What you need to know
- Lenovo showcases its next-generation rollable PC form factor at Tech World 2022 conference.
- The rollable PC comes in a traditional laptop form factor, unlike foldable PC, but the screen can be extended to provide a larger display for productivity, multitasking, and better collaboration.
- Few details were provided during Lenovo's Tech World 2022 keynote, but the company debuted the rollable PC inside the metaverse, signaling its commitment to the augmented and virtual reality space.
- Windows Central will have more coverage about the rollable PC form factor, so stay tuned for additional details.
Lenovo took the wraps off its next-gen laptop form factor. After being the first manufacturer to debut and ship a laptop with a folding screen several years ago and continuing to iterate on that form factor, Lenovo is showing us how rollable and slidable PCs will look and work at its Tech World 2022 conference.
Not only did Lenovo show off its concept laptop with a rollable screen, it did so in the most meta way possible. The debut of the rollable concept was shown in a brief clip during Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing's keynote in the metaverse.
"Our device innovation focuses on adaptive intelligence, security, environmental friendliness, and of course, innovative form factors," Yuanqing said of his company's innovations in the client computing space.
The rollable PC was showcased in Lenovo's Cyber Space, a virtual and augmented reality meeting room that leverages the power of the metaverse to blend the virtual and the real.
"We are now in the Cyber Space created by Lenovo," the company said during the keynote. "In the Cyber Space, seamless collaboration is achieved among people, data, and space. In the future, the real and the virtual could connect and switch seamlessly."
Few details were immediately available about the specifics of the rollable form factor, but in a separate YouTube video posted hours ahead of Tech World 22, the company provided a glimpse on a traditional laptop form factor where the screen can be lengthened vertically to provide additional space for multitasking, collaborating, and productivity uses.
And unlike folding screens, there does not appear to be any visible creases with a rollable display on Lenovo's concept laptop. The laptop also appears slimmer than Lenovo's current 16-inch foldable ThinkPad.
The screen can be shortened, as well, to the laptop's footprint for travel, and it seems that Lenovo is working on the software end to deliver experiences that truly take advantage of the hardware.
"The possibilities of a rollable laptop are also compelling," said Lenovo president of the Intelligent Devices Group Luca Rossi, highlighting the company's investment in OLED screen technology. "It will bring multitasking browsing and mobility applications to another level. I believe form factor innovation is a very dynamic space and you will continue to see the novice innovation here."
With its rollable Motorola smartphone, Lenovo showcased how the screen on the phone can be lengthened while the screen is held in landscape orientation, and video aspect ratios can be dynamically adjusted as the screen is extended.
"I believe our customers are embracing meaningful innovation at a faster pace than ever," Rossi added. "Our devices come together to create smarter spaces. across schools, homes, workplaces, really anywhere. We have offerings that maximize the ecosystem experience."
With rollable PCs, Lenovo is not the first company to debut this next-generation form factor. A few weeks ago, Samsung showcased its rollable laptop at Intel's technology conference. Samsung called its PC a slidable. Like Lenovo, neither Samsung nor Intel provided details on the rollable laptop, and it's unclear when and if Lenovo or Samsung will bring this form factor to market.
We'll have an interview with Lenovo to get more details about the rollable PC and Lenovo's innovation in the process in the coming days, so be sure to stay tuned to Windows Central for more details about this unique next-generation PC.
