Reports: Lenovo To Launch ThinkPad Tablet, Laptop

Lenovo is getting ready to add a new ThinkPad tablet and ThinkPad X1 notebook to its product lineup, according to a leaked Lenovo presentation that appeared on earlier this week.

According to a presentation slide posted on the Web site, This Is My Next, Lenovo’s forthcoming tablet -- its initial foray in the North American tablet market -- will run on Google’s Android 3.0 tablet-optimized operating system, code-named Honeycomb, and Nvidia’s dual-core Tegra 2 mobile processor. It also comes with an optional stylus pen and a keyboard portfolio case, as well as an IPS display.

Lenovo appears to be developing various storage configurations for its ThinkPad tablet -- including 16-, 32-, and 64-GB versions. According to the slide, the device weighs 1.6 pounds, and includes both front- and rear-facing cameras, as well as a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 pixel resolution IPS capacitive display.

In order to distinguish its forthcoming tablet from Apple’s iPad -- which last year claimed 87 percent market share in the fledgling tablet category, according to Gartner -- Lenovo is adding several ports to its ThinkPad tablet, according to the leaked presentation. The tablet appears to include a USB 2.0, micro USB and SD card, as well as mini-HDMI ports.

The leaked Lenovo presentation slide also reveals Lenovo’s marketing strategy for its touch-screen ThinkPad device: the tablet is apparently geared toward mobile business users, as well as the IT managers who must decide which platforms and models to deploy in their enterprise environments. HP plans to launch its Web OS-based TouchPad tablet this summer, while Cisco and RIM are already marketing their Cius and Playbook devices to business users.

Lenovo, which has recently added consumer-oriented entertainment features to its traditionally enterprise-oriented ThinkPad PC family, in keeping with the current trend of the consumerization of IT, is also rumored to be preparing a new ThinkPad notebook for release in the coming months.

Meanwhile, according to another leaked Lenovo presentation obtained earlier this week by Engadget -- which says the presentation was intended for Lenovo’s reseller channel partners -- Lenovo is preparing to release an ultrathin ThinkPad X1 laptop.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 features new RapidCharge extended battery life technology, which apparently offers a 2.5x performance gain over Lenovo’s previous ThinkPad batteries -- which already emphasized extended power options -- and it allows the system to regain 80 percent of its power capacity within 30 minutes. However, unlike the detachable battery packs that come with several ThinkPad models, RapidCharge does not allow users to replace the battery at will.

Next: ThinkPad X1 Specs

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 laptop runs on a dual-core Intel Core i5-2520M processor that offers 2.50 GHz to 3.20 GHz of clock speed. The device includes a maximum 8 GB of RAM memory, as well as 160 GB of SSD storage, and a 13.3-inch LED 1,366 x 768 pixel resolution display. Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 laptop features Gorilla Glass protection, high-definition Dolby Home Theater features, and 3G mobile broadband, as well as a fingerprint reader and an HD camera.

Furthermore, the leaked slide shows Lenovo’s forthcoming ThinkPad X1 among a new generation of Lenovo ThinkPad PCs that includes its Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E420 and E220 models, both of which are currently on the market.

A Lenovo spokesperson contacted by CRN declined to comment on either rumor.

In March, Lenovo launched its ultraportable ThinkPad X220 laptop along with the similar X200 convertible tablet PC, bringing enterprise features to mobile form factors and allowing the company to leverage its core competency while entering the hot consumer tablet market segment. A few weeks later, Lenovo offered details for its tablet roadmap and launched its LePad tablet in China, the company’s domestic market. Lenovo said it will offer its LePad to international customers in June and bring a follow-up tablet to market in the fall, without making specific mention of its North American product release schedule.