When it comes to computer designs, Apple turned the PC market on its head under Steve Jobs with the MacBook Air, the iMac and of course iDevices such as the iPhone and iPad. Many years after the passing of Steve Jobs, the iPhone X came to light. It was the first refreshing design shift under Cook worth applauding and hopefully their next generation iPads will follow the very same lines by eliminating the classic but outdated Home Button.

The PC industry was asleep while Apple was blazing trails with thin aluminum styles and finishes instead of bulky old plastic designs from PC companies. But that's been changing over the years with the Surface Studio desktop, the Surface Book and some really nice thin notebooks from most PC makers in the U.S. and abroad.

Now HP is stepping up their creative side with an all-new leather bound convertible notebook that they call the HP Spectre Folio that's exudes class. It will be in stores in the States at the end of the month. Of course it's one of those products that you'll have to test out in the store yourself to get a feel if HP has hit a home run here or not. But on design alone, it's a winner. Check out the video below.  

Going by our cover graphic and the rave review from PCMag's Mellissa Riofrio, it's very possible that this leather design may be trying to appeal to professionals in general though women specifically. Riofrio says that from someone who loves leather handbags, she loved the softness and the smell of the leather that makes it feel like a premium product. Let's face it guys, women have more experience with leather accessories, handbags, shoes and boots and a nice leather notebook in the office will be a natural choice over metal.

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Riofrio was quite impressed with this first-to-market thin laptop using full-grain leather bonded to a metal frame that offers three different modes; laptop, movie and tablet. The tablet mode is finally smartly designed to cover the keyboard so the leather finish will be on your lap in tablet mode instead of feeling keys like most 2-in-1 convertibles.

The new unit offers an LTE antenna that runs across the top of the display and you can either use the built in eSIM or add a SIM card as there's an accessible but hidden slot built in.

As thin as this unit is, they were able to include 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports and 1 USB 3.1 Type-C slots along with an audio jack. You could check out the PCWorld review for all of the other specifications and a walk through of the unit here.

You could also check out the Wired's initial review here and the USA Today review notes that Sprint is waiving unlimited data charges for the first six months.

For Apple fans who live in a Windows World and can appreciate hardware beyond Apple's, the new HP Spectre Folio may appeal to some professionals looking for a little class beyond everyday aluminum finishes.

In the end it's great to see a PC company trying something refreshing in terms of design that stands out. With 7nm AMD and 10nm Intel processors coming to market in 2019, lighter and cooler running notebook and All-in-One designs should be able to take on new form factors to excite the market once again. Apple fans are looking forward to a next generation modular computer system for pros, so overall 2019 could be a winning year for PC fans.

For today, HP's new Spectre Folio is an eye-opener in respect to design for a convertible notebook and HP should be able to easily find a new professional niche for it.