See http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10152_102-0.html?threadID=348380, for example.
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At last, but only halfheartedly and probably ineffective…
*_* PLEASE *_* offer this configuration option also for (older thinkpads and) IdeaPads!
As a little motivation: I hereby offer to buy an (only one – sorry ;>) Ideapad S12 immedeately as soon as you publish a flashable BIOS for the S12 with this option (and send me its URL to nospam § meier69.de).
No Joke!
I would never buy any Lenovo as long as there is no Ctrl key in the bottom left corner, because I know for sure I would get mad every time I switch between this nettop and any of my other computers with standard keyboards, and I am sure LOTS of others think as I do.
It is commercial suicide not to offer this, believe me (please).
[...] & W500 BIOS hacked for Fn-Ctrl key swapby John Hobbes , posted 03/4/10 10:42 PMWe found out last November that Lenovo would support switching the controversial Fn & Ctrl keys (not physically of [...]
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