Lenovo Cuts Windows 8 Horizon Tablet Prices

Written by The VAR Guy 1
July 15, 2013

Lenovo's 27-inch Windows tablet, called the IdeaCentre Horizon, is on sale. Will businesses and consumers embrace a tablet that's also a table?

Lenovo’s 27-inch Windows 8 tablet (called the IdeaCentre Horizon Multimode Tablet PC) is sexy. And now some Horizon models are on sale. Indeed, Lenovo’s is offering $150 to $400 discounts on various IdeaCentre all-in-one table PCs. So will big-screen touch PCs that look like tables find a home in homes and businesses? Hmmm…

First, the facts. The Horizon model 57315077 is available with a $150 discount — trimming the price to $1699. The model 57315088 has a far steeper cut of $400 to $1,400, according to Lenovo’s web site. The cuts come around the same time that Microsoft slashed prices for its Windows RT tablet. The VAR Guy does not know if or when the discounts will end.

Either way, The VAR Guy has been salivating over Horizon PCs as potential digital coffee tables for home or business. Lenovo’s Aura interface, which runs atop Windows 8, sounds like it delivers a great user experience. Lenovo has also been building out an app store for consumers to download and play games.

And what about business applications? For offices where employees need to share and evaluate design plans, sketches, photos and other content together, the Horizon could be a compelling desktop device — especially as purpose-built furniture for the Horizon potentially arrives.

Still, Horizon remains in its infancy, the PC market is struggling and Microsoft is preparing to ship Windows 8.1 to PC makers in August. It sort of makes The VAR Guy wonder if he should take more of a wait-and-see attitude toward Horizon and other big-screen touch devices that double as tables…