Lenovo facts for kids
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Lenovo's official logo since 2015
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Headquarters in Haidian, Beijing, China
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Native name
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联想集团有限公司
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Romanized name
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Liánxiǎng Jítuán Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī |
| Public | |
| Traded as | SEHK: 992 |
| Industry | Computer hardware Electronics |
| Founded | 1 November 1984 (as Legend 联想) Beijing, China |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Yang Yuanqing (chairman & CEO) |
| Products | |
| Revenue |  US$56.863 billion (2024) |
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Operating income
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US$2.005 billion (2024) |
| US$1.102 billion (2024) |
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| Total assets | US$38.750 billion (2024) |
| Total equity |  US$6.081 billion (2024) |
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Number of employees
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69,500 (2024) |
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Lenovo Group Limited, known as Lenovo, is a big technology company based in Hong Kong, China. It creates, makes, and sells electronics like personal computers, smartphones, and servers. Lenovo has main offices in Beijing, China, and Morrisville, North Carolina, United States. It also has research centers in many places around the world.
Lenovo started as a research group in China. It was first called Legend and sold IT products from other companies. Later, it began making its own computers. In 2005, Lenovo bought IBM's computer business, which included the popular ThinkPad line. This helped Lenovo grow quickly around the world. By 2013, Lenovo became the world's largest seller of personal computers, a position it still holds today.
The company makes many products, including desktop computers, laptops, tablet computers, and smart televisions. Some of its well-known brands are ThinkPad (for business laptops), IdeaPad (for consumer laptops), Yoga (flexible laptops), and Legion (gaming laptops). Lenovo also owns Motorola Mobility, which makes smartphones.
Contents
- Lenovo's Journey: From Start to Global Leader
- What Does "Lenovo" Mean?
- Lenovo's Products and Services
- How Lenovo Operates
- Lenovo's Business and Leadership
- Marketing and Partnerships
- Security and Privacy Concerns
- See also
Lenovo's Journey: From Start to Global Leader
How Lenovo Began (1984–1993)
Lenovo was founded in Beijing, China, on November 1, 1984. It was started by a group of engineers led by Liu Chuanzhi and Danny Lui. The company was first named Legend. They initially focused on televisions but soon moved into making and selling computers.
Liu Chuanzhi and ten other engineers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) officially started Lenovo with about 200,000 yuan (Chinese money). The Chinese government approved the company on the same day. The first meeting to plan the company happened on October 17, 1984, with all eleven original staff members present.
In 1985, the company set up its different departments. They first tried to import televisions but it didn't work out. Then, they focused on checking the quality of computers. They also tried to sell a digital watch, but that didn't succeed either.
In May 1988, Lenovo placed its first job advertisement in a Chinese newspaper. This was very unusual at the time. Out of 500 people who applied, 58 were hired. Many of these new employees had college degrees. Yang Yuanqing, who is now the chairman and CEO of Lenovo, was one of them.
Liu Chuanzhi got permission from the government to open a branch in Hong Kong. He moved there in 1987 with five other employees. His father, who was already in Hong Kong, helped him get loans and advice. To save money, Liu and his team often walked instead of taking public transport. They rented hotel rooms only for important meetings to look professional.
By 1990, Lenovo started making and selling computers under its own brand name. Some of their early successful products included the KT8920 mainframe computer. They also created a special circuit board that allowed IBM-compatible computers to use Chinese characters.
Growing Bigger (1994–1998)
Lenovo, still known as Legend then, became a public company in 1994. It sold shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and raised almost $30 million. Many experts thought Lenovo would do well. On its first day of trading, the company's stock price went up, showing that people were excited about it. The money raised helped Lenovo open sales offices in Europe, North America, and Australia. It also helped them improve their production and research.
By 1996, Lenovo was the top computer seller in China. It also started selling its own laptops. By 1998, Lenovo had a huge share of the Chinese computer market, selling about one million computers.
In 1998, Lenovo released its Tianxi (天禧) computer. This computer was designed to be easy for new Chinese users to get online. It had a special button that connected users to the internet instantly. The Tianxi was a big success. By 2000, it was the best-selling computer in Chinese history, selling over 1,000,000 units in that year alone.
Joining Forces with IBM (1999–2010)
To keep growing, Lenovo sold more shares in 2000, raising about $212 million. In 2003, the company changed its name to Lenovo.
A major step for Lenovo happened in 2005 when it merged with IBM's personal computer business. IBM's PC business made the famous ThinkPad laptops and ThinkCentre desktops. This deal helped Lenovo enter international markets faster and improve its brand and technology. Lenovo paid $1.25 billion for IBM's computer business and also took on $500 million of IBM's debt. This made Lenovo the third-largest computer maker in the world.
Liu Chuanzhi, Lenovo's co-founder, said in 2012 that the IBM deal helped Lenovo in three ways: they got the ThinkPad brand, IBM's advanced PC making technology, and IBM's global sales teams. The employees who developed ThinkPad and ThinkCentre products also joined Lenovo. Even today, IBM helps oversee servicing and repairs for Think products.
From 1990 to 2007, Mary Ma was Lenovo's chief financial officer. She helped Lenovo become more open and clear about its business, like Western companies. Lenovo started releasing financial reports every three months, even though Hong Kong rules only required reports twice a year. This helped Lenovo gain a good reputation.
In 2008, Lenovo sold its smartphone and tablet division for $100 million to focus on personal computers. But then, in 2009, they bought it back for $200 million. By 2009, Lenovo's mobile division was the third largest in China.
New Markets and Products (2011–2013)
In 2011, Lenovo teamed up with the Japanese electronics company NEC to create a new company called Lenovo NEC Holdings. Lenovo owned 51% of this new company. This partnership helped Lenovo grow its sales in Japan, an important market for computers.
In June 2011, Lenovo announced it would buy Medion, a German electronics company. This deal doubled Lenovo's share of the German computer market, making it the third-largest seller there. This was a big step for a Chinese company buying a well-known German one.
In 2012, Lenovo bought Digibras, a Brazilian electronics company that sold products under the CCE brand. This helped Lenovo grow in Brazil, especially with big events like the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics happening there.
Lenovo also bought Stoneware, a software company from the United States, in 2012. This helped Lenovo improve its cloud-computing services.
Lenovo re-entered the smartphone market in 2012 and quickly became the biggest smartphone seller in mainland China. They changed their strategy to offer many different types of devices, inspired by the popularity of Apple's iPhone. By 2012, Lenovo was the second-largest smartphone provider in China, after Samsung.
In 2013, Lenovo created a joint company with EMC called Iomega. This company focused on data storage products for small and medium-sized businesses.
Big Purchases and New Ideas (Since 2014)
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In 2014, IBM sold its server business to Lenovo for $2.1 billion. This deal helped Lenovo reach more business customers and improve its profits. It also added about 6,500 new employees to Lenovo. Lenovo aimed to become the world's largest server maker.
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On January 29, 2014, Google announced it would sell Motorola Mobility to Lenovo for $2.91 billion. This deal included popular smartphone lines like the Moto X and Moto G. Lenovo also got licenses to use many of Google's patents. The purchase was completed on October 30, 2014. Motorola Mobility kept its headquarters in Chicago and continued to use the Motorola brand.
In April 2014, Lenovo bought many patents related to mobile technology from NEC. These patents covered important cellular technologies like 3G and LTE.
In May 2015, Lenovo showed off a new logo at its "Tech World" event in Beijing. The new logo has a relaxed "e" and is surrounded by a box that can change colors or images. This design was made to be flexible and work well online.
In 2017, Lenovo partnered with Fujitsu and the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ). Lenovo bought a 51% share in Fujitsu's computer business.
In 2018, Lenovo and NetApp announced a partnership for storage systems. Lenovo also became the world's largest provider of supercomputers for the TOP500 list.
In 2020, Lenovo became a technology partner for DreamWorks Animation, starting with the movie Trolls World Tour.
In April 2021, Lenovo reorganized into three main groups: the Intelligent Devices Group (for PCs, smartphones, and smart devices), the Infrastructure Solutions Group (for smart infrastructure), and the Solutions and Services Group (for services and special products). That year, the company's yearly earnings reached $60 billion.
What Does "Lenovo" Mean?
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The name "Lenovo" comes from "Le-" (from its old name, Legend) and "novo," which is Latin for "new." The Chinese name (simplified Chinese: 联想; traditional Chinese: 聯想) means "association" or "connected thinking." It also suggests creativity.
For its first 20 years, the company's English name was "Legend." In 2002, Lenovo's CEO, Yang Yuanqing, decided to change the name to expand outside China. The name "Legend" was already used by many other businesses worldwide, making it hard to register. In April 2003, the company officially announced its new English name, "Lenovo," with a big advertising campaign.
Lenovo's Products and Services
Lenovo makes many different electronic devices, including personal computers, smartphones, televisions, and wearable devices. Some of its first products were a mainframe computer and a circuit board that helped computers use Chinese characters. The Tianxi computer, released in 1998, became the best-selling computer in China by 2000.
Computers for Home and Business
Lenovo sells several lines of laptops and desktops. These include the ThinkPad, IdeaPad, Yoga, Legion, and Xiaoxin (in China) laptops. For desktops, they have the IdeaCentre and ThinkCentre lines. After buying IBM's PC business in 2005, Lenovo greatly expanded its ThinkPad and ThinkCentre lines.
ThinkPad Laptops
The ThinkPad is a line of laptops designed for business. They are known for their black, boxy design, which was inspired by a traditional Japanese bento box. ThinkPads were first made by IBM in Japan. After 2005, both IBM and Lenovo worked on them, and now Lenovo makes and sells them. ThinkPads have even been used in space and were the only laptops approved for use on the International Space Station until 2016.
ThinkCentre Desktops
The ThinkCentre is a line of desktop computers for businesses. IBM first introduced them in 2003, and Lenovo has made and sold them since 2005. ThinkCentre computers usually have powerful processors and can support multiple monitors. There have also been simpler, more affordable ThinkCentre models in the past.
ThinkServer and ThinkSystem
The ThinkServer line started with the TS100 from Lenovo. These servers were made with IBM's technology and were designed to help small businesses manage their servers more easily.
In 2017, Lenovo's Data Center Group relaunched the ThinkServer line as ThinkSystem. This new line included 17 different types of servers, along with storage systems. Lenovo also partnered with AMD to offer customers a choice between Intel and AMD processors in their servers.
ThinkStation Workstations
Lenovo ThinkStations are powerful computers called workstations. They are designed for demanding tasks like video editing or complex calculations. In 2008, Lenovo expanded its THINK brand to include workstations, with the ThinkStation S10 being the first model.
ThinkVision Monitors
High-quality monitors are sold under the ThinkVision name. These monitors share a similar design to other THINK devices like ThinkPad laptops. At the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show, Lenovo showed the ThinkVision Pro2840m, a 28-inch 4K display for professionals. They also introduced a 28-inch 4K touch-screen device that could work as an all-in-one computer or an external display.
IdeaPad Laptops
The IdeaPad line of laptops is made for everyday consumers. It was first introduced in January 2008. Unlike the ThinkPad, the IdeaPad was designed entirely by Lenovo. Its look and feel are more focused on general users.
IdeaCentre Desktops
All IdeaCentre desktops are "all-in-one" machines, meaning the computer parts and the monitor are combined into one unit. The first IdeaCentre desktop, the K210, was announced in 2008. The IdeaCentre line shares some design features with the IdeaPad line, like facial recognition technology.
In 2013, Lenovo added a "table computer" to the IdeaCentre line. The Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon is a 27-inch touchscreen computer that can lie flat for multiple people to use at once. It can also stand upright and work as a regular desktop computer.
Legion and LOQ Gaming Computers
Legion is a series of laptops and tablets from Lenovo made for gaming. The first Legion laptops, the Y520 and Y720, were shown at CES 2017. These computers have powerful parts for playing games smoothly. In 2020, Lenovo launched Legion 3, 5, and 7, with Legion 7 being the most powerful.
In March 2023, Lenovo launched the LOQ gaming brand. These computers are designed for gamers who are looking for more affordable options or are new to gaming.
Smartphones
Lenovo makes phones that use the Android operating system from Google. Lenovo has worked hard to become a top smartphone seller in China. They invested $793.5 million to build a factory in Wuhan that can produce 30 to 40 million phones each year.
By 2012, Lenovo had grown a lot in smartphone sales in China. They became the second-largest seller of mobile phones in China by volume. Lenovo's CEO, Yang Yuanqing, said, "Lenovo does not want to be the second player ... we want to be the best."
In January 2014, Lenovo announced its plan to buy Motorola Mobility to strengthen its presence in the U.S. market. The deal was completed in October 2014. Motorola Mobility continued to operate from Chicago and use the Motorola brand.
Smart Televisions
In 2011, Lenovo announced it would release a Smart TV product called LeTV. They believed that in the future, people would have many smart devices and want them to work together easily. In 2013, Lenovo partnered with Sharp to make smart televisions. By 2014, Lenovo expected to sell over one million smart TVs.
Wearable Devices
In 2014, Lenovo confirmed it was making a wearable device called a "Smartband." This device has a battery life of seven days and can track your heart rate, distance run, and calories burned. It can also tell you about incoming calls and texts and even unlock computers without a password.
Smart Home Devices
In 2015, Lenovo started working with IngDan, a Chinese electronics company, to get into the smart home market. Lenovo wanted to buy high-tech parts for the growing Internet of Things (IoT) industry. At a big tech show in 2018, Lenovo launched several Home automation products.
Lenovo Connect Service
At the Mobile World Congress in 2016, Lenovo introduced Lenovo Connect, a wireless roaming service. This service lets devices connect to the internet across different networks and countries without needing new SIM cards. It started in China and parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in February 2016.
How Lenovo Operates
Lenovo works in over 60 countries and sells its products in about 180 countries. Its main offices are in Beijing, China; Singapore; and Morrisville, North Carolina, United States. Lenovo also has research centers in many cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Yamato, Japan. The company has manufacturing factories in China and Japan.
Unlike many other tech companies, Lenovo makes many of its products itself instead of relying completely on other factories. This helps them control costs and react quickly to changes in the market. For example, when floods affected hard-drive makers in Thailand in 2011, Lenovo could still make computers by shifting production to products that didn't need those specific hard drives.
In 2012, Lenovo moved some of its ThinkPad production to Japan. In October 2012, Lenovo also announced it would start assembling computers in Whitsett, North Carolina, in the United States. Production of desktops and laptops began there in January 2013.
In 2015, Lenovo and Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited agreed to build a cloud service and product research center together. Lenovo's Asia Pacific data center is also located in Cyberport.
Lenovo assembles smartphones in Chennai, India, through a partnership with Flex. In 2015, Lenovo also announced it would start making computers in Pondicherry, India.
Lenovo's Business and Leadership
Business Growth
Lenovo has shown strong growth over the years. Here's a quick look at some key numbers:
| Revenue (US$ bn) | Net profit (US$ bn) | Total assets (US$ bn) | Employees | |
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| 2013 | 33.8 | 0.63 | 16.8 | 35,000 |
| 2014 | 38.7 | 0.81 | 18.3 | 54,000 |
| 2015 | 46.2 | 0.82 | 27.0 | 60,000 |
| 2016 | 44.9 | −0.12 | 24.9 | 60,000 |
| 2017 | 43.0 | 0.53 | 27.1 | 52,000 |
| 2018 | 45.3 | −0.18 | 28.4 | 54,000 |
| 2019 | 51.0 | 0.59 | 29.9 | 57,000 |
| 2020 | 50.7 | 0.66 | 32.1 | 57,000 |
| 2021 | 60.7 | 1.1 | 37.9 | 71,500 |
| 2022 | 71.6 | 2.0 | 44.5 | 75,000 |
| 2023 | 61.9 | 1.6 | 38.9 | 77,000 |
| 2024 | 56.8 | 1.1 | 38.7 | 69,500 |
In the third quarter of 2020, Lenovo held the largest share of the global PC market, with 25.7% of all PCs sold worldwide.
In March 2013, Lenovo was added to the Hang Seng Index, which lists 50 important companies on the Hong Kong stock exchange. This was a big achievement for Lenovo, as it made more investors interested in buying its stock. By November 2013, Lenovo had reached a double-digit market share in the United States for the first time.
Company Ownership
In 2009, China Oceanwide Holdings Group, a private investment company, bought 29% of Legend Holdings, which is Lenovo's parent company. As of March 31, 2018, most of Lenovo's stock (65%) was owned by the general public. Legend Holdings owned 29%, and Lenovo's CEO, Yang Yuanqing, owned 5.8%.
Lenovo's CEO, Yang Yuanqing, has stated that Lenovo is a company driven by the market, not controlled by the government. He explained that the Chinese Academy of Sciences only invested a small amount of money when the company started in 1984. He emphasized that the government has never been involved in Lenovo's daily operations or big decisions.
Company Culture
Lenovo's top leaders often move between its three main offices in Beijing, Singapore, and Morrisville, as well as its research center in Yamato, Japan. This helps them understand different markets and cultures.
Key Leaders
Yang Yuanqing
Yang Yuanqing is the chairman and chief executive officer of Lenovo. He helped Lenovo become the top-selling personal computer brand in China starting in 1997. He became CEO again in 2009 and also became chairman in 2012.
In 2012, Yang received a $3 million bonus because of the company's record profits. He decided to share this bonus with about 10,000 Lenovo employees. He felt that he was already well-rewarded as an owner of the company and wanted to thank his employees for their hard work. The bonuses, averaging about $314, were given mostly to staff in production and reception roles. He made a similar gift of $3.25 million in 2013.
In 2013, Barron's magazine named Yang one of the "World's Best CEOs."
Liu Chuanzhi
Liu Chuanzhi is the founder and former chairman of Lenovo. He was trained as an engineer and later worked at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Liu has said that Hewlett-Packard was a big inspiration for Lenovo. For over ten years, Lenovo was Hewlett-Packard's distributor in China. Liu once said he never imagined Lenovo would one day buy IBM's PC business, calling it "unthinkable."
Board of Directors
In 2013, Lenovo added Yahoo! founder Jerry Yang to its board of directors. Lenovo's CEO, Yang Yuanqing, said that Jerry's involvement would help Lenovo be seen as a more open international company. Tudor Brown, the founder of the British semiconductor company ARM, also joined Lenovo's board around the same time.
Marketing and Partnerships
In 2009, Lenovo started a new way of looking at markets, dividing countries into "emerging markets" (like Brazil and India) and "mature markets" (like the U.S. and Europe). They then created different plans for each type of market. Many other companies have since adopted this approach. In 2012, Lenovo worked hard to grow its market share in developing countries through new partnerships and more advertising.
Celebrity Endorsements
In October 2013, Lenovo announced that American actor Ashton Kutcher would work with them as a product engineer and spokesperson. David Roman, Lenovo's chief marketing officer, said that Ashton would help Lenovo think of new ideas and bring his technical knowledge to products like the Yoga Tablet. Kobe Bryant, the famous basketball player, became an official ambassador for Lenovo smartphones in China and Southeast Asia in early 2013.
Sports Sponsorships
Lenovo was an official computer sponsor for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The National Football League (NFL) has been a Lenovo customer since 2007. In 2012, Lenovo became the NFL's "Official Laptop, Desktop and Workstation Sponsor," which was Lenovo's biggest sponsorship deal in the United States at the time.
Lenovo is also a technology partner for Ducati Corse in Grand Prix motorcycle racing since 2018. For the 2021 MotoGP season, Lenovo became the main sponsor for the Ducati team.
Lenovo is also an official partner of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes. In 2024, Lenovo bought the naming rights to their arena, which is now called Lenovo Center.
In 2019, Lenovo and FC Internazionale (Inter Milan, a famous Italian soccer club) signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement. Lenovo became the Global Technology Partner for Inter Milan. In July 2021, Lenovo's logo was added to the back of Inter Milan's home shirt for the 2021–22 season. In October 2024, Lenovo was named the official technology partner of FIFA.
Advertising and Media
In 2011, Lenovo used a short film called The Pursuit in its "For Those Who Do" advertising campaign. The film showed a young woman using a Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 to stay ahead of her pursuers. This was one of the first times a Chinese company used such a marketing technique.
In May 2015, Lenovo held its first "Tech World" conference in Beijing. At this event, they showed new products like slim power banks, 3D printers that can print food, and a Wi-Fi system for home automation.
Presence in China
In China, Lenovo has a huge network for selling its products. This network ensures that there's a shop selling Lenovo computers within 50 kilometers of almost every customer. Lenovo also has strong relationships with its Chinese distributors, who often sell only Lenovo products in their areas.
Lenovo has benefited from government programs in China that encourage people in rural areas to buy electronics. Lenovo often sells its products at higher prices than competitors in rural markets and has a stronger local sales and service presence.
Presence in India
Lenovo has gained a lot of market share in India by selling large orders to big companies and government groups. For example, the government of Tamil Nadu ordered a million ThinkPads from Lenovo in 2012, which made Lenovo a market leader there.
For smartphones and tablets, which are often sold to individuals, Lenovo uses a different strategy. They work with many smaller, local distributors. As of 2013, Lenovo had about 6,000 retailers selling smartphones and tablets in India. They also partnered with Reliance Communications to sell smartphones.
Lenovo has focused on building a team of managers who know the Indian market well, offering phones at all price points, and developing strong distribution networks. By February 2014, over 7,000 stores in India sold Lenovo smartphones.
Presence in Africa
Lenovo first started doing business in South Africa, then expanded to East African countries like Kenya and Uganda, and later to West African countries like Nigeria and Ghana.
According to Graham Braum, Lenovo's general manager for Africa, Lenovo focuses on selling products that are popular in Africa, like the Lenovo Yoga series, which has a long battery life, useful in areas with unreliable electricity.
In 2013, Lenovo chose Nigeria to release its smartphone because, unlike some other African countries, they didn't need to partner with a local phone company to sell their devices there.
Presence in Singapore
Lenovo has been in Singapore since its early days. Singapore is one of Lenovo's three main offices and focuses on the Southeast Asia region. Its office is located at the New Tech Park.
Presence in the United States
In the United States, Lenovo launched a marketing campaign called "For Those Who Do" in 2010. This campaign was designed to appeal to young people by showing how Lenovo products help creative individuals. One of Lenovo's main operational centers is in North Carolina, United States. Lenovo also started making products in the United States in 2012.
Goodweird Campaign
In 2015, Lenovo launched a multi-year advertising campaign called "Goodweird." This campaign aimed to show that designs that seem strange at first often become normal and popular later. The campaign included videos showing early attempts at flying and then modern-day examples of cool, innovative designs. Lenovo worked with several advertising agencies and also partnered with popular YouTubers and Viners to create content.
Security and Privacy Concerns
Lenovo has faced some concerns regarding software installed on its devices.
Superfish Software
In February 2015, Lenovo faced criticism for including a software called Superfish Visual Discovery on some of its laptops. This software added advertisements to search results. It also installed a special certificate that could make users vulnerable to security risks. Lenovo later stopped using Superfish and offered affected customers free security software. They also promised to reduce the amount of extra software bundled with their Windows 10 devices.
Lenovo Service Engine
From October 2014 to June 2015, some Lenovo models had a software called "Lenovo Service Engine" in their firmware. Lenovo said this software automatically sent non-identifiable system information to Lenovo and installed a program called Lenovo OneKey Optimizer. This happened even on new installations of Windows. The software was stopped after security weaknesses were found. Lenovo released updates to remove it.
Lenovo Accelerator
As of June 2016, a report stated that Lenovo was still installing some extra software that could lead to security problems. One such app was "Lenovo Accelerator," which was designed to speed up Lenovo applications but created a security vulnerability. Lenovo advised users to remove this app.
See also
In Spanish: Lenovo para niños
