14 DAY TRIAL // Slate PCs are set to take off this year, as HP, ASUS, MSI and other companies are gearing up to launch their respective models. Through their multitouch and media capabilities, such slates are seen as potential game changers for the consumer market. As far as the business segment is concerned, however, Lenovo seems to think that slates are far from being appealing.
During an interview with Cnet News.com, the company stated that, while customers might be interested in the concept of keyboard-less tablets with mutlitouch as main input options, businesses are unlikely to start using such products because, for browsing the Internet and writing email and texts, physical keyboards are simply more convenient. This preference is added to the fact that many essential business applications can't even be carried out in the absence of a keyboard, as it is the case with spreadsheets, for instance.
“We of course build plastic mock-ups that we show (to customers). We had a slate form factor. The feedback was that for (our) customers it will not work because of the need to have (a physical) keyboard,” Mika Majapuro, senior worldwide product marketing manager at Lenovo, said in an interview with Cnet News.com. The idea that keyboards are necessary for business users is understandable, but Lenovo even goes as far as saying that, not just business professionals, but even kids prefer the feeling of a strong, sturdy keyboard in their hands over virtual ones.
“These were 14-year-old kids, who, I thought, would be most willing to try a virtual keyboard but they said no, we want the physical (built-in) keyboard. It was amazing to me. At first I didn't want to believe (our customers) but the keyboard was such a big need for them,” Mr. Majapuro added. Lenovo group did introduce its ThinkPad X201 tablet just recently, but this model, along with the other new additions to the ThinkPad line, have their own, solid set of keys. Currently, Lenovo Group has no plans of introducing its own slate.