IBM to refresh ThinkPad lineup

IBM (IBM) is set to refresh its line of ultraportable 560 notebooks and introduce a new high-end notebook next week, company representatives said today at Spring Comdex.

IBM is expected to announce on June 10 a new model dubbed the 560e, a follow-up to its highly successful thin-and-wide 560 series of ultraportable notebooks.

The 560e will come in two flavors. One will carry a 150-MHz MMX Pentium processor, the other will sport a 166-MHz chip. The 150-MHz 560e is expected to come with a 11.3-inch dual scan display while the 166-MHz 560e is expected to offer a 12.1-inch active-matrix display. Both will come with 16MB of memory.

IBM will also formally unveil the new 765D, to serve as IBM's top mobile offering. As reported by CNET's NEWS.COM in March, the 765D is IBM's first offering with a 13.3-inch active matrix display, one of the largest currently offered by notebook vendors. A 13.3-inch LCD screen approaches 16- and 17-inch CRT monitors in viewable area.

To accommodate the larger screen, the 765's case was elongated slightly. IBM will offer a 166-MHz MMX Pentium, a 3GB hard disk drive, an 8X CD-ROM drive, and 32MB of memory with the system.

The 560e with 150-MHz MMX Pentium is expected to be priced at around $2500, while the 560e with 166-MHz MMX Pentium should be priced at $4000. The 765D is expected to be priced between $6000 and $6500.

Pricing could change by the date of introduction, however.