Lenovo may ship no more than 2m tablets in 2011
updated 03:25 pm EDT, Mon September 19, 2011
Lenovo Android tablet units modest despite goals
Lenovo despite its goals of rivaling Apple in tablets may not break out from other Android competitors in real shipments. Part suppliers claimed Monday that the firm planned to ship between 1.5 million to two million mobile tablets by the end of 2011. Estimates given to Digitmes maintained that no more than 500,000 would be ThinkPad Tablets, while 1.1 million to 1.5 million would be the core IdeaPad K1 model as well as the new $199 IdeaPad A1.
Whether or not the company's shipments are reflective of reality is in dispute. Lenovo supposedly sees an economic slump as a "good opportunity" to gain share in tablets while others hold back. Suppliers, however, are thought guarded about Lenovo's aims and that it may underrun its targets.
While not directly linked, non-iPad tablet makers have so far had a difficult time judging how many they need to ship. RIM faced this in the summer after its PlayBook shipments dropped by 60 percent and it was forced to look at price cuts and bundles to clear unsold stock.
Lenovo hasn't commented on the new rumors. On the record, it has said that tablets were needed to survive Apple and has contended that Apple couldn't trump it in China because of costs and local advantages.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2010
Sell it for $99
HP had the right idea, but the wrong economics. Sell the TouchPad for $99 and it flies off the shelves. Not because it's actually good. But because it's ultra-cheap.
The problem with that scenario is, of course, that HP loses money on each and every TouchPad. And they'll be forced to lose money on more of them later this year. Just to keep their component suppliers from suing.