Published: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 in notes » work by Thomas Baekdal
Today, Lenovo launched its new ThinkPad X300 - which many newspapers have named to be a serious contender to the MacBook Air. "PC Pro" even went as far as to say "The X300 is an astonishing piece of design that brings something entirely new to laptops". I have never heard so much crap in one day.
Notice: This post is a rant against ThinkPad's design. I have long felt an inner urge to "give my ThinkPad a good beating", and this post is my way of controlled "anger management". You have been warned... :)
ThinkPad computers are not "cool" and certainly not something that should be associated with design. They are - all of them - hideous pieces of junk.
The ThinkPad was first made in 1992, a time where computers were "cool for engineers". It was a time where nobody ever thought of designing a computer - but rather all computers were put into "some box" that happen to fit the components. All desktop computers were beige and all laptop computers were black.
ThinkPad was no different. IBM never tried to design it, they merely put the components into a black box (like everybody else) - hence the ThinkPad 700, from October 1992, was born. It had a screen surrounded with a slightly raised edge (to keep out dust) and a keyboard with a red dot in the middle.
This was how it looked in 1992.
Many things have changed since that, although IBM never seemed to realize it. In 1993 the ThinkPad 720C came to the market and it looked exactly the same:
In 1995 came the ThinkPad 760C which featured a very similar looking laptop, but they completely failed to center the screen.
In 1997 came the ThinkPad 770 with the same design - but at least they tried to put the screen back in its proper place. Which they failed at and placed it slightly to the right rather than way off to the left.
Then in the year 2000 they made the first of the "T-series" - the ThinkPad T20. It featured a rather strikingly new design direction for IBM in the way that the screen was now centered and some of the edges were rounded just a little tiny bit.
Then came the T21, T22, and T23 in 2001 which all looked exactly the same.
But then in 2002 they made the T30, and what a difference... it actually looked like ... oh wait a minute... it looks the same, the trackpad just got bigger:
Then IBM/Lenovo made the T40, T41, T43, and T60 in 2006 which again looks exactly the same as the ones before them.
Then came the T61, and with it they reinvented an old design flaw. The Screen on a T61 computer isn't centered. Just like the ThinkPad 770 from 1997.
The ThinkPad computer looks practically the same from 1992 to 2008. It began looking like every other laptop of the period, and while all other laptop manufacturers updated and experimented with their design - IBM stood still.
Sure the screen is bigger on the T61, because of which they added some space in front of the keyboard, and the edges has been slightly rounded. But to say that it is designed is an overstatement of gargantuan proportions.
The ThinkPad series is a conclusive statement of "status-quo", "non-design", "never trying", "no innovative spirit" and complete dullness for your eyes.
You want a ThinkPad if you want your employees to turn into mindless drones. It is not something you want to give to a cutting edge, highly innovative and motivated work-force.
Since all the newspapers are comparing it to the Apple MacBook Air, it is also relevant to compare the design evolution of Apple Laptops with the ThinkPads. While Apple is known for its design, ThinkPad certainly shows nothing of the sorts.
Apple created its first laptop in 1991. It was the PowerBook 100 and like all other laptops of the period it was black with a slightly raised edge. Compared to the first ThinkPad it looks strikingly similar.
But from this point, Apple constantly tried to create better looking designs - while ThinkPad stayed fixed using the "design standard" from 1992.
Note: I have a ThinkPad T61. It is the "standard" computer at work, and as such I have no choice. But I hate working with it, and I always bring my Dell when I am presenting something important to other people.
(Image Credits: ThinkWiki and Apple History)
Writer, Project Manager and Interaction Designer
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ThinkPads sells extremely well within the Enterprise world, but comparably few are sold to consumers.
I do not have the specific sales figures though.
Great comparison. And good rant :)
My guess is that PC magazines get paid to write the stuff you mention. They are always writing suspiciously positive about -insert well known brand-name.
Too bad most people reading those magazines are not aware of that.
I agree that the ThinkPad is not a pinnacle of design.
They are, however, decent pieces of machinery, at least in my experience. They are robust, and can take a beating.
I like design as much as the next guy, but I also think that sometimes function should come before form, and for me, that's exactly what the ThinkPad does.
i know that lots of buisnesses uses them. i know that the danish military uses them big time. but dos it sell to ordinary people, dont think so. :)
I somehow get the idea that Lenovo's Thinkpad users are a lot less concerned with design than Apple's customers.
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Peter, I rather think that some IT people (and IT managers) are less concerned with design. If you give a person a choice between a Thinkpad and Sony Vaio (with similar specs) then almost everyone would choose the one from Sony.
The strange thing is that many companies will spend a lot of money buying good looking furniture for the their receptions, cafeterias and office space in general. Both to give visitors a good impression, and to make the employee feel more motivated. At the same time they give people a computer that looks like something from 1992.
Razumny, as a usability practitioner I also believe in "function over form" (to a degree). But since the ThinkPad was never designed in the first place it has no form. In ThinkPad's case it is "Function over Nothing".
That is great and all but you cannot rag on Lenovo and the think pad when you "always bring my Dell". A Dell? Really? I thought you were better than that. Dell plays it so safe that the wont commit to a black or with aesthetic, but a dull and depressing gray. Furthermore, do not try to talk about "Design" when you own a gray box with a shiny dell tag on it. Something to thing about
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Jarod, I do not claim that Dell is a beautiful computer, nor can I follow your description of it. My Dell does have a very light-grayish tint inside, but the edge is white and it has a black (fake) leather front.
My rant against ThinkPad is not as such its design (it has none), but that they never tried to design it. It is, at least to me, made by people who do not care about visual aesthetics. By people who have never once thought "could we make this better".
I hate ThinkPad for not trying.
At least Dell tries to make it better - although they often fail.
"The only real failure in life is the failure to try."
I still disagree. I think it ''is'' designed, and well designed at that. It hasn't changed noticeably since it launched, meaning that, when HP launched their nc4200 and nc6200 computers they were actually mistaken for ThinkPads.
I love my iPod, and when I get it, I am certain I'll love my iPhone as well. The MacBook Pro is one of the sexiest machines I have ever seen. I am a big fan of design, but when it comes to a '''work''' computer, I have no problem whatsoever with it being a bit on the dull side.
Actually, I'll go one step further; not only do I not have a problem, I'd actually prefer it that way, the reason being that, to a thief, a dull, boring computer is less of a target than a flashy one.
Given the choice between a ThinkPad and a Vaio, I'd choose the ThinkPad. Why? The Vaio screams "I have shitloads of money! Yay me!"
I also happen to like the fact that IBM, and now Lenovo seem to have taken the view that they'd rather spend money developing the interior of their computers, which, in the end, is what matters, than the exterior.
Ok, some laptops do look like they've had more time/money spent on aesthetics over the years, but I can't say I have very strong feelings on any of them. They are all largely the same; except with slightly more or less primary colours, better or worse build quality, or more or less practical shapes.
The only computer design that stood out at all in my mind was the iMac G3, and even then I had to look up the name! (Hmmm, or maybe the OLPC- that could grow on me.)
As for ThinkPads, I've had a few through work, but the only one I own is an ancient ThinkPad 240. It's small, light, and just keeps on working. I like the red dot in the middle as well.
I disagree. The X300 is a very cool computer. Different does not mean better. Black is slick, professional, durable, and reliable. I suggest reading Lenovo's blog, Design Matters, for some background on their design process.
http://lenovoblogs.com/designmatters/
And how about the practicality? The X300 has a ThinkLight, so you can use it in the dark; a removable battery, so you can bring a spare, and replace it when it's worn out; a DVD optical drive; a fingerprint scanner; an Ethernet port; VGA output; a better LED-backlit display; and much more.
I agree that the ThinkPads are a little blah, but they have awesome keyboards cf to MacBooks. That is the contact point for this particular design, isn't it? So, in that sense they are designed well.
The Pismo was the high point of human interaction with the laptop and ever since the Al Books Apple has been going a bit in the wrong direction in terms of the feel of the laptops. Neater looking, but sacrificing some warmth in the feel of materials and usability in the layout that the slightly curvy Pismo had in spades.
The user-friendly removable everything aspect was also great, though this doesn't affect most users so long as they can get to RAM and the battery.
Apple wins overall, but since design is more than skin deep, there are still issues worth considering.
Wow. I really disagree with the thought that ThinkPad's aren't designed. I feel they fit very well into a strong modernist aesthetic, which is something IBM has had going for it for a while. ( http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/ibmchicago/index.htm ) Apple's design is certainly more fluid, both in a single piece, and over time, but the IBM / ThinkPad aesthetic is more solid, again over time and as shown in a single piece. Whether true or not, ThinkPad's design definitely evokes stronger feelings of reliability than Apple's. Even to the point of "My laptop won't look terribly dated in three years."
As with many Modernist "form follows function" designs, ThinkPads do a great job of stating that the use of the design is more important than design for design's sake.
I've worked with a number of product designers that preferred ThinkPad's design to Apple's, particularly during the mid and late 90's. (The first colored iBook's were innovative and impressive, but not something everyone wanted to sit on their Eames furniture...] Of course, I've worked with designers that preferred the reverse as well.
But to suggest that ThinkPad's are a lack of design... wow. Subtle maybe, but not a lack of.
Maybe IBM got it right the first time.
Form vs function? More likely toy vs tool.
What's the definition of cool? Check out the video...
http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3595921&CatId=3448
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Ray, I don't disagree that the technology features of the X300 is way better than MacBook Air. But, I am not against the technology. I am against the no-thrill design, and having more technology features is not changing how it looks :)
If we are only talking about the realistic functionality, then the ThinkPad is winning by miles. It even picked by NASA to be the official/primary laptop in space.
I'm talking about SPACE guys. While Apple/MacBook-Air is still wondering(floating) on the ground, and thinking hard when it will be pick for the space mission, if ever.
When we need to get things done, ThinkPad is there for us. When we want comfort & eye candy, Apple is always there. A nice looking design does have its advantage, because we feel sexy and attractive. But only if it would function superbly, then we can depend on it. It is absolutely no good if a plane looks great, but it doesn't fly.
With our great minds, without all the unnecessary & fancy stuff; we all know..... "The simplest answer, is the best answer of all".
Human...the carbon based life-form, got to this point by making thing that work to improve life, not by looking good.
Although looking good maybe important, but what's you can do with it, is definitely priceless.
So, don't blind ourselves with beauty; but a honest and truly fantastic capability.
I'm a huge fan of both Apple and Thinkpads, I have a Macbook Pro 17" and it's beautiful, I also have a Thinkpad x40 which is alsos a thing of extreme beauty in my opinion, though you have to understand it to see it.
The thinkpad design is a classic, actually if you put an early Thinkpad and a x series side by side then you see that they really have changed a lot, sure they are still black with a touchpoint, but there are lost od subtle changes.
For people who actually use their notebook as a tool then the Thinkpad range is unbeatable, and in particular the X series is unbeatable as a ultra portable tool.
I love Apple Mac, I have bought just about every Apple product in the last few years and I was using Apple back in the //e days, but I cannot bring myself to buy a Macbook Air, it's beautiful and it's innovative but for work I'll travel with my Thinkpad X40 thank you.
By the way, I always though Dell were ugly, just an opinion though!
The X series, as far as portables go, are the best.
Don't knock a good company just because you don't like there design.
They make money. Bottom line.
And besides, Dell's are no better at design. You call what they do, design? Lol....I'll take the Thinkpad.
Dear Baekdal,
I have some comments I'd like to share with you.
Likewise, style is a very personal opinion and therefore should not be confused with design. Design as in systems design, layout, function are all design and to that point, IBM Thinkpads are (or were, I have heard good things about Lenovo but have not tried it out since the takeover) known to be very reliable. As a matter of fact, it is designed and engineered very well. It may not suit everyone's cup of tea (it is not meant to, it is a serious business machine i.e. International Business Machine); that is IBM's brand. It never was a high priority in IBM's brand to place the style as the number one order of importance. IBM's market and target customer is the business user. .
By the way, IBM's Thinkpad was designed by a very respected German Industrial Designer by the name of Richard Sapper. IBM's Logo was done by Paul Rand (who also designed Steve Job's Brand "Next" Computers). IBM had employed a very influential designed director back in the day by name of Eliot Noyes. IBM has had a long history for respecting the brand so much so that Jim Watson used to preach to business students the value of design in business.
I can go on and on an to that I will leave you with one additional thought:
I have a friend who is a die-hard Harley Davidson fan, so much so that he is head to toe in the gear. But just because he is not into high fashion or high style, it is still fashion as I assure you he is not into the gear because he is an engineering nerd.
Best,
JL
Having used ThinkPads for the past 10+ years (as well as a host of other notebook's, Dell, HP, Apple, and so forth), there's no caparison when it comes to over-all build quality. ThinkPads are tough notebooks that can actually take a solid days, weeks, and even years of abuse while still performing as they did out of the box. I actually find the ThinkPads low-key and simplistic looks a plus. In a world where form has taken over function, ThinkPads have stayed true to their design philosophy - keeping there notebooks clean and simple.
Never buy a Lenovo. I was working a few weeks on the road and didn't pick the stupid thing up at my PO box , and the first time that I used it right out of the box I got a blue screen. They wouldn't give me my money back because I had it too long. Every time you talk to tech support its some do nothing machine that reads the same BS off of a computer screen. I did all the things that tech support said like reload all the programs and soft wear. None of that helped. The blue screens got worse. 3, 4 and 5 times a day worse. After every blue screen, it would take 20-30 min. to get the thing going again. My work was suffering. It took forever to get any work done. It has other problems as well. I get booted off line all the time. My internet connection says that it is connected and at full strength, but I get booted off line about 5 times a day. Again, it takes 10-15 min. to get back up and running. After complaining for about 8 months, they sent a tech to my house. The tech guy was nice, but whatever he replaced it did nothing to help my computer. I still get blue screens all the time. They wanted me to send the computer back to them. NEVER SEND A COMPUTER BACK TO THE COMPANY! They keep the thing for months, and they never fix it when you get it back. I refused to send it in. Some jerkoff at Lenovo wanted me to write the numbers down from the blue screens so he could figure out what was wrong. I sent him the numbers and he said that I had a soft wear problem. He sent me some thing that was supposed to fix the soft wear problem. It was $49.00. It didn't fix anything. I still get constant blues screens. I thing that I have to go to small claims court to get my money back. There is a reason IBM sold its lap top operation to Lenovo. It wasn't worth anything.
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Feb 27
2008
Anonymous
Very good comparison! It would be interesting to see some sales figures for Thinkpad laptops... Do they really still sell?