IBM ThinkPad s30/s31

The ThinkPad s30 and s31 are both tiny 10.4" subnotebooks, released in 2001. They were mostly exclusive to Japan, but some with US keyboards were produced and somehow made it out in the wild. They're not super common, but they're out there. I'm not sure exactly where they were sold in the US. I've heard it thrown around that they were available to IBM employees, but this I'm unsure of. They don't appear on the American IBM website. The S Series ThinkPads are somewhat iconic among collectors, mainly due to the keyboard that extends past the rest of the laptop, and the optional glossy "Mirage Black" display cover.

The s31 is its own mystery. They're far less common than the s30, and seem nearly identical in specifications. The only difference listed in the s30/s31 Hardware Maintenance Manual is the hard drive size that they shipped with. I've heard both that the s31 was the only one available with the Mirage Black cover (which I believe is incorrect) and that the s31 was the one sold outside Japan (which also appears wrong - I've seen an s30 with a US keyboard on eBay). I'm still not sure what the difference way supposed to be.

Some s30/s31s were sold as part of the i Series, and are badged "i Series" instead of s30 or s31.

Image on the right is from solidpro - ThinkPad s30.

Specifications

Spec	ThinkPad s30	ThinkPad s31
Release Date	2001	Unknown
Discontinuation Date	Unknown
CPU Options	Intel Mobile Pentium III @600MHz
RAM (Standard)	128MB
RAM (Maximum)	256MB
RAM Type	PC-100 SDRAM
HDD Standard Size	10 or 20GB	5 or 30GB
HDD Type	IDE 2.5"
Uses Proprietary HDD Adapter?	Unknown
Display Options	10.4" TFT LCD @1024x768
GPU	Silicon Motion Lynx3DM
VRAM	4MB
Sound	AC97 Compatible
Battery	Lithium Ion
CMOS Battery	Unknown
Power Supply	Barrel Jack
PC Cards	1x PCMCIA/CardBus (Type II)
Media Drives	None Internal
Networking	Modem and Ethernet
I/O (Other)	- 1x Video Out (proprietary connector) - 1x CompactFlash Card slot - 1x USB 1.x - 1x Headphone Out - 1x Mic In - 1x IEEE1394/FireWire (optional?)
BIOS	IBM BIOS
Pointing Device	TrackPoint