Following the repurchase of its cell phonedivision last year, Lenovo is planning to roll out a newsmartphone with the goal of becoming China’s leading phonesupplier.
Speaking at the annual Chinese People’s Political ConsultativeConference this week, Lenovo Group Chairman Liu Chuzanzi said thatthe world’s fourth-largest PC maker will release a new smartphonein April that could perform many of the functions of computers,reports the newspaper China Daily.
Liu has said in the past that theChina-based company, which has its North American headquarters inResearch Triangle Park, also plans to make a product similar toApple’s iPad tablet.
Despite the release this year, the company does not expect themobile communications market to become a major revenue source forat least two years.
Smartphones are a hot, but crowdedindustry. While Research InMotion’s Blackberry and Apple’s iPhone dominate themarket, others, such as HTC, Samsung and Motorola, are working hard to break intothe industry while former market leader Palm is trying to hang on.
Sales for smartphones have struggled lately, given the globaleconomy, but Lenovo officials see opportunity in China, where themarket is still developing.