In appearance, Lenovo’s new ThinkPad T14 and T16 look exactly like their predecessors. Certainly, they include processors with a few gigahertz more, numerous artificial intelligence applications and software dedicated to professionals, but at first glance, the difference is not obvious. By opening the device, however, we see that Lenovo has seriously rethought its policy regarding the repairability of its products.
The Chinese manufacturer has in fact joined forces with the repair specialists at iFixit to bring to market computers that take repairability to heart. The manufacturer was not the worst in the category, since its latest ThinkPads had already obtained relatively good marks on the iFixit repairability scale (7/10 precisely), but the brand took an extra step , in particular on the dismantling of “the battery, the SSD, the RAM or even the entire screen“, notes iFixit. As a result, the latest machines obtain an excellent score of 9/10 from the repair specialist.
A comprehensive approach to repairability
Lenovo is not the first manufacturer to partner with iFixit to shine on the repairability front. Samsung, Google and Motorola have all made similar announcements in recent years, but Lenovo’s commitment is nevertheless interesting in more than one way. First, quite simply because it is the leading PC manufacturer in the world with 16 million units sold in the last fiscal quarter of 2023 alone. Seeing such a giant commit to the repairability front could help raise awareness among the general public in this area.
Even more interesting, it’s the degree of Lenovo’s involvement in the process that could well make the difference. This is not about offering a few spare parts and tools to tinker with a computer that is otherwise soldered and glued from top to bottom. According to iFixit, the entire PC was designed with a “prioritizing safe and easy PC repairs” notably “via cable connectors and fixings.“The new ThinkPads have therefore been designed, from their design and production phase, to be repairable. A holistic approach defended by repair specialists for years now.
Repairable by design
“Two decades of product design analysis have taught us that the longevity of a device depends on manufacturing decisions made long before the first customer begins handling the device“, points out Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit. Because to present a truly repairable device, it is not enough to deliver a PDF overflowing with technical words and a suitcase containing 35 kg of tools, we must also integrate the constraint of repairability from the first phases of the creation process.
It remains to be seen whether Lenovo will continue on this path by establishing itself as a serious competitor to Framework: the Chinese giant will indeed have to transform the test if it wants to prove that this is a profound change in philosophy, and not a one-off experiment.