IBM has unveiled its redesigned notebook computer, the ThinkPad X40, setting new standards for portability, battery life, and wireless connectivity in ultraportable systems. Starting at only 1.2 kg, the new X40 is the lightest and thinnest ThinkPad ever and boasts the smallest footprint in its class with a full-size keyboard.
The ThinkPad X40 is the latest in the IBM ThinkPad Notebook line. At the end of 2003, IBM announced that it had rolled the 20 millionth ThinkPad notebook off its production line in China. More than 10 years on and over 950 industry awards later, the ThinkPad continues to be a strong competitor in terms of technology leadership, innovation, quality of design and manufacturing.
Year on year, IBM has had to tailor the ThinkPad to respond to the demands of an increasingly mobile work force, who need to be able to perform their role on the road. In turn, not only has the ThinkPad developed into the world’s fastest and lightest notebook computer but it has also become the best-selling notebook brand in the history of personal computers. Customers today can benefit from a range of new features like faster processors, smaller chips and longer battery life. The ThinkPad provides convenience and flexibility for mobile customers and is designed to meet the high-performance needs of workstation users, combining the mobility of the ThinkPad notebook with a larger hard disk storage capacity and high-speed graphic performance in addition to superior wireless and security capabilities.
“A ThinkPad like the X40 fits into our longer term vision,” said Sameh Farid, regional manager, personal computing division, IBM Middle East, Egypt and Pakistan. “A large percentage of our market is highly mobile. The need for lightweight, fully functional ThinkPads is becoming highly evident. The ThinkPad X40 is an ideal assistant for today’s business people who spend a lot of time outside the office. It has expansion options and ports that allow each user to customize it to their needs.”
The ThinkPad X40 is a full 20 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter — 400 grams less — than its predecessor, the ThinkPad X31. For the business traveler, 400 grams translates into three cell phones, or two digital cameras, or a bottle of water, or a pair of jeans, a sweater and a T-shirt. It also offers a unique battery design capable of providing the longest standard battery life of any leading brand notebook, at up to 7.5 hours on select models with the optional eight-cell battery. Mobile users can also combine the X40’s unique battery options to deliver all-day computing for people who take their notebooks with them anywhere and everywhere, offering up to 10 hours of optional battery life in a total solution that weighs less than 1.8 kg.
“With this new design, IBM ThinkPad support for the highly mobile user is unsurpassed in the industry,” said Farid.
