The Lenovo Yoga isn't just redefining Lenovo's product line -- it's also transforming how the company names its products. The company's marketing chief says the laptop/tablet hybrid's name was a serendipitous moment, and Lenovo will be re-examining how it names its products in the near future.
"Yoga" is the incredibly apt (but not too clever) name for Lenovo's laptop whose screen can bend backward a full 360 degrees thanks to a special hinge design. When the screen folds past 180 degrees, the keyboard automatically shuts off, and when completely folded it effectively becomes a tablet.
It's a novel design, and Lenovo CMO David Roman says the name was conceived very early in the process.
"Yoga was actually the code name," he says, "but the code name was so logical -- it was just a perfect fit -- that it ended up becoming the real name. And it was justifiable to have a name [as opposed to a number] because it really is a new category."
The Yoga name stands in contrast to less-creative names of Lenovo products, such as its first Intel Atom-powered tablet, the "ThinkPad Tablet 2." Roman says he recognizes the disparity, and that the company is doing something about it.
"We are looking at our naming overall," he says. "We don't feel that our naming is up to snuff. It can be confusing. Taken product by product it makes sense, but put them together it doesn't."
What do you think of Lenovo's naming, and the name of the Yoga in particular? Share your thoughts in the comments.