The original IBM ThinkPad 700c first hit the market 23 years ago, offering a now-classic design, with seven rows of keys and a blue enter key, all of which are still missed by many tech enthusiasts.
Well, luckily for them, retro is in right now, and the original ThinkPad design might make a comeback, this time stuffed with modern and top-of-the-line tech and built by Lenovo.
"For a while now I've been exploring the idea of introducing a very unique ThinkPad model. Imagine a ThinkPad that embodies all the latest technology advances, however, embraces the original design details in the strongest way possible," said Lenovo vice president David Hill in a blog post. "I've been referring to the concept as retro ThinkPad. Imagine a blue enter key, seven row classic keyboard, 16:10 aspect ratio screen, multi-color ThinkPad logo, dedicated volume controls, rubberized paint, exposed screws, lots of status LEDs, and more."
Of course, Lenovo is only interested in bringing the computer to the market if there are people wanting to buy it, and while there is no official way of saying that you're interested in the computer, Hill does say that those interested should write comments in the comments section of the blog post. Bringing about a computer such as this one is likely to take a lot of money and time, from Lenovo's point of view, so it's important that those interested express their support.
"Please remember actually bringing a retro inspired ThinkPad to market would require significant sales volumes to justify the development effort and tooling expense. I can't promise anything at this point, it's an idea," continued Hill.
Hill is so serious about the design of the ThinkPad that he has written an entire book about it, called "ThinkPad Design: Spirit and Essence." He likens a reissue such as this to the design trends in the auto industry of late, with many automakers taking design cues from classic cars like the Ford Mustang and the Mini Cooper.
The new ThinkPad design, as detailed by Hill in the blog post, includes many design cues from the original ThinkPad, including the multicolored ThinkPad logo, a keyboard layout that has a gap at the top for dedicated volume buttons and so on.
Only time will tell if Lenovo actually ends up reviving the classic ThinkPad, however, if the current numbers are anything to go by, there certainly is a chance that it will happen as there are over 2,000 comments on the blog post at the time of this writing.
