Lenovo Now World’s Biggest Maker of Portable PCs

ThinkPad maker Lenovo reported this week that it earned profits of $204 million on revenues of $8.7 billion in the third calendar quarter of 2012. But the big news is that the firm is now the world’s largest maker of portable PCs. And it has its eyes on an even bigger prize: becoming the overall biggest PC maker in the world.

“Lenovo has continued its strong and balanced growth momentum,” Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yang Yuanqing said. “Our global PC market share reached another historic high, moving us closer to our dream of becoming the worldwide PC leader … Lenovo’s overall profitability will continue to improve.”

Lenovo achieved a number of new records in the quarter. It is now the biggest maker of portable computers in the world and the second biggest maker of PCs overall with a record 15.6 percent market share. PC shipments at the firm grew 10.3 percent, healthy double-digit growth for a time period that was challenging for other PC makers. In fact, Lenovo has now grown its market share faster than the other top five PC makers for three straight years.

Perhaps most interesting, Lenovo—which is best known for its highly regarded, business-oriented ThinkPad brand—is now the number-one maker of consumer PCs worldwide. This is a first for the firm, and it sells a line of IdeaPad devices that target this market specifically. A Mobile Internet Digital Home (MIDH) group is selling smart TVs and other devices, as well.

Lenovo is branching out into other areas as part of its effort to embrace the “PC plus” future. It started a line of smartphones that it’s selling in China currently, and is now the number-two maker of such devices there. Lenovo plans to expand sales of the devices to other markets in the coming year.

Lenovo previously announced that it was opening a PC manufacturing facility in North Carolina. This enterprise will create over 100 new manufacturing jobs and is the first step in a plan to bring PC making to strong local markets, giving customers less waiting time on new orders.