Happy 25th Birthday ThinkPad! - A Quarter Century of the Iconic Laptop @Lenovo_Africa #ThinkPad25

Hi Friends,

Lenovo proudly announced, at an exclusive event at the Yamato Labs in Japan, the birthplace of ThinkPad, a limited-edition model to celebrate twenty-five years of design and engineering innovation. The ThinkPad Anniversary Edition 25 is a modern incarnation of the classic design and includes iconic “retro” features such as a backlit 7-row ThinkPad Classic keyboard, dedicated volume buttons, multiple status LEDs and a multicolor logo.

The design concept launched on June 25th 2015 using social media as a method to gather feedback and preferences from ThinkPad fans and loyalists from around the world. In addition to the classic features, the ThinkPad Anniversary Edition 25 is a thoroughly modern laptop. Powered by an Intel® Core™ i7-7500U processor with discrete NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphics and a 14-inch full HD display with touch, the ThinkPad “Retro” performance is a far cry from the original 700C.

25 Years of Uncompromised Innovation
Designed by Richard Sapper and engineered in the Yamato Labs in Japan, the original ThinkPad 700C announced on October 5th 1992. Inspired by the traditional Japanese bento box, the 700C was the start of an amazing journey. In the space of a couple of months, it won more than three hundred awards and became a status symbol for presidents and CEO’s.

130 million unit sales later, ThinkPad is an icon in the IT industry. It has helped explorers reach Earth’s remotest places, supported dozens of missions into space and facilitated countless businesses to grow. In fact, we have looked back over the years and collected a number of stories where ThinkPad has changed the world. So, what makes ThinkPad so special?

“ThinkPad design creates a powerful and synergistic relationship between form and function. It balances sophisticated aesthetics, thoughtfully crafted user experiences and renowned engineering in order to deliver superior products,” said David Hill, former Chief Design Officer, Lenovo. “25 years after the introduction of the original 700C, the latest X1 Carbon is immediately recognizable as a ThinkPad.”

ThinkPad at 50 – What Next?
As technology has advanced with exponential speed, the designers and engineers behind ThinkPad have remained purpose-driven in their quest to continually reimagine mobile computing while preserving the original concept. From the ThinkPad 701C with the “butterfly” keyboard to the 2-in-1 convertible X1 Yoga with “rise and fall” keyboard, the relentless quest for perfection has made ThinkPad the number one business laptop of all time. Over the next twenty-five years, ThinkPad will continue to develop, innovate and deliver the technologies of tomorrow. Arimasa Naitoh, former head of the Yamato Labs and affectionately known as the father of ThinkPad, firmly believes that the future is in safe hands.

“From the original 700C to the latest X1 Series, ThinkPad has proved it can enable business transformation and offer customers uncompromised mobility,” he says. “Our team of engineers imagine a future world where ThinkPad creates new segments and further enrichens user experiences as technology becomes more embedded in our lives.”

Quotes
“ThinkPad has helped revolutionize how we do things. Business, education, healthcare, supply chain, transportation and finance are just a few segments that have been transformed by mobile computing over the past twenty-five years,” said Gianfranco Lanci, president and COO, Lenovo. “The next twenty-five years are an opportunity for new generations to discover the wonders of ThinkPad. As long as there are customer pain points, there will be a ThinkPad to fix them.”

“Our collaboration with Lenovo has driven true mobile PC innovation and transformed how businesses get things done,” said Jim Johnson, vice president of the Client Computing Group and general manager of the Client Customer Engineering Group at Intel Corporation. “From the 1992 ThinkPad 700C to today’s ultralight, connect-anywhere X1 series 2in1s, we continue to push boundaries together for commercial-class performance, security and manageability that empowers the modern workforce.”

“It has been a privilege to partner with the ThinkPad team to evolve mobile computing from the first ThinkPad notebook computers running Windows 3.1 to the latest ThinkPad X1 Yoga that lights up modern experiences in Windows 10,” said Peter Han, Vice President, Partner Devices and Solutions, Microsoft. “We look forward to our continued collaboration with Lenovo to deliver new experiences such as mixed reality and AI that will help ThinkPad users achieve even more.”

Checkout some of the Youtube video's relating to Think Pad's Journey
Video 1: The ThinkPad That Started is All – 700C https://youtu.be/CUHumNvEdWM
Thinking Laterally – 701C https://youtu.be/7mYLClTt3HU
Thin, No Compromise – 560 https://youtu.be/m8_AGTw3FOs
The New Standard For Mobility – 240 https://youtu.be/JC3c7uLXEDw
The First X Series – X20 https://youtu.be/MWpFd8O0Ogc
Adapting Our Design Philosophy To New Challenges – X41 https://youtu.be/yKa-Als5wWs
A Modular Approach To Design – X60 https://youtu.be/8WxZliA1Tmo
The Grandfather of X1 Carbon – X300 https://youtu.be/fM9snOep3Y4
X1 Today https://youtu.be/vxhA7Gr_Yis
ThinkPad Tomorrow https://youtu.be/D-2s3qq_HnU

Join on LinkedIn, follow on Facebook or Twitter (@Lenovo) or visit at www.lenovo.com.

Cheers!!!

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@Lenovo_Africa Grows In #Smartphone Market Despite Industry Decline #Quarter Results

Hi Guys,

Lenovo Group (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) announced results for its first fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2016. Quarterly revenue was US$10.1 billion, a six percent decrease year-over-year (or four percent decrease in constant currency). Quarter-to-quarter, this represented a 10 percent increase. First quarter pre-tax income increased 297 percent year-over-year to US$206 million. Net income increased 64 percent year-over-year to US$173 million. Lenovo’s first quarter financial performance occurred during a period when the core markets saw either slow growth or year-over-year industry declines: PCs were down 4.1 percent and tablet shipments fell 11.1 percent, while server industry shipments were essentially flat with smartphone markets growing 0.7 percent. At the same time, the RMB continued its depreciation, capping overall growth potential during the quarter. 

“Although the macro-economy and our industries remain challenging, causing a decline in our revenue, we significantly improved our profit year-on-year through innovative products and strong execution. Our PC business delivered strong profits and our smartphone business stabilized compared to last quarter,” said Yuanqing Yang, Chairman and CEO of Lenovo. “Going forward, in PCs we will focus on high growth segments and leverage industry consolidation to resume growth. In smartphones, we will leverage innovative, differentiated products and continue to shift to higher price bands to drive growth and turn around this business. In data centers, we will continue to expand in hyperconverged technology, and improve profitability in the hyperscale business.”

The Company’s gross profit for the first fiscal quarter decreased 7 percent year-over-year to US$1.5 billion, with gross margin at 15.3 percent. Operating PTI for the quarter increased 97 percent year-over-year to US$281 million. Basic earnings per share for the first fiscal quarter was 1.57 US cents, or 12.19 HK cents. Net debt as of June 30, 2016, totaled US$1.2 billion.

Business Group Overview
In the PC and Smart Device Business Group, or PCSD, which includes PCs and tablets, Lenovo’s quarterly sales were US$7 billion, down seven percent year-over-year. Pre-tax income was US$370 million, an increase of 2.4 percent year-over-year. Pre-tax income margin was strong at 5.3 percent, improving 0.5 points year-over-year, aided by good margins in China and increased profitability of the Latin America and Brazil PC businesses. Lenovo remained #1 worldwide for the 13th consecutive quarter with 21.1 percent market share, with gains in every geography except EMEA. It shipped 13.2 million PCs in the quarter, a 2.3 percent decline, which represented a 1.8 point premium to the overall market, which saw a 4.1 percent decline. The tablet business was profitable with a double-digit growth premium to market. Lenovo continues to make steady progress towards its goal of achieving 30 percent worldwide PC market share.

In the Mobile Business Group, or MBG, which includes products from Motorola and Lenovo-branded mobile phones, Lenovo quarterly sales were US$1.7 billion, down 6 percent year-over-year, but nearly flat in constant currency. MBG’s total pre-tax loss was US$206 million, with a pre-tax profit margin of negative 12.1 percent. The transition to higher priced products drove pre-tax profit margin up 2.9 points year-over-year.

In mainstream price bands, MBG is streamlining costs and expenses, while at the high end it is focusing on innovation. Overall, the group is strengthening its cohesiveness and building a more consistent culture within its global team. With the enhanced product portfolio that includes Moto Z and Moto Mods and further expanding channels in China, the Mobile business is making steady progress.

In the Data Center Business Group, or DCG, which includes servers, storage, software and services sold under both the Lenovo ThinkServer and the System x brands, sales were US$1.1 billion, up 1 percent. DCG's reported PTI – which included non-cash, M&A-related accounting charges – was negative US$64 million with a pre-tax profit margin of negative 5.9 percent. DCG continues to face stiff challenges in mature markets, but it strengthened its #1 market share position in China, increasing revenue 14 percent year-over-year, driven by growth in the hyperscale business. DCG’s global accounts sales group, which services Fortune 500 clients, saw a 45 percent year-over-year increase in revenue, driven by a significant increase in customers who had not previously purchased from Lenovo.

DCG will deploy strategic investments in sales force capabilities, marketing, channel programs and portfolio partners to drive future growth opportunities, while improving its financial footing with better cost competitiveness and an increased attach rate of storage, networking, services and options.

Geographic Overview
In China, consolidated sales in the first fiscal quarter, declined 9.8 percent year-over-year to US$2.9 billion, accounting for 28.4 percent of the Company’s worldwide sales. Pre-tax profit margins were flat at 4.8 percent amidst softening PC demand. The mobile business is successfully shifting the portfolio to higher price bands and improving user experiences, while the successful launch of the ZUK Z2 model received good initial market feedback. China data center revenues grew at 14 percent year-over-year – a premium to the market – supported by growth from hyperscale and contributions from the new partnership approach.

In the Asia Pacific region, Lenovo achieved sales of US$1.7 billion, or 16.7 percent of Lenovo’s worldwide sales, while pre-tax profit margins were down 1.2 points to 1 percent, mainly due to contraction in the Japan PC market and the impact of currency fluctuation. The Asia Pacific business saw continued PC market share gains, up 0.4 points to reach 16.4 percent. The mobile business outgrew the market in key countries, including India and Indonesia, while the data center group continues to work on improving profitability. New leadership and business management systems in the data center business delivered stable revenues.

Lenovo in Europe, Middle East & Africa had consolidated sales in the first quarter of US$2.5 billion, a year-over-year decline of 7.3 percent driven by a mix of operational and macroeconomic challenges. EMEA accounted for 24.5 percent of Lenovo’s total worldwide sales. Pre-tax profit margin was negative 2 percent, a decrease of 3.5 points year-over-year. In PCs, the Company took action to improve channel inventory to address challenging conditions and return to future growth. Mobile saw traction over the previous quarter as a result of new products coming to market. The data center business remained challenging with a year-over-year revenue and margin decline.

In the Americas, Lenovo saw consolidated sales decline 6.6 percent year-over-year to approximately US$3 billion in the first quarter, driven by the product transition in the mobile business. This represented 30.4 percent of Lenovo’s total worldwide sales. PC market share was up 1.4 points year-over-year to 14.4 percent, driven by strong growth in North America and improvement in Latin America, especially Brazil. Mobile shipments declined in North America due to product transition, but stabilized in Latin America. The data center business worked on building the right sales model, while strong competition put pressure on the business.
* see IDC data 2Q 2016

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $45 billion global Fortune 500 company and a leader in providing innovative consumer, commercial, and enterprise technology. Our portfolio of high-quality, secure products and services covers PCs (including the legendary Think and multimode YOGA brands), workstations, servers, storage, smart TVs and a family of mobile products like smartphones (including the Motorola brand), tablets and apps. Join on LinkedIn, follow on Facebook or Twitter (@Lenovo) or visit at www.lenovo.com.

Cheers!!!

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