IBM’s first ThinkPad debuted exactly 25 years ago today, with a bright red TrackPoint nub and a classic design that still exists in a modern form. Lenovo, the company that bought ThinkPad from IBM, is celebrating the laptop’s 25th anniversary today with a special anniversary edition of the ThinkPad. Even if every ThinkPad looks retro, this is a particularly retro version of the ThinkPad design based on the current ThinkPad T470 model.
Lenovo unveils retro ThinkPad for 25th anniversary
is a senior correspondent and author of Notepad, who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years.
The original ThinkPad, designed by Richard Sapper and engineered in Japan, was inspired by the traditional Japanese bento box, and Lenovo has taken some of these classic elements and fused them with modern hardware. The overall design is very similar to the retro-classic ThinkPad that Lenovo’s design VP David Hill first hinted at more than two years ago. It has the classic rubberized coating, a TrackPoint, ThinkPad keyboard with ThinkVantage blue enter button, the colorful ThinkPad logo, and lots of status LEDs.
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Inside it’s all modern, though. Lenovo is using Intel’s 7th generation Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, an Nvidia GeForce 940MX graphics chip. It also has all the modern ports you’d expect from a laptop in 2017: USB-C port (Thunderbolt 3), three regular USB ports, an SD card reader, HDMI port, and Ethernet connectivity. There’s even a fingerprint reader that lets you log into Windows 10 with Windows Hello.
All of this won’t come cheap, though. Pricing will start at $1,899, and Lenovo is offering a special discount today over at its online store. Lenovo is only producing limited quantities of the retro ThinkPad, but hopefully there will be enough for all of the loyal ThinkPad fans.
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