The ThinkPad i Series is a group of IBM ThinkPad laptop computers that were manufactured from 1998 to 2002. These machines were an effort to address the desire for a personal entertainment device and small business users. They were designed and priced to be both for productivity and play. IBM desired to gain ground in the consumer market and created the i Series as an answer to their competitors.
While designed by IBM, several models of the i Series were manufactured by Acer on an OEM basis.
Several alternate names were considered for this series including "X Pad", "X Series", "TrekPad", and "Aptiva Note Personal Series." i Series was chosen with the "i" standing for individuals.
Characteristics David Hill who was the head of design for IBM Personal Systems Group led the design of the i Series. The design was informed by six research studies of the consumer mobile market.
The i Series team collaborated with Altec Lansing to design the speaker system to fit into the thinner chassis. The initial design was loosely based on the ThinkPad 600 with consumer features such as speakers mounted next to the display and front mounted optical drive controls.
The red, green, blue and yellow ShortCut Keys were an effort to make the traditional corporate design feel more personal.
The i Series introduced several items to the ThinkPad lineup including the ThinkLight. Several models featured CD/DVD playback capability and a 14.1" screen. The i Series was the first ThinkPads to feature wireless communications technology and the first notebook computer with an integrated antenna with a 802.11b WiFi radio.
Reception The ThinkPad i Series was generally well received. Reviewers would often note that the performance was not as good as more top of the line systems. The lightweight nature of the i Series was favoured by reviewers including photographers. Customers also appreciated how thin the device was built. One of the common complaints was the lack of port replicator support.
In 2004, IBM instigated a voluntary recall on 553,000 AC adapters, primarily bundled with i Series machines. These faulty units are labelled with the part number 02K6549. These are known to cause damage to internal components.
Models
The i Series S30 (later rebranded to the S30) and S31 were unique ThinkPads that featured an optional piano black acryllic painted lid that IBM called "Mirage Black." The S30 was a successor to the i 1124 hence why it was originally included as part of the i Series. The S31 was sold in the Asia Pacific market with the S30 exclusive to Japan. Production ran from June 2001 to March 2002.
For a complete list of models, see the list below. Models in brackets were rebranded low-cost versions of other models. Several models were available only in specific regions. +ThinkPad i Series models Model CPU RAM Display Disk Sale period Notes/i 1124 (240Z)Celeron 500MHz or Pentium III 500MHz64MB10.4" TFT XGA20GBJune 1999 to February 2001i 1157 (570E)Celeron 500 MHz64 / 256 MB12.1" TFT SVGA 13.3" TFT XGA6/12GBJune 1999 to February 2001i 1200iSeries 1200-x1U Celeron 550 or 600MHz with 100MHz bus32/64MB 192MB Max12.1" HPA SVGA 12.1" TFT SVGA
13.3" TFT XGA5/10GBSeptember 2000 to November 2001iSeries 1200-x2U Celeron 600MHz with 100MHz Frontside Bus or Pentium III 700MHz with 100MHz Frontside Bus64/192MB12.1" TFT SVGA 13.3" TFT XGA10/20GBiSeries 1200-x3U Celeron 700MHz with 100MHz Front Side Bus64/192MB13.3" TFT XGA10GBi 1210Celeron 500 or 550MHz with 100MHz bus32MB12.1" HPA SVGA 6.0GBSeptember 2000 to November 2001i 1230Celeron 500 or 550MHz with 100MHz bus64MB13.0" HPA SVGA 6.0GBSeptember 2000 to November 2001i 1250Celeron 500 or 550MHz with 100MHz bus64MB12.1" TFT SVGA 6.0GBSeptember 2000 to November 2001i 1260Celeron 500 or 550MHz with 100MHz bus64MB13.3" TFT XGA 6.0GBSeptember 2000 to November 2001i 1300 (130)1300-x1U Celeron 550 or 600MHz with 100MHz bus or Pentium III 650MHz with 100MHz bus64MB standard / 192MB maximum12.1" HPA SVGA 12.1" TFT SVGA 13.1" TFT XGA5/10/20GBJuly 2000 to November 2001i 1330Celeron 500 or 550MHz with 100MHz bus64MB standard / 192MB maximum12.1" TFT SVGA6.0GBJuly 2000 to November 2001i 1370Celeron 500 or 550MHz with 100MHz bus64MB standard / 192MB maximum13.3" TFT XGA12.0GBJuly 2000 to November 2001i 1410Pentium MMX 266MHz / 66MHz system bus32MB / 256MB12.1 " TFT SVGA3.2GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1411Pentium MMX 300MHz / 66MHz system bus32MB / 256MB12.1" TFT SVGA4.3GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1412Celeron 366MHz or Mobile Pentium II 366MHz / 66MHz system bus32MB / 256MB12.1" TFT SVGA4.8GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1420Celeron 433 or 466MHz / 66MHz system bus32MB / 256MB13.0" HPA SVGA4.8GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1421Celeron 466MHz / 66MHz system bus32MB / 256MB13.0" HPA SVGA6.0GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1422Celeron 500MHz or Mobile Pentium III 500MHz / 100MHz system bus32MB / 256MB12.1" TFT SVGA 14.1" TFT XGA6.0GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1441Celeron 466MHz / 66MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB12.0" TFT SVGA6.0GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1442Celeron 500MHz or Mobile Pentium III 500MHz / 100MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB12.1" TFT SVGA 14.1" TFT XGA6.0GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1450Pentium MMX 266MHz / 66MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB13.3" TFT XGA4.3GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1451Pentium MMX 300MHz / 66MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB13.3" TFT XGA4.3GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1452Celeron 366MHz or Mobile Pentium II 366MHz / 66MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB12.1" TFT SVGA 14.1" TFT XGA4.8GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1460Celeron 433 or 466MHz / 66MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB13.0" HPA SVGA 14.1" TFT XGA4.8GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1472Celeron 366MHz or Mobile Pentium II 366MHz / 66MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB14.1" TFT XGA6.4GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1480Celeron 433 or 466MHz / 66MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB14.1" TFT XGA6.4GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1482Celeron 500MHz or Mobile Pentium III 500MHz / 100MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB12.1" TFT SVGA 14.1" TFT XGA
13.0" HPA SVGA
15.0" TFT XGA12.0GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1483Celeron 500MHz or Mobile Pentium III 500MHz / 100MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB14.1" TFT XGA 13.0" HPA SVGA
15.0" TFT XGA12.0GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1492Celeron 500MHz or Mobile Pentium III 500MHz / 100MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB14.1" TFT XGA 13.0" HPA SVGA
15.0" TFT XGA12.0GBNovember 1998 to October 2000i 1512Celeron 366MHz / 66MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB12.1" TFT SVGA4.8GBJuly 1999 to April 2002i 1540Celeron 433 or 466MHz / 66MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB12.1" TFT SVGA4.8GBJuly 1999 to April 2002i 1541Celeron 433 or 466MHz / 66MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB12.1" TFT SVGA6.0GBJuly 1999 to April 2002i 1542Celeron 500MHz or Mobile Pentium III 500MHz / 100MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB12.1" TFT SVGA12.0GBJuly 1999 to April 2002i 1552Celeron 366MHz / 66MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB14.1" TFT XGA4.8GBJuly 1999 to April 2002i 1560Celeron 433 or 466MHz / 66MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB14.1" TFT XGA6.4GBJuly 1999 to April 2002i 1562Celeron 500MHz or Mobile Pentium III 500MHz / 100MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB14.1" TFT XGA12.0GBJuly 1999 to April 2002i 1592Celeron 500MHz or Mobile Pentium III 500MHz / 100MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB15.0" TFT XGA12.0GBJuly 1999 to April 2002i 1620 (X20)Celeron 500 MHz or Pentium III 600 MHz64MB / 256 MB12.1" TFT SVGA20.0GBMay 2001i 1720 (390)Pentium II 266MHz / 66MHz system bus64MB / 256 MB13.3" TFT XGA4.3GBJanuary 1999 to April 2002i 1721 (390)Pentium II 300MHz64MB / 256MB14.1" TFT XGA5.4GBJanuary 1999 to April 2002i 1780Celeron 400 MHz or Pentium II 400 MHz or Pentium III 450 or 500 MHz64MB / 256MB12.1" TFT SVGA 14.1" TFT XGA
15.0" TFT XGA4.8/6.4/12GBJanuary 1999 to April 2002i 1781Celeron 400 MHz, Pentium II 400 MHz or Pentium III 450 or 500 MHz64MB / 256MB12.1" TFT SVGA 14.1" TFT XGA
15.0" TFT XGA4.8/6.4/12GBJanuary 1999 to April 2002i 1800 (A21e) (based on A21m)Celeron 600 Mhz or 700Mhz64MB / 256MB14.1" TFT XGA10/20GBOctober 2000 to July 2001i 1800 (A22e)Celeron 750MHz or Pentium III Mobile 750Mhz64MB / 256MB14.1" TFT XGA10/20/30GBJune 2001 to April 2002
References
External links
Personal Systems Reference IBM ThinkPad i Series Notebooks 1998 to 2002 - withdrawn April 2002 - Version 237