Lenovo announces Windows 8 ThinkPad Tablet 2, available October

Jos

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While others spend their time complaining and making threats they probably can’t back up, Lenovo has decided to go head on against Microsoft come October with their very own Windows 8 tablet. During a New York event celebrating the 20th anniversary of its ThinkPad line, the company officially announced the ThinkPad Tablet 2, a 10.1-inch slate powered by an Intel chip and running the full Windows 8 OS.

"This is the tablet that the industry has been waiting for," Dilip Bhatia, vice president and general manager of Lenovo's business unit said. The device will replace the current ThinkPad Tablet, which runs Android.

lenovo announces windows thinkpad tablet

Specs include an Intel "Clover Trail" processor, a 1,366 x 768 IPS display, a 10-hour battery, optional 3G / 4G, micro-HDMI output, a full-size USB port, a microSD slot, front (2MP) and rear (8MP) cameras, optional NFC and fingerprint reader. Lenovo also offers a stylus that can be slid into a corner of the device.

Overall, the ThinkPad Tablet 2 weighs just over a pound and measures 9.88mm thick -- for reference, the current-generation iPad weighs 1.44 pounds and is 9.4mm thick. Lenovo’s tablet will be sold alongside an optional keyboard, as well as a dock with three USB ports, HDMI-out and an Ethernet jack.

Lenovo says the tablet will be available in October, when Windows 8 starts shipping, but the company hasn’t shared pricing details yet. The current ThinkPad Tablet is listed at $430, but we’d be surprised if they are able to maintain a similar price point, given it runs an Intel chip and the full desktop version of Windows 8.

Microsoft’s Intel-based Surface Pro, which would directly compete with Lenovo’s tablet, isn’t expected until early 2013 and will be priced in line with Ultrabooks (~$800). The Surface RT launching in October uses an ARM-based Tegra 3 chip, runs the more limited Windows RT, and should cost between ~$400-$600.

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good news. the more OEM make Win8 tablets, the greater the chance I can get my hands on one at reasonable price. I don't know why acer make such threats, but they should be able to make one at even lower price and therefore make threats to others including surface. oh well, they probably can't make such good device at low price, seeing how their iconia tablets sucks.
 
Well I am sure that most manufacturers will create a tablet, if there is a market for them. I am not sure why anyone would just jump in and start making something for an unproven market. I am sure there would have been a bunch of investors upset if the companies they invested made millions of Kin phones, just to see them sit in the warehouse.

What is a Kin? Google it.
 
Resolution is crap, rear camera is a nonsense,...what else the industry has been waiting for?
 
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