ThinkPad Anniversary Edition 25: Limited Edition ThinkPad Goes Retro
by Brett Howse on October 5, 2017 8:30 AM EST
As part of its celebration of the 25th anniversary of the ThinkPad lineup, Lenovo is launching a limited-edition ThinkPad Anniversary Edition 25. It feels like Lenovo might have an issue with this though, because ThinkPad loyalists are all going to want one of these exclusive devices. It features a retro look, along with some of the retro capabilities that ThinkPad has always been known for, but all built on a modern version of the device.
The original ThinkPad 700C was announced on October 5, 1992. It’s kind of hard to believe it’s already been that long. The ThinkPad name is still going strong, 25 years later, and it was only back at CES in 2015 that Lenovo had on display the 100 millionth ThinkPad ever produced.
The Retro ThinkPad offers a backlit 7-row ThinkPad classic keyboard, which the more traditional blue enter key, and of course a TrackPoint. There are dedicated volume keys, and status LEDs that tend to be missing on newer devices. The Thinkpad logo is also the more traditional multicolored version.
Under the covers, the Anniversary Edition 25 is based on the T470 laptop, and features a Core i7-7500U, paired with a GeForce 940MX GPU, in this 14-inch laptop. It features all of the modern IO and capabilities you’d expect in a laptop in 2017, despite the retro styling, and I would guess Lenovo isn’t going to have any issues selling the entire allotment.
For anyone wanting to purchase the device, they’ll have to act quickly. The ThinkPad Anniversary Edition will be available in limited quantities in select countries, starting at $1899 USD.
Source: Lenovo
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grndzro77 - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
I would have paid several thousand for a large 4:3 screen, Trackball + Touchpoint, large keyboard, Decent integrated sound.Hell that folding full size keyboard would have been golden....This thing doesn't tickle any of those points.
NamelessPFG - Sunday, October 8, 2017 - link
"that folding full size keyboard" I take it you mean the ThinkPad 701's distinct "butterfly keyboard" design that extends past the laptop's width when opened?Neat way to condense a bigger keyboard into a smaller space, but I'm guessing they don't do that anymore due to mechanical complexity and the required thickness.
testbug00 - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
If I hadn't upgraded about 6 months ago (didn't need to, just wanted more power) I totally would.Thankfully I mostly type at desks with keyboards, but I still have my T61 around when I need to travel and type for a long time... and the fact I have 3 batteries for it :)
Evil Underlord - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
After waiting some years for this, and then giving up, I'm considerably underwhelmed and glad I didn't keep waiting. This is just a T470 with a good keyboard. The keyboard is a huge plus, but not enough to make me throw out my six-month old laptop and buy a new, more expensive one.Lenovo's ongoing genericization (to coin a word) is starting to push me away. If they'd just make this keyboard standard, they'd win me back.
alanh - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
No Butterfly keyboard == no buy for me. ;)twtech - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
I like the keyboard. I wish they would give up on trying to be modern from a looks perspective and go with what is most ergonomic and works best for users - people buy these things to type on the keys, not stare at them.But that's pretty much the only thing compelling about this particular laptop.
ied - Friday, October 6, 2017 - link
The screen could clearly & easily be 10% taller. Perfect for a 16:10 screen. However, they push forth cheapy screen panels instead. Sigh... lost a sale here fellas.plewis00 - Saturday, October 7, 2017 - link
What about the buttonless touchpad? This weird one where the whole thing depresses is weird and imprecise and doesn’t register clicks all the time.rocky12345 - Saturday, October 7, 2017 - link
Yep they were well built products I actually still have 1 that was made by Lenovo just after they bought the lineup from IBM. To those complaining about 7th gen CPU used like WTF.6th,7th,8th CPU cores are all the same no performance difference at the core level. besides that 7th gen is less than a year old since release.How is it Lenovo's fault Intel released the 8th gen (paper launch) 3-4 months early because they wanted something to compete better with the Ryzens. If you are already seeing mobiles with naming of 8th CPU's trust me they are just rebranded 7th gen CPU's.Intel.Nvidia,AMD all do it all the time stop being clueless already. I swear the internet is totally full of dweebs these days no offense or anything just stating the truth...lol
NamelessPFG - Sunday, October 8, 2017 - link
Starting at $1899, but only has a GeForce 940MX?Get out of here, Lenovo! Any laptop with that kind of exorbitant price tag had better be packing a GTX 1070 (or at least a 1060) if it wants to justify the price premium.