wrote:
I'm still asking, what was wrong with it? What are they fixing? How come this keyboard worked great for many years of IBM and Lenovo machines, but now it is being discarded? I think there has to be a very good reason to do such a change, and I haven't heard any valid argument for it's superiority nor have I seen evidence of it from my using of other chiclet keyboards on numerous machines.
Well, here are my thoughts on your question above: All laptops are a compromise to a certain extend, and one of the big restrictions is space (if you don't believe this, look at the size of the dedicated USB Thinkpad keyboard!). As far as the 7th row, I'm personally glad it's gone, because it opens up more room on the laptop, particularly for notebooks 14" and smaller. The palm rests can be larger and the available real estate for the touchpad is larger. I realize that it's heresy to mention the touchpad, but with the "two finger scroll" download which actually makes the touchpad useful, I find that I use the touchpad a lot--and I'm a long-time trackpoint user. The extra space on the palm rests and touchpad is of benefit to me every time I tough the keyboard, where as the "system req" key is something that may get used one a year. The only drawbacks for me are the lack of dedicated page forward and back, but that's a trade-off with which I can live.
Secondly, the chiclet design seems to allow for larger key tops. I don't know exactly how the keys are shaped differently, either from the original TP or other chichlet keys--the surface area seems a little larger. Regardless, for me it's a better typing experience. I'm faster and more accurate on this keyboard than my TP keyboard. It's as close to a Model M in terms of feel (and noise!) as I've ever experienced in a laptop keyboard.
Lastly, for me a backlit keyboard is far preferable to the thinklight. I rarely need to look at the keyboard, but when I do it's to look at the top row--which my thinklight doesn't illuminate without moving the screen. The thinklight never threw enough light to be useful for me besides viewing parts of the keyboard I didn't need to see.
These are my thoughts after spending a week typing on an Edge E420 keyboard, and after using "conventional" TP keyboards for >15 years. Unfortunately, I've had a myriad of problems with the computer, so I ended up swapping it for an X220. I couldn't wait for the X230 and I really need the IPS screen (I forgot how horrible the viewing angles are on non-IPS screens) , so I'm taking what is in my view a step backwards on the keyboard. I have full intentions of upgrading to the new X230 when the right deal comes along.
I don't know what the motivation is for Lenovo; I'm sure aesthetics and consumer preferences played a part. But for me, I favor the new keyboard (assuming it's like a backlit version of the E420 keyboard) simply because it's more functional in my eyes. $.02.