Lenovo chief says netbook's day is done

Lenovo has called time on the netbook, stating that the mini-laptop's life is now "pretty much over".

So said the firm's President and COO, Rory Read, in an interview with Dow Jones after confirming Lenovo will release 10in Android tablets worldwide within the next few months.

There'll be an IdeaPad-branded consumer model and a ThinkPad version for business buyers, Read said. Both will be based on ARM chippery, and run Honeycomb.

"Some of the early-generation Android devices were a little ahead of their time," he said, "and what we're doing here is making sure [our tablets] are strong.

"We only have one opportunity to make that first good impression."

A Windows model will appear later in the year, and 7in Android units too.

Read said he expects tablets to corner 15 per cent of the computer market during the next three years, superseding netbooks in the process. ®