14 DAY TRIAL // Even though tablets have been more or less synonymous with media slates until now, it seems that Lenovo is thinking about looking at what they can do for the business sector, even considering ThinkPad-branded models, or so rumors say.
While some other models have reared their heads, and other have only been detailed or hinted at, the tablet market has mostly been represented by Apple's iPad.
Even the other models so far unveiled have focused on a combination of the ARM architecture on the hardware side, and the Android OS on the software side.
Granted, there are still certain models with Pine Trail and Windows 7 in the works, as are dual-boot versions.
Now, however, a report published by Digitimes suggests that Lenovo may be aiming at a completely different market segment.
The segment in question is the enterprise market and Lenovo will supposedly sell slates under the ThinkPad brand.
This, of course, will not impact upon the company's plans to release consumer-oriented slates, which means that the LePad slate is still en route for release before year's end.
Granted, the report also suggested that, according to the company's component suppliers, the formal release of the LePad might end up delayed until the first quarter of next year.
Still, the fact remains that Lenovo is said to be planning on launching enterprise slates alongside its media tablets.
The report does not state anything about the hardware that one can expect such a product to have, but the Pine Trail-Windows 7 combination can be seen as more likely than the ARM-Android one, since the latter is more consumer-oriented.
If this rumor proves true, the maker of PCs and other electronics will be pitted against Cisco, which already has one such product. HP should also release a Windows 7 tablet PC more or less soon.