Lenovo is rolling out several new laptop and tablet models - the ThinkPad X201 series - that use the latest Intel Core i7 and i5 processors and Microsoft's Windows 7. In addition, Lenovo is revamping its massive, dual-screen mobile workstation - the ThinkPad W700 series. These new PCs come at a time when Lenovo is using its ThinkPad line to target smaller businesses.
Lenovo
is rolling out several new ThinkPad notebooks, including the ultraportable ThinkPad
X201 and X201s laptops and the ThinkPad X201 convertible tablet, along with
revamping its high-end mobile workstation.
Lenovo
is officially announcing its new and revamped ThinkPad PCs on Feb. 23, and
users can start ordering the new notebooks by the early part of March. These
new PCs are the first large-scale announcement
Lenovo
has made since the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in January.
With
the new ThinkPad X201, X201s laptops and the X201 tablet, Lenovo is offering the
latest Intel Core i7 and i5 processors, along with
Microsoft's
Windows 7 operating system. The company's massive mobile workstation is
also getting revamped with newer Intel chips and the Windows 7 OS. The
workstations are now called the Lenovo W701 and the W701ds (dual-screen).
Finally,
Lenovo
is branching out further into the server market with the ThinkServer TS200v,
a $400 system that supports a number of Intel Core i5 chips, as well as Pentium
and Celeron processors.
These
new ThinkPad laptops, tablets and the ThinkServer are all part of Lenovo's push
for greater worldwide PC market share as the tech industry looks to rebound
from the global recession.
For a look at all the Lenovo ThinkPad PCs, please click here.
When
Lenovo disclosed its latest financial results in February, the company
announced that
it had increased its PC shipments by 42 percent. While the
ThinkPad line is associated with enterprise users, Lenovo wants to target
smaller businesses with its ThinkPad PCs as well. In order to compete, Lenovo
is revamping some of its prices and offering a number of different
configurations that appeal to small companies and those businesses with budget
restraints.
"The
markets where we have a really strong position are where we have to protect our
brand," said Mika Majapuro, a product marketing manager for Lenovo.
"Now
with Windows 7 and new Intel architecture, we have an opportunity to grow and
steal markets from our competition," Majapuro added. "We really feel like we
have an opportunity to take over and if you look at our portfolio this year,
it's the widest portfolio we have had. In the ThinkPad portfolio, we have
products ranging from 11 inch all the way up to 17 inch."
While
Lenovo may want to take a bigger slice of the SMB (small and midsize business)
market for itself, the company does have competition from the likes of
Hewlett-Packard,
which remains the world's largest producer of PCs, as well as Dell, Acer and Toshiba.
In addition, smaller PC makers such as Asus have also targeted smaller
businesses.
In
looking at both the enterprise and SMB markets, Lenovo rolled out two
ultraportable ThinkPads: the X201 and the X201s. Both ThinkPad laptops offer
12.1-inch WXGA+ displays, along with the Windows 7 OS. Both laptops also offer
the same hard disk drive and solid state disk options.
The
difference between the two ThinkPads starts with the Intel processors. The
ThinkPad X201, which starts at $1,199 and is geared toward small businesses,
uses three different Intel chips: The Core i7-620M (2.66GHz), the Core i5-540M
(2.53GHz) or the Core i5-520M (2.40GHz). The X201 also weighs more - between
2.89 and 3.52 pounds depending on the battery - and gets about 11 hours of
battery life with a 9-cell battery.
The
ThinkPad X201s, which starts at $1,599, is geared more toward enterprise users.
This ThinkPad offers a pair of low-volt Intel processors: The Intel Core
i7-640LM (2.13GHz) or the Core i7-620LM (2.0GHz). The laptop weighs between
2.48 and 3.11 pounds depending on the battery and offers up to 12 hours of
battery life with the 9-cell battery.
In
addition to the two ThinkPad laptops, Lenovo rolled out the ThinkPad X201
tablet. Although some speculated that Lenovo had been planning a slate-style
tablet, this X201 is a convertible tablet with a 12.1-inch multitouch screen,
standard keyboard and the traditional ThinkPad track pad.
The
ThinkPad X201 tablet offers a choice of either an Intel Core i7-640LM or
i7-620LM chip. It also comes with Windows 7, a choice of SSD or HDD, a
2-megapixel camera and either a 4-cell or 8-cell battery. The starting price is
listed at $1,549.
In
addition to the standard ThinkPad laptops and the new ThinkPad tablet, Lenovo
also revamped its workstation lineup with the ThinkPad W701 and the W701ds,
which offers a second, 10.6-inch display. These two mobile workstations offer
newer Intel Core i7 processors, the i7-920XM (2.0GHz) or the i7-820QM
(1.73GHz), along with Windows 7 and up to 16GB of DDR3 (double data rate 3) RAM.
Lenovo is also offering Nvidia Quadro FX3800M or FX 2800M graphics.
The
single-screen ThinkPad W701 starts at $2,199, while the dual-screen W701ds
starts at $3,799.
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