Lenovo Сelebrates the 15th Anniversary of Its ThinkPad Series

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Lenovo celebrates the 15th anniversary of the ThinkPad notebook PC. The ThinkPad was first brought to life by a group of ten leading designers and engineers from around the world, each inspired by the challenge of creating a truly usable notebook PC, and influenced by the unlikely pairing of the Shokado bento - a traditional black-lacquered Japanese lunch box - and an IBM-issued employee pocket notebook with the corporate motto 'Think' imprinted on the cover. The ThinkPad's black exterior, red TrackPoint, distinctive key-board, and reputation for quality, has solidified its place in personal computing history as the must-have business notebook PC.

Today, more than 30 million ThinkPad notebooks have been sold in more than 160 countries worldwide. The ThinkPad has won over 1000 design and engineering awards, more than any other notebook brand in the world. In 2006, the ThinkPad earned over 100 industry awards in the US alone.

The introduction of the first ThinkPad - the ThinkPad 700C - marked the first notebook with a 10.4" color TFT screen and a new TrackPoint (red ball) pointing device. The ThinkPad would go on to include many pioneering technologies that would eventually pave the way for competitor notebooks. For example, the ThinkPad was the first notebook PC to feature an integrated biometric slide fingerprint reader combined with hard drive encryption for greater security. To date, Lenovo has shipped more than six million ThinkPad notebooks with this security solution. The PC industry adapted many of these technologies to make them standard features for mobile computing users everywhere.

Some notable ThinkPad firsts include:
- First notebook PC with integrated CD-ROM/DVD ROM;
- First ThinkLight, a "nighttime" light to illuminate the keyboard;
- First notebook PC with integrated Wi-Fi certified wireless LAN;
- First sub-three pound notebook PC with full-sized keyboard;
- First notebook PC with an embedded security chip;
- First notebook PC with hard drive "'air-bag" protection;
- First notebook PC with protective roll cage;
- First notebook PC to feature an integrated biometric slide fingerprint reader combined with hard drive encryption;
- First notebook PC with an extended battery life of up to 11 hours.

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