CNet reports that, despite updating its tablet line of PCs, adding Intel's Core i5 and i7 CPUs to the mix, Lenovo has said it will not be bringing a slate PC to the market because customers don't want them. Lenovo asked a wide range of customers about slate PCs and found that people were too attached to their keyboards to think about ditching them for a slate PC.
“We of course build plastic mock-ups that we show (to customers). We had a slate form factor. The feedback was that for (our) customers it will not work because of the need to have (a physical) keyboard,” Mika Majapuro, senior worldwide product marketing manager at Lenovo, said in an interview with CNet. Majapuro goes on to say that he found the response from customers nothing short of amazing:
"It was amazing to me. At first I didn't want to believe (our customers) but the keyboard was such a big need for them."
According to CNet, Lenovo didn't just ask professionals and businesses, they also quizzed high school students about their desires for a slate PC. However, their reaction was much the same; they needed a keyboard.
"These were 14-year-old kids, who, I thought, would be most willing to try a virtual keyboard but they said no, we want the physical (built-in) keyboard," said Majapuro.
The news comes at a time when several companies (HP and Apple) have already announced slate PCs and others are rumored to launch slates later this year.
Would you buy a Lenovo slate PC? Let us know in the comments below.