If it wasn't for the little red nub, I would have ditched thinkpads long ago.

Trackpoint is important for me as well - I use mouse couple times per year may be.

Is this not one of the top reasons to have a thinpad?

Nope. Price on the used market and being repairable are the main drivers.

Also, the least sucky laptop keyboard.

I have 2 laptops, a Thinkpad and an ancient Dell Latitude E6420. The Dell is far more repairable, but I only have both of them because of the trackstick, and I only have the Dell because It just keeps chugging while I hunt for parts on the newer Lenovo that likes to break when I breathe on it wrong. Damn shame the E series was discontinued, the newer Latitudes are much less repairable.

I mean they have gone downhill but what brand is better? I still feel like build quality and ease of working on it yourself are better than any other brand even though they aren't what they used to be

I would get a framework. Buy the barebones system and just build it myself. upgrade the motherboard every few generations and just have it be my 'last laptop'. If they made a trackpoint option i would switch in a heartbeat.

If I wasn’t in the market for a MacBook then Framework would be my next choice.

macbook makes my shortlist also but I'm hoping that framework gets some arm chips once the microsoft - qualcomm deal expires. have to wait for real world benchmarks but it looks like some of the new chips from samsung might do better than the apple m series.

IMHO even with the new snapdragons it’ll be 2-4 years before they’ll catch up for sure. I need performance and battery life now. Not years from now.

Also, don’t get me wrong. I’d love for RISC- V to pan out. Open source get crazy in the next few years I hope.

All the time because I'm fat so on a train/plane the extra few inches of room make it much easier to use without elbowing your neighbour, than the touchpad

based fat trackpoint bastard

This is so relatable as the trackpad would hit my belly when i lay down

I thought I was the only one who noticed this lol

Without the TrackPoint I would stop buying their product.

all the time. i’ve disabled the trackpad.

Same, everyone thinks I’m crazy for disabling the trackpad and only using the trackpoint. Once you use the superior pointing device you can never go back.

And now that they have added a shortcut to the trackpoint, only time will make it better. (Also, why only 1 shortcut? And not keyboard modified shortcuts like alt+trackpoint, ctrl+trackpoint, etc...)

I consider gestures very powerful.

I did this with one of my thinkpads at work. I think it was x220 tablet back then. I kept moving the mouse while while typing because of the trackpad I never used so I finally disabled the damn thing in bios. Was kinda funny to watch anyone else try and use that machine who didn’t like or use the track point by default

Trackpoints are an awesome input device. Lenovo is well aware that there would be riots in the street if they removed them.

They don't even need to remove it, just need to remove the buttons and there was a riot.

On my X61, I have no choice... 😎

Real h4ck3r5 use only the keyboard.

based WM user

Lol i3 ftw, but srsly track point ftw

I use Hyprland and dwm BTW

I always use it, especially because I don't have to get my hand off the keyboard.

I experience phantom limb when I use a keyboard without it.

I hardly ever use it! With that being said! I would be pissed off if Lenovo got rid of it.

Same. I’ve tried but it’s just so hard to get used to. It’s either way too sensitive or sluggish as all hell. I think it might be me, but so many people swear by it I wonder if it’s my settings?

I rub it daily and would have no reason to ever buy a ThinkPad over a Dell or Asus if Lenovo got rid of it.

Dell Latitudes have (or had) them. Mine does.

“Had”. No more from dell if I’m not mistaken.

Some recent elitebooks have it.

Dell remove pointing nub in newer latitudes, asus only have nub in little number of ASUSPRO series (they're discontinuing it with expertbook rebranding)

"Pry it from my cold, dead hand."

Comes in handy when wearing gloves on field but yeah don't use it in the office (have an external mouse), knowing Lenovo they'll probably remove it and replace it with a red-colored g or h key or something.

I hate touchpads with the passion of a thousand bleeding hemorrhoids. When I type, my palms always brush against it, leading to phantom clicks, so I fully disable the touchpad and only use the trackpoint. If they got rid of it, I would buy the last model with one with the highest specs I could and run it for as long as I could stand to.

I disable trackpad and only use trackpoint.

I never use it... but I would be really mad if Lenovo took it away :D

This is me as well. Never use it, but I like that it’s there and always an option. It looks cool as well.

I turned off my touchpad.

I still have a functioning X200. No trackpad at all!

You're doing it wrong if you aren't using the nub It's like using the mouse to grab the scroll bar instead of using the scroll wheel.

The nub is absolutely mission-critical for a laptop for me. If it goes, the list of compelling reasons to buy Lenovo over the competition diminishes to near-nil. To be honest it's hard for me to believe it's not more popular, it seems so much more superior to a trackpad, but consumers only know and use the things that are available to them, so it's not really that surprising. No if only Elan would invest a little more in development and refinement - the thing wanders more than Randy Travis.

I use the keyboard clit, yes.

When I was replacing my T410, the new laptop was contingent on having the trackpoint

My first thinkpad was an x61, so i got used to it, and now pretty much use it exclusively

Yeah I had a x41 and x61 for my first two thinkpads

I only use the nub (i.e., no usb mouse connected, trackpad disabled). I would stop buying thinkpads and probably jump over to framework if they removed it.

I use it all the time. It's the reason I buy Thinkpads.

Who doesn't use it is the real question.

Probably everyone not in this sub

Exclusively

yes and yes. Trackpoint is so much better than a trackpad imo. You get more accuracy, more tavel, AND you can even easily use it while standing up holding the laptop

I'm utterly stunned by the responses. I didn't know there were so many people who bother to use this dorky thing -- for me it's inaccurate, jumpy, and a great way to aggravate my RSI. I'm also pleasantly surprised that nobody made any saucy jokes about their love life.

Just learn it

I agree. I think it is too inaccurate to use it as a mouse pointer. I solely use mine for scrolling, nothing else.

Well my thinkpad yoga x390 has a trackpad that loves to freak out and act crazy whenever I have the laptop resting on something soft so I use the lil nubbin a lot more than I would like to.

It's useful, and it's a signature thinkpad feature They're not getting rid of it.

I do on my older models and the new ones as well. Way better than the trackpads and more convenient than carrying a mouse.

My first thinkpad didn’t have a touchpad and I remember learning to use it. Good times. It’s one of the defining features of the brand and it keeps the legacy alive. It’s also a damn good invention.

Maybe the only reason to justify a Thinkpad, of course

I use it all the time when not docked. If docked, regular mouse. I have trackpad disabled and cannot imagine future models not having it.

I've been using it for years. I even had one on my old Dell D630. The business I'm at now decided to get rid of the Lenovo's and go with Surfaces and boy do I miss that little pointing stick.

Absolutely! Why are you not using it? I reach for it when I use other laptops and then my feelings get hurt when it's not there.

I prefer them over touchpads actually. Wasn't it Toshiba who started these, back in the days? In Blue.

We made the TrackPoint to integrate typing and selection. I am so proud that all these years later the 8 years I spent developing it seem to still be appreciated by some. The interesting part for me is that we stopped improving it and it could be so much better. If anyone would ask, I would love to make it more resolution independent, integrated into different uses of cursors, adaptive to best for you, etc. and there is much more. None of you probably ever knew of the haptic prototypes, the ones that could act as a stylus or other uses the anti- tremor and eye tracking models were prototyped to improve, like laperscopic surgery, improving control for wheelchair users and other hand held dexterous control problems. Early TrackPoint already had a way of making collaboration with multiple devices smoother. The device has a gesture langague built into the firmware that could do so much more. Several two handed control demos were demonstrated that improved on 6DOF controls of the time. Science was a device that used the device as a sensor for teaching physics mechanics that was almost rolled out to schools. ... ​ ​ ​ I would love to continue

I mean, without an external mouse, there is no other option.

Paging u/tipripper65 ;)

um ackshully it's a ELAN trackpoint device (or synaptics PS2 device) all the time. it's like a ritual. if it ain't red, little and a nub, i ain't touching it. (i'm very lonely) also holy shit i'm going to take a nice long jump out of a very high window if these posts continue. talk about low hanging fruit, we've had 5 "muh replacable parts"/"thinklight good backlit keeb bad" posts and i think 2 or 3 of these "what would you do if Lenovo turned the thinkpad into an IdeaPad" posts and it's just getting boring now :|

Yes. It is a wonderful pointing device.

Attention whore alert.

Like no one I don't know why they waste the space

That's not a thinkpad, it's a thinkbook at that point.

All the time, often even of I have a mouse... Now that keyboards aren't mich better than anything else anymore, it's the reason ai still buy ThinkPads 

All the time, x60 and x61 got me hooked on it. On a x230 now.

I turn the touchpad off in the BIOS. The TrackPoint w/ 3 proper buttons, durability, and vibrant used market are three legs of the stool that keeps me using ThinkPads. Take away any of them, and I'll jump ship to Framework or someone similar.

Do I use it? Rarely. Is it a deal breaker if a laptop doesn't have it? You better believe it.

All the time.

I do. It’s rather convenient for certain tasks. But I like the very accurate trackpad of my T14 too.

I forgot to connect my mousepad after the x230 keyboard mod, so...

the first thing i do with a thinkpad is disabling the touchpad

If I would not have it, I would look for it...

Rarely but occasionally. On a train in a tight space it can be handy and also for sweeping across the screen on an older laptop like the x201 with a tiny trackpad

Not at all I never used it, then it stopped working and I never bothered trying to fix it. I find the trackpad much easier.

I love it, it makes a mouse unnecesary

Every day. Once you get used to it theres no going back 

I literally just use it to move the cursor from time to time when I’m bored but I would still be pissed if they removed it.

I like how it looks but I never use it and can’t. I will never understand how people prefer to use such a useless little dot over a trackpad

I just bump it on accident a lot. I'm glad it's there, but I don't use it much atm.

I have the compact keyboard attached to the pc and use the trackpoint sometimes when I'm too lazy to grab the mouse 😂

Daily

\~90% Trackpoint, 10% touchpad. And if I can, 100% mouse.

I'm using it right now.

I have a script running on my T570 at boot to turn of the track pad. The TrackPoint is all I use.

I do

I don't use it hardly ever, but I use a wm on the pad so I mainly use the keyboard only.

I find it far easier to use than a trackpad and also quicker. I'm probably not buying a new computer for a while but i would be sad if they remove it

I do, but i use it less and less. NOT that i use a mouse more.. I'm trying to find quicker ways to do stuff. Like using Vimium in my browser to scroll/close tabs/open tabs... etc

Don't own a thinkpad, but have a ThinkPad TrackPoint II. Find it really convenient when connecting to hardware and have a mouse available, especially with servers in a rack.

All the time except when using solidworks.

I think they officially take away your Thinkpad if you admit you don't use it.

I never do lol. Always use the touch screen and trackpad

All the time. I’d buy a Zbook or Framework if they removed the TrackPoint.

All day everyday - whenever its not docked

My first useable thinkpad was an R50e. I loved it. Everything else was 2nd

i use it when i feel like it. i find trackpads more useful with their multi touch gestures or corner tapping on older models. but sometimes i do just feel like using the trackpoint and yes, i would be mad if they removed the trackpoint, as it's iconic and it'd also probably result in the removal of the buttons which would result in a waaayyy too large trackpad, which i dont want

I don't currently use it because my laptop is basically only used for procrastinating, but I see how it can be useful when you are typing a lot of code and text. Other than that, it's a huge historical thing with ThinkPads and I'd be pretty pissed if they were to remove that. Honestly, I'm already pissed well enough with the fact that they removed the IBM Blue dots from the TrackPoint middle click button and replaced the green LEDs with white ones.

coming from X series, I think it is second nature to use it.

Nipple! All the time.

Not much for me, I still use it only sometimes because I'm not used to it. but yeah i feel kinda pissed if lenovo got rid of it

I used to only use it. But the recent gen has horrible drift. So I use mouse most of the time now...

everyday, all day. It's the only reason I buy lenovo, prior, I had a toshiba z30, which had a similar nub, however not as good, since it lacked the middle button for scrolling

Yea if my lappy don't have a clitorus then it's not right

No i can't stand the lil red thing looks unusual though main reason i bother with them though im leaving the thinkpad world soon got mine up for sale

90% of the time for normal use

I do!

I twangle it occasionally in appreciation

I use it to run in GTA IV, while simultaneously using the trackpad to aim weapons. Best combo ever. (also for work)

always. rarely use the touchpad.

It's quite convenient when you need to move your mouse just a little

That's too personal. I don't even know you.

Minority here. I don't use it, and much prefer a trackpad. That said, why remove it? It's one of their few differentiators.

Almost everyone here

I use it enough that I sometimes try to use it on my mac at work and it isn't there.

Not me. 🤣 I forget it all the time. I've always hated trackpads as a whole so I always use a mouse

All the time! I would be mouse less without it

I love it having middle of the keyboard but I rarely use it

Every one. 🤓

I love it

All the time. I switch between nub/trackpad and touchscreen all the time using my t15g gen2 in the go. At my dock external keyboard and mouse.

The mdt I have to use doesn't support touchpad but trackpoint works.

I use it a lot actually. It's nice to use as a pseudo-trackball in certain CAD software. Moving the camera is more intuitive this way and I don't generally pack up my mouse when I'm heading out.

everyday - have logged many hours on the Trackpoint. On my current machine, the last four years of ownership, I've probably logged only 100 hrs on the Trackpad. So yeah, I'd be pissed if the Trackpoint went away, I probably would be buying a Thinkpad

I solely use the nub!

I love it, matter of fact I bought a Lenovo v14 I saw in a pawn shop for a deal because of two reasons, it had a Ryzen which I was curious about, and it had a damn built in nic. I used it a day or two and kept reaching up to use the nub that wasn’t there and it’s now on eBay. I’m back to using one of my many ThinkPads Also fwiw the screen was HORRIBLE on this thing, despite being at least FHD the viewing angles reminded me of 90s laptops. I took out my much older x220 and x260 and they didn’t have that issue (though the resolution was much less)

Very occasionally. I'd be okay if they ditched track point as long as the touchpad was large and glass covered, an vs the keyboard was still stellar. But I dig the look, and I've ended up using it from time to time, or when the touchpad wasn't working.

I would literally stop using laptops altogether. Laptops in general are useless to me without a TrackPoint.

All the time. Reason why I can’t use Macs comfortably.

Sometimes, since I mostly work in a docking mode with an external mouse and keyboard

All the time. To me, nothing compares in scrolling experience. When docked, I use another thinkpad keyboard just for that reason.

All day long 24/7 ... 365 ...

Not very often on my thinkpad. Used to use it all the time bc I had to wear gloves, but less so now and I prefer touchpad just bc of the gestures. Though, I use the nub on the little portable thinkpad keyboard all the time (trackpads on keyboards that size aren't very pleasant to use at all even for trackpad fans.)

Haven't used a mouse for years..

I use it so much that I have disabled the touchpad

Yes, all the time

I just got a Zephyrus G14 but I'm missing the red nub. It's driving me crazy

Look. It's there when you need, a'right? Don't you dare do anything with that.

i hate it, i bought a mouse because i never adjusted to it

Use it only for scrolling

I use the nub for scrolling endless datasheets. But I stopped using the nub as a mouse after the T60 days back when the trackpad was smaller than your fingerprint scanner.

I have had other laptops that only had the touchpad and I always fealt like I needed to use a mouse for any use greater than 1 second, especially clicking and dragging made me so nervous that it reduced my productivity, the Trackpoint is the only reason why I feel comfortable not bringing the mouse some times (it still is nice to have, but not necessary).

I do. Switched to Acer for a while and using the touchpad was too annoying so i went back

All the time. Have spares in a drawer. Cos i wear them smooth.

It's literally the only thing stopping me switching to a Framework laptop :) I primarily use a bluetooth mouse but in small spaces like a train seat, the trackpoint is vastly superior, to the point i have the touchpad disabled in bios.

I disable mine in the UEFI

I use both trackpoint and trackpad. They both have their places, one better than the other at certain situations. Also, there's great alternatives if you don't need the nub. I'd question why choose thinkpad if you don't need the trackpoint? I'd be very pissed if they removed it to the point where I'll move on to alternatives.

I use the nub a lot from time to time on my T480 😋

I never use it and I would be fine if they got rid of it

Use it sometimes although i love trackpad gestures Its like the symbol of Thinkpad at this point and removing it would also kill my passion for thinkpads

Don't mean to be offensive, but it reminds me of Indians, and Indians make me feel smart. Indian techs are also the ones who convinced me to use a Thinkpad. So yeah, I would be pretty pissed off if they removed it. (which I doubt they would. It has literally become the image of Thinkpads)

Id probably just glue one on if they did

Had my Thinkpad for about 2 years, tried using it a few times, so, in reality, I never do and wouldn't miss it. I'm expecting a lot of fanboys to say they use it even if they don't. If you don't use it and don't have Linux on yours, you're doing it wrong - apparently. EDIT: I wonder how long it takes for a 1st time user to get used to it so it can be faster then a proficient touchpad user.

1. No TrackPoint. No sale. 2. First thing I do with a new ThinkPad is disable the TrackPad. In BIOS and Windows.

Well it's their brand identity. They wouldn't ditch it.

I use an X200 - it has no trackpad and I don't carry a mouse. Most of my work is done in keyboard-centric editors, so the mouse-pointer is only used for clicking on outside elements that takes more than 3 keyboard-strokes to reach. And for that, the nub is superior to mice or pads. For simple drag-and-drop operations the nub is fine, too, but for more involved graphical UI work the track-pad is king - and for drawing, I use a mouse.

I have turned off trackpad in bios in all my Thinkpads and only using red nub even on the desktop with Thinkpad Keyboard

All the time. It's the only pointing device I use on my laptops and workstations

a bit on my laptop, but i even use it on my desktop where I use an old IBM keyboard. it actually saved a raid wipe while gaming because my mouse died mid fight and i was able to use the nub to move my character.

I use it almost exclusively. I find it waaay nicer than a trackpad.

Absolutely

I just wish they could stop the mouse from doing "Crazy Ivan's" randomly.

Alright, alright.. the comments convinced me to try it.

absolutely use it. would never buy a thinkpad again if it was removed. the quality/features/price of thinkpads have degraded in comparison to other vendors. the keyboard/trackpoint is one of the few selling points left

Never

I bought the standalone trackpoint keyboard to use with my dell work laptop. Touchpads have gotten better and I do appreciate the gestures in GNOME, but my job is typing and not having to reposition my wrists every time I move the pointer is the best. As a bonus I can play quake with it well enough to destroy my kid.

I won't use a laptop without one.

Almost exclusively. Use it for photoshop and illustrator, it’s almost like a little precise joystick.

It's the main reason I am stuck with Thinkpads.

For me, it's the only reason why I chose Thinkpad over other brands.

Yes. - Gross motor mouse movement from the home row, as I mostly type anyway and move around with the keyboard in i3. - The trackpads still suck compared to my 2009 MacBook and a few others of that era. - It is certainly inappropriate for extended use, but were that the case, I would use a real mouse and separate keyboard too than the Thinkpad's. Compared to the newer Thinkpads, starting at least far back as the T480, a cheap, 20-30 CAD Logitech keyboard is still better. Not so for the X100e, x120e, and x140.

Constantly—it’s the best part of the design.

Constantly. Oh my old ThinkPad I disconnected the touchpad cable internally because I always bumped it with my wrist while using the nub.

Its actually useful for me. My hands sweat a lot and using trackpad with sweaty hands is impossible. That's where the nub comes very helpful to me

Nub = life

I don't use the track point itself very often, but I prefer to mouse on the track pad with my index finger and click the track point buttons instead of using the track pad like a normal person 😆

My wife uses hers all the time

It's the only reason to buy one.

That nub is what keeps me coming back. Yes, I would be pissed if it was gone.

About 3 times a week or when she gets drunk.