Here’s an interesting article on how the IBM TrackPoint was developed, how it was dismissed and forgotten about, and how it suddenly became the feature that made IBM ThinkPads the best notebooks on the market. For those who don’t know, the TrackPoint is the pointing stick found on IBM, Toshiba, the business Dells, and a few other notebooks:

An interesting fact about the cliTrackPoint: initially it was integrated into some IBM desktop keyboards, before they realised it would be excellent in a notebook. IBM stopped making desktop keyboards with nipTrackPoints, but they later reappeared when UniComp bought out the keyboard manufacturing part of IBM (well, Lexmark at that time, since IBM spun off its peripherals business to Lexmark). They still make the excellent Model M-style clacky keyboards. I’m considering getting one, because they are really nice to type on. Anyway, their EnduraPro model is an old-school clacky keyboard .. PLUS a TrackPoint. It could very well be the best keyboard ever made. If all goes well I could be getting one for Christmas … but I’m still trying to decide whether to go for the Das Keyboard instead. Meh, i’ll figure it out.   

–Ben

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