Thinkpads Forum

Here is the new W530:

http://www.lenovo.com/images/products/n ... s/W530.png

Not entirely sure if this is actually the finished product though, might be a mockup. Somehow the proportions seems a bit off.

This site says the W530 is the only new model in the W-series:


http://www.laptopreviews.com/upcoming-l ... al-2012-03

If the chiclet keyboard becomes standard, with no hope for replacement with the old keyboards... I'm jumping ship.
These machines are too expensive to have so little going for them in the way of useability; that was one of the defining reasons for buying this machine.

Good thing Lenovo puts out a lot of spare parts; I'll be trying to keep the "last functional ThinkPad" for quite a while longer.

OMG...chiclet keyboards. Lenovo surely does know how to mess things up.

Q-Ball wrote:If the chiclet keyboard becomes standard, with no hope for replacement with the old keyboards... I'm jumping ship.
These machines are too expensive to have so little going for them in the way of useability; that was one of the defining reasons for buying this machine.

Good thing Lenovo puts out a lot of spare parts; I'll be trying to keep the "last functional ThinkPad" for quite a while longer.

I'm with you on this one Q-Ball. Was one of the reasons I decided to upgrade my T410 to a T420 in February and not wait for a T430.

If this is what lies ahead for the "Classic ThinkPads" then I believe we'll see another set of ranks added to the "Old Guard" (myself among them), who will stick to the older T-series, W-series and X-series for the keyboards (Chicony, NMB, etc) and the displays (140 DPI, 147 DPI or 170 DPI? Yes, please!).

Looks like I'll be getting a X201s next or upgrading my X200s' motherboard to a X201s motherboard.

wolfman wrote:
I'm with you on this one Q-Ball. Was one of the reasons I decided to upgrade my T410 to a T420 in February and not wait for a T430.

Yeah i got my W520 too in february and didnt wait for the same reason!. Luckily a new w520 / t420 will probably last 3-5 years.. Probably gonna upgrade warranty to 5 years for that reason

That's a good idea to do the warranty upgrade, I'll likely go to 3 years on mine next winter...

Chiclet keyboards.

Any good laptops left?

QWERTY Andreas wrote:Chiclet keyboards. Any good laptops left?

All HP Business laptops have already gone chiclet. Dell Business still uses traditional keyboards.

Dell Business still uses traditional keyboards.

Fortunately they have pointing sticks also.
Their keyboards still aren't as good, but at least it's actually a keyboard instead of a array of buttons.


I still hope (however slightly) that either the T430s (yes, it exists) or any of the new T/W/X models have the same chassis design that's backwards-compatible with the old keyboards, or selling them customizable. But I don't think that's going to happen, because the upper management seems to be intent on steering the brand into the ground.

Q-Ball wrote:Fortunately they have pointing sticks also.
Their keyboards still aren't as good, but at least it's actually a keyboard instead of a array of buttons.

They moved away from the 7-row layout a couple of generations ago. So not a true answer.

Q-Ball wrote:I still hope (however slightly) that either the T430s (yes, it exists) or any of the new T/W/X models have the same chassis design that's backwards-compatible with the old keyboards, or selling them customizable. But I don't think that's going to happen, because the upper management seems to be intent on steering the brand into the ground.

Like you said, it's not going to happen.

Can't believe they got rid of the nice thinkpad keyboards.
Is it at least longer travel than other chiclet keyboards? As long as the longer thinkpad keyboard travel is there, it might not be as bad as others, no?

Too bad none of the T series seem to have 4 sodimm slots

The K2000M graphics chip on the W530 is also Kepler based, FYI:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/gaming- ... 00m-5.html
slow memory so it doesn't accelerate Adobe Premier much because it doesn't do the GPGPU thing well :-p

And the 95% gamut display doesn't seem to be available on lenovo's W530 site yet...can't wait to find out how much that'll cost...

the key stroke and mechanism are the same as the old keyboards. the layout is the main thing that has really changed, IMO

That is also the main problem

Q-Ball wrote:If the chiclet keyboard becomes standard, with no hope for replacement with the old keyboards... I'm jumping ship.

That's my thought too - but where do we jump? Chiclet with 6 rows and low screens with no room left for actual code between the toolbars. I feel like we're moving backwards into the future.

The price of a decent Thinkpad may have come down to 1/4 of what it was in the 90's but so has the quality.

stkris wrote:The price of a decent Thinkpad may have come down to 1/4 of what it was in the 90's but so has the quality.

I would dispute that. My X220i is as good as any ThinkPad I've used and the X230 seemed just as solid. Anyone who believes there were no clunkers back in the good old days, doesn't know the brand well.

stkris wrote:Chiclet with 6 rows and low screens with no room left for actual code between the toolbars. I feel like we're moving backwards into the future.

[snark] Because programmers are so 1980s. [/snark]
Try putting the toolbars (and the task bar, for that matter) vertically on the sides.

ZaZ wrote:My X220i is as good as any ThinkPad I've used and the X230 seemed just as solid. Anyone who believes there were no clunkers back in the good old days, doesn't know the brand well.

I'm sure there was. And I'm sure my w530 could survive me bashing it around. Which I might eventually do the 3000th time I delete something looking for the PgUp key.

twistero wrote: [snark] Because programmers are so 1980s. [/snark]

Yes I guess some of us are...

Try putting the toolbars (and the task bar, for that matter) vertically on the sides.

I already did that on my 16:10 T61 so my 16:9 w530 cannot be helped like that.

I wonder if my next laptop will be 16:8 or 16:7?

twistero wrote:[snark] Because programmers are so 1980s. [/snark]
Try putting the toolbars (and the task bar, for that matter) vertically on the sides.

I'm looking for the Lenovo user study of Eclipse users that focuses on how much time is wasted double clicking editor windows to take them full screen (and then again to be able to interface with the rest of the IDE...) to compensate for the lack of vertical resolution. Sure you can slide left and slide right and make a general mess of your IDE - but at the end of the day the laptop is a tool and if the tool starts to get in the way, you complain to the tool maker. If they don't listen, pretty soon you get another tool. In my case I've just resigned myself to make sure i have a dock and an external display everywhere I do real work. Kind of adds a bit to the cost of an already above average priced machine...

stkris wrote:I wonder if my next laptop will be 16:8 or 16:7?

Why settle for something so narrow? You should get this super wide, super excellent 21:9 laptop: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/05/tosh ... ite-u840w/

Well, that was to be expected

I still wonder how they cut screens from these 'sheets'. If you ask me, the whole idea of 'less waste when all is the same aspect ratio' is a bunch of nonsense. Unfortunately the LCD industry isn't really transparent about it.

pianowizard wrote: Why settle for something so narrow? You should get this super wide, super excellent 21:9 laptop: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/05/tosh ... ite-u840w/

I think I'll sell my business and buy a shrimp boat before I get something like that.

I had to get some files from my old HP laptop today and really enjoyed the 4:3 screen with 1200 pixels vertically. I wish I were technically adept enough to swap the screen onto my w530. Actually I would pay someone to do it if it were possible.

It wouldn't fit. The W530 screen isn't tall enough.

jcvjcvjcvjcv wrote:It wouldn't fit. The W530 screen isn't tall enough.

That is the point. I want a taller one. Functionality is more important that design - for me.

stkris wrote: That is the point. I want a taller one. Functionality is more important that design - for me.

Not if the design is so insecure you can't even carry it around without breaking it.
I'm sure there are some 4:3 screens out there that are electronically compatible with the W530 motherboard. Say you got your hands on such a screen. Then what? You can't fit the screen into the lid of the W530. you can't secure it to the hinges because mounting points will certainly be different. Even if you glue it on the lid, since the screen is taller than the keyboard it will not be protected when the laptop is closed.
If there is any chance to achieve what you're thinking, it will be more "making a entire laptop chassis that uses a W530 motherboard and 4:3 screen" rather than "swapping a screen of different dimensions onto a W530".

stkris wrote: That is the point. I want a taller one. Functionality is more important that design - for me.

Maybe the next generation of laptops will follow Apple's lead and put 1500+ vertical pixels in the screen. Then you could use electrical tape to cover the sides to give yourself a 4:3 or 5:4 screen.

Looking at the pictures at the links in the OP, I can only state in dismay:
too wide, too large bezels, horrible new chicklet keyboard layout.

Consider airing your opinion about the new keyboard on the Lenovos Blog:
Change Is Hard: Why You Should Give In to the New ThinkPad Keyboard

So Long

twistero wrote: If there is any chance to achieve what you're thinking, it will be more "making a entire laptop chassis that uses a W530 motherboard and 4:3 screen" rather than "swapping a screen of different dimensions onto a W530".

Yes that sounds like it would be easier if Lenovo made it. So why don't they?

jayton4 wrote: Maybe the next generation of laptops will follow Apple's lead and put 1500+ vertical pixels in the screen. Then you could use electrical tape to cover the sides to give yourself a 4:3 or 5:4 screen.

Yes, except the screen would not get any taller. I want a taller screen. And my old 4:3 screens were! The newer 16:9 are not wider just lower. This is one big con!