Looks like Lenovo is planning to take away some of Microsoft’s share in the laptop/tablet hybrid space. The Yoga Book from Lenovo is an incredibly thin and light tablet-like device with a flat, touch-sensitive surface that lights up into a glowing keyboard. What’s captivating about the new Yoga Book is the completely innovative, new kind of keyboard – “flat and touch-sensitive” surface. That’s to mean that the keys on the keyboard don’t have what’s called the “key travel” – the keyboard is just a flat surface that lights up with glowing letters.
The Lenovo Yoga Book has managed to impress reviewers. A review by The Verge has an optimistic opinion about the Yoga Book – “Lenovo, which has made a bunch of these convertible creations, has come up with something that not only makes sense, but nudges the category forward with a completely new kind of keyboard. It’s called the Yoga Book, and it’s an incredibly thin and light tablet-like machine with a flat, touch-sensitive surface that lights up into a glowing keyboard.” The article goes on to talk about how the lower panel on the Yoga Book doubles as a Wacom digitizer surface.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 4, on the other hand, has received near-perfect reviews like this one from Digital Trends – “The Surface Pro 4 is a microcosm of the change Microsoft is trying to spur inside its own walls. Time and time again, it missed the opportunity to leap on a new trend in consumer technology. But not with Surface. This time, Microsoft is a leader. It’s setting the trend. And unlike its new competitors, it’s had a few years to work out the kinks.”
But other reviews point out that Lenovo’s new keyboard comes with its own learning curve. It will take some time before users get used to it. Remember the age-old mobile phones that came with keys that you could actually press? And when touchscreens made their appearance, the old key-press method became extinct. But users took the time to adjust to the new typing method. The same is likely to happen for Lenovo’s new innovative keyboard. Some reviewers have a pessimistic take on the new keyboard – “Maybe someday I, or humans in general(?), will be able to proficiently type on a completely flat surface with no key travel, but that day ain’t today.”
Engadget columnist Cherlynn Low isn’t convinced that Lenovo Yoga Book will take on Mircosoft Surface Pro 4 – “The Lenovo Yoga Book, available in Android ($500) and Windows ($550) versions, is inventive. But Lenovo claims that the Yoga Book is the ‘ultimate tablet for productivity and creativity,’ and that’s where the company is wrong.” While Lenovo may not beat Microsoft at its own game, it has certainly listened to feedback about last year’s Yoga series of books. Lenovo continues to improve on the design and is on its way to becoming the largest PC maker in the world.
“We are still very hungry, both in terms of technology and business. The IT industry is moving very fast and we have to stay hungry for new innovative technology. We are also keen to enter into new markets. Today, we have employees in more than 60 countries and are looking to develop business in more countries, especially developing markets. It’s very important to keep up this spirit” said Erik Mok, Lenovo’s Global Secretary.
It remains to be seen how well the new Yoga Book will be received by users. Will the new innovate flat surface keyboard set the standard for all future keyboards? Only time can tell!