Lenovo goes small, really small with its desktops

Lenovo thinks it has built a better mousetrap with its latest line of desktop PC that are as tiny as box of golf balls.

Back in 2008, the desktop PC hit a dubious milestone. According to market research firm Isuppli, laptops passed desktop PC in sales for the first time.

Dave Stephens, director of sales for Lenovo Canada’s reseller channel, hopes the tiny desktop PC, which will be branded ThinkCentre M92p and M72e, will reinvigorate the market for desktops. “There is a lot of innovation in this product and its something new to the market that no one else has. Lenovo is committed to continuing to innovate not only in notebooks but also on desktops,” Stephens said.

The new tiny ThinkCentre desktop PCs will feature Intel vPro technology-enabled one-litre desktop measuring just the width of a golf ball (34.5mm). The machines will also be equipped with the latest desktop power manager.

“This is the equivalent of a full desktop PC and as powerful as a tower but in a one-litre chassis or approximately four golf balls, by four golf balls by one golf ball high,” Stephens said.

Market research analyst Michelle Warren, said Lenovo’s tiny PCs really addresses the way business users interact with their desktops. Tiny, without a lot of moving parts, yet with 5 USB ports, they enable users to access information quickly, at attractive price points, without complicating the IT department’s management of them. They are ideal for the compact office.

Stephens added that Lenovo is witnessing businesses burdened by space constraints coupled with an influx of all-in-one sales and thought that the tiny desktop PC could be another computing option for customers.

Stephens believes these tiny units can work well for retail, call centre, education, and financial type customers. “You can tuck this away from your desk or mount it on the back of the monitor,” he said.

The channel strategy in place to support the launch of tiny ThinkCentres will centre on the company’s top seller program through distribution. Stephens said that his team will work with distribution to ensure that inventory is available all the time to channel partners.

Also the new products will be eligible for all other Lenovo channel programs, rebates and bonuses. “We want to integrate this into all of the programs for the channel,” Stephens said.

Stephens’ warned however, that these tiny desktop PC are not mobile devices and should be treated as other Lenovo desktop form factors such as towers, desktop ultrasmalls and all-in-one units. He added that while they may look like zero-client PCs they are anything but. Stephens said that Lenovo Canada will put a big effort to market these tiny desktop PCs to the channel and educate them that they are fully functional and powerful PCs.

The M92p tiny PC supports two independent monitors, while the M72e is able to support three independent monitors and USB 3.0.

Tiny desktop PC pricing starts at $499.

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Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

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Paolo Del Nibletto
Paolo Del Nibletto
Former editor of Computer Dealer News, covering Canada's IT channel community.

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