IBM
IBM was ahead of its time in 1992 when it started offering the first ThinkPad models, the 700 and 700C. The latter model shipped with a 486SCL 25 megahertz processor, a 120 megabyte hard drive, and a 10.4 inch color display. It also came preloaded with Windows 3.1, and the entire unit weighed 6.5 pounds and cost $4,350. The new IBM laptop also contained an innovation that was unique at the time, which was the red TrackPoint that was nestled in the keyboard between two keys and was designed to take the place of a mouse in tight quarters, such as on an airplane tray table or someone’s lap.

The ThinkPad’s name was actually thought up by a researcher at the company, who got the idea while looking at his IBM leather pocket notebook, on which was embossed the corporate motto “Think”. The name met with some resistance from the higher-ups due to IBM’s traditional numeric naming system for their computer models, however the new name stuck after some positive reaction by the press.

In 1994, a CD-ROM drive was added to the ThinkPad, and it became the first laptop model with this type of peripheral. ThinkPads have also been used in space missions, as in 1993, several IBM laptops were onboard the Space Shuttle during a flight to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. This has continued throughout the years, as in 1995 the average number of ThinkPads on a space shuttle mission was 5, and the average number was 9 in 1999. In 2006, a ThinkPad was even being used onboard the International Space Station.

In early 2005, the Beijing, China company Lenovo bought IBM’s ThinkPad division, and is marketing and selling the model under its own name. Those with IBM laptop computers need not worry, however, as Lenovo still supports older IBM notebooks, with driver downloads and IBM laptop replacement parts. And although there was some initial trepidation among ThinkPad loyalists about the brand changing hands, Lenovo has generally been found to have done a good job so far at carrying on the legacy of the ThinkPad brand.