ThinkPad 500
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| Made in | United States |
|---|---|
The IBM ThinkPad 500 is a subnotebook from the ThinkPad series released by IBM in 1993.
History
[edit]
The ThinkPad 500 (type 2603[1]) was announced on 16 June 1993. It was the first subnotebook by IBM,[2][3] made and registered with the FCC by their then-recent spin-off, Lexmark.[4]
The next subnotebook by IBM was the IBM ThinkPad 701 series, which John Karidis influenced after using a 500 and feeling the keyboard experience could be improved by making it wider than the screen.
It was announced at the same time as the IBM ThinkPad 350.[5] The New York Times noted that IBM challenged companies like Zeos, Dell, Zenith Data Systems and Hewlett-Packard who developed computers in the same class as the 500.[6]
The ThinkPad 500 has a Lexbook counterpart called Lexmark SE10 (codename "Enchilada"). The main difference is that instead of using a TrackPoint, its keyboard has a mouse-key button.
The ThinkPad 500 was the earliest known IBM portable computer to use an IBM Model M6-1 buckling sleeve keyboard assembly, a minor revision of the original Model M6 and descendant of the IBM PS/2 Model L40 SX's Model M3. M6 and M6-1 were used on many early IBM (and all Lexmark) laptops and were even produced for other companies like AST, Apple and Tadpole.[7]
Specifications
[edit]- 50 MHz 486SLC2
- Cirrus Logic WD90C26 Video chipset
- 7.24" monochrome STN display with 256-shade graphics and a maximum resolution of 640x480
- 1 x PCMCIA Slot
- 1 x 3.5" external floppy drive
- 85 or 170mb Seagate Caviar hard drive
- 2.5 hour battery
- 12mb of RAM
- Windows 3.1 and IBM PC DOS 5.02
- PC Speaker for Sound
- VGA monitor out, parallel/serial ports
- Came with an external floppy drive included[5]
Reception
[edit]InfoWorld regarded the ThinkPad 500 as a bit too small for comfort.[8]
PC World awarded the ThinkPad 500 the "Best Buy - #1 Value Mobile PC" in September 1994.[9]
Successor
[edit]In March 1994 the ThinkPad 510 was announced, which contains the 486 DLC by IBM and a 7.7" colour display.[10]
The ThinkPad 510 looks very similar to the 500, but with notable differences in design being a colour "IBM" logo indicating the use of a colour LCD and that the 500's blue brightness and contrast buttons have been moved to 'hot keys' on the keyboard.
The 510 also has a single, multifunction port expander on the back to connect an additional module which provides peripheral connectivity, whereas the 500 simply has a Parallel, PS/2 and floppy-drive connector on the back.[11]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Personal Systems Reference IBM ThinkPad Notebooks 1992 to 2001 - withdrawn" (PDF). Lenovo. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
- ↑ "COMPANY NEWS; I.B.M. INTRODUCES SERIES OF PORTABLE COMPUTERS". The New York Times. June 16, 1993. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ↑ Smith, Tony. "The IBM ThinkPad: 15 years old today". The Register. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ↑ "OET Equipment Authorization System FCC Form 731 FCC ID: IYL 2603". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
- 1 2 Lee, Yvonne (June 21, 1993). "IBM subnotebook uses 486". InfoWorld. p. 31.
- ↑ Lohr, Steve (June 23, 1993). "Notebooks May Hold Key to I.B.M.'s Revival". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- ↑ Kali. "Model M6 & M6-1 ThinkPad Laptop Keyboard Assemblies | Shark's Wiki". Admiral Shark's Keyboards. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
- ↑ Paul, Frederic (August 16, 1993). "Powerful IBM ThinkPad 500 is a bit too small for comfort". InfoWorld. InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.
- ↑ A., Dell, Deborah (2000). ThinkPad: a different shade of blue. Sams. p. 330. ISBN 0-672-31756-7. OCLC 781169669.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Lee, Yvonne (March 21, 1994). "IBM revamps line with four ThinkPads". InfoWorld.
- ↑ "IBM Thinkpad 500 & 510". ret.rocks. Retrieved August 5, 2026.