IBM Laptop

Formerly sold by IBM, ThinkPad is a line of business-oriented laptop computers and tablets. Currently, the ThinkPad line is designed, marketed, and sold by Lenovo.

Known for their signature design (black, minimalist, and boxy), ThinkPads were inspired by the concept of a traditional Japanese Bento lunchbox. The ThinkPad name resulted through the history and corporate culture of IBM (International Business Machines Corporation)—an American multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York. In the 1920s, “Think” was IBM’s slogan and was found on a blue plastic sign on every IBM minicomputer and mainframe. The slogan was also placed on IBM notepads, leading to an employee suggesting the name “ThinkPad”.

Led by Arimasa Naitoh, the ThinkPad line was born at the IBM Yamato Facility in Japan and the first ThinkPads were released in October 1992. Praised for innovation and durability, the ThinkPads were a great success for IBM during the 90s. The ThinkPad entered the notebook market in competition with notebooks made by Toshiba, Compaq, Apple, and DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation).

Fun Fact: ThinkPad laptops have been used in outer space. By 2003, they were the only laptops certified for use at the International Space Station. The ThinkPad 755C laptops were used as Payload and General Support aboard the Space Shuttle in the 1990s.

ThinkPad History Wikipedia