Lenovo’s latest ThinkPad updates have been unveiled at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024, and while they are consumer laptops, they highlight some interesting features in the worlds of sustainability and accessibility. The new models being showcased in Barcelona, Spain, include the ThinkPad T14 Gen 5, ThinkPad T14s Gen 5, and the ThinkPad T16 Gen 3.
Lenovo announced its partnership with the computer repair brand iFixit to rate the level of internal accessibility and repairability of the laptops on an IT level within large companies.
Prior models of the T series were rated at a 7 repairability score from iFixit, but the updates Lenovo has introduced into the new models have earned a 9.3 across the board. I got a chance to see a deconstructed ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 model ahead of MWC. It revealed how the laptop can easily be opened, with its most important components visible and available for exchange or repair. The screw setup for the underside of the device is intended to make for easy access to its innards.
“There are little keyboard markings that allow you to take the keyboard off without removing the entire D cover. Both of the DIMM slots are open now, they’re not soldered down, as well as the WAN and the SSD,” Lenovo’s Kelly Corrigan told Digital Trends. “There’s labels for everything to make it more quickly identifiable. Then the battery itself, we’re moving away from having that ribbon cable, making it easier to replace, less delicate,” she added.
While the ThinkPad T14s Gen 5 and the ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 have different designs underneath, they have similar internal makeup and the same repairability score. The partnership intends to be a conduit for accessibility, ease of use, and less electronic waste.
Lenovo’s T series is the rugged, powerhouse among its laptop options. The 2024 updates include Intel Ultra Core processors across the board, in addition to several features that have trickled down from the flagship X1 series.
Along that same theme, Lenovo also spotlighted a partnership with Governor Morehead School for the Blind, in which it added tactile markings onto its updated ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12. Those features are now coming to the T series too, including the down arrow, enter key, insert key, and volume key markings. The laptops will also have a bumped-out LED light on the left, next to the charging ports, to show where the ports are located.
Other highlight features include the communications bar being located on the top of the laptop’s cover, which helps make the system easier to open and also houses the microphone and webcam components. Lenovo has also reversed the control and FN keys back to the industry standard on the updated T series.
Lenovo noted that consumers can expect to see many of these features to trickle down further to its L and E series in the future.
Keeping up with the current AI trends, the T series models will also feature a physical Copilot key to power various productivity tasks. They will run either Copilot in Windows or Copilot for Microsoft 365 in terms of software.
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14i Gen 5 will be available in April 2024 starting at $1,200. The T14s Gen 5 will also be available in April starting at $1,400. The ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 AMD will come out a month later in May with a lower starting price of $950. Lastly, the ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 will come out in April starting at $1,220.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.