Lenovo is increasing the range of accessories that can be magnetically attached to its ThinkBook laptops—and that could soon include SSDs and second screens.
Lenovo first introduced its range of Magic Bay devices last year, but is using CES 2024 in Las Vegas to show off both confirmed new accessories and prototypes that could arrive later this year.
Magic Bay accessories connect magnetically to compatible Lenovo ThinkBook laptops, which have a small set of pin connectors on the laptop’s lid, just behind where the webcam is normally positioned.
Among the prototypes being displayed at CES is a compact SSD unit, which can provide extra storage or act as a backup disk without having to occupy one of the increasingly rare USB ports on the laptop.
Lenovo product manager Steven Wang said the clip-on storage still offers the equivalent of USB 3 speeds, which means it should be able to transfer data at a rate of up to 5Gbits/sec. Wang demonstrated how Windows recognized the additional storage as soon as it was attached to the rear of the laptop, as if it had been plugged into a USB port.
Although the company stressed the Magic Bay SSD was still only a prototype, Wang said it could be released as a commercial product as soon as the middle of this year.
At the more novelty end of the scale, Lenovo also showed off a prototype of a clip-on virtual assistant that “provides encouragement” as you work away at your laptop. Its tiny circular screen has a range of emoji-like facial expressions to communicate with the laptop’s owner.
Magic Bay Screen
Among the other Magic Bay prototypes Lenovo unveiled was a small, secondary screen that sits just above the laptop’s regular display. The 10in screen would provide extra working space for business travelers, without having to plug in secondary screens.
The magnetic connection on the Magic Bay screen being shown at CES did seem a little flimsy, with the second screen being accidentally knocked off on more than one occasion in a short space of time. However, it must be stressed it was a prototype device with no confirmed release date.
Whether the convenience of the magnetic attachment is enough to outweigh the extra space afforded by conventional secondary screens offered by Lenovo and many other manufacturers awaits to be seen. There are relatively few Windows applications that cope well with being squeezed into such a small display.
Magic Bay Studio
One accessory that Lenovo did confirm would be launched later this year is the Magic Bay Studio. This is a 4K webcam that’s designed to offer a superior videoconferencing experience to the camera built into laptops.
Lenovo claims the camera’s sharp images are further enhanced by AI to help professionals look their best on video calls. The Magic Bay Studio also enhances the laptop’s audio with its own 2W speakers, helping to increase the sense of spatial audio when videoconferencing.
The Magic Bay Studio will be available from June, at an expected price of $199. That certainly positions it at the premium end of the webcam market.
