[meaty]

Great idea.

This will save the following thing happening again and again:

1. Someone asks me for a laptop recommendation.

2. I tell them "ThinkPad T-series" and state you can get them online for the price of a mid-range laptop in a retail outfit from http://www.lenovo.com/ with a direct link to the product page - they say thank you.

3. Some time passes

4. I get a call from the person saying they bought a "Lenovo" laptop at their local electrical supplier and it's rubbish and they'll never trust a recommendation from me again. They have inevitably bought a cheap Lenovo close-out machine which has died after 3 months (their cheap machines are crap).

5. Argument ensues and email is re-sent with "ThinkPad" highlighted. Much "aaaah" is to be had.

4 times so far. People just don't get the difference between good and crap, which is to be honest, where Apple are quite good.

[kybernetyk]

> People just don't get the difference between good and crap, which is to be honest, where Apple are quite good.

Apple's secret is to only built good stuff and don't try to serve the cheap crap market. I hope the new ThinkPad brand will do the same.

[smackfu]

Right. Most of the laptops at Best Buy are under $600, $400 below Apple's lowest offering.

[wyclif]

Yep, an exercise in classic brand fragmentation on their part. Better avoided. This move can only help. I hope it reduces confusion about their professional ThinkPad products.