A laptop equivalent of a two-headed snake

Lenovo is apparently planning to unveil a ThinkPad notebook with a dual display.

As much as I'd love to post a photograph of a laptop with two screens, I cannot do so in good conscience. Several sites reporting on the laptop included photos that allegedly came from an IBM site that accidentally published on December 2. But none of those sites list the source of the photo. They also link back to the original IBM page, but a photograph of a laptop with two screens does not appear there.

The story was apparently first reported on NotebookReview.com on December 4. But no one paid much attention to that site's information until this week when a number of sites started following one another.

eWeek apparently got its hands on one of the ThinkPad W700ds laptops and posted in-house photos.

The information on an IBM site does confirm the dual screen's existence. According to that site, the main screen is 17 inches and the secondary screen is 10.6 inches. According to eWeek, the dual-screen setup is designed for "photographers, graphic artists, and application developers."

According to the IBM site, the second screen adds more than two pounds to the machine, bringing it up to 10.9 pounds and putting it in the category of a desktop replacement. Other stats from that site: it offers either an Intel Core 2 Quad Core or a Core 2 Dual Core, and it can be configured with a solid-state drive.

The notebook will make its official debut at the Consumer Electronics Show next month in Las Vegas, eWeek said.

[Goodbye Helicopter]

highly impractical.
it includes a wacom tablet next to a trackpad as well.
a tablet pc makes more sense.
the cost to have such a miniscule extra monitor with a 17 inch main display is retarded.
It may hold some tool palettes but not much else use.
for 400 USD, you could easily have 2 external displays at 2 different locations.
for 100 USD you can get a small wacom brand pen tablet of the same size.
I cannot imagine 500 USD covering the markup for the addition of these two components.
Cannot see how it is any more practical with the weight of the thing.

More importantly, what graphics type person uses windows?
If it is a 3D artist, they certainly do spend a lot of time on portables...

[rapier1]

"what graphics type person uses windows?"

Ask Adobe.

[timber2005]

@rapier1 Although I know what you were hinting at (and since there is no Linux support, you really narrowed down to one thing if it wasn't windows), you are forgetting something which changed the field drastically...
64-bit support. Only one OS maker has support from Adobe right now, and most of those graphics people have systems with >4gb of ram.
Now ask which OS has greater Adobe motion.

[rapier1]

You're talking about Adobe's CS4 64 bit windows only release. Which obviously indicates that there is a strong market for graphic designers using windows system. Which is exactly what I was driving at.

[3rdalbum]

Lots of graphics-type people use Windows. More than use Macintoshes, that's for sure.

Remember that Asus website where you can tell them your ideas for future laptops? Well, a dual-screen laptop is probably the most requested idea on there.

[mrobmsu]

"Lots of graphics-type people use Windows. More than use Macintoshes, that's for sure."

I find this very hard to believe--every graphics person I know uses a mac.

[rapier1]

You know everyone in the graphics field? The statistics are such that its very likely that over a large enough sample of the population of graphic artists the majority wil be using Windows. Otherwise Adobe would not have put much effort into the windows side of their operations.

[dragonbite]

Every graphics person I know uses Windows. But I don't know too many.

[Peet42]

Photo here: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9124101&intsrc=hm_list

[natalieweinstein]

Thanks for noting that. I had seen that article and photo.
But once again, there was no source listed. And I couldn't find the photograph independently via Lenovo or IBM. So I just didn't feel comfortable enough to post the image.

[Idyot]

http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?infotype=an&subtype=ca&appname=gpateam&supplier=872&letternum=ENUSAG08-0919

The ThinkPad W700 series -- The ultimate mobile workstation features Microsoft Windows Vista
Lenovo Asia Pacific Hardware Announcement AG08-0919
December 2, 2008

[Idyot]

My last comment was a boo boo (IE hosed links until I cycled it). This link offers a photo credit to Lenovo:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1321691/lenovos_dualdisplay_thinkpad_w700ds.html

[Duhme]

Most video editors like a two screen setup, I'm not sure the second screen is big enough on this system though

[jrabbitb]

I think a system like this is awesome, the weight of a monitor off to one side of 2lbs would make the laptop a little tipsy (don't use it in your lap or it's likely to fall off on one side, its a desktop replacement). Adding external monitors is still relevant, but now you could add another monitor and have 3. i know i always need more desktop real estate so even a 10" to hold messenger or e-mail would be helpful. what would be awesome is if a 10" comes out from each side and there is a hot key to swap the monitors to primary center. This way you could have 3 desktops open and swap them easily to the large display or use them in the smaller views.

In short, all increases are good, and having it attached makes it easy to take it to work, home, or be the yuppie at the local coffee house.

[TacticalMedic]

Either way, for the folks that leave the laptop tied to a desk it will work. There are days when my wife has her laptop and both of my desktops sitting in front of her, typing away like a fiend, looking at tickers, and maintaining somebody's network....

[JaegerBaeger]

Almost all of the "Graphic Type People" I know use Windows.
Everyone one of the "Graphics Professionals" I know use Macintosh.
This is my experiance.

I've been using Photoshop since version 3.
I think it depends on your commitment to "Graphics" which platform you use.

[Hep Cat]

This is a perfect example of the useless features that come and go - when all people want is a well-built, thoughtfully designed laptop.

If our T61 wasn't such a blocky morass of buttons, loose clutches, and mysterious holes that collect dust, it'd be easier to understand why Lenovo is pursuing this idea - but I guess there's always a market for gadgetry that serve little purpose.

[Hep Cat]

I'm sure they'll sell a few hundred of these. Honestly, it's so feature-laden as to be burdensome - and at more than ten pounds in weight, that's true in more than one respect.

What a joke. Don't get me wrong - I'm sure it'll be a competent laptop with reasonable build quality and more features than you can shake a stick at - but frankly, it looks like someone's idea of a joke, and it can't possibly be dependable or durable over the long term.

[timber2005]

Amazing... they can add a second physical screen, but no one seems to want to put in a sideshow device :( I'm disappointed.

[Hep Cat]

Apple had plans for a detachable display laptop in 1996, code-named Hollywood. It was to share the guts of the PowerBook G3 series, but it never even got prototyped.

[tipoo_]

Quad core...dual monitor? it must cost almost as much as an apple laptop!

[Hep Cat]

Oh, you're so funny! Last time I checked, Apple's 17" 2.6Ghz Core 2 Duo was cheaper than Dell's 17" Precision laptop. But don't let that stop you from making an a\s\s of yourself.

[CyR00k]

As a response to those who believe that no one in the graphics industry uses windows machines. When I was working on my BFA (Bachelors of Fine Arts, specialization Computer Graphics) the University had 6 rooms with windows machines and 1 room with macs. The Profs were adamant that it was the software used by the artist not the machine that ran the software that made good art. You can have a mediocre artist using the best Mac in the world vs Syd Mead using a PS3 running Xubuntu and the better artist (Syd Mead) will produce the better work of art, every time.

If the above wasn't clear enough, if you are untalented using Linux, then you will be untalented using windows and you will be untalented using a mac. No machine in the world can ever give you talent or brains.

[murbo]

no it cant give you brains or talent, but it sure can give you less trouble to deal with

[chrisaroz]

Everyone likes to stop and stare at the 2-headed snake, but no one wants to take it home.

[dragonbite]

Good Point.