The ThinkPad i Series is a group of IBM ThinkPad laptop computers that were manufactered from 1998 to 2002. These machines were an effort to address the desire for a personal entertainment device and small business users. They were designed and priced to be both for productivity and play. IBM desired to gain ground in the consumer market and created the i Series as an answer to their competitors.
While designed by IBM, several models of the i Series were manufactured by Acer on an OEM basis.
Several alternate names were considered for this series including "X Pad", "X Series", "TrekPad", and "Aptiva Note Personal Series." i Series was chosen with the "i" standing for individuals.
David Hill who was the head of design for IBM Personal Systems Group led the design of the i Series. The design was informed by six research studies of the consumer mobile market.
The i Series team collaborated with Altec Lansing to design the speaker system to fit into the thinner chassis. The initial design was loosely based on the ThinkPad 600 with consumer features such as speakers mounted next to the display and front mounted optical drive controls.
The red, green, blue and yellow ShortCut Keys were an effort to make the traditional corporate design feel more personal.
The i Series introduced several items to the ThinkPad lineup including the ThinkLight. Several models featured CD/DVD playback capability and a 14.1" screen. The i Series was the first ThinkPads to feature wireless communications technology and the first notebook computer with an integrated antenna with a 802.11b WiFi radio.
The ThinkPad i Series was generally well received. Reviewers would often note that the performance was not as good as more top of the line systems. The lightweight nature of the i Series was favoured by reviewers including photographers. Customers also appreciated how thin the device was built. One of the common complaints was the lack of port replicator support.
In 2004, IBM instigated a voluntary recall on 553,000 AC adapters, primarily bundled with i Series machines. These faulty units are labelled with the part number 02K6549. These are known to cause damage to internal componets.
The i Series S30 (later rebranded to the S30) and S31 were unique ThinkPads that featured an optional piano black acryllic painted lid that IBM called "Mirage Black." The S30 was a successor to the i 1124 hence why it was originally included as part of the i Series. The S31 was sold in the Asia Pacific market with the S30 exclusive to Japan. Production ran from June 2001 to March 2002.
For a complete list of models, see the list below. Models in brackets were rebranded low-cost versions of other models. Several models were available only in specific regions.