Why the Thinkpad Retro needs an 1:8 Screen

Question

The title is clickbait, but this is not a troll post. Let me explain.
I think that the Thinkpad Retro would be best suited with an 1:8 screen, just not with the 1:8 screen as the only screen. The point is that there is wide demand for a 4:3 screen for the Thinkpad Retro, but it is hard to obtain 4:3 screens, 4:3 screens apparently have inherent characteristics that make them more expensive than 16:9 screens (4:3 screens require a higher salvage rate), and 4:3 screens are unsuited to widescreen media. The solution, then, is not to source a unitary 4:3 screen, but instead to source two separate screens, a 16:10 screen and a paired 2:16 (1:8) screen, which when combined creates a 4:3 unitary screen. The benefit of this is that then a 16:10 form factor can be preserved, while the additional 2:16 screen can be included a la the W700DS, but with a slightly more sophisticated form factor allowing flush alignment between the primary and second screen. The result will be increased fragility, perhaps increased weight to offset the increased fragility, as well as a visible dislocation where the 16:10 and 2:16 screens are joined, but the end result is that for normal office use, the effect of the 2:16 screen would be invisible, allowing you to retain a 4:3 screen ratio, and for widescreen media consumption, you would prefer to push down the 2:16 screen and revert to a 16:10 screen ratio anyways. The most important effect is that while you will need additional software / hardware (the screens should be joined on the hardware level) to make the screen work, you will be able to avoid the cost of custom-building a system proportioned for 4:3 operation, as well as avoid the cost of buying a custom 4:3 screen, instead only requiring the costs of a 1:8 screen, which most LCD makers might gladly sell you as scrap from conventional manufacturing.

Answer 1

I actually care about this more than I do about backlighting conventional keys (TBH, I prefer Chiclet because I've had way too many bad experiences cleaning out conventional keyboards). With regards to maximization, as mentioned before, it could all be handled on the hardware level; i.e, when the second monitor experiences full extension, a signal is sent to the controller to disconnect the 16:10 monitor and connect the virtual 4:3 monitor. The other part about the bezel; that's the more interesting engineering challenge. What is being sought is a bezel-less display, or a display which can have an adjacent, but bezel-less screen, latch onto it with minimal distortion. The benefit of this type of 1:8 system is that say, the Thinkpad Retro becomes available in 2016 or 2017. In 1-2 years, because the base model has high demand, an extensible monitor can be engineered for the same form factor and sharing many of  the same parts, reducing costs, making a virtually 4:3 monitor viable.