Lenovo's Elusive Retro ThinkPad Laptop Spied By Chinese Sleuths

We've reported on a few occasions that Lenovo is working on a retro throwback laptop that channels some of the looks and cool features that ThinkPad fans of yore will remember fondly. Fast forward a couple months and an actual picture (not a render) has turned up out of China claiming to show the notebook in the flesh.

The image certainly doesn't give up much in the way of detail, showing only the corner and logo, but it is claimed to be the retro anniversary ThinkPad. While the image has turned up in China, word is that the "ThinkPad 25" has also been found at a German certification site.

Why is the retro ThinkPad a big deal? Back when IBM owned the ThinkPad brand the machines had quite the following among users and for a while some of the popular features carried over with the Lenovo name attached. In 2012, Lenovo changed things up and did away with the beloved 7-row QWERTY keyboard leaving some users unhappy to say the least.

Lenovo's David Hill noted that Lenovo didn't comment on unannounced products when pressed for more details on the 25th anniversary retro notebook back in June. He did talk a bit about the machine though, stating that it would be aimed at enthusiasts and superfans of the brand. He mentioned a rubberized exterior coating, a "keyboard to die for", and promised that it wouldn't cost $5,000.

Hill teased fans saying, "Imagine a blue enter key, 7 row classic keyboard, 16:10 aspect ratio screen, multi-color ThinkPad logo, dedicated volume controls, rubberized paint, exposed screws, lots of status LED’s, and more. Think of it like stepping into a time machine and landing in 1992, but armed with today’s technology."

No official launch date has been announced and we still have no idea what the machine might cost. If the notebook is getting its German certification now and is in the wild in China, it could be very close to launch.