"The Lenovo iPad" LePad

An iPad look-a-like?  Lenovo launches its colorful LePad Series!

( Las Vegas) CEA expected 80 Tablets, but they said there might be over 100 at CES, Leading PC Manufacturer Lenono Releases its iPad look-a-like LePad. If you like the way iPad looks and feels, well you have a new option in with this colorful and a sexy new Android Tablet launched today at the unveiling session at CES.

What makes this product more unique is that it normally runs on Android 2.2, but they claim that as soon as you plug-in the keyboard you can switch to Windows 7.   It was designed for the mobile lifestyle.  It can be purchased separately, and even though the target for the product is China, they claim it will be available in the US with Android 3.0.

The product houses a 10.1 inch touch screen (same as the iPad), 3G as well as a front facing camera to enable video calls.

As Lenovo has build a very strong business model through Enterprise sales, will this device become a standard around the office?  More coverage on this device as we cover the event over the next couple of days..

The estimated pricepoint is $520 for the tablet alone.  This is a bit higher then the average prices presented at the CEA press conference between $300~400, but is looks like the right prices for this product that I may just want to buy.  In addition, I have always loved the Thinkpad red nipple

Paradoxically, as Apple further created its Walled Garden with the release of iPhone 4.0,  it took just one engineer to leave a prototype in a bar in Redwood Shores to stir up such havoc that could in fact be a major blow to the ‘stealth development’ and the release of the product in June this year.

As this is going on in the background, Lenovo’s CEO  Yang Yuanqing announced on Monday the Company’s entry into the mobile arena citing that he expects about 10~20% of their revenue to come from mobile in the next 5 years.   He joins his fellow PC Manufacturers: Dell, Acer to the mobile movement powered by Android.   Many of these players are building product in China and or Chinese manufacturers that are beginning  to drive Android’s presence to the marketplace.  There was a story in history about a walled garden and China, and it is strange at this time we are potentially seeing a lesson in  history repeat itself.  The Great Wall of China

As Google continues to rope in more and more manufacturers to the table with the Android system,  Apple is living off a one-trick pony of a strategy with only its one product roll-out step by step.  Yes there is an advantage to having a very strong pillar of a strategy and the consistency for all the developers of the world, but with one crack and this pillar could come down?

As it took a simple guardsman to let through the Mongol’s in the quest of conquering China, the Great Wall was rendered useless by the act of a few.  A simple mistake at Apple could cause the entire thing to come tumbling down amidst the competition.    I found this quite interesting on the day Lenovo announces thier entry with Android,  Apple / Gizmodo/ Techcrunch/ Mashable and others  while Apple is requesting its lost prototype back and squabbling  with the media.

If Apple is to take on Google and Android, they need a bit more of a diversified and syndicated strategy.  So that they are not missing a Bang with one product release affected.  I guess we can say that now is the time for History to repeat itself, or live and learn from History?

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Additions to the blog-post [ june 24, 2010]

After the release today, there have been rumors of recall due to  a miss design of the Antenna grounding. When left handed people use the device, it drops calls instantly.  Mobile devices are complex as as Google has mainly focused only on the OS and the Cloud services surrounding it, they are leaving all liabilities of hardware up to the phone manufacturers.  One blip, and Apple could loose it all with the IPhone.  They need to diversify fast as this Chinese Wall could potentially come down fast….