The IdeaPad U260

Engadget

• 3.04lbs
• 0.71" Thick
• 12.5" screen
• Intel Core i3/i5 ULV
• Bluetooth 2.1
• Up to 4GB Ram

 

Wow, interesting !
Where you got info from?

Edit, ok, too tired, noticed link now.
Doesnt look anything special with its ULV.
Screen size is interesting tho, perhaps its just typo and its going to be classic 12.1''?
If not, could that mean that future ThinkPads could get the same screen size or change to 11.6"?

 

the U260 was announced november 4th.

photos and specs can be found in the latest ideapad PSREF sheets: http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/ipbook.pdf

 

Interesting to see the X100e and Thinkpad Edge-like chiclet keyboard. Wonder if it'll spread to the other IdeaPads as well.

 

Consider the slenderness of the machine, I wonder if it would get warm/ hot. Notice when the screen is open, it may be partially covering the vents. Or, maybe not?

 

They should of tapered the edges. Dell has been doing the thin and boxy look for a long time and yet when you think of 'thin laptops' all you hear about is Apple.

 

...will cost $899 with the i3-380UM.

 

I'd still take the X200 or X201 with the AFFS over this, but it's an interesting design. I don't know that brown or orange really works for me.

 

899 dollars, whoa that is slightly expensive for an ideapad.... i am not sure whom Lenovo marketing is targeting with this product.

 

What advantages does this have over the U160, or the U360(or any other consumer 13in models they offer)? I would have to agree it is a bit pricey considering you can X201 at the same price with a better cpu, and aforementioned AFFS screen during their regular sales Lenovo has. Now, if it came with the LV i core cpu then I could see more of a differentiation over U160 and U360.

I will say this I do like the looks and color scheme a bit more than the Vaio Y and other similar spec'd 13in notebooks. I dunno why but I kind of would like to try this out, specifically the i5 model.

BTW will this have the ambient light-sensor and HD sensor that is offered on the U360?

 

These laptop probably is used to target the retail consumer market more than the corporate/business market. Having something like this in shop does make ideapad range more appealing, and it would better match up the product offered by other competitors.

Sony Vaio does have lot of appeals to consumers whom are style conscious and don't want a regular Apple laptop... so in a way this is Lenovo's answer to these hipsters.

 

But, neither of them have a 12in consumer model(Sony has the 12in G, but that is a more X201 competitor and only being sold in Asia and I think Australia). Could they have not just re-designed the U360 and U160 to look more like this instead of introduce a 12.6in in a market that is getting crowded and offers little differentiation vs even its own products?

 

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I thought I had read somewhere that the U260 would be available to buy on Nov. 15th. Unfortunately, I only see some promotional info with a Coming Soon message. I think this laptop is right in the wheelhouse of what I'm looking for.

 

Hmm, looks like it could compete with Edge series, given its got spillproof keyboard, active protection system.
So what is it, consumer or business machine after all ?

 

It seems to be priced higher than the Edge machines, though. Seems like a somewhat-accessible "halo model" for the IdeaPad series - as a machine, it looks pretty nice, but the price will make it impractical for most.

 

i think Lenovo is trying to boost the brand equity of Ideapad to attract more attention to this model brand.

 

I managed to find this yesterday on Lenovos website after reading the breaking news and with the i5 cpu/4 megs ram/320gb 7200rpm HD it was $1299 when in the cart at checkout. Tempting as it was I didn't bite because of screen, 4hrs battery life and no USB 3.0. I can't get back there and they didn't have the $899 version with the i3 up yet.

 

At that price you may as well see if Microsoft store, or anywhere else still has deals going on the Vaio Z, Asus U33JC, or something else with a better battery life, cpu and gpu.

 

The u260 is probably the ideapad equivalent of thinkpad x30x, which is why it is so expensive. Lenovo wouldn't have done the interview/advertising if this product wasn't something quite special.

 

Okay, its up now and they immediately give a price break. How nice. The difference from what I saw on the 15th is that the hard drive speed is lower, 5400rpm. I mean, even at $100 less, I can't see spending this chunk of change for a lappy that can't break the 4hr battery life. Its still a Mac Air wanna be, and I think they are over priced, but if I were to spend $1200 on something in this category I'd probably still get the Mac. Please can't someone other than Apple do this without over pricing it???

 

well i guess Apple can produce more and also sell more of their Macbook Air than a similar product from the competitor, this gives them a massive advantage in terms of pricing.

U260 is a nice product, but the price of this machine is way too high for a machine like this, ideapad range don't command the sort of premium like an equivalent Sony Z or Macbook Air/pro. My personal opinion is that the U260 is more of a marketing ploy to get more attention on the ideapad brand name. Lenovo is probably not expecting to sell a huge batch of this product at this price.

 

AGREE 100%.

 

IMO Lenovo should rather bring back Thinkpad x3-- series instead of this piece of plastic.

 

Apparently there is going to be something exciting coming out for the thinkpad range next year. I personally wouldn't mind something like the think slate of some description.

 

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That salesman had the silliest explanation of why the U260 is 12.5" I've ever heard

 

Full metal jacket (i mean case). Bookshelf docking system.

My god, this is Lenovo's take of Macbook Air...

 

Hands on from Engadget

 

I wonder what is material use to make the palm rest. I know that it is not real leather, pleather? I really like the design I wonder if they are going to update the other U-series to be more like the U260. I can't wait till CES 2011, where they will release the refresh U series.

 

the palmrest would probably be rubberised or a polyurethane material.

 

I'm thinking of getting this for my mother if there is 15%+ coupon for U260

 

it's a semi-padded synthetic leather.   a photo can be found here: http://www.thinkpads.com/2010/11/12/12-5-inch-lenovo-ideapad-u260-becoming-official-monday-nov-15/

this will get you a 15% discount: IdeaPad U260 back up for sale with correct price | Thinkpads.com - News, Reviews, Coupons, Deals on ThinkPad & IdeaPad Laptop computers

 

I thought the base price was going to be $899. I'd wait for Black Friday since student price is same as regular price as well. It'd be nice if it was around $700.

She is just going to use it for internet and light word processing so base model is perfectly fine - it's just that she wants something light - like my X200.

How is i3 UM processor compared to regular i3 core processors in terms of speed and reliability?

 

$999 is the correct base price.   at launch it was $1099 and dropped $100.

you won't get one for $700.   this model is competing on build quality, not price.

an i3 UM has more than enough power for simple internet and word processing tasks.   this processor will last your mother a long, long time.

 

I'm waiting for shipping availability on this laptop and will pull the trigger once it becomes available, unless I can find a strong case against it. I can't find another solid, ultraportable (~3 lb) laptop at this price range that suits my purposes.

MacBook Air - Love it, but want to stick with windows
Sony Vaio Z - people seem to throw around this model like everyone can buy it for $1000, but I missed that huge MS store sale, and I missed the few (2 as far as I saw) that went for real cheap on eBay.
Acer TimelineX - build quality
Asus U33 - this is the main competition w/ the bonus of USB3.0 and Optimus. Ends up being a bit more expensive and about .7 lbs heavier.