IBM to release new, lighter ThinkPad X40 in U.S.

IBM Corp. plans to bring a new ThinkPad notebook to U.S. customers next Tuesday that trims a little less than 1 pound (0.45 kilograms) off the device’s weight, according to a promotion mailed to reporters this week.

IBM sent journalists 14 ounces of chocolate inside a cardboard box that looks like a ThinkPad notebook. When the fake notebook is opened, the screen bears the inscription “ThinkPad’s been dieting. Our loss is your gain. 14 ounces lighter. This is what 14 ounces feels like. 10 February 2004.”

The chocolate is shaped to resemble a ThinkPad keyboard.

The box also contains the model number X40 at the base of the screen where ThinkPad model numbers are usually featured. The X40 is currently available in Japan and several other countries in Asia, according to IBM’s Web site.

Technical specifications posted on IBM’s site indicate the X40 comes with a “1.0GHz ultra low voltage Intel mobile processor.” The particular chip is not specified, but the specifications indicate that the chip has 1MB of Level 2 cache, which would apply to the Pentium M processor.

The X40 also features a 12.1-inch display, 256MB of memory and a 20GB hard drive. It weighs a minimum of 2.7 pounds. Pricing information was not available.

IBM currently sells the X31 notebook in the U.S. for a base price of $1,349. That model weighs 3.6 pounds.