Lenovo will introduce the ThinkPad X300 on February 26. The 20-month project is detailed in a four-page article. I had ulcers just thinking about the pressure these designers are under.
What did you find was the most fascinating part of the story? I was drawn in by the completeness of the story - from start to finish. But enjoyed the section on the solid state drives missing and the company turning to a secondary supplier. Also, the idea of a go/no-go scenario with the product and the team moving forward. The Lenovo team must be excited to see their product launch.
Besides providing a great behind the scenes look at the race to building the perfect notebook, the author also provides us with the feeling of the madness behind the competition. Decisions regarding features, price, and design elements are discussed in reviews but I've never read a review with a sidebar of an interview with the designers, have you?
A great enhancement to any product review might be the designer replying to the pros and cons in a sidebar. Imagine the reviewer pointing out the lack of USB slots and the designer being able to reply.
This point-counterpoint style of review article might catch on in the Tablet PC arena. Consider the following scenario. The reviewer requests a unit and an interview with the design engineers at the same time. The reviewer works with the unit and scribbles notes (using InkSeine) and using a webcam (let's say on an OQO), the reviewer completes a video interview as well as product overview. During the interview, the reviewer turns to the engineer and asks for responses to any challenges or cons about the unit.
I can imagine manufacturers wanting this ability to respond immediately, but would consumers desire this? Would you be interested in getting a manufacturer's response along with the review? Would this help or hurt a company? Now that GottaBeMobile has the wonderful new layout (PS - I mean - EXCELLENT JOB!), maybe the team over there will provide us with a sidebar to any of their product reviews.
Comments
Re: Building the Perfect Laptop
I liked "The Tale of the Missing SSDs" too, and I liked that there was a way around it, even though the review panel said, "No, this project is not ready to go further." The lesson was: Just go to the top! (Of course, you have to have an "in" with the top.)
I was also fascinated with the tiny details that are a part of the design process. The fact that the chief designer is disappointed in the final number of labels on the bottom of the case illustrates the attention that is paid to the minutest particular.
As for the idea of having the design engineers involved in reviews, I think it's a good one. It might make customers more satisfied with what comes out of the box if they saw how the designers and engineers worked for perfection. Sometimes there has to be a compromise, and maybe it would make more sense to us as users if we could see the steps that led to it.