Recently, folding screen mobile phones have become popular, and mobile phone manufacturers (such as Samsung) are sprinting to folding screen mobile phones. However, Samsung Galaxy Fold encountered some minor problems, and some even told early adopters that the folding screen device was just a gimmick.
However, Lenovo took out a folding screen notebook and told everyone that folding screen is not just a concept. Lenovo folding screen notebook will become a member of the flagship ThinkPad X 1 series notebook, and the X 1 family includes X 1 carbon and X 1 Supreme.
For this folding screen notebook, everyone's initial impression is quite good. Mark Spoonauer, editor-in-chief of LatopMagc, was surprised by the durability of the ThinkPad X 1 folding screen concept, and believed that early adopters would embrace folding screen notebooks. However, there are still some people who are skeptical about the future of folding screen notebooks, not only about the price and coverage, but also about the response of consumers.
Price is the key.
What impact will ThinkPad folding screen notebook bring to the market? After talking with several analysts, we had a little idea.
Everyone agrees that price is the key to the success of folding screen notebooks. Even if the price of folding screen notebook is more acceptable than expected, it will not pose a serious threat to traditional notebook in the next few years.
Linn Huang, research director of IDC, said: The phenomenon of folding screen notebooks (and the upcoming dual-screen notebooks) is the solution to the problem. It's a cool concept, but it can't change the early market structure. First of all, the price of folding screen panels is very high, and these products will stand at the highest position in the high-end market.
The pain points of the first generation products
How many folding screen notebooks does Lenovo intend to produce? We don't know. According to the forecast, the shipment should not be too much.
Stephen Baker, vice president of NPD industry analysis, said: First of all, you have to launch at least two generations of products, that is to say, until 2022 or 2023, the shipment of folding screen notebooks will reach a certain number and begin to affect the consumer market.
As the earliest receiver of flexible screen technology, Lenovo will encounter some technical obstacles that other manufacturers have not solved. Last month, it was reported that the Samsung Galaxy Fold screen was broken and failed. Affected by bad news, Galaxy Fold was forced to postpone its listing and finally adjusted its screen design.
Even if Lenovo solves the technical problems that plague other folding screen devices, it still needs to polish the software. In a short demonstration, users can fold their notebooks, then use Word on half the screen and browse the web with the other half. Although Windows runs well, it is necessary to optimize the program application to adapt to the folding screen.
Huang said: Can software and ecosystems create attractive usage scenarios and drive sales? I doubt it, at least when it was launched. However, I believe that creative professionals and professional consumers may accept and support it at first.
Why is the folding screen ThinkPad not a Galaxy Fold?
Although there are some obstacles, analysts believe that the positioning of the folding screen ThinkPad is better than the Galaxy Fold. Compared with Samsung and other companies, Lenovo has more advantages. It has introduced a folding screen device, which is oriented to enterprise users and can avoid the eyes of the public as much as possible.
Baker said: it is a commercial product, which is very good. It will be easier to find a partner. Partners may have different ideas. They want to cooperate with Lenovo to see what this product can do.
Mikako Kitagawa, senior chief analyst of Gartner, also believes that Lenovo's strategy of pleasing corporate professionals is correct. He said: Lenovo's folding screen notebook belongs to ThinkPad, which means it is aimed at the enterprise market. Consumers don't run with laptops, but business users do.
Risk and reward
In business, regardless of whether the folding screen notebook is successful or not, Lenovo has told the world that it is willing to take risks and be the first person to eat crabs. Analysts believe that this mentality will eventually pay off.
Baker said: thinking ahead will pay off. Whether in consumer equipment, commercial equipment or software, thinking ahead will pay off, and eventually it will pay off. It is no secret that Lenovo's competitors will definitely pay attention to these products, and they will have their own thoughts on the value of new products. I believe everyone is looking forward to the notebooks in 2022 and 2023 and wants to know what it looks like.