Lenovo planning a Thinkpad netbook targeted to business?

Lenovo is considering a netbook targeted to business users under its Thinkpad brand according to APC. This follows from the considerable success Lenovo has seen through its IdeaPad netbooks. “It’s an area we’re exploring, but I can’t comment one way or the other. Watch this space, that’s all I can say,” said Matthew Kohut, Lenovo’s Worldwide Competitive Analyst.

There has been much talk of businesses looking at netbooks with greater interest given their low cost and weight. “Businesses are definitely asking about netbooks, they’re wanting them more and more. Business problems, whether the economy is good or not, remain the same: do more with less, be more efficient and all that. This ties in very nicely with netbooks,” said Kohut.

What form the Thinkpad would take is undecided right now. Lenovo may decide to produce a high-spec netbook based on the Intel Atom processor or may opt for an ultra-thin notebook using Intel’s CULV platform. Mini-notebooks based on the CULV platform are expected to have screen sizes ranging from 11 to 13-inches when released.

This is very exciting news if true. I’m a big fan of Lenovo’s Thinkpad laptops. I’ve owned my trusty Thinkpad Z60t for a number of years now and the build quality is second-to-none. I’m also a big fan of trackpoints and would like to see them appear in more netbooks.

In other Lenovo news, the company is planning to release a 12.1-inch netbook, the IdeaPad S20 in May according to the same source. The IdeaPad is believed to run on the 1.66GHz N280 Atom CPU and Intel’s new GN40 chipset. It is also expected to include the same Instant On fast-boot Linux environment as the IdeaPad S10E model.