Articles about Lenovo

IBM today sold its Intel server business to Lenovo, yet another example of Big Blue eating its seed corn, effectively dooming the company for the sake of short-term earnings. It’s a good move for Lenovo and an act of desperation for IBM.

Wall Street analysts may see this as a good move but then Wall Street analysts typically aren’t that smart. They’ll characterize it as selling-off a low-margin server business (Intel-based servers) to concentrate on a higher-margin server business (Z-series and P-series big iron) but the truth is IBM has sold the future to invest in the past. Little servers are the future of big computing. IBM needs to be a major supplier and a major player in this emerging market.

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For most of the last year it seems that we've been reporting the decline of the PC market. At the beginning of December we even had IDC saying that shipments had seen their greatest decline ever.

No surprise then that on the figures for the final quarter of 2013 both IDC and Gartner are saying that shipments have declined again. The good news though is that there are signs of the decline bottoming out.

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It seems that these days it is not enough for a laptop to just be a laptop, or a tablet to be a tablet. I'm not talking about the strange new breed of devices that are capable of running Windows and Android, or the rumors that handsets running Windows Phone and Android might see the light of day (haha! Can you imagine?). I'm talking about the devices that seem to be trying to become best friends with Michael Bay, transforming between multiple modes.

It's not really a new concept. We've already looked at Lenovo's Yoga 11S which can be bent into four different positions. The same company also has the Flex range which has fewer Transformer-like capabilities, but is still more than just your average laptop. At CES 2014 Toshiba decided to up the ante, taking the wraps off a 5-in-1 device.

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Lenovo is making lots of announcements today, chief among them being the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon 14-inch Ultrabook. Designed using carbon fiber (which is lighter than magnesium and aluminum but stronger than both), the X1 Carbon weighs just 2.8 lbs, making it the lightest 14-inch Ultrabook in the world.

The X1 Carbon features the Adaptive Keyboard, which dynamically adjusts based on the software or application being used, and also integrates voice and gesture control. The PC comes with an improved ColorBurst Display which, according to Lenovo, "provides sharper, brighter images at higher resolutions with better viewing angles for a superior visual experience".

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Even though CES has yet to officially commence (it starts on January 7), tech companies have already started to announce products that will be showcased at the well-known trade show. One of the latest is Chinese maker Lenovo, which just unveiled its newest Windows 8.1 tablet, the ThinkPad Tablet 8.

Unlike some other 8-inch Windows 8.1 tablets that we have seen so far, the ThinkPad Tablet 8 is the first to actually rival, specs-wise, the latest Android flagship slates and Apple's iPad Mini with Retina display. Heck, it is so intriguing that I might actually buy one (assuming that it will be available, locally).

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We're all used to getting touchy-feely with our phones and tablets, but it's only in the past few months that touchscreen laptops have really gained any ground. A report by NPD DisplaySearch states that by the end of 2013, touchscreen devices will account for 11 percent of all notebook shipments -- that's around 19.8 million notebooks with touchscreens -- and there has been a steady increase in market share since the beginning of the year.

Richard Shim, senior analyst at NPD DisplaySearch explains that "Premium pricing and a lack of compelling uses for touch screens on notebooks continue to hinder adoption", but goes on to say that "as touch interfaces become increasingly common across all mobile devices, it is just a matter of time before the technology also becomes more prevalent in notebooks".

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The Lenovo Yoga 10 tablet looked great... until I turned it on. You see, when I did the unboxing, the build quality felt solid. Holding it my hands, I had high hopes; the integrated kickstand was intriguing. The tablet itself resembles an Apple Magic Trackpad.

While most tablets are just rectangular slabs, the integrated kickstand allows the Yoga to stand up on its own. I was particularly blown-away by just how well-made the kickstand is; it's crafted from thick aluminum. This enables the tablet to be used as a display for watching video services like Hulu Plus or Netflix. However, the overall package is a cruel joke -- beautiful on the outside but horrible on the inside.

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According to new quarterly reports from IDC and Strategy Analytics, Samsung has increased its lead on the smartphone market in Q3 2013. The South Korean maker's shipments were higher than those of the next four-largest vendors, combined, according to the IDC data.

Samsung's smartphone shipments surpassed 80 million units (IDC -- 81.2 million; SA --88.4 million), leading to a market share above 30 percent (IDC -- 31.4 percent; SA -- 35.2 percent). Once again, the two research firms, both of which count shipments, provide different data sets for both shipments and market share. However, both reports say that in Q3 2013 smartphone shipments reached record levels (IDC -- 258.4 million; SA -- 251.4 million).

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Google has an operating system for the desktop and laptop form-factors called Chrome OS. However, the company also has the Android operating system, which is designed for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. This prompts many pundits to posit "why not just have Chromebooks run Android, as that OS can run the Chrome browser, and much more". And you know what? They are kind of right.

Sadly though, those people are mostly wrong; bless their hearts. You see, less is more in this case, and a lack of local apps breeds out of-the-box web app thinking, which is good. However, despite this, a number of manufacturers have released Android laptops but none of them took the world by storm. Today, Lenovo hopes to change that and releases the A10 -- an Android laptop with a 10.1-inch screen.

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There is not a lot to go on at the moment, but Lenovo is teasing us with the promise of something interesting that's coming at the end of the month. Head over to the company's website or Facebook page and you are greeted by the promise that "A #betterway is coming".

A date of 30 October is mentioned and visitors are invited to "Join the Event" or sign up for more information. There's also a nice-looking cropped close-up of a brush aluminium case.

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Lenovo has been on a roll lately, announcing a plethora of new devices to fit many needs. The company recently announced updates to its business and consumer line of laptops. Today, the company furthers its onslaught by announcing updates to its performance and value line of business ThinkPad laptops.

"Improvements include new user inspired designs and longer battery life while continuing to support full connectivity capabilities that commercial customers depend on. The new performance systems are thinner and lighter devices with clean designs and maintain MIL-SPEC tested ThinkPad durability and reliability", says Lenovo.

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HP yesterday revealed two reclining touchscreen PCs and in the accompanying press release Mike Nash, vice president, Product Management, Consumer PCs and Consumer Solutions, HP said: "Customers have told us that they want touch on their PCs", but do they? Really? Because the list of bestselling PCs on Amazon tells a different story. That suggests customers don’t want touch on their PCs.

According to the latest figures from NetMarketShare, just under eight percent of PC users are on Windows 8. What percentage of those use touch? I don’t know, but I could hazard a guess of no more than around 30 percent.

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Lenovo is making a lot of announcements at Berlin's IFA. After unveiling an impressive list of ultrabooks, the company went on to show that it has yet more to offer those in the market for a portable device. The S5000 is the latest tablet to be added to Lenovo's range, and size and weight are the interesting figures here. At 246g it is lighter than the Nexus 7 and at 7.9mm thick, it is also slimmer than Google's 7-inch baby.

Running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on a quad-core 1.2GHz Media Tek 8389 processor, Lenovo claims the 7-inch tablet's 3450mAh battery will power eight hours of Wi-Fi browsing sessions or six hours of HD video watching on the 1280 by 800 screen. Storage can be expanded through the "On the Go" USB port and Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available when the tablet is released some time in Q4 2013.

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Earlier in the week, Lenovo announced some intriguing new products -- business-focused laptops and a game-changing display. For most companies, this would be enough excitement for a year, let alone a week. However, the computer maker seems to be focused on clobbering consumers over the head with great products -- hey, no complaints here!

A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed the Yoga 11s. While I loved the machine, I did mention its Ivy Bridge processor as a very slight negative in the current Haswell world in which we live. Fortunately Lenovo will start giving the machine options of Haswell up to Core i7. This is great news as an already great laptop only gets better.

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When it comes to quality, the name Lenovo is one that comes to mind. Following in the tradition of IBM before it, Lenovo has maintained the tank-like construction and elegance for which the ThinkPad brand is known. Unfortunately, many of their recent products, while wonderful, are powered by Intel's Ivy Bridge and not the current-generation Haswell. Today, that changes as the company announces an evolution in the product line -- Haswell is here.

"The ThinkPad T440s, T440 and X240 Ultrabook laptops demonstrate a deliberate and purposeful look and feel. The new modern design of the ThinkPad laptops delivers the performance users expect in business while eliciting the excitement and appeal of a consumer designed laptop. This includes 20 percent thinner form factors, a variety of panel options and up to 45 percent larger trackpads with improved click functionality supporting Windows 8 gestures", says Lenovo.

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