Only a very few people know the history of the retro ThinkPad of where and when it came to be. The idea of the Lenovo Retro ThinkPad was born during a conversation between Lenovo Insider and founder of Alpaka Gear Jin Li and David Hill at CES 2015 in Las Vegas. This is a very long time ago in technology years. It was an excellent idea I supported myself. There is no other computer brand that has a fan base like ThinkPad. There is no such retro HP, because people simply don’t want it.
Unfortunately, Lenovo had to move forward with the design too to stay competitive with other brands appealing to a bigger audience. I strongly believe both can co-exist, as there is clearly demand for it, otherwise the ThinkPad 25 wouldn’t be here. Lenovo would be able to satisfy its loyal ThinkPad community whereas also appealing to a larger audience.
In June 2015, one blog article went online to see if there was any interest in a retro ThinkPad. The amount of people replying to and visiting the blog article was insane. Soon it was followed by a series of surveys (#1, #2, #3, #4). But afterwards, Lenovo went completely silent. I was aware that the Retro ThinkPad was being developed, but couldn’t talk about it in the open. I know Lenovo tried everything they could to make it worth your money if you’re still holding on to your 5-6 year old classic ThinkPad.
Richard Sapper, the original designer of IBM ThinkPads died on December 31 2015. Which came as a shock to many of us. David Hill went to visit Richard Sapper to talk to him about the project. I can believe this was an emotional moment for both of them.
Now almost 2 years later, to celebrate the 25th birthday of ThinkPad, Lenovo brings back the classic design elements of the Retro ThinkPad to please its loyal ThinkPad community. Because yes, they have been complaining for years about the design changes like the introduction of the chiclet keyboard, removal of the ThinkLight, less key travel to make devices thinner, and so on.
The box is the same as the Yoga products at first sight. When you fold it open, the box will rise up. You’ll find a book on ThinkPad design which was written by David Hill, former Chief Design Officer as of earlier this year. He handpicked his successor, Brian Leonard. Also notice how there are 3 different spare TrackPoints included below.
The ThinkPad 25 still has a 16:9 screen, but that is due to the fact that 4:3 screens were not available.
The Lenovo Retro ThinkPad, also known as ThinkPad 25, is based on the ThinkPad T470. Lenovo accidentally leaked multiple drivers for the ThinkPad 25 in the past few weeks, and it was noticeable how the drivers each time were compatible with both the ThinkPad 25 and ThinkPad T470. The most important differences that are known to me currently are:
- Different palm rest and keyboard.
- Status LEDs
There is supposedly only a single configuration with an Intel Core i7-7xxxU, a Nvidia GeForce 940MX and 500GB SSD which will set you back at roughly 2300 EUR or 1700 USD.
Limited availability in select countries.
- U.S. and Japan – October 5
- Other countries (France, Germany, Nordics, China, HK, Singapore) – Following days
With this article, I want to thank David Hill & everyone who has contributed to this project & ThinkPad. Thank you David Hill for everything you did for ThinkPad.
Note: If you’re a ThinkPad fan, buy the ‘ThinkPad 25’ right now, making this anniversary edition of ThinkPad is our only chance ever seeing the classic design elements permanently return to ThinkPad.
Disclaimer: This article may contain some mistakes.