Don't get me wrong, I really want all those things. So much so that I actually spent a hefty sum on my current TP (X1 Yoga '3rd', 2018) to get all those things 'guaranteed' now and option for later (I'm not much of a hardware tinkerer, but I could already see 2028 and me tweaking it up).
That being said,
I think it's still a small market. All of TPs I mean, new, used & yet to come (I've got a solid theory that ThinkPads may outlast the heat death of the universe, paper coming soon(tm) ). Seriously, the reason is that the used market is precisely interesting because it's cheap (it's almost a commodity market at that point) whereas the new market is becoming niche like all laptops, like desktops before — think that, for all their glory, GPUs only sell in the single-digit millions to consumers per year — no wonder the juice for these lies in enterprise.
So I think you've got room for maybe a few small businesses, small custom shops of a single to few employees, shipping worldwide of course (and I'm not a logistics expert but this is the kind of space where ideally you really want to 'shopify' directly from factory to customer because each cent will be hard fought for). Most of what people use to tweak TPs is already cheap as hell on Aliexpress or eq.
I wish it weren't so. Please tell me I''m wrong about this.
I feel like there's room for a couple of hobbyists to design and manufacture niche mods, as you've suggested. We've already seen it take off with Nitrocaster, and I think there's still room for a few more.
My hope with ThinkMods is that I can offset the overall cost of the brand by having a number of different mods; creating a store where you might pay slightly more than Aliexpress knockoffs, but you get a reliable mod shipped quickly to your door without worrying about returns, or if it'll even work.
I also want to be the first to design new mods. There will only be Aliexpress knock-offs of existing mods. ThinkMods will always have the newest and most innovative, with the service to back it up - and I will always do my best to keep costs down.
Well, you sound like you've really got the ideal approach, just about the best business model IMHO for that kind of endeavor. Hope it goes really well.
I would just encourage you to allow yourself to make enough margin to not just keep the business afloat but grow it — notably to fuel your apparent desire to design great things, enforce great QA, etc. These things have a cost, that people are willing to pay for as you suggest, and it is always a disservice to everyone to undervalue one's work. ;-)
So, seeing as how your heart is in the right place — go TPs! — rest assured you won't overcharge any time soon. People will tell you if that day ever comes. :wink again:
Have a great one, and thanks for the awesome initiative. Best of courage and success to you!
The new models including the one you bought are not really much of the original TP anymore.
There is still people who love the old one's because of the excellent keyboard and the tough shell while the new models have bad keyboards and a really fragile shell (it just does not feel sturdy anymore).
Maybe the market is not big but I said it is there and not how far you will be able to scale that. Probably enough for a bunch of people to become millionaires.
I switched away from TP after my last model from 2006 was not modern enough for my taste anymore and I didn't have the time to upgrade it myself. Without USB3 and limited because of the CPU it is not an option for me anymore and I would have loved to let a company upgrade it so I can use it 10+ years to come.
And there is still an x200 that I will keep for some x-mas tinkering time to try the libreboot-mod myself.
After all I would be very glad if I could find an x201s some day and mod it / let it be modded by a company so it is not only usable to do some retro stuff but actually useful in the modern times.
The logistics will only get cheaper, faster and more secure and I would not see it as a problem. At the moment we see AMZN pushing into the market while China builds it's "Belt and Road" project. All of these developments will have a positive effect on logistics for consumers and vendors probably.
The hardware for mods may be cheap but you have to add the working hours you need to achieve a mod. Of course it may be reduced by experience.
I often think about doing things like: Is it worth the (cheap) money AND my time?
Sometimes I do it though it is (more) expensive because I also learn a lot but other times I am in a hurry and already stressed enough and would prefer to outsource this kind of work. Especially in the field of customizing (electronics) there is a lot of market share for (small?) companies to be earned.
Here[0] is an interesting article of someone who got the x62 and then upgraded to the x210.
He bought it from 51NB (China) and exactly describes how the buying process including returns and repairs could be improved upon by locating stores/branches in other regions of the world as well.
If you would scale this endeavor all kinds of mods can be thought of and I see no problem to choose the one's you want to have. Think of a configuration app that let's you choose a model/chassis and then configure the TP the way you want.
I am sure it will be a great success and also more people will want some of these when they see how lousy their HP, Acer,... (up to and including new Lenovo) laptops are built in comparison. Climate debate will also lead to more people trying to get used electronics because it is more sustainable.
That being said,
I think it's still a small market. All of TPs I mean, new, used & yet to come (I've got a solid theory that ThinkPads may outlast the heat death of the universe, paper coming soon(tm) ). Seriously, the reason is that the used market is precisely interesting because it's cheap (it's almost a commodity market at that point) whereas the new market is becoming niche like all laptops, like desktops before — think that, for all their glory, GPUs only sell in the single-digit millions to consumers per year — no wonder the juice for these lies in enterprise.
So I think you've got room for maybe a few small businesses, small custom shops of a single to few employees, shipping worldwide of course (and I'm not a logistics expert but this is the kind of space where ideally you really want to 'shopify' directly from factory to customer because each cent will be hard fought for). Most of what people use to tweak TPs is already cheap as hell on Aliexpress or eq.
I wish it weren't so. Please tell me I''m wrong about this.