Lenovo today sought to clear the controversy arising out of its earlier announcement of stopping sale of sub-10-inch Windows tablet in the U.S. citing lack of consumer interest in such devices. Clarifying its stand, the Chinese company stated this does not imply ditching the segment as a whole. It's just that it doesn't have any tablet to sell right now. Rather, the company stated it remains committed to the segment and is even working on new 10- and 8-inch Windows-running tablets that are slated for launch during the holidays.

"Our model mix changes as per customer demand, and although we are no longer selling ThinkPad 8 in the U.S., and we have sold out of Miix 8-inch, we are not getting out of the small-screen Windows tablet business as was reported by the media," stated Lenovo.

Lenovo further claimed that although the ThinkPad 8 didn't do particularly well in the U.S., the same has been well received in other markets such as Brazil, Japan and China, as per AppleInsider. This has prompted Lenovo to re-align its stock as per consumer preferences. Lenovo had launched the ThinkPad 8 this January in the U.S. In its review, Slashgear has found the ThinkPad 8 to be high on portability without compromising functionality.

Worth mentioning here is Microsoft having reported to have withheld launching its own Surface Mini at just the last moment. While Microsoft hasn't officially clarified its stand on the issue, experts claim it could have something to do with increased competition in the segment.

Any tablet in the sub-10-inch segment will have to contend with the iPad Mini that rules the roost here. Others that play a dominant role in this segment include the Kindle Fire HD 7 and the Nexus 7. Interestingly, Google, too, is rumoured to launch a Nexus 8 offering an 8-inch or higher display. With 7-inch tablets coming under fire from the rapidly evolving phablet segment, manufacturers have been forced to shift focus to the 8+-inch tablet segment to ensure survival.

Meanwhile, there is no word on the specs or other details pertaining to the new 8- and 10-inch tablets that Lenovo said it is working on right now.