It's about building the thinnest, lightest and best-looking portable computer and then ensuring the price-point is attractive enough to make all competitors pale in comparison.
Doing the same in the business space is a little more challenging. Here, one needs to get the same things right as you did in the consumer space, but throw reliability, security and backup support customers can count on, into the mix.
"And it seems that this is exactly what Lenovo was focused on when it conceived the ThinkPad X1 Carbon," says Alexi Hume, Lenovo product manager at Tarsus Technologies.
Hume says the X1 is equipped with everything one would expect of a machine that bears the 'Think' branding, such as a range of third-generation Intel Core processor options (meaning it includes Intel HD4000 graphics), varying RAM capacities and solid-state disks of different sizes.
"However, it's what's going on backstage in the X1's design that's exciting," Hume says.
When Lenovo first hinted at the upcoming availability of the X1, it mentioned it would be the world's lightest 14-inch notebook.
"And at 1.3kg, that's exactly what it is," Hume enthuses.
"The great weight advantage stems directly from Lenovo's use of a carbon-fibre roll cage instead of one made out of aluminium. It means the X1's chassis is every bit as strong as if it were built from aluminium, but tips the scales at a third of the kilograms," she explains.
Another major advantage with the X1 Carbon is that it features a technology Lenovo calls RapidCharge, which, as its name suggests, affords users five hours' worth of untethered operation with nothing more than 35 minutes of charging.
A third is undoubtedly the inclusion of a glass, multi-gesture trackpad.
"The trackpad on the X1 Carbon is excellent," Hume says, "and while it might seem like the smallest thing (in light of this Ultrabook's other attributes), I firmly believe this will be the one benefit that will push users' buying decisions over the edge.
"Lenovo paid great attention to detail with the X1, and this is something it has continued to get right since it acquired the ThinkPad brand all those years ago.
"And if it continues to produce designs like the ThinkPad X1, its success is almost certainly guaranteed well into the future," she concludes.
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Tarsus Technologies
With more than 27 years' of experience in the ICT industry, Tarsus is the leading value-added distributor in South Africa, specialising in the supply of the world's foremost PC and peripheral hardware brands to the local reseller channel.
Tarsus strives to meet the channel's needs for credit funding, stock availability and efficient logistics, ensuring that resellers are able to deliver the highest quality service to their customers, focus on support and compile the best overall solutions for their end-user customer base at the lowest possible cost.
The company prides itself on its flexibility, adaptability, knowledge, skills and successful track record combined with an industry-leading ability to manage large rollouts. These are the reasons Tarsus has consistently been rated as the top distributor in the country by international vendors, resellers and the IT media alike.
With its strong commitment to the South African channel, Tarsus is able to not only make the reseller channel more efficient, but more importantly, it plays a vital role in dramatically reducing the costs of doing business in the local ICT market.
Tarsus distributes a range of products from the world's leading manufacturers, including Acer, AOC, APC, Asus, Cisco, Dell, Gateway, HP, Lenovo, Meissner, Microsoft, OKI Printing Solutions and Samsung.
Tarsus' head office is situated in Johannesburg with branches in Cape Town, KwaZulu-Natal, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and Nelspruit. Tarsus has also extended its footprint into Africa with branches in Namibia, Botswana and Mauritius.
More information about Tarsus is available at: http://www.tarsus.co.za.
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