Lenovo: Story of idiots

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Lenovo will continue to destroy all advantages of ThinkPad design.

They do it one by one:

Making construction cheaper and weaker
Horrible cheap materials now used for most models
Rock solid, best notebook keyboards first were made quite flimsy
Secondly keys were replaced to modern cheap ones
Famous very good IBM layout had been replaced by one used in cheapest IdeaPads
Now we can see fully removed TrackPoint buttons because some designer figured out that it'll be cheaper to force you press trackpad.

Btw, Ideapad brand will be destroyed as complete failure. And ThinkPad will be widened to try to sell all their crap.

My IBM 600e looks like something made by alients compared to my modern ThinkPad.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

More money that they alll put to waste

Lenovo Group announced Group revenue in the first quarter of US $13.3 billion, up almost 7% year-on-year (up 10% year-on-year excluding currency impact). Pre-tax income grew 38% compared to the same quarter a year earlier, to US $332 million, while net income also increased by 31% year-on-year to US$213 million. Basic earnings per share for the first quarter were 1.80 US cents or 13.95 HK cents.

"Our outstanding performance last quarter proves that Lenovo has quickly regained momentum from the impact of the pandemic and is capturing the new opportunities emerging from remote working, education and accelerated digitalization," said Yang Yuanqing, Lenovo Chairman and CEO. "While the world continues to face challenges, Lenovo is focused on delivering sustainable growth through our core businesses as well as the new services and solutions opportunities presented by our service-led intelligent transformation."

It has nothing with smart managers - but more of corporations buying big stock of notebooks for workers to work at home. Plus small business got lot fo them in retail.

Remember - people are brainwashed to buy almost unserviceable modern notebooks, instead of proper desktops.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

They really want to make another stupid thing

MikeLinn

MikeLinn

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Vitaliy_Kiselev

On why keyboards had been not flexible (Thinkpad 600-600e, best ever Thinkpad keyboards)

Notice how below keyboard it is not just empty space like on modern laptops

Palmrest

Center of keyboard is braced in 3 points and palmrest has super hard magnesium frame below it.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Thinkpad T60 photos, hard computer porno

From https://www.retropcmania.com/2015/05/the-naked-truth-about-thinkpad.html

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Small list of IBM/Lenovo "achievements" concerning Thinkpads

Keyboards

From very sturdy classic and still best 600/600e/600w keyboard with zero flex, single manufacturer
To more flexy T lineup classic keyboards, manufactured by multiple random Taiwan makers
- In reality they became progressively worse, as Asian factories cut costs and magnesium frame had been eliminated
Replaced by so called chiclet keyboard, manufactured by multiple random Taiwan and Chinese makers
Replaced by less travel and more flex backlight chiclet keyboard, manufactured by multiple random Taiwan and Chinese makers
Also exist various versions of chiclet keyboards, like some awful of early X1 Carbon

Note that all that they made was to appeal to lovers of thinner laptop. They gained around 150g here by making is less durable and flexy, also gained 2-3mm of thickness.

Most of last chiclet keyboards can survive water spill and not let water in, but they are not made to withstand it more than once or twice. Contrary to classic keyboard with water drain holes.

Water drain had been eliminated at almost all models as authors of actual platforms (Taiwanese firms) wanted to simplify MB designs and get more profit (around $2 more for $1500 machine).

CPUs

From Socketed CPUs, 45w TDP, proper cooling in T lineup
To Soldered CPUs, 25w TDP in T lineup, but 45w and more are available in Txxxp and P lineups
To Soldered 15w TDP in both T and Ts lineups

All this to make laptops thinner and lighter. They gained around 100-150g out of this all, seriously.
Removing socket get you around 2-3mm, but not always, sometime it gives you none.

Also from simple $0 CPU swap work and CPU you can buy you now need to go to advanced repair center who will charge $50-250 for work only and most probably will install used CPU (as Intel do not sell them anymore, except few last authorized centers).

Batteries

From single replaceable battery of IBM T models
To double (internal and external) nice system of Lenovo T, X and Ts models
To double internal batteries of few T/Ts models
To single (usual for other companies) internal battery

Managers tend to not know the real market needs (I talked with too many of them to know) and tend to copy other big players, as it is safe move, you can't be blamed for any original idea.

And companies really hate external or even just easy to replace batteries, really. As far as I know lot of Lenovo good progress in double battery department had been forced by some old engineers and big pressure of few large corporations who just demanded this.

MikeLinn

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Again Thunderbolt, reminder for used buyers

Be VERY CAREFUL if you consider buying a (new or second hand) *80 generation (and many others)

Lenovo acknowledges that there is a big problem on the *80 generation (and others) with Thunderbolt port failing "after 6 to 12 months of typical usage" (it is all over the internet).

My personnal (1850$ CAN at the time) T480S is affected: no more Thunderbolt, no more USB-C connection and (worst of all) USB-C Power Delivery limited to 15 watts - so my battery is DISCHARGING WHILE PLUGGED when doing any light CPU task (heck, even using Skype depletes the battery).

https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/es5vt4/be_very_careful_if_you_consider_buying_a_new_or/

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Lenovo ThinkPad T14, almost dead main line

Specs

Intel Core i7-10710U or Intel Core i5-10210U, later AMD Ryzen 4000 Mobile Pro
Optional NVIDIA GeForce MX330
Display
- 14.0”, HD (1366 x 768), TN (horror!)
- 14.0”, Full HD (1920 x 1080), TN (horror!)
- 14.0”, Full HD (1920 x 1080), IPS
- 14.0”, 4K UHD (3840 x 2160), IPS
Ports (Intel)
- 2x USB Type-A 3.0 (3.1 Gen 1)
- 1x USB Type-C
- 1x USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3
- Still HDMI 1.4 (sic!)
- MicroSD Card reader (sic!)
- Audio jack 3.5 mm combo
Ports (AMD)
- 2x USB Type-A 3.0 (3.1 Gen 1)
- 1x USB Type-C 3.1 (3.1 Gen 2)
- 1x USB Type-C 3.1 (3.1 Gen 2), Thunderbolt 3
- HDMI 2.0
- MicroSD Card reader (sic!)
- Audio jack 3.5 mm combo
SSD up to 2000GB SSD
RAM up to 32GB
OS Windows 10
Small 50Wh battery
329 x 227 x 17.9 mm (12.95" x 8.94" x 0.70")
1.46 kg (3.2 lbs)

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Thinkpad T14s, thinner and worse

Intel Core i7-10710U or Intel Core i5-10210U
Display
- 14.0”, Full HD (1920 x 1080), IPS
- 14.0”, 4K UHD (3840 x 2160), IPS
Ports
- 2x USB Type-A 3.0 (3.1 Gen 1)
- 1x USB Type-C
- 1x USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3
- Still HDMI 1.4 (sic!)
- MicroSD Card reader (sic!)
- Audio jack 3.5 mm combo
SSD up to 2000GB SSD
RAM (soldered!) up to 32GB
Windows 10
57Wh battery, also glued internal one
329 x 225.8 x 16.1 mm (12.95" x 8.89" x 0.63")
1.27 kg (2.8 lbs)
Will sell for $1029 and up.

Note gradual killing of famous external batteries of Txxs lineup (they had same attempt with T460s, but reverted).

Killing of proper trackpad buttons, replacing them with flat designers shite.

I am not even talking about gradual keyboards degradation.

And it is all for idea to make thing thinner and much less durable.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Now just try to follow Apple, even with names (it is Chinese naming)

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Why people are doing this? I mean Lenovo and keyboards.

Well, simple. Young people who are former students and managers are unable to understand complexity and efforts of the design, and few older guys who are still around know that fighting will cost them their job, as opposition just have much more stupid people with lot of free time.

MikeLinn

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Major issue with Thunderbolt, say thanks for Lenovo managers qualification

Current theories are that the old firmware was causing unnecessary writes to the chip that stores the Thunderbolt controller firmware, causing wear over time. Over the course of a year or so, depending on how much is being written to the chip, the chip may start to bad and the firmware could corrupt. It's still unclear if this is the reason for the failure or not, but it seems to be the most likely reason.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/ThinkPad-Thunderbolt-3-failure-What-s-happening-why-it-s-happening-and-how-to-fix-it.451207.0.html

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Vitaliy_Kiselev

They still want to do their concept

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold

Vitaliy_Kiselev

New Lenovo keyboard

Cost is $100 and it is wireless.

So, instead of getting much superb Thinkpad layout they just used exact new shitty keys.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

The Chinese entrepreneur Liu Chuanzhi, 75, announced his retirement as chairman of Legend Holdings on Wednesday.

Liu is well-known for founding Lenovo in 1984. In the past 35 years, the company acquired IBM's PC business in 2004 to gradually become the world's largest PC maker, and bought cellphone brand Motorola from Google in 2014, and then it went public on Hong Kong stock market in 2015.

Motorola brand is not defunct.

And Thinkpad brand now means almost nothing, except premium price. Frequently it is even designed and assembled by exactly same firms who assemble cheap HD and Dell notes.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Lenovo management wants to return to old naming ala ThinkPad T14 и X13.

They hope it'll allow to use some of the old glory and make people forget issues with modern new models.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

They still want to make foldable thing with touchscreen keyboard

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Best engineers are working in Lenovo (and it is bad for ya!)

Vitaliy_Kiselev

New motto:

Let's sale you more crap that will barely make it till warranty end, while talking about being nature friendly

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