When IBM was in charge of making ThinkPad notebooks it stuck to colour policy set by Henry Ford for his company’s cars: the ThinkPad mobile computers could be painted in “any color, so long as it’s black”. But the times have changed and now Lenovo not only wants to offer multimedia-centered silver Z-series, but also to sell limited-edition ThinkPad Reserve in leather enclosure.

“The ThinkPad Reserve Edition was designed for the world’s most accomplished professionals, so it delivers the best ownership experience available. It combines expert personalized service, exquisite design and materials, and superior technology to surpass any notebook PC available today," said Craig Merrigan, vice president of Branding and Strategy, Lenovo.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad Reserve is a thin-and-light notebook akin to IBM ThinkPad X61 based on Intel Centrino Pro mobile platform. The laptop is based on Intel Core 2 Duo L7500 (2.20GHz, 4MB L2 cache) central processing unit, 2GB of memory, 160GB hard disk drive as well as Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate operating system. Like all premium ThinkPad machines, the ThinkPad Reserve features 802.11a/b/g/draft-n wireless network controller, Bluetooth technology as well as built-in 3G connection for various networks. The product comes with external CD/DVD burner, external 80GB hard disk drive as well as advanced security features of the X61. Lenovo promises that the ThinkPad Reserve will offer up to 7 hours of battery life.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Reserve edition was created in celebration of the 15^th anniversary of the ThinkPad notebook. Since its creation in 1992, ThinkPad has built a tradition of excellence, and is trusted by the world’s most demanding professionals for its advanced capability, rugged durability and thoughtful design.

Clad in hand-stitched, saddle-grade premium French leather, each Lenovo ThinkPad Reserve edition notebook is individually numbered and comes with live, round-the-clock executive-class service and support. Each ThinkPad Reserve user is provided access to dedicated, specially-trained Executive Support staff, available at the touch of a button, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to support every aspect of the ThinkPad Reserve edition computing experience.

As a part of exclusive support, each owner is provided concierge phone access to the Executive Support staff, with all calls answered within four rings in the owner’s native language. Or the owner can press the ThinkVantage button on the keyboard and get a live electronic-chat connection to their support expert, who can also address needs through remote management of the computer as desired. If needed, a specially-trained technician will be at a customer's location within four hours in 20 countries, and will even condition the leather exterior before departing. In the case of accidental loss, replacement machines will be shipped overnight, free of charge.

However, the premium support along with design never before seen on ThinkPad notebooks, which are well-known for very strict black design, comes at a price that by exceeds that of comparable laptops and is much higher even compared to premium-class gaming notebooks. The IBM ThinkPad Reserve Edition is priced at $5000, which includes a 36-month Executive Support Staff service. The laptop is available in Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, U.K. and U.S.

“While only 5000 ThinkPads will offer ‘Reserve’ status, this offering demonstrates Lenovo’s leadership the PC industry in delivering innovative design, technology, and services across all our offerings,” Mr. Merrigan proclaimed.