Today marks 25 years since the ThinkPad was first introduced to the world.
The company marked the occasion with the launch ThinkPad Anniversary Edition 25, a modern incarnation of the classic design and includes iconic “retro” features such as a backlit 7-row ThinkPad Classic keyboard, dedicated volume buttons, multiple status LEDs and a multicolor logo.
In addition to the classic features, the ThinkPad Anniversary Edition 25 is a thoroughly modern laptop. Powered by an Intel Core i7-7500U processor with discrete NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphics and a 14-inch full HD display with touch, the ThinkPad “Retro” performance is a far cry from the original 700C.
Designed by Richard Sapper and engineered in the Yamato Labs in Japan, the original ThinkPad 700C was inspired by the traditional Japanese bento box. In the space of a couple of months, it won more than 300 awards and became a status symbol.
Now, 130-million unit sales later, ThinkPad has helped explorers reach Earth’s remotest places, supported dozens of missions into space and facilitated countless businesses to grow.
“ThinkPad design creates a powerful and synergistic relationship between form and function. It balances sophisticated aesthetics, thoughtfully crafted user experiences and renowned engineering in order to deliver superior products,” says David Hill, former chief design officer at Lenovo. “25 years after the introduction of the original 700C, the latest X1 Carbon is immediately recognisable as a ThinkPad.”
As technology has advanced with exponential speed, the designers and engineers behind ThinkPad have remained purpose-driven in their quest to continually reimagine mobile computing while preserving the original concept, and have launched innovations like the ThinkPad 701C with the “butterfly” keyboard to the 2-in-1 convertible X1 Yoga with “rise and fall” keyboard.
Arimasa Naitoh, former head of the Yamato Labs and affectionately known as the father of ThinkPad, firmly believes that the future is in safe hands. “From the original 700C to the latest X1 Series, ThinkPad has proved it can enable business transformation and offer customers uncompromised mobility.
“Our team of engineers imagine a future world where ThinkPad creates new segments and further enrichens user experiences as technology becomes more embedded in our lives.”
Gianfranco Lanci, president and chief operating officer of Lenovo, comments: “ThinkPad has helped revolutionize how we do things. Business, education, healthcare, supply chain, transportation and finance are just a few segments that have been transformed by mobile computing over the past 25 years.
“The next 25 years are an opportunity for new generations to discover the wonders of ThinkPad. As long as there are customer pain points, there will be a ThinkPad to fix them.”
“Our collaboration with Lenovo has driven true mobile PC innovation and transformed how businesses get things done,” says Jim Johnson, vice-president of the client computing group and GM of the Client Customer Engineering Group at Intel. “From the 1992 ThinkPad 700C to today’s ultralight, connect-anywhere X1 series 2in1s, we continue to push boundaries together for commercial-class performance, security and manageability that empowers the modern workforce.”
Peter Han, vice-president: partner devices and solutions at Microsoft, comments: “It has been a privilege to partner with the ThinkPad team to evolve mobile computing from the first ThinkPad notebook computers running Windows 3.1 to the latest ThinkPad X1 Yoga that lights up modern experiences in Windows 10.
“We look forward to our continued collaboration with Lenovo to deliver new experiences such as mixed reality and AI that will help ThinkPad users achieve even more.”