The ThinkPad series is one of the most iconic lines up of laptops that has existed since the 90s. however, the most memorable laptop of them all which existed in the 90s is the IBM ThinkPad 701C, also known as the “ThinkPad Butterfly”.
Launched in 1995, this model had a foldable keyboard, which would unfold when the screen was opened. It would also fold back to the original state when the display is closed. This was the concept that aided in IBM designing compact laptops less wide than a full-size keyboard while equipping them with a full-sized keyboard. This iconic and stunning masterpiece is still featured in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
However, the success of this iconic design concept was short-lived, as the ThinkPad 701C was discontinued in late 1995. The reason for this is that bigger screens made full-sized keyboards the new standard. And the Butterfly keyboard became obsolete, the modern laptop designs destroyed the once iconic concept.
But now that the ThinkPad brand is owned by Lenovo, the Chinese brand is not afraid to make some innovations that break the market stereotypes. Although the use of ThinkPads is only applicable in the business environment, they are pretty popular though having a small market share.
However, we can still see a glimmer of hope. For the 25th Anniversary of the laptop, Lenovo released a ThinkPad with the classical IBM keyboard design and retro color scheme. The device named the ThinkPad 25 shows that Lenovo can do special projects from time to time, and is still a leader in innovations.
This year, Lenovo managed to surprise us with their design, next year, when there will be the 30th birthday of the ThinkPad series, we can expect that Lenovo will announce a special celebratory product to mark up the historic moment.
Sources claim that Lenovo has gotten a new patent this year, combining the butterfly mechanic keyboard of the ThinkPad 701C with Lenovo’s more recent ThinkPad keyboard design. It will be fun to see what Lenovo has in store for us.
