Twitter, like most social media, is not good for a lot of things like mental health, anger management, and dad jokes. On the other hand, when it comes to measuring the pulse of the cognoscenti, it can be a very useful, albeit anecdotal, resource. So, it is with CES 2023. You really don’t have to be there any more; avoid the crowds, save on expenses, and don’t lose a mortgage payment at Baccarat because you are not James Bond.
Here’s where I am going with this, I first saw this come down the wire:
I immediately wanted one. I thought that maybe I am biased and making a big deal out of it because I believe you can never have enough screens to work on. I let it go. But, as I doom scrolled through my Twitter feed, in-between the usual political nuttiness and Elon stan wars, I started to see a groundswell of love for this thing, this awkward beauty.
My favorite #CES2023 device in the “I would actually use that category.”
— Daniel Newman (@danielnewmanUV) January 5, 2023
Well done @Lenovo pic.twitter.com/H3tJFjial8
The Lenovo Yoga 9i might be the best thing at #CES2023.
— Ben Schoon (@NexusBen) January 5, 2023
The dual-screen is executed wonderfully and I was blown away at how good the keyboard function was. Can’t wait to see this idea built upon! pic.twitter.com/LZ18FQwy98
Lenovo’s Yoga Book 9i is an unprecedented laptop for people who hate foldables | Ars Technica https://t.co/oU2zQGnvh2 #CES2023 @JimHarris pic.twitter.com/ynPrwKqD3t
— 🇺🇦Evan Kirstel #B2B #TechFluencer (@EvanKirstel) January 5, 2023
It goes on a bit like that with consumers and influencers alike. And, yes, I realize that this is not a scientific poll or statistically viable, but I know Twitter and it’s a big win for Lenovo at CES. More importantly, it may be a harbinger of a general shift in the perception of foldable screens. If you were a skeptic before, I am talking about me, you are going to be less skeptical now. And if you have a desktop with more than 2 monitors, I am talking about me, then you are going to like the thought of having a mini-me multi-display laptop.
Granted, the next time you pull one of these things out at Starbucks and try and do some work on it, it will be like broadcasting to the room, but you will also be the coolest person in there which may not mean much to actual cool people but it is a precious thought for remote workers of all ilks.