Lenovo wants you to decide if it should build this retro ThinkPad

05 Jul 2015 • engadget.com

IBM’s original boxy, black ThinkPads, exemplified by the seminal 1994 700c model, are beloved by laptop design aficionados. But would such a style (in a much thinner package, of course) fly in today’s market? Lenovo’s VP of design, David Hill wants to find out, so he showed off a “Time Machine” render with the original multicolored ThinkPad logo, a blue enter key, a seven-row keyboard and a 16:10 aspect screen. It would, of course, be equipped with the latest technology and an 18mm thin case. The idea is to see if a computer based on a classic design would be as popular as retro-tinged cars like the “new” Mini Cooper or Ford Mustang.

I loved ThinkPads long ago in my Windows days. If I needed a Linux laptop today one of these hypothetical units would surely be tempting to consider.