Two-thirds of business laptop buyers have never chosen a ThinkPad. That’s the challenge Lenovo executive Tom Butler aims to solve with a controversial design pivot for the iconic laptop line.” Butler, who oversees Lenovo’s commercial portfolio, described the company’s two-track ThinkPad strategy in a recent conversation with Times of India, explaining why the new ThinkPad X9 deliberately breaks with the brand’s 30-year design language.
“I’ve got a third of the market, but two-thirds don’t buy ThinkPad. So I want to go attract those two-thirds,” Butler opens up in a conversation with Times of India, outlining the strategy behind the company’s dual-track approach to its flagship business laptop line, and why company’s new ThinkPad X9 is a deliberate departure.
ThinkPad X9 is a new-age ThinkPad for the youngsters who don’t don’t know what the Trackpoint is
Even before diving deep into the conversation, Butler was quick enough to point out that the ThinkPad X9 isn’t the end of traditional ThinkPad aesthetic we’re familiar with. The X1 continues as the flagship for traditionalists. This stratification targets new customers who might find classic ThinkPad elements like the TrackPoint unfamiliar.
Butler, who is responsible for leading the teams that develop Lenovo’s commercial notebooks including the iconic ThinkPad and ThinkBook brands, acknowledged that while longtime ThinkPad users appreciate distinctive features like the red TrackPoint nub, these same elements can be barriers for new customers. “When we talk about attracting new customers to a ThinkPad brand on the business side, you know there was a lot of them were asking, I don’t know what the TrackPoint is,” he explained.
If you see the ThinkPad X9, you’d find that it doesn’t really look like a ThinkPad, Butler and Lenovo are quite well versed of it, and he explains that they “wanted to create a new design, a little bit of a departure from traditional ThinkPad,” thatshould sit well changing user expectations, particularly among younger workers who come from touchpad-centric experiences. However, Butler emphasized that newcomers would still benefit from ThinkPad’s renowned keyboard quality.
The pandemic has also influenced Lenovo’s design priorities, particularly for business laptops. “Prior to the pandemic, camera check has one doesn’t have one. Now, all of a sudden, camera matters extremely,” Butler explained, describing how Lenovo integrated a “communication bar” into its chassis to accommodate better quality cameras and speakers for video conferencing.
This attention to quality extends to materials as well, with Butler noting they “spent a lot of time on the paint” and carbon fiber construction to ensure durability and premium feel. That’s something we explored in a tour of Lenovo’s Yamato Lab at Yokohama, where ThinkPads are being designed, so have a read at this piece to know what goes behind the scenes.
The ThinkPads now have an aura of their own
This design evolution comes as Lenovo simultaneously pushes forward with its new Aura Edition lineup, which spans both consumer Yoga devices and business-focused ThinkPads, including the ThinkPad X9, or as they like to call it the ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition.
The Aura Edition represents over two and a half years of co-engineering with Intel, and is Lenovo’s broader push into the AI PC era, which Butler sees as already underway. “We’re in an AI PC era. It’s already started,” he stated, emphasizing that the hardware capabilities are now in place while software continues to advance.
Butler described how Lenovo built unique artificially intelligent experiences like AI Now, Smart Share, Smart Care, and Smart Modes on top of base technologies. “Inside Unison is your base platform, but then the tap to share is unique to the Aura Edition experiences,” he noted, explaining how Lenovo differentiates its products from the other incoming AI PCs, using the same underlying technologies.
Lenovo’s approach to AI implementation involves multiple models working in concert. “Llama three is our model underneath AI Now. It currently is the LLM running, but we also have an adjacent model, Phi three running as a safety checker on device,” Butler mentions, highlighting the company’s focus on security and reliability.
Butler then stresses upon how Lenovo’s integration of AI extends beyond surface features into fundamental architecture, which he says is something that sets apart Aura Edition PCs and other incoming AI PCs. “I think what we offer is we’re going through a rigorous set of testing for security, privacy and quality of the model to ensure that when we issue and deploy a model that it’s going to give you the results you’re looking for, but also the secure, private nature.”
As ThinkPad continues to evolve, Butler and his team remains focused on balancing innovation with the reliability that made ThinkPad iconic. “Part of the Aura experience is a simplified buyer journey of decision making,” Butler explained. The strategy appears clear: respect the past while designing for customers who haven’t yet embraced the brand.
