Lenovo is “exploring” the possibility of a ThankPad-branded netbook. Such a netbook would, one guesses, be the first specifically aimed at the business crowd. Does this mean that we’re beginning to see the blurring of the line between netbooks and notebooks? One can dream, friends. One can dream.
This all comes as a result of Lenovo’s netbooks doing pretty darn well for themselves. The IdeaPad, which was first released in 2008, isn’t too shabby: the gang over at Laptop Magazine gave it high(ish) marks; it so impressed Australian officials that 230,000 of them now are now circulating inside schools in New South Wales and Victoria.
The natural progression is, apparently, offering the same netbook benefits—low cost, small size, the ability to cheekily say to your friends that you own a “cool new netbook”—to the landed, business elite. But then you run into the problem of, well, if you really want a more powerful netbook, why not just buy a regular laptop?
Which is to say, when does a netbook cease to become a netbook? (Well, “problem.” Who cares, I say. It’s all silly, marketing nomenclature anyway.) Is screen size the deciding factor? Can we have a 12-inch netbook? (Remember: it wasn’t too long ago that Apple had its store shelves a 12-inch PowerBook.) What about a 14-inch netbook? Larger? Larger?!
In any event, the point of all this nonsensical banter (at best!) is that Lenovo has admitted to at least thinking about making a business-y, ThinkPad netbook.
And then peace will break out, surely.
Photo: Flickr