Do they solder the USB-C connectors on the motherboard still? Because that has been actually the only fatality in the T470/T495/T14 machines I have. There is no way of effectively repairing the connector other than throwing the motherboard away as the connector shell usually rips up traces when it goes.<p>Apple put theirs on a replaceable daughter board, which while annoying to get out, is possible with minimal tools. I’d expect the same if iFixit are crowing on this.<p>Edit: did some googling and found out that no they haven’t fixed this flaw. The USB-C ports are still directly soldered to the motherboard. More landfill and completely compromises this marketing. And it makes a mockery of iFixit supposed 9/10 score.<p>Source: <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/Document/sunTY6dbbJvOMRjP/Repairability-Snapshot-%E2%80%93-Lenovo-ThinkPad-T14-Gen-5.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://www.ifixit.com/Document/sunTY6dbbJvOMRjP/Repairabili...</a>
> DIMM, keyboard, SSD and WWAN<p>Basically a return to the status quo of 10 years ago, isn't it?<p>I am inclined to believe that this (as well as Dell's Concept Luna) is a direct result of Framework's existence and may not have happened without them in this form.
I use my laptop on a laptop stand on the couch and bed. Every time I slightly shift positions, the lap detection mode is triggered through the accelerometer (even though it's not on my lap) and the power limit throttles to 11W. You can clearly tell Lenovo does not dog food their own products, nor do they care about them. They've also released broken bios updates which ends up bricking devices. I can find links if people want to know more, but I have stopped recommending ThinkPads to friends and family. The quality is no longer there.<p>This is not a company that cares about their products - just one that attempts to extract the maximum possible value out of its consumers.
Lenovo announced new ThinkPads with "better sustainability and extended repairabilty'. The Intel variants are the L14 i Gen5, L16 i Gen1, L13 2-in-1 Gen 5, X13 Gen 5 and X13 2-in-1 Gen 5. AMD variants of the L14 Gen 5 and L16 Gen 1 have also been announced (but with sadly no TB4, but USB-4 only). The press release further reads that "One of the key features of the new ThinkPad L14 Gen 5 and L16 Gen 1 is enhanced repairability, with support from iFixit who have delivered a preliminary score of 9 out of 10.".
Does it run completely with free software without binary blobs?
Any advancements in this regard?
This is very important for sustainability in the long run.
I had my department at the time buy me a P53 against their wishes; they wanted to get me a Dell workstation, since they had a partnership with Dell which included fast repair service etc.<p>I thought the P53 was the most reliable high end laptop I could get and was supposed to have an amazing keyboard. Instead, the keyboard was average at best and the trackpoint much worse than my older Dell workstation. Then, it was one hardware/firmware problem after another, until a small water spill put the cherry on top: wrecked performance and now it cannot boot if not plugged in.<p>Once upon a time, Thinkpads had great, water-resistant keyboards and a solid build with reliable ports, but now this has become a fairy tale. The article does not really address any of this. I am never buying a Thinkpad again, although I really don't know what my options are :( I hear Dell is tanking the quality of their high-end workstations too.
As usual "these new laptops are designed to optimally run Windows 11 and are poised to elevate productivity and streamline professional tasks."<p>Although apparently they are "Windows 11 Pro, Linux certified", so lets see.<p>At least we get our RAM, battery and harddisks components back.
Don't forget to put the Wi-Fi card back in a slot!<p>I didn't want this stupid, buggy Qualcomm Wi-Fi adapter in my AMD ThinkPad (probably one major cause of 6.7.x suspend hanging) and wanted to switch it out with an AX210, but I can't because it's soldered on.
I'm frustrated with my T14s Gen 3 AMD/P14s Gen 3 AMD -- the LCD panel is attached with tape[1] (!!) and my LCD panel has slipped down a few times. I dislike single-use adhesives. I wish for them to go back to screwing in the panel into the lid.<p>[1] <a href="https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/t14s_gen3_x13_gen3_hmm_en.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/t14s_gen3_x13...</a> page 101 (labelled page 95)
> "[...] are AI PCs ready to take AI workflows to the next level"<p>Every single thing has to be rubber-stamped with the magic word.<p>Part of me is sick of it, but another part of me is happy -- once it's overused enough to make everyone sick of it, it'll become an "avoid" word (e.g. we're starting to see this with "blockchain"), and then it'll go away.
I guess it's nice that it may be easier to repair, but Thinkpads have always been reasonably repairable, even if a bit fiddly. They also last a long time in my experience (current one is at 8 years old, same as the last one I had).
Do I want one? I sure do. Can I justify it? I can not.<p>I want to like linux desktop, I do. But Linux desktop feels more like it's part of the project and less like a tool.