Lenovo fires off its salvo of laptops and desktops for Windows 8
Lenovo, the world's second-largest PC maker, is launching a series of Windows 8 laptops and all-in-one desktops today that balance typical computer features with a taste of a touchscreen user interface.
Context & Ripple Effects
Lenovo had already established a pattern of spanning conventional PCs, all-in-ones and mobile machines in its earlier desktop, laptop and netbook refresh. Its Windows 8 push extends that breadth into touch-oriented designs rather than treating touch as a separate device category.
The company had also publicly demonstrated a Windows 8 ThinkPad tablet and said it planned Windows RT tablets. Bringing touch to laptops and all-in-ones makes the operating system transition a portfolio decision across Lenovo's PC business.
First-order effects
- Lenovo gives PC buyers Windows 8 laptops and all-in-one desktops that retain familiar form factors while adding touchscreen interaction.
- Lenovo's Windows 8 hardware rollout broadens the set of devices through which Microsoft’s new interface reaches buyers.
Second-order effects
- Lenovo must distinguish full Windows 8 PCs from its planned Windows RT tablets, which it said would be priced $200 to $300 below competing Windows 8 products.
- Touchscreen availability across Lenovo's PC range shifts its product competition from specifications alone toward how consistently hardware supports Windows 8's touch interface.
Third-order effects
- If major PC makers follow Lenovo's approach, touch becomes a cross-category design requirement for Windows PCs rather than a feature limited to tablets and select all-in-ones.
- The Windows 8 transition points to PC portfolios organized around a shared interface across tablets, laptops and desktops, with manufacturers differentiating through form factor and price tiers.
The trend: Windows 8 is pushing PC makers to make touch interaction a common layer across traditionally separate hardware categories.