Tag: Leak

A ThinkPad without a TrackPoint?

Posted on by Laptop Retrospective

The Situation

So let’s get this out of the way.

Leaked images are floating ahead of CES 2025 showcasing a device called the Lenovo ThinkPad X9.

This ThinkPad does not have a TrackPoint.

Several news outlets have picked up the story, including Notebook Check, one of my favourites. You can read their article here.

The bottom line is, we do not know a lot about this device, where it will be released or if it will be released. Concept devices are common at tradeshows like CES and TechWorld and many do not make it to production. The bendable phone I saw at TechWorld 23 is a good example.

Nov
04

My Lenovo Tech World 2023 Experience

I was able to attend Lenovo Tech World 2023 thanks to my participation in the Lenovo INsiders program. My travel and accommodations were covered and there was no cost to me to go to Austin, Texas. As part of my efforts to ensure 100% transparency, I am disclosing this information at the top of this […]

Another thing to consider is the odd nomenclature; X9. This does not fit within any existing product line-up which is encouraging that this might not be a mass rollout or an idea that would even stick. The TrackPoint is also part of the accessibility feature package that they advertise on the ThinkPad lineup.

Why does it matter?

There are many possible explanations for this but the reason this move is seen as strange to so many ThinkPad users and fans is, that this is one of a few features that make ThinkPad iconic and not just another brand. You can take the badge away and still know a ThinkPad is a ThinkPad based on the sleek black colour and the red TrackPoint present on the keyboard.

I do not believe this is the end of the TrackPoint, I will make that clear. That would be the equivalent in my mind of prying the Jaguar off the hood of the car (An expression I picked up from David Hill, Former Chief Design Officer & Vice President of Experience Design at Lenovo). That example might not be a good one to make any more with Jaguar’s recent advertisement that famously featured no actual car or Jaguar.

Jerry Paradise who retired from Lenovo in March 2024, said this quote during ThinkPad’s 30th anniversary celebrations as reported by PCWatch.

Q: Will the TrackPoint continue to be implemented in ThinkPads?

Paradise : That’s right. We believe that the TrackPoint will be implemented forever as long as ThinkPad exists. It is our promise to our customers, and we believe that it is an iconic part of the ThinkPad brand and part of the design.

As an aside, Jerry Paradise is on my wishlist of individuals to interview as his history with ThinkPad runs very deep. I imagine he has a lot of amazing stories he could tell. Perhaps one day.

What is the history?

The TrackPoint, an isometric pointing device embedded in the keyboard of ThinkPad laptops, was invented by Dr. Ted Selker while working at IBM Research in the early 1980s. He drew inspiration from research on mouse-pointing devices and hypothesized that a finger-operated pointing device integrated into the keyboard would be faster and more efficient than a mouse. Selker collaborated with colleague Joe Rutledge to develop the TrackPoint. They conducted research and experiments, discovering that a non-linear transfer function improved selection speed by preventing cursor loss. This approach challenged conventional thinking at the time and led to disagreements with other researchers in the field.

Several factors contributed to the significance of the TrackPoint:

  • Improved efficiency: The TrackPoint offered a significant speed advantage over trackballs and mice. Users no longer had to take their hands off the keyboard, saving valuable time and maintaining focus.
  • Space saving: The compact size of the TrackPoint made it ideal for use in confined spaces like bank teller stations, airplanes and other places where space is limited.
  • Accessibility: Users with shaky hands found the TrackPoint’s overshoot prevention algorithms particularly beneficial and only required one point of contact to manipulate the mouse cursor.
  • Brand identity: The TrackPoint became a signature feature of ThinkPad laptops, contributing to their brand identity and attracting a loyal following.

I’m very fortunate to have the history of the TrackPoint from the sources that were there when it all happened. I had the chance to speak to both Dr. Ted Selker and Tom Hardy and both had stories to tell about this iconic device that has been on essentially every machine to carry the ThinkPad name.

Why remove it?

I can think of a lot of reasons why people would want to remove it and I suspect that most of it revolves around cost. It is no secret that making room for the TrackPoint comes at a cost both financially and spatially.

  • Changing user preferences: As touchpads have become larger, more responsive, and feature-rich, many users have come to prefer them over the TrackPoint. The wider adoption of touchpads has led to some manufacturers prioritizing them over the TrackPoint to cater to evolving user demands.
  • Cost considerations: Including both a TrackPoint and a touchpad increases manufacturing costs. To reduce expenses and potentially lower the price of their laptops, a manufacturer might choose to eliminate the less popular pointing device.
  • Design trends: The trend towards thinner and lighter laptops has put pressure on manufacturers to maximize internal space. Removing the TrackPoint and its associated hardware can free up space for other components, such as larger batteries or improved cooling systems.
  • Competitive pressure: If competitors are successfully selling laptops without TrackPoints, a manufacturer may feel pressured to follow suit to remain competitive. This is particularly true if the manufacturer wants to appeal to a wider customer base who may not be familiar with or prefer the TrackPoint.

So while the reasons to remove it are many, we are still talking about one of the most visibly iconic features of any laptop brand in the history of laptops. That would be like taking one of the most well-known social media brands in history and renaming it. Alright, I promise to stop with the not-so-good examples.