How the ThinkPad Changed the Worldâ€"and Is Shaping the Future

by Arimasa Naitoh, William J. Holstein

The ThinkPad notebook computer has been at the center of the digital revolution that has transformed millions of lives around the world, allowing users to obtain access to their documents, pictures and other personal data from virtually anywhere at any time. More than 100 million ThinkPads have been sold since they were introduced in 1992, some twenty-five years ago. ThinkPads played a prominent role in NASA's space exploration and at the International Space Station. They accompanied explorers who traversed the entire length of the Nile River and conquered Mount Everest. ThinkPads also played a major role in changing the very architecture of how humanity's knowledge is stored and made available.In this book, Arimasa Naitoh, the father of the ThinkPad, collaborates with American business journalist and author William J. Holstein to write candidly about the incredible technological and personal struggles he and fellow engineers faced. And he offers his vision of the future of mobile computing—because this revolution is not even close to being finished.

194 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 13, 2017

Reviews

[fabio · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable first-person account of the development of the ThinkPad laptop by its lead engineer at IBM Japan. Naitoh-san alternates the narrative between his own organizational feats in Japan and the United States, and the challenges his team faced with the ThinkPad's travels throughout, and literally outside, this world. Facing unimagined stresses from users and new environmental conditions in American school classrooms, the Hubble space telescope, the Nile River and even mount Everest, we can witness all the ingenuity invested in order to optimize a product originally designed for businessmen lounging in lofty hotels and airplanes.

We get the usual descriptions of Japanese working customs, with long working hours, looming risks of karoshi and absent fathers that miss out on their kids' lives outside of the office. Naitoh offers several insider's observations and comparison between Japanese and American corporate cultures while extolling each on their own merits.

I found his telling of Lenovo's acquisition of IBM's personal computer branch in the early 2000s quite interesting, as it represents an important chapter in the rise of Chinese capitalism in the 21st century. Naitoh's lab, based near Tokyo but well connected with its American counterparts, became a crucial node in the story of Chinese-American-Japanese collaboration and later, competition.

Some reviewers have accused the book of being "ThinkPad propaganda", which I found humorous considering the kinda passé Mac Vs PC wars of the past decade. These accusations do not miss by far, the book being after all a biography of an industrial masterpiece by its own creator. Despite this, I found Naitoh's narrative very modest and unassuming.

[Lisa M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband talked me in to reading this, since he enjoyed it. He's more of a technology nut, while I'm more interested in systems engineering and project management, and I was skeptical as I'm not very knowledgeable about electronics. This turned out to be a fantastic read from several perspectives. In addition to the title's promise to explain how ThinkPad changed the way people communicate and work in the world, the book also gives some great insight into Naitoh's experience of the rapid advancement of technology across his lifetime and the challenges to consistently choose the right technology for products that meet users' needs at the right times. It was also a great career autobiography including how he moved up and gained more responsibility in IBM and then Lenovo, conquered roadblocks and overcame anxiety, and sacrificed much in service to this passion for technology. I was entertained by the fun anecdotes along the way, and inspired by his confidence in the future generation of engineers.

[Don Bennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a complex read and not about to win any awards for non-fiction, but an interesting read without a lot of filler. I was an IBM when the Thinkpad was starting and have owned 3 plus 2 other brands of laptop and it is neat to see how the changes I have seen came about (the roll cage completely saved my device). As others note, the impact may be a little stretched, especially without data for comparison. The last chapter is a neat look at today and tomorrow with food for thought.

[Jk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half was about the history of the Thinkpad line which is what I was interested in. I didn't like the last half on how the Thinkpad changed the world -- it seemed very forced and a bit of a stretch to me. If you're only reading this because of your interest in Thinkpads, only read ~the first half of the book.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give the book 2.5 stars if I could. The first have of the book is about the history of Thinkpads and very interesting (owning several over the years.) The second half not so much. It felt like an advertisement more than anything else. I also think the authors started to confuse the words Thinkpad and laptop.

[Üllar Soon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting read from one of the actual creators of the ThinkPad. It gave a good insight into how the machines reached their high level of build quality and what the specific reasons for some of the innovations were. Good book for anyone interested in computer and/or ThinkPad's history.

[Reha Bora Demir · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 really interesting read for thinkpad nerds but I doubt its for the average reader

[Sean D'Adamo · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who loves electronics -- a tinkerer, breaker, destroyer, and tester of them -- I've read this book twice over on my Kindle and I'm not going to stop there. I am always fascinated with Naitoh's accounts and stories as well as who he met, who he worked with, how he and others worked, etc., to get the ThinkPad brand where it is. The sacrifices, the craft, the painstaking quantities of time and effort, the testing, the successes, the failures, the ideas--all of it makes this one of my personal favorite brands in the world. I understand they're just machines as well, but they're some of the best machines we ever made.

Five stars, no debate.

[Jelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

At its worst a bad piece of thinkpad propaganda (skip the horrible chapter 11), but at its best a great bit of insight into the technical and political development of a laptop series.