The VAR Guy

Our team here at Lenovo is very excited about our ThinkPad Tablet, which have started shipping. We know that we have great hardware, but our tablet announcement is much more than hardware. I argue that we have the industry’s first business-class tablet because we are the only vendor who can provide a full suite of services to make our customers more productive and secure.

New AMD CEO Rory Read carries one heck of a crystal ball. To wit, Read seems to have predicted — three months ago — that Hewlett-Packard may exit the PC industry. Skeptical? Take a look at this exclusive FastChat video from The VAR Guy, filmed in May 2011. Right around the 2 minute and 18 second mark, Read — a Lenovo executive at the time — seems to predict Hewlett-Packard will eventually exit the PC industry.

Yes, The VAR Guy can be a name dropper from time to time. A case in point: The VAR Guy knows new AMD CEO Rory Read (pictured). And Read — formerly Lenovo‘s president and chief operating officer — is a channel-friendly guy. In fact, Read is as channel-friendly as they come.

The news that HP is set to sell or spin-off its consumer electronics division has rocked the industry, fueling an onslaught of speculation and commentary. But for The VAR Guy, here’s one question comes to mind: Will Microsoft be able to work as closely with Hewlett-Packard’s PC division as the HP seeks to either spin-off the PC business or sell it to a third-party?

Anybody want to buy a $40 billion PC business? While you ponder that offer, here are six channel partner blog entries The VAR Guy didn’t have time to write for the week ending Aug. 19, 2011.

Okay, so I just dated myself with that title. Worse yet, now I have that stupid song stuck in my head. But I digress. It used to be the case that some products were just too sexy for the business space — they were seen as consumer-focused, and therefore, not ideal for the typical solution provider to sell. You know the vendors: Apple, Logitech, Google. As consumers, you want them because they have tuned functionality and intuitive design. Plus, let’s face it, you just feel a whole lot cooler using them. Yet the channel traditionally hasn’t led with them or kept them top of mind. It made me stop and think: What makes a product sexy for the channel?

Lenovo has been keeping the PC alive in the post-PC world, and now it’s keeping the local server super-cheap in an offsite cloud computing world. The company is continuing to capture the SMB market with its two new ThinkServers, the TS130 and TS430, and maybe a few cubicles with the new ThinkCentre M71e. Tech specs and a little channel information to follow …

Lenovo and De Lage Landen — two Channel Finance 25 companies — continue to expand their financing programs for VARs and managed services providers. The latest example: The Lenovo Partner Credit program, in partnership with De Lage Landen, now offers U.S. resellers up to 60 days of interest-free credit. The program involves such distributors as D&H, Ingram Micro, Synnex and Tech Data. The bigger long-term question: Will Lenovo continue marching forward and perhaps even launch a hardware as a service (HaaS) effort for VARs and MSPs? Here are some early insights.

The VAR Guy hopes to watch this evening’s Miami Heat-Chicago Bulls Game 3 showdown. But before our resident blogger turns his attention to South Beach, Miami, here are six channel partner-related blog entries that The VAR Guy didn’t have time to write for the week ending May 20, 2011.

You may have heard of crossover vehicles, but you probably haven’t heard of the crossover PC. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 laptop is designed to blend business and play, while being thin and super-efficient. Lenovo is aiming the new laptop at the “business professional” who “demands the best in performance, mobility and entertainment.” Sound like your kind of PC? Read on for the tech specs and my personal hardware analysis …

How’s this for ironic: Lenovo President and COO Rory Read (pictured) spent roughly seven years as a top leader within IBM Global Services. But he somehow kicked the IT services habit when he joined Lenovo. In fact, Read publicly vowed — multiple times today — that Lenovo will never build or buy an IT services organization. In a FastChat Video with The VAR Guy, Read explained why Lenovo will continue to focus on product innovation while leaving IT services to channel partners.

Lenovo is launching its Cloud Ready Client technology for Enterprises that work with the Lenovo Secure Cloud Access, a delivery method to improve cloud-based interaction between devices. What is a Cloud Ready Client, and what implications could it have for the channel? Read on for the details.

Mere weeks after Intel’s February 2011 release of pro-sumer/professional 510 SATA III SSD drives comes the company’s introduction of the technology into the midmarket with its new SSD 320 series SATA II drives. What’s the scoop on these non-moving drives and how do they fit into the channel? Read on for the quick details …

Lenovo is out to prove the PC is not dead through a barrage of new offerings for the business space. Its latest lineup includes the ThinkStation E30 and ThinkCentre M81, designed for business professionals who need fast performance without compromise. These new computers come outfitted with the second generation of Intel Core CPUs (i3, i5, i7), so read on and find out what they can offer Lenovo partners …

Looking to bring a greater breadth of offerings in the virtualization space, Virtual Computer and Lenovo are collaborating on an effort that will enable Virtual Computer to ship its NxTop client virutalization solution on select Lenovo computers. Here are the details …

The VAR Guy can’t help but notice Lenovo’s and Intel’s combined effort in the education space. The two vendors have come out with the Classmate+ PC, an all-purpose laptop designed specifically for the K-8 space. It’s being hailed as rugged, affordable, ‘child-friendly’ and ‘complete,’ all positives for education-focused technology. So far, The VAR Guy is intrigued. Read on for the specs …

Lenovo is updating its bread and butter: the ubiquitous ThinkPad laptop line. This time, the X-series is getting a facelift with the introduction of the X220 and the X220 tablet laptop. Both models are designed for up to 24-hour battery life, low-power yet high-end CPUs and a thin and lightweight profile. Could these be the new road warrior machines? Read on for the details …

Lenovo is launching a new fleet of laptops built specifically for the workplace and designed for all the new mobile workplace needs. Voice and video are just some of the services Lenovo has centered their designs around. Here’s the scoop …

The noise — and the hype — can get pretty darn loud when you’re at a technology conference. But if you’re a savvy VAR, you can rise above the noise (and build your own publicity wave) at a technology summit or business conference, regardless of the event’s size. So, how can you make sure your voice — and your brand — are heard? Just follow a few of the steps Lenovo recently took during the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas.

PC maker Lenovo is focusing on bringing consumer products into the business arena with its new Mobile Internet Business Group. Focusing on tablets, smartphones and smart TVs, the new business group will help focus and develop services around these emerging technologies — at least that’s Lenovo’s hope. Here’s some perspective…

Roughly a year ago, Lenovo made noise at CES 2010 for the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid notebook. It looks like a regular Windows 7 laptop, but — pop the screen out — and it’s a tablet that potentially competes with Apple’s iPad. In 2010 the tablet was set to run a custom version of Linux that Lenovo had built. But Lenovo put that on hold. Why? Because now the IdeaPad U1 hybrid is actually shipping Q1 2011 in China and it’ll be running Android 2.2 instead. Here’s the scoop…

Last year during CES 2010, Lenovo touted its line of shiny new all-in-one (AIO) units. This year at CES 2011 the company is doing more of the same, but this time with a bit more pizazz. Looking nearly identical from last year’s A300, the new IdeaCenter A320 features upgraded guts. Also coming down the AIO line are the B520, B320 and C205 – updated versions of current models. All of them are very competitively priced, and all of them with new fancy features including 3D, TV integration and more …

CES 2011 is nearly here, and The VAR Guy is expecting lots and lots of devices without keyboards. The event, Jan 6-9 in Las Vegas (of course), may turn out to be the biggest device battleground in a long time, now that certain technologies have matured. Here’s our resident blogger’s take on what we can expect from CES 2011.