lenovo

Windows 8.1 vs. Apple: Twofer or tablet?

Will new Windows 8.1 hybrids finally expose the iPad for what it really is, a mere tablet?

That's what Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer suggested this week.

When speaking at the company's Build Conference on Wednesday, he described in colorful -- and maybe just a tad exaggerated -- terms how tablets don't measure up to laptops (or even pencil and paper).

Enter the "2-in-1," as Microsoft likes to call hybrids. During his keynote presentation, Ballmer brandished the Lenovo ThinkPad Helix as an example of a 2-in-1 he has used.

The Helix can be a pure … Read more

Microsoft's pitch for hybrids: Tablets alone don't cut it

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer pitched upcoming "2-in-1" devices hard Wednesday at the Build Conference. Part of the pitch included mocking the dedicated tablet experience.

Here's what Ballmer said.

How many of us have gone to a meeting with somebody who brought a tablet and then when it comes time to actually take notes, writes them down on pencil and paper. Or can't get at the spreadsheet...or try to use it in terminal emulator mode...or take [a long time] to set up and turn their tablet into something that approximates a PC.

That statement -- … Read more

Lenovo Yoga 11S convertible laptop now available

Consumers eyeing Lenovo's Yoga 11S hybrid laptop/tablet now no longer have to wait to get one.

Lenovo kicked off preorders for the new Yoga on May 16, promising that the convertible would be available for shipping and on store shelves starting June 23. Buyers can now pick one up directly at Lenovo's online store, which estimates a June 27 ship date based on an order date of June 24.

The 11S is also available through Best Buy, both online and at the company's retail outlets.

At this point, the new convertible is available in the U.… Read more

Lenovo unveils convertible Windows 8 tablet, IdeaPad Touch devices

Lenovo is banking heavily on touch as a key consumer trend, and has launched a new range of devices with this in mind.

The Chinese PC maker has announced several new touch-enabled Windows laptops: the IdeaPad S400 Touch, S500 Touch, S210 Touch, U330 Touch and U430 Touch. Each laptop is part of the company's S Series and U Series, all of which designed to be lightweight and with thin bodies.

The new Lenovo S Series laptops on offer are the S400, S500 and S210. The S400 and S500 Windows laptops can be configured to include Intel Core i3 processors … Read more

Lenovo updates laptop lines for back-to-school

Lenovo has a short stack of new Windows 8 systems hitting stores in the third quarter of 2013, and while there's nothing as revolutionary as the Yoga hybrid or the Horizon 27 tabletop PC, there are some worthwhile updates to existing product lines and one new system, the Windows 8 Miix tablet, detailed here.

The more traditional systems come from the IdeaPad U, Y, and S lines, with a few important changes, as detailed below.

IdeaPad U330 Touch and U430 Touch This ultrabook line, with 13 and 14-inch screens, gets a necessary update to Intel's new fourth-generation Core … Read more

Dire warnings for PCs, Windows 8 -- this time from Citi

Citi Research is revising its forecast for negative PC growth as it paints a dark picture of the incredible shrinking PC market.

Citi is cutting 2013 PC year-to-year growth to negative 10 percent from negative 4 percent growth, according to a note to investors late Friday.

"The Citi global technology team is revising down its 2013 PC growth estimate to -10% y/y (from -4%) based on further sub-seasonal demand" in the first quarter and slowing notebook production.

In a section titled "Y/Y Growth in 2H? Don't Think So," Citi says that despite investor … Read more

Lenovo chief sees servers, storage as key to future

Lenovo chief Yang Yuanqing says his company will be exploiting growth opportunities in servers, storage, and the smartphone industry over the next year.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Thursday, Yang said storage and server solutions are an area that Lenovo wants to expand and develop. In addition, if acquisition opportunities appear, the PC maker will take them.

The Lenovo chief believes there is still a market for PCs, although a number of analysts and research firms disagree. In the latest round of ITC figures, global PC shipments were estimated to have plunged 14 percent year over … Read more

Lenovo in talks with smartphone party for joint venture

Lenovo told its shareholders in a statement Tuesday that it's in talks with a smartphone maker to engage in a possible joint venture.

"The Board would like to inform the shareholders of the Company and potential investors that the Company is in preliminary negotiations with a party in connection with a potential joint venture transaction," Lenovo wrote (PDF). "As at the date of this announcement, no material terms concerning the Potential Transaction have been agreed and the Company has not entered into any definitive agreement in relation to the Potential Transaction."

The business-speak aside, Lenovo … Read more

Seagate demos its 5mm Laptop Ultrathin HDD in Android tablet

TAIPEI--At Computex 2013, Seagate announced its latest 5mm hard drive for laptops and tablets, the Laptop Ultrathin HDD. The 2.5-inch drive was first talked about last year, and will now start shipping to Seagate's OEM partners.

The Laptop Ultrathin HDD will come in 320GB and 500GB capacities and is wrapped in a steel, rather than aluminum, case for toughness. Standard laptop hard drives are typically 7mm or 9.5mm in thickness.

According to Seagate's Banseng Teh, senior VP and MD for Asia Pacific and Japan, there is a "demand for storage in tablets, but people don'… Read more