What's with the lack of extended warranty? You only get one option -- one year. Other ThinkPads offer the option of much longer warranties including the oops-I-spilled-coffee-all-over-it warranty. I know I'm tough on laptops, so this sounds like a dealbreaker.

eigenguy

I love thinkpads, but jesus, i can't live without the trackpad. I tried going a week on the nipple, and it wasn't really a fun experience.

They should load the x200 with apps so that you can just work from the keyboard. A more advanced key-combo customization? Launchy? Quicksilver? Gnome-do? Lifehacker's Mouser?

GBirdii

@Rodime: Them fighting words :)

froggy

I hate that stupid nipple. I just want to beat the crap out of the guy you made it the IBM standard. Otherwise... 5-6 hours of regular use sounds like a very cool thing to me.

froggy

Why allocate more space to a useless trackpad? Once you get used to using the nipple mouse, you'll never go back (unless you get hooked on a trackball)

Rodime

@tehwonderboy: What? Nipples don't mix with computer equipment? Since when?

Rodime

There's something pleasantly machiney about Thinkpads, so I wouldn't exactly call it ugly either. It's like the A-10 of computers.

Lack of trackpad kills it for me. This is one of those times when manipulating a nipple is not on my things-I-like-to-do list.

Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish

For some reason all of Lenovo's ThinkPads look old.

Maybe it's the little lip on it so that when it closes it looks just like every other ThinkPad.

Maybe it's the name "Lenovo" or "ThinkPad"

At lease their incorperating alphabet letters in their naming system....

Cursemaster0

As much as I love playing with nipples, they just don't mix well with keyboards.

tehwonderboy

We had these in 1980 or so. Small low powered machines with no drives. Weren't light per se but yeah the rest right there buddy.

WilCon

Waiting on the tablet x200. This would be the perfect tablet pc, finally.

I love the nipple. Good riddance to the trackpad. I'd be happy with this being an overall trend! the world need more nipples. :D

weendex

I love Lenovo computers. I've never owned anything besides a Lenovo/IBM pc. I personally like the nipple much more than the trackpad. In fact, I changed the trackpad on my laptop into four big touch zones that do basic things like move backward and forward in my web browser and minimize or close windows. I also like the plain black look.

Aoi

No optical? No trackpad?

I'll keep my Sony SZ thanks.

bobx3

@Cursemaster0:

Thinkpads have an distinctive aesthetic. No one mistakes a Thinkpad for a notebook from another manufacturer. It is an industrial quality that is certainly very different from that pursued by Apple yet equally unique.

Since IBM days, the Thinkpad has been targeted for the business market instead of the academic/creative market. The look, the rugged build quality, incredible keyboard, the crappy audio all says "I'm here to get the job done" where as the MacBooks say "Let's have a cappacino, hang out that the cafe, look and be looked at." That's a perfect message of Apple's target markets.

The adherence to the chucky design, the keyboard, the nipple, and the build quality are examples where IBM (as the originators of the Thinkpad design) "thought differently".

rwyuan

i cant use anything but a nipple. the trackpads are just too slow. slide your finger across the trackpad 4 times to reach the exit button, or use the nipple and get there immediately.

i wonder how hard it is to see the screen in daylight?

enchantedduck

I never really had the same feeling of productivity with the nipple thingy. I much prefer the light touch of a trackpad.

theMOE

If trackpad, bemoan lack of nipple. If nipple, bemoan lack of trackpad. If both, complain designers should make up their minds.

There, that oughta do it.

Killjoy

HMMM, everyone is so overwhelmed with nipples versus trackpads that no one chose to look at the fact that this is, the fastest notebook, not just subnotebook, that Lenovo has in its offering. Under three pounds, 1.8K, incredible battery life and faster than just about any other notebook on the market-the nipple thing becomes less of an issue

Priaptor

i agree that 12" is the sweetspot for max usability. i have a dell xps 1210, and after testing it side by side with the smaller sony TX (which seemed much cooler) i found that this is the smallest one on which i could effectivcely touch-type.

i still want something smaller that boots quicker for email checking and stuff, but that won't require as much typing. will probably go for the MSI wind with linux.

Aaron Stein

@eigenguy: The same was true of the Thinkpad X40 (one of the ancestors of the X200, and nearly identical in concept) I'm typing up this comment on. I bought it... maybe... four years ago? I worried about it at first, but over the past few years this sucker has more than proved that it can survive being owned by an inept, perpetually drunk fool with extremely twitchy hands and a startling disregard for the well-being of computers.

I seriously have no idea why this thing is still functioning as well as it did the day I got it. Even the finish is ridiculously tough: four years without a case and it's got maybe a little scratch across its lid. Only one of the keys is starting to lose its markings (and I don't cut my nails very regularly). If the build quality hasn't changed, I wouldn't worry too much about it :)

Other notes: I'm guessing the speaker setup on the X200 is the same as it is on this X40 - even in a quiet room you can't watch a movie and make out what's being said.

wonderfoo

I'm a nipple lover. Sadly, if you are like me, this is the only choice on the market. I looked around quite a bit before I bought the X61 a month ago. Anyone else know of a laptop maker that is using the trackpoint-type mouse? Just for options sake.

Brookespeed

I found the nipple attracts a lot more dirt and grime than a touchpad. The touchpad also allows for protective screens, while the nipple just gets in the way of any kind of silicone cover for the keyboard.
Call me picky, but I've kept my mobile devices clean and shiny by using skins, screens and cushion cases for more than ten years now. I just enjoy gadgets that look nice and shiny. The rugged look doesn't do it for me as much.

Apart from that issue, this looks like a very decent and enjoyable machine. I almost never use built-in speakers, so that wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. The dim screen probably wouldn't, either, if it came at a lower price point (say, $1500 max). But who buys these things at release price anyway. Lenovo isn't Apple in that way.

Hvedhrungr

always been a nipple man; always will be.

510DustMite

Whoa -
"64GB Solid State Drive, Serial ATA [add $830.00]"

$830 for a 64gig SSD?
You can get a 128 for less than half that now. Who do they think they are, Apple?

pete

What is the benefit of this product over the Sony TZ line? The TZ is 2.7 lbs, nearly as thin, includes an optical drive, 4-8hr battery life, bright screen, and you can get one for just below $1800.

What am I missing?

germanese

My first laptop had both a nub and trackpad. I really liked having the option to use either. Nub was awesome for normal use, particularly since I never had to move my hands from the keyboard.

Trackpad was useful when... well... i dunno, i guess when i felt like a change?

I liked the nub. I hate that I haven't had a laptop since my first that's had a nub.

I still find the trackpad to be far inferior to the nub.

One thing I think i might like to see more of... trackballs. better tactile response than a touchpad, greater control. Even a small pearl should offer pretty good mouse movement.

Aristeia

@Killjoy: You won't see me complaining about seeing both a trackpad and a keyclit. I remember there were at least some models of think/idea-pads that had both. But for some unfathomable reason they seem to have decided that they really want to devote themselves to the clittish clique, which I can't believe is the biggest part of the market.

I'm sorry, it's a sweet machine but they just rule out the hordes of people like me that need the trackpad. And the really, really sad part about it is, they actually have room for one on there. Why, why, oh great Lenovo in the Sky?

AreWeThereYeti

@Hvedhrungr: they sell replacement nipples for dirt cheap.

And I'll look into this when the tablets go cheap (can't go back after my x60 tablet)

meefer

I've always had ThinkPads for work and have to disable the trackpad because my hands are too big. Long live the nipple (and the indentation in my index finger).

the tallfish

@Aoi: Holy crap, that's a fantastic idea. I'm a big fan of the trackpoint. Plus, this will make the pad useless for my girlfriend. Soon she'll love the nipple.

HonusWScruggs

@Brookespeed: Fujitsu. I'm using the P1620 and it's nipple-only. They use the palmrest area to stash the battery. Works pretty well.

bluemonq

I've ordered one. Can't wait. I'm a little concerned about the nip to be honest but I'll deal. It's not like you can't plug a mouse in if you have to do something that needs uber control.

Small, light and powerful if a little boring looking. Just like me. :)

mighty_squid

@WilCon:

You remind me of some sorta old guy comparing Pong with Halo 3.

Communist_Gamer

@bluemonq: Thanks. I had looked at that but I'm a bit wary of the convertible laptops.

Brookespeed

You know what I miss?

I used to have a Fujitsu laptop back in the day that had a tracknub, similar to the analog nub on the PSP, only larger, where the average notebook has a trackpad. That thing was awesome.

HeartBurnKid, creepy morbid freak

they throw in 3 different nipple styles in the box, so you can swap them out and go with the one that works best for you. i personally like the "reverse nipple"... its sort of cup shaped so i can just rest my finger inside it and gives me awesome control. seriously, i've always felt the nipple to be infinitely superior to trackpads. i find those things twitchy, doesn't track nearly as well, and makes my finger tip feeling numb after using it. long live thinkpads and long live the nipple!

alainiala

The nipple is 500% better than a trackpad. More efficient and healthier for you too.

If Jesus were alive today he'd use a trackpoint. Lenova > *

brohken

@WilCon: "These"? You mean notebooks?

hanswurst0815

The nipple is all I use (A31 here). Expert use of the nipple is great for other skills that are greatly appreciated by gf/wife fwiw. :)

morbo

I have an X60 (no trackpad). I converted because my previous laptops had terrible trackpads. They were hot, imprecise, and hurt my finger when using it for some odd reason.

Trackpoints can be very precise and easy to use. I do admit it takes time to get used to, but unless you have used one enough to appreciate it, you're not giving enough credit to Thinkpads.

spaznrq

@tehwonderboy: I'm typing this up on my X60 (no trackpad for me), and I've got to say, you're not giving the "nipple" enough of a chance. It is sort of awkward when you first start to use it, but after a while you'll really start to like it. I've been using the trackpoint (nipple) for a little over a year now, and it's definitely a lot easier and more precise than a trackpad. Now if only Apple would give me the option for a trackpoint on the MacBook...

Katoejoe

Trackpoint >>>> touchpad. There really is no comparison between the two. Trackpoints are much more accurate, allow for much better speed control, and are easily used with your hands still in a typing position. I wonder how many people who claim that they "can't live without" a touchpad have actually used a trackpoint? I won't buy a laptop without one.

ChoadNamath

I had one with a nipple years ago, and wasn't crazy about it. Now that I can 2 finger scroll on my macbook, I can't see me going back.

mdoublej

IBM Nipple + 3rd button for scrolling = perfection.

hooked-on-tronics

Agreed with my fellow nipple lovers. Once you've had one (especially a Thinkpad one coupled with their amazing keyboards) you can't go back.

Ron-Mexico

@hooked-on-tronics: I forgot to mention the third button! Thanks for mentioning that, it is perfection indeed.

Katoejoe

The decision in the nipple/trackpad debate is one between typing and mousing. The nipple wins if your main method of interaction is typing-- your hands don't have to leave the keyboard. However, the trackpad does give you somewhat finer and more gestural control with the mouse, especially with stuff like multitouch.

Nipple, excellent keyboard, crappy multimedia functions-- The X200 is a typer's laptop.

alpacalypse

@rwyuan: As a Thinkpad, I love the black design I do wish they would bring back the blue and silver lids though.

got no clutch? You ain't much.

Nipple or pad - it's all in how your device's sensitivity & acceleration settings are configured. Both can be bad if you don't have these setup properly - I've gotten used to my nipple as now I have it configured to behave just like a teeny - tiny touchpad. Also I realized I was tensing and arching my hand to use it and that was causing severe cramping.

All in all I've learned that a relaxed hand is best when stroking my nipple.