Still No Release for ThinkPad X120e in UK

I am clearly not the only person aggravted by Lenovo deciding not to sell the X120e in Europe – seeing as my original post on the topic is my most popular post so far!

I have been doing a fair amount of reading the Lenovo forum post that I linked to in my previous post, and things just aren’t looking any better. The X120e product page, that I also linked to, has had all information wiped – although the page still exists?! Now I don’t want to get anyones hopes up, but it could be that they are keeping it there but just hiding the information until they are ready to release the laptop – or finally sold off the last of those X100e’s! Perhaps Lenovo will change their mind, as they have been getting a fair amount of stick on this Facebook page of theirs!

What is interesting, is that Lenovo did seem to originally plan to sell the X120e in Europe, so something has made them change their mind. Perhaps the overwhelmingly positive feedback from CES meant that they wouldn’t beable to meet the demand or perhaps it would be a great way to flog off the last off the X100e’s – I mean it is the same chassis so some people might have got confused!

I have been seeing if I can get hold of it in Africa, seeing as that is still a continent that is on the list of authorised selling continents, but unfortunately I have been met with confused looks! Lenovo Partners my ****.

The keyboard on the X120e is the same as the one I have on my ThinkPad Edge at work, and as much as it’s pretty good, I still don’t think it is as easy to type on as my trusty old X41 Tablet. Lenovo have updated the other X series laptops with the same keyboards as what I have, plus they have the solid Intel i Series CPUs. They are slightly wider that what I currently use and I originally thought they may be to wide to use as I lie in bed (….which is what I am currently doing now!).

Perhaps when I head off to New York at the end of April, I will try and find a Walmart that has them all in stock and I can try and get a proper hands-on before purchasing; especially as the X2** range is twice as much as the X120e!

No Release for ThinkPad X120e in UK

For a reason that I don’t fully understand, Lenovo have decided not to release the ThinkPad X120e for purchase in the UK, the rest of Western Europe or even Australia.

I don’t know why they would do this, perhaps Intel have told Lenovo that they can’t sell a AMD chip in Europe? To make matters worse, Lenovo suggest either getting the X100e, a model that is older and has known overheating flaws, or choose their Edge 11 – which is ghastly and a bit more expensive. I use an Edge at work, and they are cheap, with glossy screens, and just aren’t comfortable to use.

I do have options open to me…

• Buy a X120e in South Africa
• Buy a X120e when I visit the USA in April/May
• Buy a X201 – put up with the extra inch of space

I was looking at the X120e, because I don’t need anything large anymore. I don’t need mass computing power; considering that I get most work done pretty responsively on a Pentium 4!

The one benefit of going for the X201, is the additional features that just would not have been able to be squeezed into the X120e – however that will come at a cost, possibly double!

UPDATE: I have just found this forum thread on Lenovo Forums, that goes through a number of reasons behing the lack of release. Some mention that it is an AMD issue regarding the Fusion processor, others say it is to allow Lenovo to clear dead stock, etc. The positive note is that someone posted that they had spoken to a Lenovo exec, and the X120e is planned to be released at some point…just not yet.

ThinkPad X120e Release Date

I think it is finally time to move on from my immortal ThinkPad X41 Tablet. Since CES 2011, I have been captivated by Lenovo’s update to the x100e netbook – the revised X120e.

Below is the Lenovo promo video for the new netbook. Doesn’t really show much of what it can do, but does show how small and portable it is – which is what I want.

I have watched videos, looked up specs, and read reviews and I think this ticks the boxes for what I want in a new device. Throughout my searching, I found a link on the Lenovo UK site that seems to point to a half-complete product page for the new device.

The screenshot below seems to show the basic specs of the device on the right, but has Intel logos next to it….I am sure AMD will have something to say if those end up staying! It looks like the main part will hold some of sort of Flash video or large image. There is even a Customise & Buy button, but is inactive at the moment. Further down the page is a lot information and videos regarding the X201 Tablet that will be replaced with new X120e-based marketing material.

Reports I have read point to a 15th February release date….almost there!