Lenovo will sell a lighter and quicker ThinkPad notebook computer to appeal to customers who like the convenience of tablets and smartphones, according to the Associated Press.

The new computer, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, will go on sale later this month, the Chinese computer maker said.

Lenovo acquired the ThinkPad brand with IBM's personal computer unit in 2005. Lenovo passed Dell last year to become the second-largest PC manufacturer after Hewlett-Packard.

The latest ThinkPad has third-generation wireless connectivity and other features inspired by tablets and smartphones, said Dilip Bhatia, vice president of the ThinkPad business unit. He said that was in response to demands by customers who want a tablet's convenience but need a notebook's wider range of functions.

"They want faster. They want thinner," Bhatia said.

Lenovo shaved the 14-inch (35.5 centimeter) laptop computer's weight to three pounds (1.3 kilograms) from the 3.7 pounds (1.7 kilograms) of last year's model, Bhatia. He said it would have up to eight hours of battery life and the startup time was reduced by as much as half to less than 20 seconds.

The ThinkPad unit launched the first tablet version of its computer last year.

Despite tablets' growing popularity, Bhatia said there will still be strong demand for notebooks to perform more complex functions in business, education and government, the Associated Press reported. Forecasts call for global notebook sales to reach 230 million this year, versus 110 million for tablets.

Lenovo took the unusual step of unveiling the new computer in China because of the fast growth of its market and the local popularity of ThinkPads, said Bhatia.

Lenovo's ThinkPad team also plans to release more ultra-book models, and is "excited" about Microsoft's Windows 8, which will be released in October, according to PC World.

"I think the area that will help drive the adoption of Windows 8 for the enterprise is the tablet," Bhatia said, noting that business customers have expressed a need for the devices.

"We are going to keep breaking that barrier, to bring the ThinkPad to the next stage," said Arimasa Naitoh, ThinkPad chief designer, about expanding further. "I'm not saying the ThinkPad clamshell will be replaced. I never think that. But in addition to that, we need to create something more."

Monday marked the 20th anniversary of Lenovo's ThinkPad product. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon was announced at a company-sponsored event, according to PC World.

PC World also reported that the X1 Carbon is also one of the ThinkPad brand's first ultrabooks, a class of Intel-powered laptop meant to feature thin and light designs with high performance.

"Overall, the ultrabook is the right direction. It's the start of the journey, so it's not the destination," he said in an interview with journalists, adding that more aggressive pricing will help improve ultrabook sales. "In general you will see notebooks get thinner, get lighter, have the instant on connected capability. So I'm not worried about it."