"Thoughtful" pose at the MoMA anniversary event
Today is the day we officially celebrate the anniversary of ThinkPad. This year, however, is no ordinary anniversary. This year is the 20th anniversary of what has become a design classic and an icon of the industry. I am very proud of ThinkPad and all the people who have helped make it special over the years. Rather than write a special blog posting on the topic, I decided to post a "virtual" copy of the book I wrote and designed for the MoMA event we hosted back in August. The book titled, ThinkPad Design: Spirit & Essence, captures my thoughts on ThinkPad and punctuates them with striking graphical illustrations. The book was a big hit at the MoMA, but there just aren't enough copies to go around. A few of the people who commented on my earlier blog, with their unique ThinkPad stories, may have already recieved their signed copy. If you didn't, hopefully it's on the way. I wish I had enough to give to all the ThinkPad fans. To view the "virtual" book, click on the image below and it will launch in another window. You can either advance the pages with the on-screen navigation controls or simply drag the pages with your cursor. I prefer the latter since it feels so much more like a real book. Here's a hint, it looks much better in full screen mode. I hope you enjoy reading and experiencing the book. I certainly had a good time creating it. I'm already looking forward to the...
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These are the wallpapers we designed The X1 Carbon is clearly my latest favorite ThinkPad. I love the simplified design essence, excellent keyboard, and of course the thin profile and light weight. I thought it deserved a special set of wallpapers to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of ThinkPad. The wallpapers we designed are based on several of the pages that are included in the book I recently published titled ThinkPad Design: Spirit and Essence. There are a total of 4 different designs rendered in both dark and light versions. The quotes used on the designs are some of my favorites, combined with a few working sketches of ThinkPad design details I've made over the years. Fortunately, I save almost everything. You can go here to download the wallpaper files. I hope you enjoy these commemorative designs and the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. I love it. David Hill
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The Museum of Modern Art, in New York City, is one of my favorite cultural havens. Whenever I’m in the city I always try to plan a visit and recharge my art and design batteries. Artists such as, Matisse, Calder, Picasso, and Klee are all there for the viewing. Honestly, I don't think I have ever seen a bad Picasso. The design gallery is a very special place for me. There I can see the things that designers dream of. The objects that have broken through the ordinary and made a lasting statement. It always makes me proud to see the 701c “Butterfly “on display there. Fortunately for me, I’ll be at the MoMA today. I'll be there for an early celebration of the 20th anniversary of ThinkPad and the official launch of the X1 Carbon. I can't think of a better reason to make the trek to New York City. The premier device for business, the X1 Carbon is the latest in a long line of milestone ThinkPads. It also happens to be the ThinkPad I’m carrying now. Although controversial to some, the island style X1 keyboard is truly the best I have ever experienced. For a person who travels a lot, there is no such thing as having a ThinkPad that is too thin or light. That story has been true for nearly 20 years. Thanks to advanced carbon-fiber construction, the X1 Carbon measures just a scant 18mm thin and weighs in at under 3 pounds. A far cry from the first...
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ThinkPad X1 Carbon
Following on from Developers on the X1 Carbon - Project, we once again hear directly from the developers. In this third piece we hear from two of the engineers in charge of mechanical engineering. The first is a veteran engineer who designed the X300 and the original X1, and the second is an engineer with experience in mechanical engineering for mobile phones. Together they led the pivotal packaging (chassis design) part of the project. - In the previous interview we were told that you had some difficulty with the packaging for the X1 Carbon. Morino: In the planning phase a basic design model based on mechanical engineering was completed. It was close to the current package with a slim front edge, but once we entered the development phase we hit a few hurdles. The first design model completed in the development phase had a thickness of a flat and over 20mm body, which was not even remotely close to the initial plan... I believe we were thinking a little too pragmatically based on our experience with the X1 and T420s, and we weren't pursuing aggressive enough goals. Otsuka: Pushing ahead while also thinking about manufacturing, I think the engineering was extremely difficult. It presented a number of challenges we had not faced before. - So there were a few birth pangs. How did you resolve these problems? Morino: First, we clarified our goals. These...
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X1 Carbon
Following on from Developers on the X1 Carbon - Industrial Design, we once again speak directly with the developers. In this second piece the Product Development Manager and Technical Project Manager leading the Yamato development team discuss the project. Both are veteran developers responsible for many X series products. The same team also led development of the original X1. - The X1 Carbon will be the first Ultrabook™ in the ThinkPad X Series. Tabo: This project actually wasn't based on the Ultrabook concept. Planning for the X1 Carbon began around the end of 2010. Identifying trends such as "BYOPC (Bring Your Own PC)" and "IT Consumerization", our first goal was to create an amazing product that corporate customers would want to use and take to their workplace, rather than have given to them by the IT department. "Portability that surpasses previous ThinkPads" was a key concept. From the early stages of planning we decided to aim for a product thinner and lighter than the original X1, and we spent a lot of time hammering out the details. Mori: The Ultrabook specs were released towards the end of the planning stage, but we were already in compliance with most of them. Sometimes the ThinkPad is too far ahead of the curve, making it hard to gain customer acceptance (LOL). I think we got the timing just right this time. But it was a while...
