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Lenovo aims to take down Apple as tablet market leader

Summary: Given the incredibly fast demise of the HP TouchPad, it's no joke that Apple is the undisputed leader in the tablet market. But Lenovo is feeling optimistic lately and is aiming to give the iPad a real challenge.

Rachel King

By for Between the Lines |

Since the iPad first debuted in early 2010, not a single manufacturer has been able to present a solid challenge to Apple's dominance in this market.

Lenovo is certainly not alone when it comes to developers who are likely tired of this fact, but Chinese PC maker is stepping up to the plate...or at least the microphone.

Yang Yuanquing, Lenovo's CEO, proclaimed to The Financial Times that his company will "will be one of the strongest of the players in this area," adding that Lenovo will be focusing on offering tablets in every price range, including lower-end models, so that everyone has a chance at a tablet:

"Apple only covers the top tier," he says. "With a $500 price you cannot go to the small cities, townships, low salary class, low income class. I don’t want to say we want to significantly lower the price, rather our strategy is to provide more categories, to cover different market segments."

When announcing fiscal first quarter earnings last week, Lenovo reaffirmed its plans for a consumer-meets-enterprise ThinkPad tablet in the United States as well as an initiative to own 20 percent of the tablet market in China.

Nevertheless, while it's possible that Lenovo could present a challenge to Apple (after all, anything is really possible), these comments already hard to take seriously. No one has been able to release a product that has even come close to the iPad in sales, reviews or even looks as an iSuppli study argued that tablet competitors haven't been able to produce a design that has been more well received that the one of the iPad.

Yet, the door is still open. Not only are Yang's comments about the $500 cost pretty accurate -- especially for anything that isn't an iPad as seen by the HP TouchPad's rapid price tag tumble -- but also a DigiTimes report earlier this month posited that non-Apple tablets are expected to surge in 2012 by 134 percent. This will likely be more due to the rise of Android (especially now with Motorola in tow) more than anything based on Windows.

[via Gizmodo]

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Topics: Operating Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Mobile OS

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22 comments
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  • RE: Lenovo aims to take down Apple as tablet market leader

    sorry, but this is really difficult to read. Did anyone proof read this?
    Bitstreams
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Lenovo aims to take down Apple as tablet market leader

      @Bitstreams Doesn't appear so.
      Jeremy-UK
      Reply Vote

  • Acer claimed to dethrone iPad last year, and found itself slashing ...

    ... sales prognosis for this year.
    DDERSSS
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Lenovo aims to take down Apple as tablet market leader

    Just got an e-mail from a vendor today promoting the Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet. 16GB for $20.00 less than the iPad. I sure hope that wasn't what he was referring to. $20? Really?
    Badgered
    Reply Vote

  • Apple already makes more Money in China than Lenovo!

    Apple's China revenues (including Taiwan) are larger than Lenovo's (which is a Chinese company). <br><br>apple currently has 4 apple stores in china. Wants to open 20+ more and hon Hai wants to open 500 apple resellers.<br><br>Maybe Lenovo can think of protecting it's own turf first before spouting?
    Davewrite
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Lenovo aims to take down Apple as tablet market leader

      @Davewrite
      well, 4 "real" stores, who knows how many fake stores they have.
      tiderulz
      Reply Vote

  • &quot;Apple only covers the top tier&quot;

    And yet Lenovo doesn't want to "significantly lower the price"? Does anyone besides me see there is a contradiction here?
    oncall
    Reply Vote

    • Let me explain...

      @oncall
      The statement that clearly has you bothered is:
      " I don?t want to say we want to significantly lower the price, rather our strategy is to provide more categories, to cover different market segments"

      No contradiction, hes saying they are not going to charge a whole lot different then Apple or perhaps another manufacturer might on a very similar unit, what he is saying is that they are going to provide a variety of tablets that will range in price according to their abilities. And he seems to be making it quite clear that they will be offering up a tablet with capabilities that will put it in a price rage low enough that many who couldn't afford a tablet before will be able to.
      Cayble
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Lenovo aims to take down Apple as tablet market leader

      @oncall
      Yay Lenova!! Give me a good quality $100 tablet!
      But honestly, don't introduce some $500 competitor to the iPad. I don't really want it, and from all appearances, I'm not sure anyone else does either!
      camcost@...
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Lenovo aims to take down Apple as tablet market leader

    Another skull for apples skullthrone.
    shayne.oneill
    Reply Vote

  • Look up

    Why should we believe that Apple's line represents the top tier? I'll bet Bang & Olufsen could find a way to build a $2,000 tablet that people would think was worth it.
    Robert Hahn
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Lenovo aims to take down Apple as tablet market leader

      @Robert Hahn An iPad/iPhone dock... maybe. But B&O's software division knows zip about UI design (I've been subjected to their phone, a normal DECT one. The thing is borderline unusable, I'm sure it'll survive a nuclear attack, unfortunately the same can be said for a cockroach).
      Jeremy-UK
      Reply Vote

  • Apple has such a HUGE tech lead, WebOS runs faster on iPad than on HP!

    reports indicate that one reason HP canned their tablet was that they found WebOS ran twice as fast on an iPad.

    Ars Tecnhnica, Anand Tech etc showed that on some tests the iPad was several times faster than the Xoom.

    Wall street Journal showed the 10 hr Xoom battery ran down 4 hours BEFORE the 10 hr iPad battery on the same tests etc.

    rivals are going to have their work cut for them especially even with inferior tech they can't sell them significantly cheaper than the iPad.
    Davewrite
    Reply Vote

  • Battery life is a joke

    Really.. I can make my old pentium M 1.7 laptop have a 6 hour life when I am in a word processor. <br>If I am playing 720p, a little under two hours of battery life.<br>Given the iPad does not do " power applications " there is little need to be in awe about the product's battery life. <br><br>Lenovo does have a chance by making tablets useful and better. As far as I am concerned the lack of keyboard makes the things rather awkward to use.
    ingle
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Lenovo aims to take down Apple as tablet market leader

      I can't help you with a tablet that has a keyboard, but could I interest you in a horse with feathers?

      Tell the truth: you're the guy who goes to Taco Bell and thinks inside the bun.
      Robert Hahn
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Lenovo aims to take down Apple as tablet market leader

        @Robert Hahn

        Truthfully, the reason I don't go to Taco Bell is that I think a lot about what is inside the bun.
        SlithyTove
        Reply Vote

  • Another iPad Killer! Wow.

    Seriously. There is no tablet market, just an iPad market.
    matdrat
    Reply Vote

    • So true...its funny.

      @matdrat <br>I have said as much myself several times. If it isn't an iPad, well first of all if its not an iPad most people don't know it exists as an option for a tablet. But if you make people aware of other reasonable options out there, they either decide to forget the whole thing or simply turn a blind eye in fear of purchasing something besides an iPad might be too risky. Its a sheer luxury to begin with for most people so the social knowledge base says that the iPad is the THE Pad so thats what they want to buy. If your purchasing a luxury item like this your not going to go buck saving for no fantastic reason.
      Cayble
      Reply Vote

  • Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet for Business a Winner

    I own a ipad 2 but will be buying a Thinkpad Tablet ... it has the ports (I am tired of carrying around all the cords / accessories); the nice keyboard; gets Flash and has the great handwriting recognition for note taking at meetings ... Don't get me wrong ... ipad 2 is definitely a winner ... but the Thinkpad Tablet will attract a business audience ... I hope it rises as a worthy rival ... better for consumers ...
    GameDiversity
    Reply Vote

    • Forward to the past

      @GameDiversity: Each to his own, but excessive ports, keyboards, low battery life (Flash) and a stylus (handwriting recognition) are exactly what kept tablets from being successful for the past ten years.
      Falkirk
      Reply Vote
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