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  (PHOTO:Lenovo)
  ThinkPad X230t convertible tablet front view.

The Chinese manufacturer Lenovo has announced a new and improved version of their ThinkPad, which will be thinner and lighter than before to compete with tablets.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon was recently debuted in China and will go on sale later this month, according to the manufacturer. Lenovo acquired the ThinkPad from as a part of IBM in 2005 and has since gone on to become the second top manufacturer of PC computers.

The Difference Between a Tablet and a Think Pad

The ThinkPad is unlike the iPad or any other tablet because it has all of the same features as a laptop, but with an added swivel screen that flips down to resemble a device that looks similar to a tablet. The added feature of having a keyboard and mouse in one moment, but the same ease of access as tablet in the next is one of the largest selling points of the computer. While the newest version will be lighter and thinner than the last, the ThinkPad is still a complete notebook, which means added weight.

Dimensions

The new ThinkPad is slated to weigh 3 pounds, which is nearly a pound less than it weighed before. It will also have the battery life of about 8 hours and has cut start up time in half to only 20 seconds. Hard drives pack pounds and in comparison, Apple's chip-based iPad weighs less than half that of the ThinkPad at 1.44 pounds. It also has a smaller display screen and is much thinner. Other tablets boast similar qualities.

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While tablets have become more popular in the past year, Dilip Bhatia, vice president of the ThinkPad business unit, still believes that there will be a large market for the device.

"The clamshell format is going to be around for a long time," Bhatia said according to Fox News. "We see a multi-device environment." Forecasts also revealed that global notebook sales would reach 230 million this year, versus 110 million for tablets.