The ultimate laptop: retro modern ThinkPad

Lenovo started listening to years of ThinkPad fans griping yesterday.

Ars Technica picked up the story, and people are discussing it, really exited about the idea.

Yesterday I talked about what would make the perfect keyboard for my dream laptop.

Today I’ll talk about the features that I’d love to see on a new ThinkPad that harkens back to the best days of the product line.

Screen

  1. 15.4″ (but by all means, produce a full line of different sized ThinkPads with different screen sizes: 11″, 13″, 15″, 17″…)
  2. 16:10 aspect ratio — this is a MUST
  3. 10-bit IPS panel with at least up to 3K resolution
  4. glare-free matte surface, not glossy.
  5. not a touch screen (but I’m ok if it’s a configuration option at purchase)

Chassis

  1. Rugged, metal frame — aluminum, magnesium, or titanium
  2. Rubberized black paint finish
  3. Easy to work on. Repairing/replacing or upgrading the keyboard, RAM, and hard drive should be as easy as they were on the T61p.
  4. RAM slots sufficient to support at least 32GB of RAM
  5. Support ultrabay hard drive carrier
  6. Door/sliding cover for webcam for paranoid folks
  7. Sliding latch to securely hold lid closed
  8. Weight and thickness not primary concern, should not constrain design or compromise durability or features.
  9. Removable battery with sufficient capacity to run laptop for at least 12 hours of heavy, active use, on a charge — 18 hours would be even better. Yeah, a big bulky heavy battery. What good is the ultimate laptop if you can’t use it because it’s out of juice?

Ports

  1. Modern everything. HDMI-out or Display Port out instead of VGA. USB 3.0 slots (at least four of those).
  2. Gigabit ethernet (of course).
  3. Optional for SD card reader slot
  4. Full size slots, nothing proprietary or minimized for space

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