Jack Watts wrote: ... but bashing the keyboard because it doesn't fit the retro-ironic aesthetic (as many have done and continue to do) is a bit silly to me, and goes against what I view as the "real" Thinkpad standard of form over function. ...
Calling a long term tradition of quality and a proven work tool "retro-ironic aesthetic(s)" is kind of an insult.
If you like huge touch pads for gestures, thats your choice, fine, but that is not a direct continuation of the Thinkpad standards,
which are an trusty tool for work including an exceptional typing experience.
To articulate myself in detail, this implies a focus on typing, reading and mobility.
Touch pad gestures or wide screen format are hardly helpful for real day to day work.
What many users do complain about is, that we can't buy the good old stuff any more.
Many product changes are introduced and quality is declining, and the new keyboards are radically different
from what we where happy with for years.
If Lenovo would maintain a model line featuring "the good and trusted qualities", they would get all the critics off their backs, practically over night.