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Portables IBM Hardware

FCC Pics of the IBM ThinkPad X41 Tablet PC 283

Posted by CmdrTaco from the oh-me-want-one-now-please dept.
jkendrick writes "jkOnTheRun has posted pics of the rumored IBM ThinkPad X41 Tablet PC pulled from the FCC filing. It looks as expected, a nice black ThinkPad with a major exception, the swivel screen and the Tablet OS."
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FCC Pics of the IBM ThinkPad X41 Tablet PC More

FCC Pics of the IBM ThinkPad X41 Tablet PC

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  • real or not.. (Score:5, Informative)

    by testednegative ( 843833 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @11:06AM (#12348821)
    thats one sweet concept in my opinion. put a little hole on the back so you can hang it when its in tablet mode and you have a picture frame too!

    ... and heres mirrordot to the rescue
    http://www.mirrordot.org/stories/adae1f7a0023fd6c0 a442b089c527c0f/index.html [mirrordot.org]

  • what about this tablet pc (Score:5, Insightful)

    by grumpyman ( 849537 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @11:07AM (#12348823)
    Excuse me but what is the significance of this tablet PC? There're tons of these similar thingie out there...
    • Because it's a Thinkpad, and Thinkpads are awesome. I love my T40, and I'd like it even more if the screen swiveled (there are a lot of work contexts where this would be useful. I also sometimes need to surf a little at home w/ a baby on my lap).

      I even prefer my T40 over my wife's G4 Powerbook (but that's mainly because I'm addicted to the red dot thingy).

      Let's hope Lenovo doesn't destroy the brand.
      • I even prefer my T40 over my wife's G4 Powerbook (but that's mainly because I'm addicted to the red dot thingy).

        I have both, and was astonished to find that the T40 is widely considered to be a particularly good computer.

    • It's a Thinkpad. That's what. Thinkpads, in my humble opinion, are THE BEST laptops. Period. Only ones that may be better then a think pad are Powerbooks. Thinkpads are so nice that many companies only consider Thinkpads when they look at purchasing new corporate laptops. Adding a Tablet is a natural decision. Sure, it's been done before, but noone does a mobile PC like IBM. They are built to last.

      • And great support! (Score:4, Informative)

        by Tim Doran ( 910 ) <[moc.sregor] [ta] [narodymmit]> on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @12:58PM (#12350034)
        Warning - anecdote:

        My wife's 1998-vintage Thinkpad (well out of warranty) failed in late 2001. We sent it to a local shop for repairs - they replaced the motherboard at no charge (parts OR labor!) because IBM had had "trouble" with this motherboard before.

        When it failed again a year later, it was repaired again at no charge.

        You could argue that it shouldn't have failed in the first place (bad solder on a power connection), but you can't beat that support! I won't buy anything but a Thinkpad anymore.
    • Thinkpads are likely the best non-Apple laptops out there, and correspond to the Powerbooks in terms of quality. It's an uber-quality and super highly respected line, and they are coming out with a new format (tablet).

      --
      Evan

    • Re:what about this tablet pc (Score:5, Insightful)

      by daviddennis ( 10926 ) <david@amazing.com> on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @12:30PM (#12349681) Homepage
      There are a lot of them, but none of them have the build quality or design integrity of a ThinkPad. I've seen the Toshibas up close and personal and they just reek of mediocre design and build quality.

      I used to think the Tablet idea was just stupid until I met a professor at a major university who uses his to scribble notes on while projecting them on the screen in his large lecture class. He uses Camtasia to record what he's doing and posts the capture files on the class web site for his students to review. It's an extraordinarily effective mode of teaching.

      I wish Apple made one of these things so I could enjoy using it more, but a ThinkPad would definitely be the next best thing.

      D
      • " I've seen the Toshibas up close and personal and they just reek of mediocre design and build quality."

        I don't generally have a high opinion of Toshiba, but I really do like my M-200. It feels sturdy, plus there are nice design touches that are worthwhile. For example: It has an acellerometer built in so that when you orient it for portrait or landscape, it figures it out based on how it's actually oriented. (You can have it orient properly at ANY orientation, even 'upside down')

        There are things I
    • Thinkpads are geeks first choice of x86 laptops. They are durable and have great support. Sure it might seem like an ad to you, but many people (including myself) have been waiting for this kind of device to come out.
  • Is there a price set or estimated? Is this going to be more expensive than the current X40 line?

  • 180 degrees? (Score:4, Funny)

    by over_exposed ( 623791 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @11:11AM (#12348875) Homepage
    Am I the only one here that passed basic math? I could have *sworn* that screen was only rotated 90 degrees in the picture...

  • Still not a Slate (Score:5, Insightful)

    by VoidEngineer ( 633446 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @11:11AM (#12348881)
    It humours me how people are unwilling to go the final step and just make a freakin slate tablet. These swivel setups always remind me of someone dipping a toe into cold water, not sure if they want to jump in or not. I bet that IBM could make an amazing slate which would rock the competition (with an exception of the Electrovaya Scribbler, perhaps). At any rate, it seems to me that this is still a laptop, albeit with a 'Tablet configuration'. It's still not a slate, and I personally still group it in the 'laptop' abstract class rather than the 'tablet' abstract class.

    • Re:Still not a Slate (Score:5, Funny)

      by Dink Paisy ( 823325 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @11:21AM (#12348969) Homepage
      The slate form is very nice when taking notes or sitting in tight quarters, but it sucks for coding. Plus, I'm a C++ person, so I don't mind multiple inheritance.
      • Plus, I'm a C++ person, so I don't mind multiple inheritance.

        Funny -- I thought it was C++ people (as opposed to Python or Dylan people or otherwise folks using languages that implement it properly) who would be opposed to multiple inheritance.
    • It humours me how people are unwilling to go the final step and just make a freakin slate tablet.

      Compaq /HP [hp.com] makes one that my boss uses, actually. The handwriting recognition just isn't that good yet: if you tend to write long, technical-oriented stuff (like programming or tech docs) then you're far better off with the keyboard. It has a detachable keyboard, but frankly, if you take the keyboard off, then it's never around when you need it. You end up carrying it around all the time no matter what, an

    • Re:Still not a Slate (Score:4, Interesting)

      by mblase ( 200735 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @11:40AM (#12349160)
      Tablets have their place -- scribbling pictures, taking notes when space is limited, etc. However, there are some jobs that a keyboard is simply better suited to do.

      Don't think of it as half-a-tablet, think of it as a useful hybrid. When you factor in the hard drive, CD burner, and a little space to cool the components inside the case, there's not much space added by the keyboard. May as well leave it there for the jobs that demand it.

      The only good reason to remove the keyboard completely is if you want to make a half-tablet PC -- about the size of the cover of a hardcover novel, which would be too small for typing on comfortably but just large enough to be easy to read. Before you do that, OS providers need to improve the handwriting recognition a bit further. And like you said, you'll probably see more of those being designed when and if the tablet form factor is widely embraced.
    • I've got a couple real slate tablets at work. Old Fujitsu models. They are nice, but often times, you really want to plug in a keyboard. A spare keyboard is a PITA to carry around with you 'just in case' you decide to do something where the pen stylus just isn't going to cut it. These hybrids make a lot of sense.
    • Like you, I prefer a "real" tablet. But the thing does fold flat. The only downside of retaining the keyboard is the extra weight. Not a tradeoff I care for, but lots of people obviously do. Designing for them is a simple marketing decision, not some immense failure of nerve.

      Ironically, this model ressurects a feature of one of the first Thinkpads. The Thinkpad 750 (the greyscale model, not the 750C) also folded flat and could be used as a tablet. Of course "tablets" hadn't been invented yet, so I thought

    • Not only are slate tablets to heavy, but it's hard to chisel fast enough to keep up. I prefer wax tablets . . .

      :)

      hawk

    • Re:Still not a Slate (Score:4, Insightful)

      by NanoGator ( 522640 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @01:45PM (#12350540) Homepage Journal
      " At any rate, it seems to me that this is still a laptop, albeit with a 'Tablet configuration'. It's still not a slate, and I personally still group it in the 'laptop' abstract class rather than the 'tablet' abstract class."

      Uh... okay.

      Here's the problem: Slate's good for standing up and walking around, it's NOT good as a desktop implementation. You still need a KB etc. That's what makes these hybrid tablets useful. You can use it as a Laptop OR a slate. One doesn't interfere with the other.

      I have ot admit, I'm baffled at the insightful mods granted to your post. I would have expected a little common sense (i.e. the common complaint about wanting a keyboard on PDAs) to have settled in. No insult intended, maybe I'm just spoiled by having one of these beasts. Even though I use the slate mode VERY often, I wouldn't want that to be it's ONLY mode.

  • Additional Info. (Score:5, Informative)

    by nyxon ( 551439 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @11:12AM (#12348891) Homepage
    For those who care, The notebook comes equipped with a 12.1" XGA display and is powered by an Intel Pentium M 1.50 GHz processor. The X41 was first available April 12th and will set you back at least $1,999. - nYx
    • I thought it was more like $2500? In either case, not too appealing with XGA resolution and integrated graphics when you can get the Toshiba Portege with SXGA+ resolution and a GeForce card starting at $1700. But you do get that exciting titanium shell...
    • IBM's website is selling X41s, but I don't see any indication that they're tablet PCs.
  • Can I get that with zVM installed?

  • IBM? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by GodOfCode ( 878337 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @11:14AM (#12348908)
    Could someone update me on the exact status of IBM Thinkpads. I was under the impression the hardware business has been sold to Lenovo and that the latter would be allowed to use IBM's name for a few years. So would this be an IBM Thinkpad or would it be a Lenovo Thinkpad?


  • I don't know about the rest of you, but I haven't written anything longhand since 1998.

    :P

    • Even more, my mother is an elementary school teacher, and she has been telling me how they are phasing cursive out of the cirriculum. Laptops are now issued to many students starting as soon as first grade (they get iBooks, I think). She marvels at how well kids can use a computer at such a young age, but it's is the Information Age in which they are growing up.

      I have 2 sons, 4th and 2nd grade, and their school doesn't teach cursive either. I expressed my concern over this at a PTA meeting when I asked ho

      • (...) who will use Tablet PCs? (...) It's not efficient for me to write on a Tablet PC when I can just type! I think the same will be said of future generations...

        IMHO a tablet PC would be more for browsing content and interacting "mouse style" (games, surfing the web, accessing databases, reading ebooks, watching videos, etc). For entering significant amounts of text I cannot see a screen being as good as a simple keyboard.

        IMHO to differentiate from laptops tablet PCs will eventually need to get rid of th

      • I find that I'm quicker on a keyboard than with a pen these days, and my fingers tend to get a bit stiff if I have to write more than a page or so.

        My mother - who is solidly anti-PC: refuses even to think about using email - recently had a go with handwriting recognition (on a Sony U71) and was genuinely enthusiastic.

        I also find it's very handy for taking notes but I wouldn't want a tablet that was as large as a conventional laptop. About half that size would be pretty good. The Vaio U71 is not the perf

    • Re:Who is gonna use these Tablet thingies anyway? (Score:4, Funny)

      by arnie_apesacrappin ( 200185 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @12:06PM (#12349451)
      I don't know about the rest of you, but I haven't written anything longhand since 1998.

      <OT Rant>

      I went for an interview at company whose primary business was IT services. Before I was allowed to interview with the hiring manager, I had to fill out an application, longhand. On this application I had to list my high school in three separate places. Two of those places were on the same document. After not taking the job, I told my friend that recommended me:

      1. For an IT services organization to ask me to fill out documents longhand is ass-backwards.
      2. I've been in the industry for 10 years and have a Master's degree. Does it really matter where I went to high school?
      3. If it does matter where I went to high school, why do I need to fill it out THREE TIMES?

      It just pisses me off to no end when I have to fill out a form only for some admin to mis-type it into a computer. If HR is really worried about Larry the retarded janitor not being able to fill out an application on the computer print a copy for him. But for God's sake, don't make me write something that's going to be typed into a computer anyway.

      </OT Rant>

  • Rumor? (Score:2, Informative)

    by sangreal66 ( 740295 )
    IBM demoed these for us several weeks ago, I didn't think its existence was a secret. Was a pretty nice tablet, in my opinion.
  • ...for widespread acceptance of Pen PCs. Microsoft has never given up with the tablet format (Unlike A--le), and I'm glad. I'm a big believer in this; I have a transmeta-based tablet here that's too slow for general use, and I also use the Logitech/Anoto pen for all engineering notetaking. I'm really hoping for a good tablet so I can go completely paperless...

  • IBM PR (Score:3, Insightful)

    by AviLazar ( 741826 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @11:25AM (#12349023) Journal
    What will IBM say to this release of data? What if they had a big release in the works? While some may say "this is free advertisement", PR departments like to do things on their schedules. Especially if they were planning, at the last minute, to scrap this thinkpad.
    • IBM will file a lawsuit, claiming that it's trade secrets were violated, and demanding damages.

      Oh wait, that's a different company....
    • What will IBM say to this release of data? What if they had a big release in the works?

      Surely there is a college student somewhere they can sue!

      Oh wait, that'd be Apple [thinksecret.com]. Never mind.

  • shouldn't it say, IBM returns to tablet computers (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Locutus ( 9039 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @11:26AM (#12349038)
    In the early 90's, when Pen for OS/2 was around, I had asked IBM about a ThinkPad where the LCD rotated around and covered the keyboard. A guy from IBM said that IBM had that but discontinued it.

    I've never seen a reference to this but supposedly, IBM once had a tablet Thinkpad( heavy as a brick ) over 10 years ago.

    LoB

    • Re:shouldn't it say, IBM returns to tablet compute (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      IBM did have a Thinkpad in the early 90's that the screen hinged at the bottom and then again in the middle. You poped a few clips ant the screen tilted back over itself to become a tablet. I cannot remember the model (something like 755cx) but I worked on them all the time.

    • Re:shouldn't it say, IBM returns to tablet compute (Score:4, Informative)

      by WillAdams ( 45638 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @12:39PM (#12349788) Homepage
      Actually, it goes back to before OS/2.

      The original concept for the ThinkPad was for a pen slate (hence the name, the inspiration came from leather notepads IBM used to give out to employees w/ ``Think!'' embossed on them). You can get the backstory on this in the book _ThinkPad: A Different Shade of Blue, building an IBM brand_ or in Jerry Kaplan's book _StartUp_.

      Early models included the 701T, 703T and 730TE (slate models) and the 360PE (and a couple of other convertible models). At first they could run one's choice of Windows for Pen Computing (Win3.1 w/ HWR and some nifty pen-oriented apps) or PenPoint (but that was more expensive 'cause one had to pay the Microsoft ``tax'').

      William

  • Enlarged pictures (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @11:27AM (#12349041)
    I really hate it when the "zoomed in" pictures are 1% bigger than the thumbnails. 1%!!!! What's the point?!
  • I have one of those Wacom tablets (not a tablet PC, just the USB tablet thing that you use like a mouse). It's really sweet for drawing, mainly because of the pressure sensitive pen. Do tablet PC's pens generally work the same way?
  • The docking connector is in the wrong place (and looks like the wrong shape) for me to reuse my existing Thinkpad dock.

    Even so, it looks like a sweet design, and as long as the price isn't outrageous, I'll consider it when I replace my current Thinkpad.

    Chip H.

  • XGA? Disappointing! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by SlashChick ( 544252 ) * <erica@e[ ]a.biz ['ric' in gap]> on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @11:44AM (#12349200) Homepage Journal
    I am a current Thinkpad X31 owner, and I've been considering Tablet PCs for a while. The thing that has consistently held me back is the XGA (1024x768) screen. I have XGA on my current Thinkpad and it's just too small for Photoshop or some of the other programs I use on a daily basis. I've been taking a serious look at the Toshiba Portege M200 [toshibadirect.com], which uses 1400x1050 (SXGA+) resolution instead. While I'm excited that IBM, which is by far my favorite laptop brand (Toshiba being a close second), is coming out with a Tablet PC, I'm disappointed in the screen resolution. What really makes this Tablet PC unique? It's just like most of the other ones. I'd still rather have the Toshiba.
    • No; most people want their tablets small and light. XGA res is perfect for a 12 inch screen.

      My T40 had 1400x1050 on a 14" screen and that was a little small. I'd be squinting all day with that resolution on a screen 25% smaller (by area).
    • Not only that - but the Portege also has a GeForce graphics card. The IBM is supposed to have integrated intel graphics.
  • Linux? No seriously, what kind of support does linux have or promise for tablet PCs-- I wouldnt ever want to buy hardware that wasnt going to work in Linux.

    Because this is coming from IBM should we expect a very open platform?

  • Had a tablet (Score:3, Insightful)

    by standards ( 461431 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @11:51AM (#12349279)
    I had a Toshiba Tablet PC.

    It was a fair laptop... not the best, not the worst, but not worth the $$$. I'm glad work bought it for me.

    As a tablet? Well, it wasn't useful for me. Maybe it's good for people who need to stand and write (and digitize!) at the same time, or those who need to do light-weight doodles without the need for a graphic designer's high-quality tablet & display. But since I code, create presentations, do word processing, excel, etc, the tablet feature is next to useless.

    But I'm sure some will find use for it. For now, I'll keep my smart phone and my traditional Dell laptop.
  • So, this is just like the Toshiba that does the same. One of my professors has been using the Toshiba for classes for several semesters. The only difference, I suppose, is that the Toshiba looks like a Toshiba and this thing looks like every other IBM laptop I've ever seen.

    Even reading the article doesn't explain why this is so newsworthy, unless you've never seen a laptop with a swivel screen.

  • What I'd Buy In a Heartbeat (Score:5, Interesting)

    by SlashChick ( 544252 ) * <erica@e[ ]a.biz ['ric' in gap]> on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @11:53AM (#12349309) Homepage Journal
    I'm rather surprised that the "living room palmtop" idea hasn't taken off yet. Here's what I'd buy for sure:

    Price range: ~$400
    Slate-like Tablet PC (pen-driven) interface
    1280x1024 or 1400x1050 resolution (1600x1200 would really be ideal)
    802.11b/g wireless networking
    Has Windows Pocket PC or similar small OS installed, with some games, etc.
    Set up so that I can Remote Desktop into my Windows PC upstairs

    This would be a godsend. I'd set the thing on my coffee table and use it to just check my email without having to run upstairs to my desktop.

    I know Microsoft had this with Mira [pcworld.com] a while ago, but Mira devices were costly ($900-$1200) and mostly ran at 800x600 or 1024x768. Now that LCDs have dropped so far in price, I really feel this is a good marketing opportunity. Also, put Pocket PC on it and the thing can play games, etc. without having to be connected to the PC upstairs. Marketed properly and with the right price point, I bet we'd see these in most geek living rooms. It could even double as an interactive photo album with a stand and SD card slots, or a DVD player with a USB hookup. I'd welcome a device like this at $400 or less.

    Waiting patiently for the manufacturers to catch up to my imagination... :)
    • It's hard to find an LCD with 1400x1500 resolution for $400. What makes you think that you could get a whole system for that price? There's probably a reason that the Mira devices cost about a thousand dollars.
      • Excellent point (hi-res displays are expensive).

        If a lower-resolution is acceptable, an older pen slate system such as a Fujitsu Stylistic 2300 would fill the bill quite nicely (the OP failed to note a requirement for battery life which is the big failing of older devices).

        http://www.linuxslate.org

        Is one site w/ some useful information for such.

        William
        (who really needs to dig out his Point 510 and get Linux on it)

  • What about the quality... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by TomorrowPlusX ( 571956 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @12:36PM (#12349749)
    Thinkpads, in my experience, are the only truly *good* pc laptops. They're ugly, but they do the job and if you need to you can beat a rhinoceros to death with one.

    But, looking at the swivel, and knowing that IBM's selling off the Thinkpad line to the chinese company Lenovo (???), I can't help but wonder if the quality will still be what it was. This isn't meant to be a cut against the Chinese -- really it's my concern that without IBM looking over their shoulders, will the quality remain high? And it's not like the Chinese are famous for high quality manufacturing.

    Regarding the form factor, the swivel seems like a good way to have your screen break off. I've seen some swivel laptops in stores, and -- for god's sake -- the demo units are creaky and nearly broken. Sure, people mess with the demo units, but those units aren't being put in backpacks or being taken everywhere you go. On *all* the demos I've seen the screens have several degrees of free play, and look like they'll break off if you look at them too hard. On a few I actually saw breakage as the friction clamp torqued out the plastic housing. Not good.

    If anybody can pull this off, IBM can, but I'm not holding my breath.

    And, one more rant factor -- can't anybody make a laptop which doesn't look like a frankenstein's monster of parts thrown together? There's so many air vents, access panels and other hoo hah that the damn thing looks like the death-star, but flattened into a laptop form factor. There's too many things to catch on your bag, or break off. Apple does this right -- their laptops are smooth and have nothing to catch on anything or break off.

  • Yay, the Transnote lives on! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by aquarian ( 134728 ) on Tuesday April 26, 2005 @02:12PM (#12350811)
    I always loved the Transnote, an older Thinkpad with an integrated art tablet. It was designed for architects, engineers, etc., who liked to be able to sketch things.

    Sign me up for one of these!

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