Lenovo gets ThinkPad to do some Yoga, lose weight

Lenovo has combined what it is best known for – the ThinkPad machines – with its versatile Yoga features, making it touch, rotatable and with a tablet version with a detachable screen. The latter comes with an inbuilt projector. It also looks like the company has been working on reducing the weight of its machines.

The company unveiled its latest ThinkPad X1 portfolio at an event in Downtown Dubai on Monday. Among the devices that were unveiled were the ThinkPad X1 Tablet, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga which had the distinction of being the world’s first OLED display when it was launched earlier in January; and the ThinkPad X1 Carbon which has shed some weight, becoming more thinner and lighter in the process and the ThinkCentre X1 all-in-one desktop.

ThinkPads have always been aimed at the premium segment and for professional business use. “By bringing in the features of Yoga into this category, we have ensured that the business class users are not left out. There has been a consistent demand from ThinkPad users for the incorporation of more versatile features and that's just what we have done," said Mohammed Hilili, General Manager at Lenovo Gulf & KSA. "The new products will help professionals embrace cloud computing, mobility and security," he adds.

Lenovo continues to lead the worldwide PC shipments but has been experiencing a slowdown in sales as a result of the overall slowdown of the market conditions. Lenovo along with HP have seen its growth rate drop by 7 and 9 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Lenovo witnessed shipment of 12.5 million units in 1Q 2016, down from 13.5 million in the year-ago quarter, according to the latest results from Gartner.

According to it the worldwide PC shipments dropped by 9.6 per cent to 64.8 million units during the first quarter of 2016 the first time it has dropped below 65 million units in a decade.

"The regional market has also witnessed a similar trend. There was no major sales during the Gitex Shopper in Dubai either. We are expecting it to improve with the Dubai Summer Surprises and hopefully the second quarter would be encouraging," said Hilili.

Meanwhile, the company he said has been constantly innovating its ThinkPad series to adopt to the latest market conditions.

"Innovation is the key, and we have been constantly working towards incorporating the latest designs and features into our best machines. We will continue to position the Yoga series for the consumer class and the ThinkPad for more business and corporate clients," he added.

But not all ThinkPad customers are a happy lot. There have been criticisms that Lenovo has diluted the core features of the original ThinkPad series. Some have even gone on to complain that Lenovo has not made a better ThinkPad since the X220 / X300 and T420 and have demanded the return of the 7-row keyboard. So, has Lenovo addressed the audience' concern with the new machines?

The ThinkPad X1 Tablet

The device comes with a full size ThinkPad keyboard with the iconic TrackPoint providing three adjustable typing angles and according to the company recreates the classic ThinkPad keystroke feel. Keyboard and tablet together weigh about 1kilogram. The company also points out that it is the first Windows tablet with LTE Advanced support for faster connectivity from any location. The ThinkPad X1 Tablet also features a removable rear panel for serviceability and upgrades. The device comes with 15 hours of battery life, includes a pico projector and HDMI port and a the 3D Imaging Module with its rear-facing Intel RealSense camera. ThinkPad X1 Tablet will be available at a starting price of Dh5,500.

ThinkPad X1 Yoga  

Lenovo has slimmed down the device and it measures 0.66 inches and weighs 1.3kg. The company has gone to town marketing it as the world’s first convertible featuring an optional Samsung OLED display. The device also comes with a lift and lock keyboard that retracts keys in tablet mode. The X1 Yoga also features an smart pen that for highlighting and writing notes directly on webpages using the Microsoft Edge browser. The pen is also housed and charged inside the system so. ThinkPad X1 Yoga will be available at a starting price of Dh6,200.

ThinkPad X1 Carbon

The 14-inch is one of the world's lightest business ultrabook and Lenovo says it has tried to make it thinner, lighter and more powerful. The company says it focused on customer-centric design improvements. "We listened to customer feedback and made a number of improvements, including more display options, increased memory and storage capacity, improved connectivity and made the X1 Carbon lighter at just 1.2 kilos," the product description notes.  ThinkPad X1 Carbon will be available at a starting price of Dh5,700.

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