Update: Lenovo has come forward to clarify the situation and in fact isn't ending the sale of 8-inch tablets in the United States – it appears however they are halting current model sales until refreshed tablets come out later this year. The company has provided us with the following statement:

We will continue to bring new Windows devices to market across different screen sizes, including a new 8-inch tablet and 10-inch tablet coming this holiday. Our model mix changes as per customer demand, and although we are no longer selling ThinkPad 8 in the U.S., and we have sold out of Miix 8-inch, we are not getting out of the small-screen Windows tablet business as was reported by the media. In short, we will continue to sell both 8 and 10 inch Windows tablets in both the U.S. and non-U.S markets.

Lenovo has decided to stop the sales of all their small form factor Windows tablets in the United States, due to a lack of interest from buyers in the country.

Inventory for the Lenovo Miix 2 8 and the ThinkPad 8 - the two 8-inch Windows-based tablets the company was selling in the States - has been redirected to countries with stronger demand, effective immediately. This means both tablets will no longer be available for purchase in the US after current in-store inventories dry up.

Despite a lack of interest for Lenovo's 8-inch products, a spokesperson said the company was pleased with initial demand for the ThinkPad 10, Lenovo's larger Windows tablet with a 10-inch display. Meanwhile, demand for the ThinkPad 8 has been strong in Brazil, China and Japan: destinations where unsold US inventory will be redirected to.

Companies such as Lenovo have struggled to see serious traction for their small Windows tablets, in part due to strong demand and praise for devices like the Apple iPad mini and Google Nexus 7. Intel in particular has faced issues getting their Bay Trail SoCs into the market, having to subsidize the chips for manufacturers, causing a drop in profits for their mobile division.

If you were thinking of purchasing either the Miix 2 8 or the ThinkPad 8, now is the time before remaining inventory disappears.