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Lenovo

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This article is about the computer company, Lenovo Group. For the village in Bulgaria, see Lenovo, Bulgaria.
Lenovo Group Limited
Company typeLimited company
IndustryComputing
Founded1984
HeadquartersRaleigh, North Carolina, USA
Key people
Yang Yuanqing, Chairman
William Amelio, CEO
ProductsComputers including the IBM-branded ThinkCentre and ThinkPad
RevenueIncrease$13 billion USD (2005)
1,438,000,000 United States dollar (2020) Edit this on Wikidata
804,000,000 United States dollar (2020) Edit this on Wikidata
Number of employees
~19,000 (2006)
Websitewww.lenovo.com

Lenovo Group Limited (Chinese: 联想集团有限公司; pinyin: Liánxiǎng Jítuán Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī), formerly known as Legend Group Ltd and New Technology Developer Incorporated (SEHK: 992) is a Chinese personal computer manufacturer and is the largest of it, the largest in Asia-Pacific as of 2006, and as of 2005 was the third largest in the world (ninth before purchase of IBM's PC Division). The original company was founded in 1984 by a group of eleven engineers headed by Liu Chuanzhi in Beijing, but the listed holding company was incorporated in 1988 in Hong Kong, now a Special Administrative Region of China. After temporarily moving to Purchase, New York, USA, its headquarters are in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, the home of IBM's former ThinkPad group.

"Lenovo" is a portmanteau word formed of "Le-" (from Legend) and "novo", pseudo-Latin for "new."

Along with desktop and laptop computers, Lenovo sells servers, handheld computers, imaging equipment, and mobile phone handsets. Lenovo also provides information technology integration and support services, and its QDI unit offers contract manufacturing. Hoping to reach the many Chinese not yet online, Lenovo also offers Internet access through its FM365.com portal.

Lenovo is the subject of a book, "The Lenovo Affair: The Growth of China's Computer Giant and its Takeover of IBM-PC", by journalist Ling Zhijun, published 23 June 2006 by John Wiley & Sons.

On September 2006 the company followed Dell and Apple Computer and announced a large recall of Sony manufactured batteries, after a battery in one of its IBM Thinkpads was overheated, causing a laptop to catch fire at the Los Angeles International Airport [1].

History

Purchase of IBM PC Division

Lenovo was relatively unknown outside People's Republic of China, but made news headlines in December 2004 with the announcement of its intent to acquire the PC division of IBM. Lenovo hoped to expand into Western markets to become the third largest PC manufacturer worldwide. Prior to the acquisition, Lenovo already controlled twenty-five percent of the Asian market, largely due to its ability to sell computers at value prices and China's high tariffs on imports. Lenovo paid $1.25 billion to IBM, splitting into $650 million cash and $600 million Lenovo stock. Furthermore, as part of the acquisition, Lenovo is allowed to use the IBM brand name for certain purchased products, like the ThinkPad, for an initial period of five years.

On March 9 2005, it was announced that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States had completed its review of the deal. IBM and Lenovo completed the deal on May 1, 2005. As a result of the acquisition, Lenovo's product line includes the ThinkVision, ThinkPad, ThinkVantage, ThinkCentre, Aptiva, and NetVista. As of May 1, 2005 35.2% of Lenovo was owned by public shareholders, 45.9% by Legend Holdings Limited, and 18.9% by IBM.

Linux

IBM had supported and promoted Linux for many years, and ThinkPads in particular were popular with Linux users, so concern was raised[2] in early June 2006 by widely reported comments that: "We will not have models available for Linux, and we do not have custom order, either. What you see is what you get. And at this point, it's Windows." by Lenovo's worldwide product manager for the Lenovo 3000 (consumer focused) offerings. Later reports however [3] [4], corrected the misunderstanding. As of August 4 2006 Lenovo has begun to offer its ThinkPad series notebooks with a "barebones" option (without any software pre-installed) upon request and, thanks to Lenovo's relationship with Novell, the ThinkPad T60p is now being shipped with SUSE Linux 10[5]. However, as of November 2006, their website does not offer either a barebones or a Linux option, only Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional.

Legend-Lenovo-IBM Time Line

1980s

  • 1981: IBM PCD introduces its first personal computer, the IBM PC.
  • 1984: IBM PCD introduces its first portable computer, the IBM Portable PC, weighing 30 pounds. With an initial capital outlay of only RMB200,000 (US$25,000) Lenovo’s founding chairman Liu Chuanzhi, together with 10 like-minded colleagues, launches the New Technology Developer Inc. (the predecessor of the Legend Group) funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
  • 1986: IBM PCD announces its first laptop computer, the PC Convertible, weighing 12 pounds.
  • 1987: IBM PCD announces the Personal System/2 personal computer. Legend successfully rolls out the Legend Chinese-character card.
  • 1988: Legend’s Chinese-character card receives the highest National Science-Technology Progress Award in People's Republic of China. Legend Hong Kong is established.
  • 1989: Beijing Legend Computer Group Co. is established.

1990s

  • 1990: The very first Legend PC is launched in the market. Legend changes its role from that of an agent for imported computer products into that of a producer and seller of its own branded computer products. Legend PCs are ratified and accepted by the China Torch Program.
  • 1992: IBM PCD introduces ThinkPad, the industry’s first notebook with a 10.4 inch color Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display and a TrackPoint (red ball) pointing device. Legend pioneers the home PC concept and Legend 1 + 1 home PCs enter the Chinese marketplace.
  • 1993: Legend enters the Pentium era, producing People's Republic of China’s first “586” PC. Legend establishes 1+1 retail network.
  • 1994: IBM PCD introduces the industry’s first notebook with integrated CD-ROM, the ThinkPad 755CD. Legend is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Legend PC business division is formally established.
  • 1995: IBM PCD introduces the “butterfly” keyboard. Lenovo moves from Boca Raton, Florida, to Raleigh, North Carolina. Legend introduces the first Legend-brand server.
  • 1996: Legend becomes the market share leader in China for the first time. Legend introduces the first Legend brand laptop.
  • 1997: IBM PCD introduces the industry’s first notebook equipped with a DVD-ROM, the ThinkPad 770. Legend signs an Intellectual Property agreement with Microsoft, the most valuable deal ever made in China at the time. Legend launches the first multi-function laser printer.
  • 1998: IBM PCD introduces the ThinkLight, a small light that illuminates the keyboard for use in low-light work environments, such as aboard an airplane. The millionth Legend PC comes off the production line. Intel Chairman Andy Grove attends the ceremony, and takes the PC for Intel’s museum collection. Legend establishes the first Legend Shop.
  • 1999: IBM PCD introduces the industry’s first sub-notebook, weighing under three pounds, with standard ports and a keyboard that is 95 percent the size of full-size keyboards. Lenovo announces its exit from the retail business. IBM PCD introduces the industry’s first PC with an embedded security chip. Legend becomes the top PC vendor in the Asia-Pacific region, and heads the Chinese national Top 100 Electronic Enterprises ranking. Legend launches pioneering Internet PC, with its “one-touch-to-the-net” feature, which enables millions of Chinese PC users to easily access the Internet.

2000s

  • 2000: IBM PCD ships its 10 -millionth ThinkPad notebook PC. Legend becomes a constituent stock of the Hang Seng Index - HK. Legend ranked in top 10 of world’s best-managed PC vendors.
  • 2001: An IBM notebook with an embedded security chip becomes the industry’s first notebook to be certified by the Trusted Computing Platform Alliance, an industry body setting data security standards. Legend successfully spins off Digital China Co. Ltd., which is separately listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Legend appoints Yuanqing Yang as President and CEO. Legend first introduces “digital home” concept and launches accessories-enabling PC.
  • 2002: Lenovo announces desktop PC outsourcing pact with Sanmina-SCI. Legend debuts the DeepComp 1800 supercomputer. It is People's Republic of China’s first computer with 1,000 GFLOP (floating point operations per second) and PRC's fastest computer for civilian use, ranked 43rd in the Top 500 list of the world’s fastest computers. The mobile handset joint venture announced, marking Legend’s formal entry into the mobile handset business.
  • 2003: Lenovo introduces a notebook with battery life up to 11 hours. Lenovo introduces its ThinkCentre desktop PC line. Lenovo ships its 20-millionth ThinkPad notebook PC.
  • 2004: IBM PCD introduces the ThinkCentre desktop PC. Lenovo ships its 100-millionth PC. Lenovo becomes an Olympic worldwide partner. Lenovo launches the “Yuanmeng” PC series designed for home users in small villages. Lenovo and IBM announce an agreement by which Lenovo will acquire IBM’s Personal Computing Division, its global PC (desktop and notebook computer) business.
  • 2005: Lenovo completes the acquisition of IBM’s Personal Computing Division, making the company the world's third largest computer manufacturer. Lenovo announces it closed a US$350 million strategic investment by three leading private equity firms: Texas Pacific Group, General Atlantic LLC and Newbridge Capital LLC. Lenovo establishes a new Innovation Center in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Lenovo introduces the ThinkPad X41 Tablet and Z60. William Amelio is appointed as CEO and President of Lenovo.
  • 2007: Lenovo supplies NFL with 300 desktop PC's and monitors for Super Bowl XLI in Miami, FL, to be donated afterwards.

Products

Lenovo makes a variety of products for sale in the United States, both under its own name and IBM's.[1] These products include:

See also

References

  1. ^ Lenovo Group. "Lenovo Products - United States:" (.html). Retrieved March 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

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