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Computing revolutions are surprisingly rare. Despite the extraordinary technological progress that separates the first general-purpose digital computer1945s ENIACfrom the smartphone in your pocket, both machines actually work the same fundamental way: by boiling down every task into a simple mathematical system of ones and zeros. For decades, so did every other computing device on the planet. Then there are quantum computersthe first ground-up reimagining of how computing works since it was invented. Quantum is not about processing ones and zeros faster. Instead, it runs on qubitsmore on those laterand embraces advanced physics to take computation places its never been before. The results could one day have a profound impact on medicine, energy, finance, and beyondmaybe, perhaps not soon, and only if the sectors greatest expectations play out. The fields origins trace to a 1981 conference near Boston cohosted by MIT and IBM called Physics of Computation. There, legendary physicist Richard Feynman proposed building a computer based on the principles of quantum mechanics, pioneered in the early 20th century by Max Planck, Albert Einstein, and Niels Bohr, among others. By the centurys endfollowing seminal research at MIT, IBM, and elsewhere, including Caltech and Bell Labstech giants and startups alike joined the effort. It remains one of the industrys longest slogs, and much of the work lies ahead. Some of quantums biggest news has arrived in recent months and involves advances on multiple fronts. In December, after more than a decade of development, Google unveiled Willow, a Post-it-size quantum processor that its lead developer, Hartmut Neven, described as a major step. In February, Microsoft debuted the Majorana 1 chipa transformative leap, according to the company (though some quantum experts have questioned its claims). A week later, Amazon introduced a prototype of its own quantum processor, called Ocelot, deeming the experimental chip a breakthrough. And in March, after one of D-Waves machines performed a simulation of magnetic materials that would have been impossible on a supercomputer, CEO Alan Baratz declared his company had attained the sectors holy grail. No wonder the tech industrywhose interest in quantum computing has waxed and waned over its decades-long gestationis newly tantalized. Bluster aside, none of these developments has led to a commercial quantum computer that performs the kinds of world-changing feats the fields biggest advocates anticipate. More twists lie ahead before the field reaches maturityif it ever doeslet alone widespread adoption. A 2024 McKinsey study of the sector reflects this uncertainty, projecting that the quantum computing market could grow from between $8 billion and $15 billion this year to between $28 billion and $72 billion by 2035. Whatever comes next isnt likely to be boring. So heres a brief overview on computings next big thing, which many have heard of but few of us fully understand. 1. Lets start with why. What exactly can quantum computers do that todays supercomputers cant? Were talking about a computer that could, theoretically, unleash near-boundless opportunity in fields that benefit from complex simulations and what-if explorations. The goal of quantum computer designers isnt just to beat supercomputers, but to enable tasks that arent even possible today. For example, Google says its new Willow quantum chip took five minutes to complete a computational benchmark that the U.S. Department of Energys Frontier supercomputer would have needed 10 septillion years to finish. Thats a one followed by 25 zeros. By that math, even a supercomputer that was a trillion times faster than Frontiercurrently the worlds second-fastest supercomputerwould require 10 trillion years to complete the benchmark. Now, a lab-run benchmark is not the same as a world-changing feat. But Googles test results hint at what quantum might be capable of accomplishing. Like other recent milestones, its tangible proof that the technologys unprecedented potential is more than theoretical. [Illustration: Kathleen Fu] 2. Dare I ask how quantum computers work? Do I even need to know? As with a personal computer, you probably dont, unless youre planning to build one. Simply using onewhich you probably wont do anytime soonalso wont require familiarity with the gnarly details. The scientific underpinnings are fascinating, though. Very quickly: Theyre based on aspects of quantum physics that can sound weird to us mere mortals. Entanglement, for example, describes the quantum connection between two or more particles or systems even if theyre light-years apart. And superposition states that a quantum system can exist in a state of multiple possibilities, all at the same time. In quantum computers, the quantum bitor qubittakes advantage of these properties. While a conventional bit is binary, containing either a one or a zero, a qubit can have a state of one, zero, or anywhere in between. Entangled qubits work in concert, allowing algorithms to manipulate multiple qubits so they affect each other and initiate a vast, cascading series of calculations. These mind-bending capabilities are the basis of quantum computings power. But taming quantum physics is one of the most daunting tasks scientists have ever taken on. To maintain their quantum state, many qubits must be cooled to just a skosh above absolute zero. This requirement leads to the unique look of the machines, which resemble steampunk chandeliers. A stack of suspended discsoften made of gold-plated copperbring the temperature progressively down, with snakes of cables shuttling data in and out of the qubits. [Illustration: Kathleen Fu] 3. Im already lost. Youre not alone! One metaphor to explain quantum involves magical pennies. Imagine youre tasked with laying out every possible heads-tails combination for the outcome of a 100-coin toss. With ordinary pennies, youd need more than a nonillion coinsthats a one followed by 30 zeros. Now imagine 100 magical pennies that can represent all the different combinations at the same time, covering every possible outcome. Much more efficient. Back in the real world, many tasks are as complex as a 100-coin toss, and theyd quickly max out the ones and zeros of non-quantum machines, also known as classical computers. By going beyond the binary, qubits hold the promise of turning these tasks into magical-penny projects. Otherwise impossible computing work would become feasible. [Illustration: Kathleen Fu] 4. That helpsbut give me some examples. Quantum computing holds particular promise in biology and materials science. Eventually, a sufficiently advanced quantum machine may be able to model molecular structures with unprecedented precision, potentially transforming everything from novel drug discovery in pharmaceuticals to the development of new kinds of batteries that would lead to cheaper EVs with greater range. Financial analysis is another prime application: Someday, a quantum computer might be better at data-intensive undertakingsportfolio optimization, securities lending, risk management, identifying arbitrage opportunitiesthan any classical computer. Todays commercially available quantum computers cant pull off such extraordinary accomplishments. Still, some companies are already dabbling with the technology. For instance, Maryland quantum startup IonQ established a partnership with Airbus in 2022 to experiment with optimizing the process of loading cargo in a range of shapes, sizes, and weights onto aircraft with varying capacitiesthe kind of massive math problem that quantum is designed to solve. 5. Impressive! So why arent quantum computers everywhere already? Didnt you say the idea dates to 1981? Reliability remains an issue. Even once youve cooled a quantum machine to near absolute zerono small undertakingeven the slightest temperature fluctuation or electromagnetic interference can cause qubits to perform erratically. To mitigate, quantum designers deploy error-correction tech that pools these physical qubits into fewer, more robust logical qubits. Increasing the number of physical qubits that can be combined into logical ones is key to the industrys ambitions. The more reliable logical qubits there are in its processor, the stronger a quantum computers ability to tackle sophisticated projects. The new Majorana 1 chip, for one, holds the potential to scale up to a million qubits in the palm of your hand, says Krysta Svore, technical fellow for advanced quantum development at Microsoft. With just eight physical qubits, the prototypebased on a property called topological superconductivityis a start. You need around 100 [logical qubits] for problems in science to outperform the classical results, Svore says. At around 1,000 reliable logical qubits, youll see industrial value in chemistry. Microsoft hopes to reach that milestone in years, not decades. 6. Who else is taking part in the race to make quantum real? More companies than you might guess. A few are household names, such as IBM, which helped launch the whole field at that 1981 conference and deployed its first commercial quantum machine, the IBM Q System One, in 2019. Among its contributions to the field is Qiskit, an open-source software platform for writing algorithms that can be run on quantum computersnot just IBM ones, but others as well. The overwhelming majority of players, however, are small and focused on quantum. McKinseys 2024 report counted 261 such startups that had received a total of $6.7 billion in investment104 in the U.S. and Canada, and 24 in the U.K., another hub. But McKinsey says its list is not exhaustive and that its particularly difficult to determine how much activity is going on in China, where it identified just 10 quantum computing startups. Some of these companies are developing their own quantum computers from the ground up, often based on novel approaches. In January, for example, Toronto-based Xanadu announced Aurora, a 12-qubit machine built around photonic, or light-based, qubits rather than superconducting ones, allowing it to run at room temperature. Others are carving off specific aspects of the technology and looking for opportunities to collaborate with hardware makers. They include U.K.-based Phasecraft, which is focused on optimizing quantum algorithms and is partnering with Google and IBM, among others. Any quantum startup would be happy to become the Google, Amazon, or Microsoft of this new computing formthough Google, Amazon, and Microsoft share the same aim and can pour their colossal resources into achieving it. Upstarts and behemoths alike are still in the early stages of a long journey to full commercialization of the technology. Figuring out which ones might dominate a few years from now is as much of a crapshoot as identifying who the internet economys ultimate winners would have been in the mid-90s. [Illustration: Kathleen Fu] 7. Once quantum computers are humming, will classical computing go away? Highly unlikely. From word processing to generative AI, classical computers excel at general-purpose work outside quantum computings domain. Few companies will buy their own quantum computers, which will remain complex and costly. Instead, businesses will access them as cloud services from providers like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, combining quantum machines with on-demand classical computers to accomplish work that neither could achieve on its own. Quantums ability to explore many data scenarios in parallel may make it an efficient way to train the AI algorithms that run on classical machines. We envision a future of computing thats heterogeneous, says Jay Gambetta, VP of quantum at IBM. 8. Sounds like a tool that could do a lot of goodbut also harm. What are the anticipated risks? The one that concerns people the most is a doozy. Most internet data is secured via encryption techniques that date to the 1970sand which remain impervious to decoding by classical computers. At some point, however, a quantum machine will likely be able to do so, and quickly. Its up to the industry to start girding itself now so that businesses and individuals are protected when this eventuality comes. Quantum-resistant, or quantum-secure, encryptionsturdy cryptographic schemes that withstand quantum-assisted crackingis possible today: Apple has already engineered its iMessage app to be quantum-resistant. Samsung has done the same with its newest backup and syncing software. But implementing such tech globally, across all industries, will prove a huge logistical challenge. You have to start that transition now, says IBMs Gambetta. So far, the U.S. Commerce Departments National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has played a critical role in bolstering cryptographic standards for the quantum era. How well that effort will survive the Trump administrations sweeping shrinkage of federal resourceswhich has already resulted in layoffs at NISTis unclear. Im a little less optimistic about our ability to do anything that requires any coordination, says Eli Levenson-Falk, an associate professor and head of a quantum lab at the University of Southern California. [Illustration: Kathleen Fu] 9. Is there a chance that quantum computing will never amount to much? Most experts are at least guardedly hopeful that it will live up to their expectations. But yes, the doubters exist. Some argue that scaling up the technology to a point where its practical could prove impossible. Others say that even if it does work, it will fall short of delivering the expected epoch-shifting advantages over classical computers. Even before you get to outright pessimism, cold, hard reality could dash the most extravagant expectations for quantum as a business. In January, at the CES tech conference in Las Vegas, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said he thought very useful quantum machines were likely 20 years away. Huang is no hater: Nvidia is actively researching the technology, focused on how supercomputers using the companys GPU chips might augment quantum computers, and vice versa. Nevertheless, his cautious prognostication prompted Wall Street to punish the stocks of publicly held quantum companies D-Wave, IonQ, and Rigetti Computing. If enough American investors grow antsy about when theyll start seeing returns on quantum, the techs future in the U.S. could rapidly dim. 10. Twenty years! That sounds like forever. Even the optimists cant be all that specific about when quantum computers will be solving significant problems for commercial users. Levenson-Falk believes it could happen in the next one to 10 years, and says the uncertainty has less to do with the hardware being ready than with identifying its most promising applications. Consider the historical arc of another field that launched at a school-sponsored gathering, this time at a Dartmouth workshop in the summer of 1956: artificial intelligence. More than 50 years elapsed before the foundational breakthroughs that paved the way for generative AI; ChatGPT didnt come along until another decade after that. And were only just beginning to discover meaningful everyday applications for the technology. That quantum computing is proving to be a similarly epic undertaking shouldnt shock anyoneeven if the end of the beginning is not yet in sight. [Illustration: Kathleen Fu] The Strange Beauty of a Quantum Machine Some, like this IBM Q System One, look like chandeliers. Theyre colder than outer space. [Illustration: Kathleen Fu] 1. Pulse tube coolersAs signals move toward the computers core, things get chillier. Here begins the first stage of cooling, via the thermodynamic heat transfer of helium gas, to 4 Kelvin. 2. Thermal shieldsThese layered plates act as heat blockers, isolating each successive, increasingly cold layer from external heat. 3. Coaxial cablesThese lines carry microwave pulses down to read the quantum chips amplified output then back out. Their gold plating helps reduce energy loss. 4. Mixing chamberThe mingling of two helium isotopesgases in the atmosphere but liquids hereprovides the final blast of cooling power, bringing the temperature of the chip to 15 millikelvin. 5. Quantum amplifiersThese components amplify the chips weak quantum signals of its qubits states while minimizing noise. 6. Quantum processorAbout the size of a stamp, this chip houses the qubits where computing magic occurs.
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E-Commerce
When I was laid off from my position at Forbes, I felt completely blindsided. I had spent years associating myself with my title of marketing director at such a well-known brand, and then it was gone just like that. Like many people, I found myself staring at my laptop and outdated résumé, wondering: What now? The job market was (and still is) challenging. I knew simply mass sending résumés out to jobs was not going to work this time. Instead, I needed to show up meaningfully, build real connections, and focus on standing out in more authentic ways online. For someone who spent years helping brands tell their stories, I suddenly had to figure out my own, and fast. So, I decided to turn to LinkedIn to build my personal brand. I started by fully updating and optimizing my profile. Then I identified my core content pillars, what I wanted to be known for and what felt authentic to me. I committed to posting two to three times a week, sharing practical marketing tips, personal stories, and relatable career moments. I also made a point to comment consistently and thoughtfully on other people’s content to build visibility and connections. When I started in July 2024, I had 2,400 followers. Today, Ive grown that community to over 23,000. Growing my following has brought me new clients, brand partnerships, speaking opportunities across the country, and job opportunities. But to be clear, I dont expect everyone to go out and try to become a LinkedIn influencer. (Unless thats what you want to do!) What I do believe is that an unexpected career change, like a layoff, can be the perfect moment to give your LinkedIn a serious makeover and set yourself up for your next opportunity. Heres how you can use this time to revamp your LinkedIn profile, tell your story, and stand out to future employers or clients. Audit your profile with fresh eyes Your LinkedIn profile isnt just a digital résumé. Its your personal brand headquarters, your landing page, and your first impression. Even if you arent looking to become a content creator, a strong profile builds credibility and opens doors. Start by looking at your profile like a recruiter or potential hiring manager would. Is it clear what you do and what youre great at? Or does it read like a list of past job titles with no story behind it? Headline: This isnt just your current or most recent title. Its your hook. Use it to highlight what you do best and what you want to be known for, i.e. Financial services leader turning data into dollars, or I help nonprofit organizations increase community impact through organic social media strategies. Cover photo: This is prime real estate space you can use to showcase your work, such as awards, recognitions, featured brands you’ve worked with, and more. You can say a lot with the space available right at the top of your profile. About section: This is where you can truly tell your story and showcase who you are beyond your résumé. Instead of simply listing your skills or turning it into a “word salad” of buzzwords, focus on crafting a clear, compelling narrative that connects with your audience. Share what drives you, what you’re passionate about, and the journey that brought you to where you are today. Highlight your unique value, the problems you love to solve, and what makes you different. Think of it as your personal pitch cover letter and a space to build trust and make people want to learn more, work with you, or support your next move. Featured section: Use this section to showcase your best work, media mentions, big wins, or thought leadership pieces. If you dont have those yet, consider adding a link to a personal website, a résumé, or a featured post that highlights your perspective or expertise. Anything that backs up your pitch from your About Me section. Experience: Go beyond listing responsibilities. Highlight measurable results, key projects, and how you made a difference. This isn’t about bullet points or just listing a job description. Tell the reader what you did there and the results you achieved. Use data, metrics, and concrete examples to showcase your impact. Showing up on the platform There are different ways you can show up on LinkedIn, depending on your comfort level and goals. And there’s an untapped opportunity here, according to LinkedIn data, only 12% of users post consistently. This means you have a chance to stand out more easily. If you want to start posting content, you should first decide what you want to talk about, which means defining your content pillars. Think about what you want to be known for, what your audience engages with, and what you can talk about consistently without burning out. For me, my pillars are marketing expertise, personal and career stories, and light, relatable corporate humor. Defining these helped me show up with intention and build trust. You dont have to post every day or aim for viral content. Start small: Share a lesson youve learned recently. Talk about a challenge you overcame. Offer insights in your area of expertise. The more you show up, the more youll start to feel seen, and the more likely new opportunities will find you. If you dont feel comfortable writing content and sharing, thats absolutely fine. There are other ways you can show up on the platform and engage with the community. Reposting content from people you follow and ideas you support is a great way to share content without having to create it. Adding your thoughts to the post can be an easy way to add to the conversation. Commenting is also a simple way to utilize LinkedIn. Commenting is like virtual networking: it helps you get noticed, build relationships, and stay top of mind. Comments often lead to profile views, connection requests, and even opportunities like collaborations or job leads. Aim to leave thoughtful, genuine comments that add value, rather than quick reactions. Support others consistently; its one of the simplest but most effective ways to grow your presence and strengthen your network. A layoff might feel like an ending, but it can be the push you need to finally focus on yourself and your next chapter. You might not grow your following from 2,400 to 23,000, and you dont have to. But you can turn this moment into a powerful chance to show the world who you are and what youre capable of.
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E-Commerce
Closed, it looks pretty much like any other laptop manufactured in 1995. To be sure, its more compact than mostmaking it, in the parlance of the day, a subnotebook. But its still comically thick, standing almost as tall as four MacBook Airs stacked on each other. That height is required to accommodate multiple technologies later rendered obsolete by technological progress, such as a dial-up fax/modem, an infrared port, two PCMCIA expansion card slots, and a bulky connector for an external docking station. But then you open it up. And as you do, something utterly unique happens. Thirty-five of the laptops keys glide out to the left in a cluster. Another 49 swivel downward and to the right. By the time youve raised the screen into place, those 84 keys have assembled themselves into a keyboard thats 11.5 wideeven though the laptops case is only 9.7 wide. The result is the holiest of 1990s computing holy grails: comfy, no-compromises typing on a laptop that isagain, by the standards of three decades agohighly portable. This story is part of 1995 Week, where well revisit some of the most interesting, unexpected, and confounding developments in tech 30 years ago. I could only be talking about IBMs ThinkPad 701, the most buzzworthy PC of 1995. Its expanding keyboard, officially called the TrackWrite, remains better known by its code-name of Butterfly, referencing the spreading-wing-like effect as it slid into place. (IBMs butterfly keyboard is not to be confused with Apples much later, famously wretched keyboard of the same nickname.) The ThinkPad 701 was a small computer by 1995 standards, yet its keyboard was as spacious as they got. [Photo courtesy of Lenovo] Most amazing tech products dont stay amazing forever. Amazingfor its time is generally as good as it gets. But I dont hesitate to describe the ThinkPad 701 as amazing, full stop. Its one of the best things the technology industry has ever done with moving parts. Though the concept may sound faintly Rube Goldbergian, it worked shockingly well. Lifting the screen set off a system of concealed gears and levers that propelled the two sections of keyboard into position with balletic grace. Once assembled, there was no visible seam between the sections, anddespite the overhang they created on both sides of the computerno droop. Closing the lid neatly reversed the process. Even the confident sound the keyboard produced as it slid in and outsomewhere between a whirrrr and a whooosh, culminating in a satisfying clickwas pleasing to the ear, as if IBM had paid attention to the acoustic experience in its own right. Most computers would be hard to sell in a 15-second TV commercial. But all IBM had to do was convey the ThinkPad 701s petite size and then show what happened when you opened it. Mission accomplished, with time to spare. Long after the ThinkPad 701 left the market, it still felt like magic. David Hill, who became the ThinkPads design chief in 1995 and continued in the role after IBM sold its PC division to Lenovo a decade later, kept one on hand to demonstrate to visitors such as college students. Every time I pulled that thing out and showed it to people, the reaction would be the same, he remembers. There would be this deafening silence. And then someone would say, Do it again! When the ThinkPad 701 was new, laptop buyers recognized it as the engineering marvel it was. A Businesweek article cited sales of 215,000 units and said it was 1995s best-selling PC laptop. Yet by the time that story appeared in February 1996, the 701 had been discontinued. IBM never made anything like it again. Neither did anyone else. So how could a laptop widely regarded to have solved one of mobile computings fundamental problems come and go so quickly? Therein lies a tale. The subnotebook conundrum If you skim through enough photos of typical laptops of the mid-1990ssuch as the 65-plus models reviewed in an August 1993 PC Magazine cover storytwo things will strike you about their displays. First, theyre truly dinky. Nearly all the ones PC Mag covered measured between 8.5 and 9.5 diagonally. Today, by contrast, most mainstream laptop screens start at 13 and go up from there. Secondly, most mid-1990s laptop screens are surrounded by overwhelmingly gigantic bezels, as if they were framed, matted photos. From our 21st-century vantage point, they look weird, since computer makers later spent years shrinking the bezels downboth an aesthetic improvement and a way to fit a roomier display in a smaller case. But by supersizing the bezels, ’90s manufacturers gave themselves enough room to equip laptops with desktop-like keyboards. At the time, even more than now, that was an absolutely critical design goal. The first PC maker that figured out how to design a subnotebook-sized laptop with a desktop-sized keyboard would really have something. Now, there were buyers who craved portability so much that they were willing to accept a shrunken keyboard. Subnotebooks catered to them. But these miniature laptops were a quirky niche. Reviewing the ThinkPad 500, IBMs first subnotebook, for InfoWorld in 1993, my friend Fredric Paul concluded that touch typing is possible but not exactly fun. A bit more thought about the proper form factor might have allowed more pleasant typing. Everyone else making subnotebooks faced the same issue. There was a mismatch between the largest-size screen and a full size keyboard, says Hill. If you wanted to mke something that essentially hugged to the sides of the screen, the keyboard had to be significantly compromised in terms of the ability to type on it. It was obvious that the first PC maker that figured out how to design a subnotebook-sized laptop with a desktop-sized keyboard would really have something. Unless, that is, the whole thing was an impossible dream. In 1992, design legend Richard Sapper had given the first ThinkPad its squared-off black case and red TrackPoint pointing nubelements that have proven so durable that theyre still with us in new ThinkPads from Lenovo. As IBM contemplated the subnotebook market, Sapper tinkered with methods for getting big keyboards into small laptopsFolding the keyboard on top of itself, with wings that would fold outward, and some other ideas, says Hill. But they made the computer thicker. And that was not something that was popular. A rare closeup of the ThinkPad 701s keyboard in the process of expanding, revealing the area below the two wedges of keys. [Photo: Harry McCracken] Impractical though the goal of a keyboard that expanded seemed, it continued to float around within IBM. Among those trying to solve it was John Karidis (1958-2012), an employee at the companys Yorktown Heights, New York, lab whom Hill calls the most gifted mechanical engineer I’ve ever worked with in my entire career. His previous projects at IBM had ranged widely, from high-speed printers to chip testing equipment. Karidis really enjoyed the cadre of inventors and makers, say his brother, George Karidisan inventor himself, as was their father, a nuclear engineer for Westinghouse. He welcomed that [IBM] was International Business Machines, and he and others made machines. He had a deep concentration at a moment’s notice on any topic. He didn’t have a fear of failure, but just an eagerness to pursue things. One day, Karidis had the epiphany that made the ThinkPad 701 possible. He was playing with some wooden building blocks with his daughter, and he noticed that if you take two triangular blocks and slide them past each other, it kind of makes a rectangle that changes its aspect ratio, says Hill. By breaking a keyboard into sections that slid, you might be able to increase its width without resorting to a folding design that added to the computers height. To test that idea out, Karidis ended up photocopying a keyboard and then cutting it out, says his brother George. He saw how it could translate. And he went home and showed it to his wife, and she kind of looked at him funny and said, They pay you to do this? IBM used robots to verify that the split keyboard was robust enough to withstand 25,000 openings and closings. In his 2017 book How the ThinkPad Changed the World and is Shaping the Future, Arimasa Naitoh, who led a ThinkPad engineering team in Yamato, Japan, for decades, writes of an IBM executive at the companys Raleigh, North Carolina office. Learning of Karidiss keyboard, he pushed a plan to incorporate it in a laptop. That executive, Naitoh says, was Tim Cookyears before he joined Apple. Cooks IBM responsibilities involved manufacturing and distribution, not product development, and he left the company well before the ThinkPad 701 was released. Thinking of him as one of its fathers may be going way beyond the documented evidence. Still, the mind boggles: The most interesting laptop Apples eventual CEO played a hand in hatching might not have been a MacBook. Bringing Karidiss brainstorm to market took time. In 1992, the company had formed an analysts council that gave a select group of industry watchers the opportunity to see products under development and provide feedback. Its participants included Creative Strategies analyst (and Fast Company contributor) Tim Bajarin; the group still exists today as part of Lenovos PC business and Bajarin remains a member. At one meeting, the council got a preview of Karidiss designthough not yet in a working laptop. It wasn’t a true device, but they showed us the concept, showed us how the butterfly keyboard might work, explains Bajarin. And by the way, they did really good mockups. They were not cheapo stuff. To a person, we said, If you can do it, you should do it. They could do it, and didjust not as rapidly as theyd hoped. Naitoh writes that the ThinkPad 701 was initially supposed to ship by the end of 1994. It missed that deadline, delayed by the demands of engineering and testing such an unprecedented product. For example, IBM used robots to verify that the split keyboard was robust enough to withstand 25,000 openings and closings. Mr. Bonds laptop On March 6, 1995, IBM finally announced its new subnotebook. Available in a variety of configurations, its list prices ranged from $3,799$5,649, or about $8,000$11,900 in 2025 dollarsnot cheap, but not absurd at the time. The most economical variant, the ThinkPad 701Cs, had a 10.4 screenroomy at the timebut it was a passive matrix LCD, which tended to leave colors looking a tad washed out. The one you really wanted was the 701C, which sported a vivid active-matrix screen of the same size. In a story about the 701s arrival, The New York Times Laurie Flynn said that IBM might have trouble keeping up with demand, in part because it had gotten prospective buyers too excited too early. She also noted that the 701 used the older Intel 486 chip rather than the faster Pentiuman artifact of its slow gestation that would come back to bite IBM. Reviewers, whom IBM had seeded with ThinkPad 701 units before its release, werent impressed by the laptops aging processor and found its battery life iffy. Thanks to the butterfly keyboard, they still hailed the system as a mobile computing landmark. The $5,000 ThinkPad 701C has successfully taken the sub out of subnotebook, wrote PC Magazines Brian Nadel. The Wall Street Journals Walt Mossberg called it a true gem of a computer andmore than 20 years laterpobably the most unusual and, I think, in some ways clever laptop I ever reviewed. IBM embraced the ThinkPad 701s gadget-like qualities in this magazine ad. [Image via Google Books] Generally speaking, IBM was a businesslike brand and ThinkPad marketing leaned into practical advantages. With the 701, however, the company wasnt afraid of gadget-y associations. James Bond, as a frequent traveler, will certainly carry this amazing 4.5 lb. ultra portable computer on his next mission, declared one ad, playing up features such as the built-in answering machine and fax capability. That November, James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) really did fool around with a 701 in GoldenEyealthough only fleetingly and to the apparent annoyance of Q. (Fittingly, Hill says that Karidis was known as the Q of IBM.) The following year, the computer also showed up briefly in Tom Cruises first Mission Impossible film, which is better known for its Apple product placement. In this video promo shot at Disney Worlds Epcot Center,an IBM employee walks through the 701s features. We also glimpse the equipment the company used to test the computer and random theme park visitors being impressed by the expanding keyboard. The ThinkPad 701 garnered some weighty recognition, including 27 design awards. It was even exhibited at New York Citys Museum of Modern Art. But despite the publicity and plaudits, its clock ran out before the year ended. In a Hardware Withdrawal list released on November 21, 1995, IBM announced that it would stop marketing the 701 as of December 21. Units that had already made their way into distribution channels would remain available into 1996, but the 701 was a dead computer walking, less than nine months after its debut. Multiple factors contributed to IBMs decision to discontinue such a high-profile system. One of them was its Intel 486 chip, which had felt a tad outdated when the 701 was released and grown only more so by late 1995. Updating the design with a Pentium would not have been as simple as plopping in a newer processor. Instead, the decision would have set off a cascading series of engineering challenges relating to keeping the powerful Pentium running cool. Possible, certainlybut also a significant undertaking. I would have to say that [the ThinkPad 701s] biggest success is the halo that created around ThinkPad and IBM, because it was so wildly creative, says Hill. But it did kind of miss the wave in terms of the announcement relative to the chip. So it was a little bit late. Bajarin notes that that IBM told members of its analysts council that the TrackWrites keyboard had some reliability issues, since its left and right edges overflowed the case and were unsupported in use. That was especially true among users who mistreated their pricey new laptops: Sometimes they’d throw it in their backpack without getting the keyboard closed completely, he remembers. The great widening Ultimately, though, the ThinkPad 701 wasnt done in by its own limitations. As portable computers became more popular, progress in display technology had made it possible for PC makers to use larger screens. Manufacturers were also getting better at fitting a laptops necessary components into less space. These advances let them design a new generation of thin, light laptops that went beyond the limitations of subnotebooks. Once IBM could make a lightweight laptop with a wider screen, the need for an expanding keyboard was no longer essential, says George Karidis. It would have just been a novelty. In his book, Naitoh writes that the 701 was released amid rivalry between IBMs Raleigh and Yamato teams that was resolved by centralizing ThinkPad development in Yamato. Put in charge of determining the butterfly keyboards future, he reluctantly concluded its time had passed and suspended further work on it. In 1996, IBM released the ThinkPad 560. Its 12.1 display was considerably roomier than the ThinkPads 701s 10.4-incher. The case was two inches wider than the 701, offering plenty of space for a desktop-like keyboardno butterfly mechanism required. Yet the 560 was also much thinner (1.2) and lighter (4 lb.) than the 701, achieving a form factor that would become known as ultraportable. A patent drawing showing how the ThinkPad 701s keyboard slid into place. [Image via Google Patents] The ThinkPad 701 had been a memorable blip. The ThinkPad 560s balance of portability, power, and comfort presaged where the entire industry would focus its energy for years to come. The end result has been laptops such as todays ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13. With a 14 screen, its 53% thinner at its thickest point and 46% lighter than the ThinkPad 560. Lenovo continues to flatten these things to the point that it hardly even needs to be any thinner, says Hill. Though the 701s butterfly keyboard couldnt survive on coolness alone, There were a couple of attempts to bring it back with other operating systems, like a kind of a smart book kid of device or other things of that nature, but we never could get the the traction, says Hill. In fact, John [Karidis] and I worked on one where only half the keyboard moved. Even now, it may be premature to assume the idea will never resurface in a new device: In 2021, the history site Laptop Retrospective reported that Lenovo had filed a new patent for a magnetic expanding keyboard, possibly for use with tablets. Interviewed by Cnets John G. Spooner in 2001, Karidis didnt seem haunted by his inventions failure to change computing in any permanent way. The butterfly keyboard was no longer necessary, because people moved to larger displays, especially in this geography, he told Spooner. Where the butterfly approach makes sense is where you want the largest keyboard possible in combination with an 8-inch or 10-inch display. We’ll wait and see whether the market need develops (again) for that. So far, it hasntbut its fun to think it could. Butterflies are forever Back in 1995, I didnt even consider buying a ThinkPad 701. Even in its cheapest configuration, it was far, far outside my price range. Both of my parents got ones as work machines, though. I recall Ma and Pa McCracken being very happy with their hers-and-his ThinkPads, although my mother, who mostly used hers on the couch when working from home, discovered that excess cat hair clogged the keyboard mechanism. While working on this article, I realized I needed to reacquaint myself with the 701 in person. I ended up snagging one off eBay. Its TrackWrite keyboard continues to function perfectly, and it still boots into Windows 95. However, like many 30-year-old laptops, mine has fallen victim to its advanced age. It has a corroded battery, a flaky power switch, and a case whose rubberized black coating has decomposed to a syrupy consistency. My newly acquired ThinkPad 701C (left) and a scale model version released by IBM Japan in 2001 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ThinkPad line. [Photo: Harry McCracken] A ThinkPad 701 owner who goes by the online handle of Polymatt hasnt just lovingly restored his own laptop. Hes created Project Butterfly, a website full of step-by-step repair guides: How to sand and repaint its case, 3D-print replacement parts, fabricate a replacement battery, and more. Everything is open source, including files that allow the printing of replacement decals for icons such as the ones indicating the laptops power switch, printer port, headphone jack, and other features. Like me, Polymatt is a second-generation fan whose father brought a 701 home during its original moment of glory. I was instantly attracted to it, he says. He had some previous ThinkPads, but this thing was just supercool. I have really fond memories of playing video games on it and just being fascinated by what it was. It helped cement my interest in technology. The 701 lingered in his memory. Years later, it resurfaced as an opportunity to contribute something meaningful to the community of vintage computing enthusiasts. As a thing of wonder, the ThinkPad 701 continues to transcend its wn obsolescence. Polymatt isnt the only 701 owner whos gone all out to bring the machine into the 21st century. Karl Buchka managed to replace a 701s guts with the motherboard from a modern Framework modular laptop and give it an iPads Retina display. Theoretically, an intrepid modder could do something similar with any old computer. Its just that few mid-90s laptops remain interesting enough to inspire such creativity. Only a small group of hackers have the patience, passion, and technical chops to acquire a ThinkPad 701Polymatt says hes had 20 or 30 over the yearsand fix it up. But a far larger swath of humanity is still charmed by John Karidiss butterfly keyboard. YouTube is awash in 701-related videos, from an excellent documentary to people simply being entranced by it. As a thing of wonder, it continues to transcend its own obsolescence. Just by itself, Polymatts YouTube Short of a 701 opening and closing has been viewed more than 600,000 times. The fun thing is, I see the comments coming in from people who think that it’s a modern thing and are excited about it, he says. And then I see people who know it and are like, Oh, they need to bring this back. I get the whole spectrum of reactions. Yes, some of the YouTube commenters helpfully point out that the advent of wide screens long ago eliminated the need for an expanding keyboard. Even so, its tough to watch the video just once and then click away. After all these years, the most natural response to seeing the ThinkPad 701 in action remains Do it again.
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