Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga tablet may surface as Windows RT device

The convertible Yoga may see a dual life as both a Intel-based Windows 8 tablet and an ARM-powered Windows RT device.

Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga may pop up as a Windows RT device.
(Credit: Lenovo)

The upcoming Windows RT device mentioned by Lenovo last week may be none other than its IdeaPad Yoga.

Lenovo revealed last week that it will unveil a Windows RT device around the same time that Windows 8 launches on October 26. But it was mum about the name or other details.

Now we may have a name: the IdeaPad Yoga.

The convertible tablet/notebook will reportedly hit in the market around late October in two different versions, sources told ABC News. One version would be powered by an Intel CPU and offer Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro. The other would use an ARM Nvidia Tegra processor and offer Windows RT.

Helped by the low-power ARM chip, the Windows RT model would provide double the battery life of its Intel-based cousin, according to the sources.

The IdeaPad Yoga tablet can switch between notebook and tablet just by bending its screen backward. The Wall Street Journal said last week that Lenovo would offer a Windows RT convertible notebook, leading ABC's sources to reportedly confirm that model as the Yoga.

A Lenovo spokeswoman told CNET that the company does not comment on rumors.

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Though the Windows RT version may boast longer battery life, it won't support the same legacy desktop applications accessible through Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro. Users will be restricted to running mostly Windows 8 (formerly known as Metro) apps.

Even certain Windows RT apps may be lacking in comparison to their Windows 8 counterparts. The Windows RT version of Microsoft's Office 2013 will reportedly eliminate "macros, third-party add-ins, and VBA support," and a "'small number of other features," sources recently told The Verge. If true, such a move would be designed to enhance battery life on Windows RT devices by keeping apps slim and trim.