14 DAY TRIAL // Among the predictions for 2010 is the expectation that the media tablet market will finally take off. While companies like HP and MSI have already officially announced their plans to launch slates, there are other companies, such as Lenovo, that, despite having said few words on the subject, might surprise the industry. Lenovo posted a tweet saying that end-users should expect exciting products this month but decided on giving a history lesson before releasing anything.
Even though the announcement of the Apple iPad rose the marketing profile of media tablets, such devices are not exactly a new concept. Companies have experimented with touch-only slate PCs in the past but the IT market of the time was not ready to embrace such products, leading to a steady decline in interest for slates. Still, now that the market has evolved enough to accept tablets, companies can once again pay attention to this field.
Although many end-users might not be aware of this, the truth of the matter is that one of the original ThinkPad models was, in fact, a touch-enabled slate PC (without a keyboard) known as the ThinkPad 700T. The video posted by the company reminds consumers of the fact that Lenovo indeed has some experience in the field. Of course, there is no official information on the exact plans of the company but speculations have naturally risen.
Considering the direction in which the current market is headed, Lenovo's product (one of them, at least) should have handwriting and touchscreen capabilities and will likely be released under the ThinkPad brand. Depending on its design, this product could either be a redesigned ThinkPad slate or an entirely new tablet concept meant to bring something new to the table.
Unfortunately, there is no real information on Lenovo's plans, although the company's entry into the slate PC market would not be surprising.