Lenovo ThinkPad X300
2008
When Lenovo purchased the personal computer business from IBM in 2005, much of the industry was stunned. The originator of the personal computing category, and more importantly, the ThinkPad franchise was no longer running the show. ThinkPad loyalists were concerned that Lenovo would not understand how to manage or lead the development and design of future ThinkPad offerings. Few had even heard of Lenovo, but even fewer were content with entrusting such a powerful icon of business computing with them.
Lenovo strategic marketing and design launched a project to create a ThinkPad so leading that not even IBM would have dared to make it. Code named Kodachi, the effort mobilized the entire design, marketing , and development teams to create the "perfect" ThinkPad. Under David's direction, design played a pivotal role in cementing Lenovo credibility as the new steward for ThinkPad. The X300 coincidently launched at the same time as the MacBook air drawing intense comparison and elevating brand awareness.
