Lenovo has removed its iconic TrackPoint nub from new ThinkPad laptops | PCWorld (www.pcworld.com)
from moe90@feddit.nl to technology@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 05:19
https://feddit.nl/post/27297934

#technology

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Iheartcheese@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 05:52 next collapse

No more laptop clit

SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de on 20 Jan 05:58 next collapse

Now put the clit mouse into a framework chassis (the relevant patents are now expired)

Ulrich@feddit.org on 20 Jan 06:36 next collapse

Put it on a handheld PC plz

kusivittula@sopuli.xyz on 20 Jan 07:34 collapse

about a million years ago I had an HTC phone that had a trackball mouse thingy. that was cool. i think it was HTC desire, not sure.

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 21 Jan 14:42 collapse

Yes, I’d switch if they did.

germtm_@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 06:09 next collapse

removing the nub from ThinkPad is like removing cheese from a cheeseburger.

it’ll still be a laptop, but a nubless ThinkPad will always look wrong.

Dultas@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 06:12 next collapse

Next thing you know they’ll put the Ctrl back in the right place.

MP3Martin@programming.dev on 20 Jan 06:28 next collapse

Thankfully it can be swapped in bios

SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de on 20 Jan 07:06 next collapse

I almost didn’t buy a ThinkPad back in the day before I leaned that you can swap it. Such a stupid design

I also randomly saw today that framework has the opposite option in BIOS. For the people that migrate over

jaybone@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 10:18 collapse

Just learning this now, I’m not sure if I should cry.

ely@mastodon.green on 20 Jan 07:19 next collapse

@Dultas
An Fn key is dumb anyway since that is the goal of every key anyway.
@germtm_

addie@feddit.uk on 20 Jan 11:37 collapse

Control back in the right place… where you can press it with your left pinkie without taking your fingers off the home keys? Rather than where useless caps lock is just wasting space?

<img alt="" src="https://scribles.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/HHKB_Lite_ctrl.png">

stock@sopuli.xyz on 20 Jan 12:39 next collapse

this is actually wonderful ive been debating what to do with my caps lock thank you

barsoap@lemm.ee on 20 Jan 13:01 collapse

Escape next to 1 is also underappreciated. It’s how vi was meant to be used.

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 21 Jan 14:36 collapse

Exactly. I use escape way more than control.

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 21 Jan 14:38 collapse

It’s honestly the only reason I still buy them. If Lenovo removes the nub or Framework adds it, I’m switching to Framework. Give me a 14" T or E series with TrackPoint and I’m happy.

NateNate60@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 06:16 next collapse

Those who don’t use it are only mildly annoyed by it, but those who use it will raise holy hell now that it’s gone.

embed_me@programming.dev on 20 Jan 06:27 next collapse

Is it actually usable? I never owned one

NateNate60@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 06:33 next collapse

It’s not just for decoration. You can use it as a legitimate pointing device. Nudging it will move the mouse cursor and tapping it with your fingernail is clicking.

It takes some getting used to but you can definitely use it for normal office tasks if you wanted to. That being said, I still personally prefer a mouse. But I have known some people who like using the nipple.

chaosCruiser@futurology.today on 20 Jan 06:33 next collapse

It’s fine. Takes some time to get used to. Some people really love it, but I don’t think it’s that great.

sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 20 Jan 13:47 collapse

I can never get mine to go where I want first try, and sometimes the pointer drifts on its own after I take my finger off.

chaosCruiser@futurology.today on 20 Jan 21:08 collapse

The best I can do, is to steer it slowly. For me, it’s always been the inferior option when compared to a regular touchpad.

Although, I do se the benefit of the central positioning when you need to type more and you don’t want to move your fingers from the home row just to click something quickly.

sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 20 Jan 22:13 collapse

Maybe the IBM touch points were better. I could see the Lenovo ones being mostly for show / plausible deniability.

Arbiter@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 06:40 next collapse

I use a mechanical keyboard with one on my desktop, I actually use it quite a lot.

xapr@lemmy.sdf.org on 20 Jan 06:51 collapse

That sounds awesome! Is it a Unicomp EnduraPro or is there some other option?

wjrii@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 07:13 collapse

TEX out of Taiwan makes a few.

xapr@lemmy.sdf.org on 21 Jan 00:40 collapse

Awesome, thanks!

xapr@lemmy.sdf.org on 20 Jan 06:46 next collapse

I think it works fantastically well. I personally like it much better than a touchpad. It lets me move the pointer without taking my hands away from typing home position.

hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 20 Jan 06:56 next collapse

Some people prefer it over trackpad, or use both. Personally I like to disable trackpad because I tend to always hit it with palm or thumb by accident

olosta@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 06:57 next collapse

Used one for a few years and I loved it:

  • it’s precise, you can really aim small UI elements
  • It is paired with actual buttons, index on the nub and thumb on the buttons, so no weird gestures to right click
  • It is very quick to switch from keyboard to mouse, your hands nearly don’t move

But, there’s no mouse wheel or scroll gesture and maintaining pressure on the nub is maybe more tiring than a trackpad.

ewo@lemmy.sdf.org on 20 Jan 10:46 next collapse

It’s also very chill to do things 1-handed with (no euphemism).

hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 20 Jan 11:51 next collapse

You can scroll with nub by holding the middle button

elliot_crane@lemmy.world on 22 Jan 02:28 collapse

Back when I was in high school, we had a shared pool of laptops stored in the library, and our teachers would reserve the library space for days when we were supposed to be working on laptops. My district had a bunch of Dells with the nipple mouse. To this day I still think it’s probably the most convenient and precise input device I’ve ever used.

Chozo@fedia.io on 20 Jan 07:02 next collapse

It feels a lot like using a game controller to control your mouse, if you've ever used Joy2Key or similar programs.

Engywuck@lemm.ee on 20 Jan 07:25 next collapse

Dunno. I have one on my semifake E580 and I just used it to check if it works. It’s a bit awkward for me.

southsamurai@sh.itjust.works on 20 Jan 07:58 collapse

Oh yeah.

It isn’t a dealbreaker for me, but it really is nice. It takes getting used to, but it cuts down on the need to move to the touchpad or mouse. If you’re working in tight quarters, or have mobility issues, or hand issues, it can end up being a major improvement. It’s a ymmv thing of course, but I end up using it more than I thought I would when writing.

acosmichippo@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 07:36 collapse

i don’t care about the nub on mine, but i do care a lot about the left/right click buttons that take up so much of the trackpad area. just gimme a bigass trackpad.

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 21 Jan 14:40 collapse

ThinkPad isn’t for you then. There are plenty of laptops with huge track pads, there aren’t many with a nub.

If Framework offered a nub, I’d switch. Until then, I’m sticking with whichever 14" Thinkpad has a nub.

acosmichippo@lemmy.world on 21 Jan 18:31 collapse

if only i had a choice of what my work assigns to me.

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 21 Jan 23:39 collapse

Same. I’m stuck on an Apple laptop and much prefer my personal Thinkpad.

acosmichippo@lemmy.world on 22 Jan 00:32 collapse

lol I’d trade you.

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 22 Jan 00:34 collapse

At least I’m up for an upgrade, so I’ll get an M-series chip, which is cool. I really don’t like macOS though and much prefer my Linux workflow.

cm0002@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 06:18 next collapse

Is nothing sacred anymore‽

hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 20 Jan 06:27 next collapse

Fucking stupid ass dumb cunt editor with ragebait article titles making me mad in the morning

Does that mean the TrackPoint is dead? No, thankfully. It will still appear in the other ThinkPads made by Lenovo, said a company spokesman. But for the 14- and 15-inch ThinkPad X9 Aura Editions launched at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, the TrackPoint has been removed entirely.

Senior Editor Mark Hachman I hope you have a terrible day and stub your toe today

jabathekek@sopuli.xyz on 20 Jan 07:28 next collapse

DEEP BREATHS

pls rub your nub too kay thanks

jaybone@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 10:14 collapse

I already took off my robe and wizard hat.

gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works on 20 Jan 12:00 collapse

Well first of all, now you need to put them back on

alphapuggle@programming.dev on 20 Jan 08:15 next collapse

A fine addition to my collection <img alt="pcworld blocked from loading using adaway" src="https://programming.dev/pictrs/image/e1ba3433-1c75-43db-85a6-2a3890a12d2e.png">

bobs_monkey@lemm.ee on 20 Jan 10:40 next collapse

I do miss AdAway, favorite part of rooting. I might be due for a trip down memory lane.

rainerloeten@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 11:32 next collapse

Make sure to read the Magisk installation instructions carefully (in case you choose Magisk).

Some things have changed, I messed up once thinking “I already know how this works” :D

bobs_monkey@lemm.ee on 20 Jan 17:46 collapse

Thankfully my Sony is supported for LOS, but I’ve been on the fence about getting an older pixel to try Graphene, just haven’t gotten around to it with life being life

alphapuggle@programming.dev on 20 Jan 16:10 collapse

#1 Reason I still root is for adaway #2 reason is spite because Google thinks they own my phone

Feathercrown@lemmy.world on 21 Jan 14:55 collapse

Ironic, my collection is working well too

<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/5631a5ad-a77e-4bf0-aca8-74d135a65200.jpeg">

ech@lemm.ee on 20 Jan 09:57 next collapse

“Ragebait”? Really?

surewhynotlem@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 10:34 next collapse

Yes! They’re threatening to take away my clit mouse

hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 20 Jan 11:50 collapse

It seems like they intentionally used a misleading title that’d get some people on pitchforks, so yeah I’m calling it a ragebait

JadenSmith@sh.itjust.works on 20 Jan 12:09 next collapse

Thank you for this comment, it makes me happy to know Lenovo have not removed their nipple.

[deleted] on 20 Jan 12:42 collapse

.

Rentlar@lemmy.ca on 20 Jan 06:57 next collapse

My work laptop is not Lenovo but has a nub. It’s works great when I have work gloves on, since the touchpad doesn’t respond well with those.

GreenKnight23@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 08:06 next collapse

I just give my trackpad the tip. works pretty well. keep some ChapStick around though.

moe90@feddit.nl on 20 Jan 08:31 next collapse

me too my Thinkpad E14 gen 2 is very tough and that trackpoint helps me a lot.

MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml on 20 Jan 13:29 collapse

Who has still with nub?

Rentlar@lemmy.ca on 20 Jan 17:06 collapse
whostosay@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 08:07 next collapse

<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/845137c0-56e1-4d40-97a8-432f58a619e0.jpeg">

jaybone@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 10:22 collapse

me on a date

0x0@programming.dev on 20 Jan 08:30 next collapse

A brand has (finally) died.

caseyweederman@lemmy.ca on 22 Jan 02:53 collapse

Nah. Died when Lenovo bought it from IBM. Died again when IBM stopped offering support for them.

Soulifix@kbin.melroy.org on 20 Jan 08:40 next collapse

Now it looks like...every other generic laptop.

I'm not a huge fan of the nub, I personally have always found it in the middle of the way. I do understand it's use, though.

fakeman_pretendname@feddit.uk on 20 Jan 10:36 next collapse

I use the “control nipple” occasionally, but I use the physical mouse buttons every day always.

Even though they’re slightly oddly positioned to use with the touchpad, they’re a million times better than not having any buttons at all.

futatorius@lemm.ee on 20 Jan 12:02 collapse

A few years ago, Lenovo released some Thinkpads without the three buttons above the touchpad. After a lot of pushback, they stopped making those. They also tried using Linux-hostile components for a while. My impression is that Lenovo is on an inexorable enshittification trajectory, but backs off a bit when pressured, only to make some other stupid decision next time.

jj4211@lemmy.world on 22 Jan 00:40 collapse

They are back with the “no buttons” design. People swear the haptics make it better, but it doesn’t. My work gave me one and the touchpad gets phantom taps and now the pad “clicks” when it hasn’t even been touched sometimes and there’s nothing that can be done.

Sparky@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 20 Jan 08:59 next collapse

The new ones were garbage anyways. Mine is stuck at a polling rate of 10hz, and the acceleration is god awful

futatorius@lemm.ee on 20 Jan 11:53 next collapse

“Can’t find the clit-mouse. Damn.”

WindyRebel@lemmy.world on 22 Jan 01:46 collapse

I AM THE CLIT COMMANDER!

ace_garp@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 12:54 next collapse

Engage giant-marble-headstone

R I P

MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml on 20 Jan 13:26 next collapse

I prefer it over trackpad, honestly. Just adjust the acceleration.

Edit: looks like they remove it only from Aura line. Please stub your toe somewhere, author.

Pretzilla@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 13:30 next collapse

It’s super handy on my X1c 6thgen when my trackpad randomly freezes about once a month and I need to shut everything down and reboot. Bah.

Open to tips for fixing the trackpad if anyone has that on their radar!

bitwaba@lemmy.world on 20 Jan 16:26 next collapse

I actually stopped using mine a long time ago, and every time I get a new laptop, I remove it. Not because I hate it, but because I like it. Even after modifying the acceleration settings to where I like them though, the repeated stress of pushing on the nub eventually start to develop dendonitis in my finger.

After I’ve trained myself to only use the trackpad I put the nub back on. Partly because it’s so iconic it just looks wrong without it, and partly because I want to avoid conversations with guest about my growing clit graveyard (although I guess I could just not leave them in a cup on the coffee table where everyone can see)

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 21 Jan 14:35 next collapse

I think you’re overstimulating. You need to be gentle, which benefits both of you. Try resting it on or near the nub and applying gentle pressure.

stevedice@sh.itjust.works on 21 Jan 18:47 collapse

my growing clit graveyard

How do you have more than, like, 3? How often do you change laptops?

krimsonbun@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 20 Jan 17:53 next collapse

Guillotine time

LordCrom@lemmy.world on 21 Jan 15:12 next collapse

This, and why do they take away the 2 buttons below the track pad. PC track pads are barely tolerable as it is.

circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org on 22 Jan 00:42 next collapse

I will not buy a Lenovo without the clitmouse

humble_pete_digger@lemm.ee on 22 Jan 01:57 next collapse

Never used trackpoints.
And all my laptops are ThinkPads.
I Always disable both trackpoint and touchpad.

caseyweederman@lemmy.ca on 22 Jan 02:54 next collapse

Not a Lenovo icon. They bought ThinkPad, nippleclit and all, from IBM.

StarlightDust@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 22 Jan 03:56 collapse

Oh its one of those Thinkpads that isn’t actually a Thinkpad like the Thinkpad Yogas. My ideal Thinkpad would be a proper release of the T480 25th Anniversary Edition with newer components.