Written by admin on Friday, April 11th, 2008 in gadgets.
Gizmodo dropped a major bomb on notebook users yesterday–they somehow got their hands on details about the entire upcoming Lenovo line. They did break the news of the X300 launch back in January, though this does not appear to be from the same source. Everything is still unconfirmed, but a lot of the details make sense so it’s worth looking into. Gizmodo does not have pictures or spec sheets this time, but there is still lot of great information (supposing most of it is true). The first big point is that we will see an expansion of the X series, specifically models based on the X300 notebook. The post states that the design behind the 13.3-inch X300 will be used in a 12-, 14-, and 15-inch models, which would give high-end consumers all the options they are looking for. The Xx00 models will get both HSDPA and EVDO and a 25 percent boost in battery life. ThinkPad X300 The post goes on to cover refreshes of the T and R series. The entry-level R models will possibly arrive in a R400 (5.1lbs) and R500 (6.4lbs), probably 14-inch and 15-inch models as soon as July. The T will get refreshed video (256 or 512MB ATI HD3650) and start shipping in early June. Another major part of the rumor is that we will see a new W line, which will replace the T as the workstation replacement series and possibly arrive in a 17-inch model some time in the future. Gizmodo wraps up the post with what looks like a ThinkPad owner’s wish list, but is actually the potential standard features for the upcoming line. The list includes: a Blu-ray option, LED backlighting (not on the R models), 9-cell batteries (same size as a 6-cell but with 25 percent extended life), a solid state option (on all non W models), and a lot more. We spoke to Lenovo representatives, but they had no official comments at this time. Read more at Gizmodo Sal’s Opinion All this is totally unconfirmed at this point, but parts of it seem spot on. We do know that the T/R series are ready for a few upgrades and that the technologies that Lenovo first rolled out on the ThinkPad X300 (for instance LED backlighting, SSDs, and a slimmer form factor) are going to be trickled down to new models. Plus we have already heard rumors about an X200, so that is not the biggest surprise. It is a bit hard to swallow that Lenovo would go through the trouble of producing the X300 clones in three new sizes. They made a big deal about the 13.3-inch model being the perfect size for both portability and usability so for them to come out with a 14-inch and 15-inch model is less likely. We see the T and R models in 14- and 15-inches but why have a super-light notebook in both sizes, especially the larger one? The 12-inch model (potentially the X200) is easier to believe given that the X300 outshines the X61s in almost every aspect. As for the rest, the changes to the R and T are believable, and while both lines are aging well, they could use things like solid state options, Blu-ray, and LED backlighting. The W would potentially be a desktop replacement, as the T has been doing a great job as the ThinkPad’s mobile workstation, which is probably why we see a rumor about that 17-inch model. It’s not clear how a 15-inch W900 would differ from the same model in the T series (what would be the T61p today). All told, it’s huge news and there are certainly grains of truth in there. It’s not clear that everything is accurate, but based on the success of the X300 and the inevitable changes to the R/T lines people might want to hold off on any ThinkPad purchases for a little while. (Read the full post about ‘ThinkPad Line Revealed? X300 in three new sizes’…)
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