[jamesbritt]

Also they have removed the physical buttons surrounding the trackpad.

The W530 still has the proper trackpoint buttons. But it's a 1080p screen with a numpad that displaces the main keyboard.

Lenovo sells USB trackpoint keboards (with and without a trackpad). I already had one for my HP desktop box and ordered another on the assumption that sooner or later Lenovo will turn to the Thinkpad line to shit and I'll want that keyboard for whatever laptop I get next.

[adrusi]

You're confusing w530 and w540. w530 has a centered keyboard and no numpad, and physical trackpoint buttons. It's the new w540 that drops the buttons and shifts the keyboard.

That said, I suppose I'm the audience that Lenovo's changes are targeted to. As a current owner of an early 2011 macbook pro, I just ordered a T440p yesterday, but for a long time I was deciding between it and T540p. I prefered T540p to the very similarly priced and equipped w530 (for my price range) because of the new trackpad.

I eventually settled on the T440p because of its greater portability and centered keyboard.

There's just more people who care about a good trackpad than a good trackpoint. I've used lenovo trackpoints and just can't get used to them, so I suppose it must be similarly difficult for trackpoint users to learn to use trackpads effectively, but I don't think either is inherently better.

[jamesbritt]

Indeed you are right. That's even more depressing. :)

I get that maybe more people are interested in the trackpad but I don't see why Lenovo improves the pad at the expense of the trackpoint. I disable the trackpad on my laptops so there's a net loss for me when they degrade the trackpoint buttons.

If they insist on degrading what distinguishes a Thinkpad then they'll be yet another generic laptop provider.