20 million Thinkpads later...

By Matt Whipp

Posted on 11 Nov 2003 at 12:47

As the 20 millionth IBM Thinkpad computer rolls out of the factory, we talk to Adrian Horne of IBM's Personal Computing Division on the Thinkpad's mobile future.

The milestones that have kept the Thinkpads ahead of the pack, according to Horne, are products such as the 700c in 1992, which he described as 'the first notebook that was truly lightweight, portable and with a colour screen'. And other innovations such as the butterfly keyboard - a full-sized fold-out keyboard that came with the 701.

'More recently, we were the first to integrate DVD writers and wireless,' he said. 'These kind of new technologies, we are invariably the first to offer. Our customers are becoming more and more expectant. Everybody wants all these features.'

Wireless hotspots are becoming more numerous, but wireless access over GPRS and 3G networks is also available and over a much wider area. There is some debate over which method of access will win out. But Horne said: 'It will most likely going to be a mixture of Hot Spot and GPRS. For 3G services the price is still key.'

He said this is the strategy being followed at IBM 'where we are equipping most bases with wireless access to the company network, and travelling [employees] can also get access via GPRS.'

IBM currently has a deal with Vodafone, so that GPRS-enabled Thinkpads are pre-configured to use the carrier's network and customers don't have to mess about with SIM cards and complicated settings. Horne stressed the importance of wireless devices being preconfigured 'out-of-the-box': 'Customers want to get all their requirements in one place.'

Other technologies Horne says will play a role in shaping the future of Thinkpads include new display technologies such as 'organic' screens: 'OLEDs are the future of notebooks, not least because of their lower power consumption,' he said. He added that despite the shorter life span of OLEDs, IBM would use them 'as long as we are comfortable that the screen life will meet the lifespan of the notebook.'

Battery life is another issue: currently notebooks have about 10 hours life with a spare battery. But now there are fuel cell technologies that hope to increase this. But this in turn means you have to carry around a fuel cell unit. The smaller and lighter that notebooks get, the larger the entourage of accessories you need to transport with them: hotswappable optical and storage drives, power supplies, and spare batteries now, but fuel cells in the future.

'It's something the industry has to look at. Do we want four to five days usage or 14 to 15 hours? It becomes very much a balancing act,' he said.

Security Horne describes as 'a primary concern' for IBM's customers - in particular it is 'a key aspect for corporates using VPNs'. IBM has recently added an embedded security chip that allows you to encrypt the security keys of a wireless network. And innovations such as wireless networks using the 802.11x protocol will offer further security features.

IBM has a few tricks of its own up its sleeve. Said Horne: 'We have software that will be available in 2004 where an agent resides on each notebook accessing the wireless network. Then through triangulation you can pin point exactly where each device is to within a few feet.'

So physically locating any device using the network that shouldn't be becomes a lot easier.

Storage is also set to make giant leaps forward. 'We're still a long way from Gigabit wireless,' said Horne, so storing data remotely won't be feasible for wireless access. But local storage technologies have had a fire put under them with IBM's Millipede Project.