Now I'm probably with you when you think of computers made in China. Traditionally China has had a bad rap and not entirely without reason. Ask any top IP solicitor where their main cases are based and it's China (I have actually asked this question of a top IP solicitor). Make something good and the Chinese get hold of it take it apart and work out how to make it cheaper, that's not an insult it's just the way it is.
They have a larger, cheaper workforce, the time and inclination. It would also be very naive to think that other companies elsewhere in the world don't get hold of a competitor's product and take them apart.
So it's fair to say that when I found out that
Lenovo had very quietly taken over
IBM 'ages' ago, I gave a bit of a groan and thought to myself well that's that product condemned to the stupidly low price shelves of Dixons or Staples, possibly even Asda...
But listen up and buckle in for a surprise. I .....quite.... like..... them. I also like the history of the company and I liked the passion of the chap who patiently answered my questions and lent me a laptop to test drive. I personally (and this might be a female thing) need to like a company before I'll buy a product from them. It's that emotional buy in thing, I don't like parting with cash for a company I don't actually like.
So a quick history lesson.
Lenovo is a Chinese company formed in 1984 by a group of Academics from the Academy of Science, originally with the goal of writing Chinese language cards. The first pentium product in China was a
Lenovo and the first home pc was a
Lenovo.
In May 2005
Lenovo decided to takeover IBM's pc division as a way to get into the Global Market. They have been No.1 in China for 11 years and No.1 in AsiaPac for 9. They have a worldwide market share of 10%.
The ThinkPad Edge 13" and
15" have both been designed for the SME market, they are their value line in the consumer market with a slightly less business look and feel. Initially I didn't like the little red eye dot on the lid and inside which to my strange mind looked a bit evil and seemed to follow me round the room.
But put it in the context of the Chinese, red being a significant colour of good fortune to them, it takes on a different feel. The laptops look like the IBM's did and they have quietly phased out the IBM to the
ThinkPad brand and I like the way they've considerately done it so as not to alienate the IBM fans out there.
It's got the red 'nipple' and old IBM keyboard layout and style
They are good, a stalwart choice. They will never be a
Sony Vaio and don't claim to be but they are better than an
Acer or a
Dell. They work hard on retaining cost effective quality and are proud to call themselves innovators.
Did you know, for instance, that the
McClaren Formula 1 team use ThinkPad's and
ThinkStation's?! Or that they are still the only laptops certified for use in Space Stations?! The geek in me thinks that's pretty cool.
They are solid laptops and feel familiar because of the IBM history. They would make good business laptops, comfortable to use if you are a field sales person, or to use in an airport or on an airplane. They'd be a good choice for companies looking to refurbish their staff with a new suite of laptops.
The only downsides I can think of....They didn't rock my world although I was pleasantly surprised. There was one design fault on the 13". Underneath the base there is a convex strip designed to raise it a little at the back. But because of the small size of the laptop it makes the screen top heavy and at a slight risk of being awkward or tipping if you don't hold the base when you open the screen. It would have been better if flat or weighted, but I guess the point was to keep the weight down.
They were quick, easy to use and intuitive. Sound was not particularly great so I wouldn't watch
The Watchmen or
Transformers on it. Music would be okay if a little tinny, depending on your musical preference, so if you're a basshead forget it. When I paired it with a
Brother Printer we wondered if there would be an issue with the driver, but it found it and downloaded it automatically, with little fuss or fanfare.
My verdict? I don't love them but I like them. I think they are good value for money, robust and something you could rely on for a lot longer than a
Dell,
Acer or dare I say it...
Samsung.
Love them or loathe them social networks have become a part of modern life and it's about time the MoreFrom Group joined the conversation. Over the last few weeks I've set up a Twitter account and made our first Facebook page. I'd like to think that by using these social networks (and this blog) we can start to have a two way dialogue with our customers (if of course you'd like to talk to us). I've started to post snippets of what we're up to here day to day and my ongoing plan is to share information I hope you'll think is worth reading.
You can expect to hear about new technology and new products and the odd offer and competition. I'll also be sharing any information I think small businesses will find useful, especially help and advice to make your website work harder. I like to think we're pretty good and developing websites and getting traffic to them, so I'm looking forward to sharing that knowledge with the many small businesses and entrepreneurs we have as customers.
