Lenovo IdeaPad U1 a hybrid of computer that can function as both a laptop and tablet China will begin early next year, pushing its release date this past June.
Chinese PC manufacturer delayed the product because they do not meet company standards, as noted Lenovo Chief Marketing Officer David Roman of The Wall Street Journal. The company later confirmed the statement. Roman also said that the computer can be rebuilt before the start.
Lenovo IdeaPad U1 announced in January this year, calling it the industrys first hybrid PC for consumers. The device debuted in Windows laptop with detachable touch screen, which can be used as a separate tablet PC.
The LePad features a 1.3 GHz Snapdragon processor and a capacitive touchscreen. A USB connector links the tablet to the laptop, and users can toggle between the two with the flip of a switch below the laptop’s tablet-mounting surface. The laptop remains booted when the tablet is removed, allowing users to work on a Windows project in laptop mode, temporarily remove the tablet to do some Android work, then put the tablet back into the laptop and continue where they left off with Windows.
The IdeaPad U1 with LePad will go on sale first in China during Q1 2011, and yes, the LePad Slate can be purchased separately from the U1 base. The LePad starts at around $520, and the U1 Hybrid Laptop starts at around $1300. That's a pretty expensive combo, but you do get two operating systems and a sense of mobility that is currently unrivaled by anything else out there.
