Why did they have to ruin the Thinkpad T-series?

Question

Hi all,
Just bought one of the very last T430 in a sellout, and this will most likely be my last Thinkpad, because Lenovo's design changes in the current T models are totally inacceptable for me. Actually, I even disliked the new keyboard layout on the Tx30 models, but I can still live with that.
I still do not understand why they had to ruin the iconic Thinkpad T-series. The obvious aim to make Thinkpads more Apple-like is totally ridiculous.
Consumers who want fashoniable laptops will still by from Apple. And most people who used to buy Thinkpad T models do not care about fashion. I even know many Thinkpad owners who loved there T models for being somewhat ugly.
Lenovo claims that there design changes were based on research, but the arguments they gave for the changes are mostly ridicuolous. For example, Lenovo says that the 7th row of the keyboard and the dedicated trackpoint buttons were removed in an attempt to make the design look cleaner and more regular. But really: What kind of silly argument is that? Ergonomy is certainly more important to the traditional Thinkpad owners than cleanliness or regularity of the design.
Apple's Jonathan Ives might claim that beautiful design and ergonomic design are the same, but if he does so, this guy is lying. There are many beautiful design that are highly unergonomic and there are many highly ergonomic designs that are rather ugly. Beauty and ergonomics do not have much to do with each other.
Apart from tactile feedback, the most important feature of an ergonomic keyboard is layout that sticks to the standard layout as much as possible. The reason is simple: This way, you do not have to adjust when you change between your laptop and a standard keyboard. Any unnecessary deviation from the standard layout is unergonomic for anyone who most also work with standard keyboard.
I spell it out for you: Apple keyboards are highly unergonomic due to their deviation from the standard layout. Only Apple fanboys who use Apple devices only will find these non-standard keyboard ergonomic.
In general, leaving away dedicated buttons just to make a device look cleaner or more regular, is totally unergonomic. Sacrificing key groupings for a cleaner look is also totally unergonomic. All these design decisions are wrong from an ergonomics point of view. Large touchpads that get into your way will typing are also unergonomic.
Lenovo should stop this and return to IBM's design principles. I want ugly Thinkpads again with an irregular, but ergonomic keyboard layout, dedicated trackpoint und touchpad buttons.
If Lenovo wants to be innovative, they should concentrate on the things that really need to be improved: Better displays, better battery life, less weight, etc. pp.
Best reagrds,
Robert
Moderator comment: Remark(s) contravening the Community Rules removed - profanity / implied profanity. Keep it clean.

Answer 1

Hi Robert,
I hear you, but don't give up on TrackPoint buttons just yet: 
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/thinkpad/thinkpad-helix-2nd-gen/
Z.
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