Lenovo eyes mobile Internet and home devices with new unit
Shanghai. January 18 INTERFAX-CHINA - Lenovo Group Ltd., China's biggest personal computer (PC) manufacturer by shipments, announced Jan. 18 it has formed a new business unit focused on mobile Internet and digital home devices.
The business unit, Mobile Internet and Digital Home Business Group (MIDH), will focus on research and development of smartphones, cloud computing technology, smart televisions and digital devices such as home network servers.
Liu Jun, vice president of Lenovo and former president of its product group, will head MIDH.
Yang Yuanqing, Lenovo's chief executive officer (CEO), said in the announcement that the company would leverage its strength in the global PC industry to expand into mobile Internet and home digital devices.
The company has diversified its product portfolio recently as it seeks fresh opportunities beyond the global PC market. It introduced its first Android-based touchscreen smartphone LePhone in China in May 2010 and expects to launch its first tablet computer LePad by the first quarter (Q1) this year.
Lenovo is the world's fourth-largest computer maker by shipments, trailing Hewlett-Packard Co., Acer Inc. and Dell Inc. Its global shipment rose 21.1 percent year-on-year to 9.5 million units in Q4 2010, according to research by data research firm IDC.
-YXY