Differentiation of “Isolation”
ThinkPad Edge 13″ Keyboard
When you see this picture, you might be wondering, “Is this ThinkPad keyboard really all right?” Feel free to rest at ease. We have heard from many of our customers in user tests, through the web, magazines and in actual user reviews that “This is definitely a ThinkPad keyboard.” I encourage you to not only look at the photos, but actually touch one for yourself.
There’s something I’d like to say before talking about the newly developed keyboard for the ThinkPad X100e and the ThinkPad Edge 13″.
I want to talk about the new trend in notebook PCs, isolation keyboards. There still is not a common consensus on what to call these keyboards. They are being called isolation, island and chiclet keyboards, etc. Here at Lenovo, we are calling them “isolation keyboards”. It’s not that isolation keyboards are truly a new thing. This trend started at Apple and has now been incorporated into products by many of their competitors.
The keys of the ThinkPad keyboard do not protrude from the actual frame of the notebook PC like many of our competitors. There is a frame holding our keyboard and at Lenovo, we are calling this a “frame mounted keyboard”. Naturally, we have worked to maintain ease of maintenance by making it possible to replace the keyboard without actually taking apart the chassis.
Typically, isolation keyboards are thought of as having a “minimalist design that looks simple and modern,” and we often hear that “the keys are separated, making them easier to recognize and making it easier to type.” However, in comparison with traditional keyboards, there are both benefits and drawbacks in terms of “ease of typing”. The usability of the keyboard is determined by a conglomerate of factors such as the shape of the keys, pitch, stroke, layout, feel and solidity of the keyboard. We set our sights on creating the best possible isolation keyboard, one that would be worthy of carrying the ThinkPad name.
Now, back to business.
What is the difference between the ThinkPad isolation keyboard and our competitors?
1. The shape of the keys: The top of the keys are concave, helping them hug your fingertips.
2. Stroke: 2.5 mm (* The X100e is 2.0 mm)
3. Feel: The keyboard has already been tuned to an excellent feel with the same pantograph design.
4. Solidity: The keyboard is solid all around with a stainless steel base plate with a bathtub design and a resident frame.
These 4 points clearly set us apart from our competitors. In other words, the ThinkPad design philosophy remains unchanged. This keyboard has also passed the same standards in quality testing. The keystroke of the X100e is 2.0 mm. The stroke for many isolation keyboards is less than 2.0 mm, so we cannot claim dominance here. In user tests, comparing this keyboard with the 2.5 mm stroke of the original ThinkPad keyboard, there was almost no difference in usability between them. However, those were the results for the smaller sized keyboard of the X100e, and the 2.5 mm stroke of the full-size Edge 13″ keyboard is the same as the original ThinkPad keyboard.
The keys used in isolation keyboards by our competitors are completely square, but in order to maintain the integrity of this design with other ThinkPads, we selected keys with a curve in the front. This was based on the concept of making it appear as though your original ThinkPad keyboard was sprouting up right in front of you. Our designers were very strict about staying true to the ThinkPad tradition.
Air Keyboard and Edge Keyboard
There are a few other points that are different from the classic keyboard. We put a lot of time into designing the G, H and B keys shape surrounding TrackPoint cap.
What is the difference between this and previous TrackPoint designs?
1. The height of the TrackPoint cap.
-The cap is 0.4 mm lower than before.
-We increased the distance of the cap from the LCD, making it more difficult for the LCD to be broken by downward pressure.
2. The concavity of the G, H and B keys.
-Because we lowered the position of the cap by 0.4 mm, the TrackPoint cap could interfere with the keys.
-A key design that leads away from the TrackPoint cap was necessary.
The position of the TrackPoint has been reduced, but usability has been maintained. Of course, the cap remains unchanged from its original design. The key point to maintaining usability was the shape of the G, H and B keys shape surrounding the TrackPoint cap. While it’s only a difference of 0.4 mm, we are aware that sensitive human fingers can feel a difference of as little as 0.1 mm. There were many designs proposed and we selected the best of them. User testing later vindicated our choice.
Section Drawing of TrackPoint and Keys
Examples of Design Study for GHB Key Shape
Honestly, though, there were a lot of difficult choices to be made all the way down to the end. When you are carrying the ThinkPad name an “awful keyboard” is a mortal wound. “Is it really a keyboard worthy of the name ThinkPad?” We asked ourselves this question over and over again during development. Fortunately, the responses that we received from folks and users who actually touched the Edge 13″ of the X100e were very positive and we could finally relax.
This time it is a 6 row layout similar to the SL series, instead of the traditional 7 row layout. For those of you out there for whom it just “has to be seven rows!” you can relax. Lenovo will continue to provide you with a 7 row keyboard layout, even if it is an “endangered species”. (lOl)
January 27th, 2010 at 16:47
Yes for 7 row layout but with small esc and del keys ! This is classic design that many people are used to. If you really want to keep making current layout – okay but give the people choice of replacing the keyboard with older layout. Those big keys look plain ugly to me. Few years ago I had troubles with hitting F1 instead of Esc etc but now Im used to it and dont see any trouble.
Oh and please dont add a touchpad to X series. I saw a photo from Intel CES with X200 Tablet that had touchpad. Its small, its useless at that size so why bother ? The priority is track point for thinkpad. If there is space you may add trackpad like T series, but not on X series (x200, X200s, X200T). Cant say about X300 or X301 …
January 27th, 2010 at 17:22
Dear Arimasa Naitoh,
Thank you so much for the great articule and information about the new desing changes on the latest Thinkpads.
You all are doing a great job!!!!!
Best Regards,
António De Castro.
January 27th, 2010 at 20:12
Nice post. I still haven’t touched one of these personally, and I am curious whether there are actual benefits of this design vs. the ‘classic’ one. Was the decision for a new design solely led by the quest for ‘modern looks’ or, e.g., does the frame between the keys allow lighter weight of the keyboard while retaining solidness? I heard some bad things about T400 keyboards concerning this aspect.
January 27th, 2010 at 23:12
This is very good to know – I am glad that you are working so hard to preserve the good “feel” of the Thinkpad keyboards. But I don’t understand the benefits of the new design. Are isolation keyboards easier to clean? Are they lighter weight, or cheaper to make, or do they have other benefits?
January 28th, 2010 at 01:15
(One of) the first chiclet keyboard was actually on the IBM PCjr, as can be seen e.g. here: .
January 28th, 2010 at 19:14
Hello Lenovo Folks,
gratulation to your good decisions. I just love the new keyboards with large DEL and ESC keys. They are a godsend gift, since those keys are used all the time.
I am curious whether the new “Chiclet” keyboards would be used on the future classic thinkpads as well. They have the great advantage that the prevent my cookie crumbs to fall through, while maintaining the same typing experience like the older classic keyboards.
Are there any plans? Will new classic keyboards have the recessed trackpoint as well?
These trackpoints have always damaged the LCD. The old Cat Tongue trackpoint scratched the LCD most often, while the soft rim makes a flat LCD impression. Yes, I do use a sleeve, but even a light pressure on the screen focuses all pressure tension always on the small trackpoint area. It’s just physics.
An comment on this?
January 29th, 2010 at 05:12
I’d like to join the other posters in asking, why (on earth) consider a separation keyboard design in the first place? I can understand the impetus behind the new T400s keyboard, e.g. the larger Esc and Del keys in particular. On the other hand the only reason I can think of in favor of the separation design is that Steve Jobs must have the masses hypnotised. I’ve been running a vmware image of my Thinkpad on one of those unibody Macbooks, but coudn’t live with it. My productivity went way down. Aside from the feel of the keyboard, the lack of gaps between every 4 function keys was also a major issue for me and the Macbook trackpad, although very good, still couldn’t touch the trackpoint, particularly when dragging stuff. Don’t fix what isn’t broken! Why, why, WHY?
And, as to the old cat tongue, my 6 1/2 year old, still in daily use Thinkpad T30 screen has no marks from it, proving that it’s perfectly possible to build a laptop where this isn’t an issue. By all means make them lighter, if you can do that without turning them into jelly, but hasn’t this obsession with thinness gone far enough?
January 29th, 2010 at 14:39
thanks for sharing the inside story on the new keyboards.
January 29th, 2010 at 15:45
Great post, thanks. I’ve enjoyed your blog for quite awhile and I should comment more.
January 29th, 2010 at 22:45
“Oh and please dont add a touchpad to X series. I saw a photo from Intel CES with X200 Tablet that had touchpad. Its small, its useless at that size so why bother ? The priority is track point for thinkpad. If there is space you may add trackpad like T series, but not on X series (x200, X200s, X200T). Cant say about X300 or X301 …”
+1
at least please make a bezel without touchpad as you did for the t41 and older models
February 5th, 2010 at 12:42
Great article Mr Naitoh!
I believe advantages and disadvantages are an opinion and you have helped us clear things out for what is usually is not known within the enterprise/consumer space.
Thank you kindly for your clear explanation.
February 8th, 2010 at 17:40
Just one question: Why aren´t the Enter-Key on the Edge and X100e purple like on any other ThinkPad?
February 18th, 2010 at 04:24
+1 For keeping the touchpad away from the small ones.
I have to say a 6-row keyboard could do it for me, but the top row has to be bigger. The big Esc and Del keys on the new “classic” design looks good to me.
And the navigation keys have shrunk too much, they too. I tend to use them quite a lot.
My regular obsession with keyboard designs holds true for this one too: the bottom row is cluttered. Ctrl and Alt, and AltGr, are way too small. The Fn key, Win keys and menu key don’t really need to be in the bottom row. On a 6-row keyboard the Fn key may be a necessity but on a 7-row keyboard I just don’t think it has a right to exist. For such things as sleep, wireless on/off, bluetooth on/off and ThinkLight I suggest the use of buttons. For all the ThinkVantage technologies, get us a single ThinkVantage in the notifications area.
Moreover, being a little traditional and very concerned with ergonomics, what about the color? The blueish Enter key does not matter much to me, I think it sorts of belongs with the typing keys. But the function keys should absolutely be different. And I think it’s rather wrong that the Fn key is black and not grey. One could even argue that it should be blue… well, it really shouldn’t exist.
February 18th, 2010 at 23:13
Thanks for that in-depth describtion of the considerations behind this keyboard. From a visual standpoint I really like the new design and if it has the same feel as the classic ThinkPad keyboard its’ great.
I have a question: Is the only difference between the x100e keyboard and the EDGE keyboard the 2.0 stroke vs. 2.5? No size difference of the “main typing QWERTY” keys? (I can see the enter key is smaller etc).
Will the x100e be comfortable enough for all day typing?
(I am asking since I have a work issued 15″(1280×800) HP 6730b with a decent keyboard that is getting too bulky and heavy to tow around. So keyboard/portability (in that order) is my main concerns. Screen resolution is more or less the same on all three computers – if the 11.6 feels to small I can get an external monitor)
March 1st, 2010 at 16:56
I’ve just found this blog and enjoy the great info here. Great post, thanks!
March 2nd, 2010 at 05:38
Looking down the road, how about a framed keyboard that can be physically removed (by sliding locks, like batteries, etc) and removed from the chassis, but…
Add a rechargeable internal battery (charged from the laptop), and bluetooth, so you can pop the keyboard out and still use it. While docked, it would use a physical connection (for charging and I/O) and disable the bluetooth.
June 9th, 2010 at 15:49
How about the option of a small number pad instead of the touchpad?? The lack of a number pad is one of the biggest problems for business use of a laptop.
This would appeal to a core customer segment, differentiate your product, capitalize on extra space provided by TrackPoint, and encourage new TrackPoint devotees.
The keyboard improvements mentioned above sound great, but will existing Dell, HP and Sony users ever feel the ThinkPad keyboard. The number pad would attract attention and create new loyal Thinkpad users.
July 22nd, 2010 at 23:19
Thank you much for the info on keyboards. I am using the Lenovo G530 at the moment.
Keep us informed. It has 6 rows, no Trackpoint, a nice touchpad, its a nice keyboard