ThinkPad X1 Carbon
As many of you know already, our new flagship machine, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon was announced. This product was developed under the guidance of our devoted staff at the Yamato office. Starting today, we will share to you the thoughts of the developers who were behind the creation of the X1 Carbon. Today, the lead designer of the X1 Carbon, Hiroki Hirano will talk about the industrial design of the product. In his previous workplace, Hirano worked at a major freelance design office and also had the unique experience of designing a water vehicles. He was deeply touched by the design of the ThinkPad 600 to the point where he "wanted to design a ThinkPad" and that explains why he joined. - I heard that you made a comment on the X1 Carbon on facebook soon after it was announced. Hirano: Yes, I made a remark about how I felt being the lead designer. I tried to be as candid as possible. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon was announced and my dream of achieving a "superior design beyond Kodachi (X300)" was achieved. I can't say that the design wasn't influenced by the MacBook Air but I'm in love with the design. I am completely biased because I was the lead designer but really, I like the design of the X1 Carbon so much that I want to hold on to it and sleep with it (LOL). It's always the same thing but I treat all products that I designed as if they were my own...
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Do you know what it means to be a Jeep?
Fastcompany.com just published a new blog called 9 Principles For Great Branding By Design. I'm one of the three designers interviewed by the author, Mark McNeilly. The others include Bob Brunner, former manager of design at Apple, and Joe Doucet, up and coming design star. Thanks to Mark for putting this blog together about a topic I find personally interesting and important to the field of design. There are few products that have a stronger design and branding connection than a ThinkPad. David Hill
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The Porsche 911 has become an icon of automobile performance by design
Ferdinand A. Porsche, designer of the iconic 911 sports car, died yesterday at the age of 76. He was the grandson of the founder of the company, known to many by the nickname "Butzi". He was also one of my design heroes. A hero not only because he penned one of the most impressive car designs ever, but because he had a design philosophy that inspired my own. I'm mourning the loss of this design legend. Someday I want to own a nice black 911 and emerse myself in his philosophy every day, tough duty. A true design legend at work shaping a future icon The original Porsche 911 turned out to be such an immediate and lasting hit that the company never entertained replacing it with a new design. Instead, they managed the design through evolutionary refinement. Each new generation was intended to improve on the breed, rather than ignore the past. In spite of countless modifications, technology shifts, and governmental regulations, today's 911 is a clear descendant of the original design vision. A vision that has endured for nearly 50 years. There are few other cars that can boast of such an incredible legacy and cult following. Now in its seventh design generation, the car remains an icon of performance, engineering prowess, and pure sex appeal. Ferdinand was once quoted as saying “Design must be functional and functionality must be...
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The world's smallest tablet PC
Lenovo introduced the world's smallest tablet PC today. Please use as directed. CPU heat may result in fever if taken in excess. Internal 3D projector Optional keyboard One month's supply
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Laptop Magazine just published their annual Best & Worst Laptop Brands for 2012. Lenovo was well positioned once again in the number two spot with an overall score of 84. The ranking includes scores for both ThinkPad and IdeaPad. In case you're curious, Apple topped the list with 88 points. A gap of just 4 points is not so big. More about that later.
The overall brand scores are determined by adding scores in the following categories:
Reviews, 20 Points Possible
Design, 15 Points Possible
Keyboards & Touchpads, 15 Points Possible
Tech Support, 15 Points Possible
Displays & Audio, 10 Points Possible
Value & Selection, 10 Points Possible
Software, 5 Points Possible
Innovation, 5 Points Possible
This is the overall scorecard summary for Lenovo as it appears in the Laptop Magazine article.
2nd Place: Lenovo
Trusty and reliable, the Lenovo brand also held on to its No. 2 spot from last year. While it only topped two categories (innovation and customer service), Lenovo consistently scored well, winning accolades for its keyboards and touchpads as well as value and selection. We also look forward to a bright future for the brand, with such upcoming Windows 8 devices as the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga.
I pulled these two excerpts from the
