The IBM Thinkpad 350 series was a notebook computer series introduced in 1993 by IBM as part of their

Thinkpad ThinkPad is a line of business-oriented laptop computers and tablet computers, tablets designed, developed and marketed by Lenovo, and formerly by IBM until 2005, when IBM's Personal computer, PC business was acquired by Lenovo. ThinkPads have ...

laptop series. It was the successor to the

IBM ThinkPad 300 The IBM ThinkPad 300 is a notebook computer series that was created by Zenith Data Systems for IBM. It was released in North America in October 1992, alongside the ThinkPad 700 series. It was the second series for the ThinkPad line of notebook co ...

. With only 2 models ever made in the series, it was succeeded in 1994 by the

IBM Thinkpad 360 The IBM ThinkPad 360 series was a notebook computer series introduced in 1994 by IBM as part of their ThinkPad laptop series. It was succeeded in late 1995 by the IBM ThinkPad 365 series. History On October 17th, 1994, the ThinkPad 360 CE and C ...

series.

History

The 350 was announced in June 1993. The 125MB disk version started shipping in June 1993, the 250MB version started shipping in July.

Features

The 350 series shipped with IBM PC DOS 5.02 as the included

operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also in ...

. Both models in the series came with an Intel 486SL running at 25 MHz, and a CT-65530 video controller with 1 MB of video memory. Both models also had a standard 4 MB of RAM that was on a proprietary IC DRAM Card. If a user wanted to upgrade the ram, the 350 ThinkPads supported an IC DRAM Card size up to 20 MB. Both in the series came with a 125 or 250 MB standard hard drive, and a non-removable 1.44 MB floppy drive. Both models also had a battery life up to 9 hours. In March 1994, IBM cut the prices by 12%. The 350 is identical to the PS/Note 425 and the 350C is identical to the PS/Note 400SL/25.

Models

IBM ThinkPad 350 — The first model in the series, it introduced a Intel 486SL running at 25 MHz, a monochrome 9.5" STN display with 640x480 resolution, 4 MB of ram on an IC DRAM Card, a non-removable 3.5" 1.44 MB floppy drive and a 250 MB hard disk drive. The 350 weighed 5.2lb in total, and started at $2,099. Other features included: Trackpoint II, Type II PCMIA slot. IBM PS-Note 425 (ThinkPad 350C)

IBM ThinkPad 350C — Basically the same as the first, and also the second and last in the series, it only had 1 notable change to a 9.2" STL LCD 640x480 256 color display. It also added the additional option of a 125 MB hard drive alongside the 250 MB option. It weighed 5.7lbs, a .5lb gain from the base 350 model. The 350C started at a price of $1,999 with the highest being $2,399.

Comparison

Reception

A review by the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' considered the ThinkPad 350 not an impressive machine due the fact it was bundling

IBM DOS IBM PC DOS, an acronym for IBM Personal Computer Disk Operating System, is a discontinued disk operating system for IBM PC compatibles. It was manufactured and sold by IBM from the early 1980s into the 2000s. Developed by Microsoft, it was also s ...

instead of

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

. A review of the 350C by ''

InfoWorld ''InfoWorld'' (abbreviated IW) is an information technology media business. Founded in 1978, it began as a monthly magazine. In 2007, it transitioned to a web-only publication. Its parent company today is International Data Group, and its siste ...

'' noted the good screen and the relatively short battery life.

References

{{IBM personal computers ThinkPad 350 350