#BeGladThinkpad

[arthurhwalker]

My P40 Yoga, 16 Months Later

I've had my Lenovo P40 Yoga since early March of 2016. It is nearly two years after the device was announced, and it is still a relevant device in the professional computing landscape. The P40 has been central to my workflow since I got it, acting as a confluence for my professional and personal interests in writing, game development, and illustration.

As I write this, the P40 doesn't look to be getting a refresh, and Lenovo doesn't have a replacement device among their current offerings. As far as I know, only Wacom has a machine that is roughly comparable. That doesn't mean another one won't emerge down the road, but for right now, the P40 Yoga pretty much stands alone.

My P40 Yoga has traveled with me to Orlando, Baltimore, and on a weird road trip through Texas. It goes in my bag almost every day, through airports, and up the road to the donut shop. While it is showing some cosmetic wear and tear, it still runs like the day I got it.

At some point, I'll have to look at replacing the battery, putting a new screen protector on it, and finding just the right Linux distro. Wacom's newer (and badly marketed) Bambook Ink Stylus works really well with it, making it feel like I got a little bit of an upgrade for my money.

The P40 Yoga doesn't have a lot of the newer features of 2-in-1 devices coming out this year like faster SSDs and Thunderbolt 3 ports. What it does have is NVIDIA Quadro on board, and a best in class pen stylus experience. It’s weird to be obsessive about a piece of equipment. Maybe, that’s just me getting old and sentimental. 

I’m a game developer, a novelist, and an illustrator. Admittedly, finding an all-in-one mobile computing package for me isn’t easy. I’m also a personal computing princess and I won’t use crap. 

I have looked extensively for a replacement, something new and shiny to act as my mobile workstation. I don’t think the HP Spectre X360, Wacom’s Mobile Studio Pro, or even Apple’s iPad Pro are bad options, they just don’t hit enough of my criteria to make me want to trade up. 

Anyway, my criteria are as follows:

Intel ULV Processor 

Premium Graphics – Quadro or Intel Iris (no GeForce)

WQHD screen resolution or higher

Device/Manufacturer Specific Docking Option

A Good Keyboard or Keyboard Accessory

SD Card Reader - Full Size, or Micro.

Runs Linux if I want to

Included Stylus, even if just a 6.5 mm 

Premium Warranty/Service Options, Device Replacement Plan

I don’t need all of these things, but a good majority of them would be nice. Right now, my P40 Yoga ticks off the entire list. I’ve logged about 2600 hours on my P40, a few hundred more than my S1 Yoga.

I take really good care of my electronics, keeping them protected and dust free, but everything has a threshold. It’ll only power up so many times, and jump through so many airports in a bag. I’ve thought even more about doing that other thing old people do with gear or tools they get sentimental about, and buy a spare. 

This has become a trend with me lately, as my wife and I have come to like Lenovo Thinkpad 10 Tablet to the degree we’ve got three between us. We’ve got two 1st Gen and a 2nd Gen. Like the P40, there is not a new Thinkpad replacing it Lenovo’s offerings. 

So, that might be the answer. Lurk on Lenovo’s Outlet site and wait for a P40 Yoga with all the right specs to pop on the cheap. It might be, that the only thing that can replace a P40 Yoga, is another P40 Yoga. 

[arthurhwalker]

Cobbled together a post-storm window seat to work today. It's every kind of grey outside today. #smallapartment #highrise #workspace #lenovo #lenovoin #begladthinkpad #thinkpad10 #writing #storms #smallthings #wacom (at 250 Douglas Place)