Project Aurora: Lenovo explores modular ThinkPad laptop concept

[Redaktion]

Sustainability is a big trend topic in tech. For laptops, one of the most interesting aspects is the repairability and modularity. The Framework laptop has proven that even a slim laptop can be modular, and Dell's Concept Luna has showcased that the big mainstream manufacturers are also exploring this topic. Lenovo's Project Aurora seems to be a similar effort.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Project-Aurora-Lenovo-explores-modular-ThinkPad-laptop-concept.734824.0.html

[Logoffon]

Bring back UltraBay and we'll talk.

[George]

Sadly due to at least one vendors OS's constant need/requirement for ever expanding resources just to 'boot up' platforms WITHOUT upgradeable CPU's may be ticking time bombs of obsolescence even IF the battery and RAM can be replaced or upgraded.

Given the chemistry of laptop (and cell phone) batteries and their somewhat limited amount of charge/discharge cycles it is almost criminal that OEM's make it difficult to impossible to replace.

Next in line is the RAM and storage which might not wear out however the user may wish to have more of and will likely be forced to get an entire new computer rather than simply upgrading these items.

It would be interesting to note what the actual failure rate is for various laptop components which I'd suspect the simple power jack to be in the top 5.

 

[A]

The EU should require all laptops be modular, at the very least no more soldered ram/hard drive.

[MattC]

I'd be willing to settle for tool free battery replacement like in the good ol' days

[Abrar]

Not sure if Lenovo can pull this off. They're barely able to fulfil orders they have let alone make something like this. Just had mine cancelled after 2 delays. Customer service seems like a new concept to them.

[ThinkMagic]

Lenovo missed the boat on this one. My next laptop will be a Framework 16, not another ThinkPad. After 20ish years.

[A]

Lenovo missed the boat on this one. My next laptop will be a Framework 16, not another ThinkPad. After 20ish years.

They still have time if done right. One advantage they have is being a large company with scale, a framework 16 goes for $1600 starting, if they price it at $1200, then offer options like trackpoint and many other options that framework simply can't due to lack of size and scale

[Gary_Smith]

Bring back UltraBay and we'll talk.

Bring back the UltraBay to do what exactly? To read and burn optical disks?

For its time, the UltraBay was a sensible concept - optical media was still widely used in the desktop, server and mobile market space, most mobile systems still used 2.5 inch SATA drives and being able to throw an extra battery into the system was a nice bonus... but the 2 primary use cases for such a (especially in the context of modern systems) space consuming interface (optical drives and adding a 2nd SATA HDD) simply no longer exist.

I'd much rather they take the space that an UltraBay would take up and:

1) use a bit of it to space out components a bit to allow for larger vapor chambers / a slightly larger fan that runs quieter

2) use some of the remaining space to again space out components a bit to accommodate %100 replaceable / upgradable RAM

3) once again, space stuff a bit more, but this time to allow for a CPU socket instead of using soldered CPUs

4) add another NVME SSD slot and include a simple hardware RAID 1 / RAID 0 / HBA controller

5) Increase battery capacity

and while we're at it...

6) use the increased thickness required to accommodate an UltraBay to reintroduce keyboards that have 1.8mm of key travel... ( and a 7th row - the old Thinkpad keyboard layout was a thing to behold )

Even if you were talking about the older iterations of the UltraBay, like the one used on the T42 that could also be used to add a parallel port and a serial port to the Thinkpad's I/O... by simply including a decent selection of far more compact and multi-functional modern ports (so... A couple USB A, a couple more USB C, HDMI, Ethernet and 3.5mm headphone/mic) that use case doesn't make sense either.