Lenovo unveils world's first foldable PC

Marshae Mansfield, Lenovo Chief Customer Officer & COO, joins Yahoo Finance’s Zack Guzman to discuss Lenovo's new folding tablet and how the company plans to compete with the iPad and Samsung tablet.

Video Transcript

ZACK GUZMAN: The big news on the tech front out of Lenovo as they announced opening orders on some new innovation here, innovation that we really haven't seen. I haven't seen it up close-- still haven't seen this. But the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold available to order now and shipping in a few weeks. One of those devices out there that kind of does it all and also folds up.

Here to discuss that with us, though, is Marshae Mansfield, Lenovo North America chief customer officer and COO. And Marshae, I appreciate you taking the time to chat here. When we look at it, the ThinkPad X1 Fold is going to come with Windows 10 and ships in few weeks, as I said, but starts at $2,499. So talk to me about what customers are getting in this device and why you think it's going to be a big deal for Lenovo.

MARSHAE MANSFIELD: Sure, I'd be glad to. Thanks for having me on the show today, Zack. I actually have one right here beside me, and hopefully, this will translate so you can see it a bit better. But this is really a new category for Lenovo, one that we're really excited about. It is, as you mentioned, the first foldable PC, and the technology is really outstanding.

So I'll show you a couple different ways where I personally use it, as you know, we're working from anywhere currently, and we're trying to balance probably a lot more than we were balancing a year ago. But I use it in the following manner. One thing I absolutely love is the dual screen. So if I'm looking at my PowerPoint, I can also collaborate with my colleagues across the globe and have a really good experience.

If I want to take notes, I can look at my PowerPoint here and be able to take notes on the whiteboard. If I want to create content, then that's also an option. There's an onboard keyboard. Some people prefer the mechanical, so there is one that snaps right on and you can choose to create content either way. This is also a fun one. If I decide to do a little shopping, you can do a side by side. This happens to be two of our Lenovo devices that I'm comparing.

And this is probably my favorite. So my family and I have a fun little challenge to kind of change things up at dinner, and as I go at 5 o'clock and start cooking dinner for the family, I can have my nice chicken piccata recipe up on top, have my email at the bottom to be able to respond to customers or my colleagues as needed. So it really is balancing everything that we have going on right now. And I'll fold it for you.

ZACK GUZMAN: Well, I respect the product placement there. You know, not just showing off the product, but showing product comparisons of other products all in one here. But when we think about the demand in the segment-- because I assume, you know, this is one of those products out there that's going to be convenient-- the ability to fold it and make it a little bit easier to carry around, and all the things that you described there would be good.

I'd be curious to see how demand has shifted in this pandemic because it seems like a product you'd want to take on the road, but as we know, travel has been impacted in this pandemic. So how does that change maybe the demand you guys are expecting around the launch and how it's planning to be used?

MARSHAE MANSFIELD: Well, Zack, like I said, I'm not on the road right now. I am a work from home employee, like many of my Lenovo colleagues, and it's my new favorite device. I love it because it can fold up to almost a book size, where I can fit it in my purse. I know a health care environment, you can pop it in your lab coat if you're walking around.

I'm working from my kitchen sometimes. I'm working from my back porch sometimes when I need to get a little bit of fresh air. So the convenience of having this device, to be able to work from anywhere and to create content while consuming content at the same time, I do think the demand will be there. You know, it's seamless design. It's the ThinkPad durability that our customers have grown to love. So the benefit for me is I can consume and create in one device.

ZACK GUZMAN: Yeah. And I mean, as we talk about, we're seeing this shift, too, the Motorola Razr being another one of those foldable phones that had such, I guess, you know, a special place in American's hearts, my own included here, when we think about that device and the foldability of some of these tech devices. But very interesting innovation here. And again, out for orders right now. But Marshae Mansfield, Lenovo North America chief customer officer and COO, appreciate you showing it off today.