X1 Carbon
Following on from Developers on the X1 Carbon - Industrial Design, we once again speak directly with the developers. In this second piece the Product Development Manager and Technical Project Manager leading the Yamato development team discuss the project. Both are veteran developers responsible for many X series products. The same team also led development of the original X1. - The X1 Carbon will be the first Ultrabook™ in the ThinkPad X Series. Tabo: This project actually wasn't based on the Ultrabook concept. Planning for the X1 Carbon began around the end of 2010. Identifying trends such as "BYOPC (Bring Your Own PC)" and "IT Consumerization", our first goal was to create an amazing product that corporate customers would want to use and take to their workplace, rather than have given to them by the IT department. "Portability that surpasses previous ThinkPads" was a key concept. From the early stages of planning we decided to aim for a product thinner and lighter than the original X1, and we spent a lot of time hammering out the details. Mori: The Ultrabook specs were released towards the end of the planning stage, but we were already in compliance with most of them. Sometimes the ThinkPad is too far ahead of the curve, making it hard to gain customer acceptance (LOL). I think we got the timing just right this time. But it was a while...
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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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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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From the left, Arimasa Naito, Soichi Yokota
A message from Sohichi Yokota Greetings. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. My name is Sohichi Yokota and since April of last year, I have been the executive director at the Notebook Research and Development Center. This year I will be taking over management of the Yamato Blog from my colleague, Arimasa Naitoh. Here at Lenovo, we see this blog as being an invaluable opportunity for us to hear the opinions, hopes and encouragement of the passionate fans of ThinkPad. The voices of ThinkPad fans help guide us as we seek to preserve the ThinkPad DNA, even while providing a platform for new value and experiences in an ever-changing IT environment. I hope you will continue following us closely. A message from Arimasa Naitoh Dedicated Lenovo fans, thank you for reading the Yamato blog! A year has now passed since we moved offices to Minato Mirai 21 in Yokohama, and we are beginning to really settle in. We are renewing Lenovo's social networking presence and decided to take this opportunity to pass the baton for the Yamato Blog to the new head of ThinkPad development and Lenovo Japan Ltd. Corporate Officer, Mr. Sohichi Yokota. I took on a supervisory role for the development of Lenovo PCs and server products. I hope to take advantage of the experiences and things I learned from customers in my work on ThinkPad development and work to make sure that all of Lenovo's products are of high value to our customers. I pray that...
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- Some time has passed since the tablet was released, how has the reaction been? Kinoshita: It’s been superb. Right now there are many tablets that all look the same, but the ThinkPad Tablet has been praised as being “recognizably ThinkPad”. - That’s great. What specifically do you think it is about the ThinkPad Tablet that makes it “recognizably ThinkPad”? Kinoshita: I think the ThinkPad Tablet is recognizably ThinkPad in two ways, it’s “toughness” and “design”. There was a lot of debate about toughness, but eventually the development team came to a consensus that sacrificing toughness to make the tablet thinner and lighter wasn’t the right way to go. I’m fairly satisfied with the finished product where design is concerned, considering the “the comfortable feel of the luxurious black rubber coating”, “sturdy and solid construction” and “a style that uses red effectively”. - I suppose that as a ThinkPad, it would have to pass rigorous testing focused on toughness. Kinoshita: Yes, that was a major consideration for us. Some of the testing standards were actually more severe than the ones we use for ThinkPads. We wanted to design a tablet that would be okay to use outside, even if it rained. – Personally, I have some doubts about whether the Android OS can really be used in a “professional business tool”. Is it really up...
