Lenovo: Does it have the design chops?

Lenovo announced plans to enter the consumer market Thursday with a line of laptops that incorporate some interesting features--bezel-less screens, face recognition and linen texture lids. Will those design additions be enough to make a dent in the consumer market?

The jury is still out on that one folks. Lenovo has three consumer IdeaPad laptops: 15.4-inch, 17-inch and 11-inch models. With the launch Lenovo has shown some flair for design (gallery right), but the consumer bar is high. And Lenovo is late to the consumer game.

For instance, after viewing these IdeaPads I had the following reaction:

• The red one mimics Dell;
• None of these laptops can hang with Apple on design;
• These laptops will never get shelf space against HP.

The latter point is really clear--IdeaPad notebooks will be available online at stores like Best Buy, but not in physical stores. That's huge given the retail store is where the consumer gets hooked on a laptop via good design.

The features and designs on Lenovo's laptops are just fine, but there's nothing earth shattering. If Lenovo is going to make a splash in the consumer market it's going to need more than just fine.