Lenovo's ThinkPad T430u ultrabook hits pre-CES 2012
The first ThinkPad ultrabook is here, and it's a 14-inch model.
- Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
Lenovo is nearly a veteran at the ultrabook game, putting out one of the very first ultrathin laptops in late 2011, with the 13-inch IdeaPad U300s. Now the business-targeted ThinkPad line is getting a 14-inch version, called the T430u.
Of the new system, announced just days before the start of CES 2012, Lenovo says it "equips business users with the same thin and light designs found in consumer ultrabooks without sacrificing business-class performance, and it comes at a mainstream price starting at $849."
That starting price is important, as the consumer Lenovo ultrabook started at around $1,100, making it more expensive than many of the others in the first wave of ultrabooks.
The look and feel keeps to ThinkPad tradition, with a matte-black finish and an island-style keyboard similar to what we've seen on the ThinkPad Edge line. The system weighs under 4 pounds and is 0.8 inches thick, hitting Intel's specs for a 14-inch ultrabook.
Lenovo hasn't said what the exact specs or configuration details are yet, only that you can expect, "the latest Intel Core processors and Intel integrated or Nvidia graphics," and "SSD storage or up to 1 TB of HD storage," indicating that hybrid drive options mixing SSD and HDD drives may be an option.
The Lenovo ThinkPad T430u will be available in Q3 2012.