128 Facts About Lenovo

1.

Lenovo Group Limited, often shortened to Lenovo, is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, business solutions, and related services.

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2.

Lenovo was founded in Beijing on 1 November 1984 as Legend by a team of engineers led by Liu Chuanzhi and Danny Lui.

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3.

Lenovo grew to become the market leader in China and raised nearly US$30 million in an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

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4.

Since the 1990s, Lenovo has increasingly diversified from the personal computer market and made a number of corporate acquisitions, with the most notable being acquiring and integrating most of IBM's personal computer business and its x86-based server business as well as creating its own smartphone.

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5.

Lenovo has operations in over 60 countries and sells its products in around 180 countries.

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6.

In May 1988, Lenovo placed its first recruitment advertisement on the front page of the China Youth News.

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7.

In 1990, Lenovo started to manufacture and market computers using its own brand name.

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8.

Lenovo became publicly traded after a 1994 Hong Kong IPO that raised nearly at per share.

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9.

Lenovo acquired IBM's personal computer business in 2005, including the ThinkPad laptop and ThinkCentre desktop lines.

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10.

Lenovo paid for IBM's computer business and assumed an additional of IBM's debt.

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11.

Under her leadership, Lenovo successfully integrated Western-style accountability into its corporate culture.

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12.

Lenovo created an audit committee and a compensation committee with non-management directors.

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13.

Lenovo started roadshows twice per year to meet institutional investors.

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14.

Lenovo sold its smartphone and tablet division in 2008 for in order to focus on personal computers and then paid US$200 million to buy it back in November 2009.

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15.

Lenovo invested in a fund dedicated to providing seed funding for mobile application development for its LeGarden online app store.

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16.

On January 27, 2011, Lenovo formed a joint venture to produce personal computers with Japanese electronics firm NEC.

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17.

Lenovo has a five-year option to expand its stake in the joint venture.

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18.

In June 2011, Lenovo announced that it planned to acquire control of Medion, a German electronics manufacturing company.

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19.

Lenovo said the acquisition would double its share of the German computer market, making it the third-largest vendor by sales.

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20.

Lenovo will be paid in cash for 80 percent of the shares and will receive 20 percent in Lenovo stock.

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21.

In September 2012, Lenovo agreed to acquire the Brazil-based electronics company Digibras, which sells products under the brand-name CCE, for a base price of 300 million reals in a combination of stock and cash.

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22.

Lenovo cited their desire to take advantage of increased sales due to the 2014 World Cup that would be hosted by Brazil and the 2016 Summer Olympics and CCE's reputation for quality.

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23.

In September 2012, Lenovo agreed to acquire the United States-based software company Stoneware, in its first software acquisition.

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24.

Lenovo said that the company was acquired in order to gain access to new technology and that Stoneware is not expected to significantly affect earnings.

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25.

Lenovo re-entered the smartphone market in 2012 and quickly became the largest vendor of smartphones in mainland China.

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26.

Lenovo says it will gain access to more enterprise customers, improve its profit margins, and develop a closer relationship with Intel, the maker of most server processors, through its acquisition of IBM's x86-based server business.

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27.

On 1 October 2014, Lenovo closed its acquisition of IBM's server division, with the final price put at $2.

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28.

Lenovo said this acquisition came in at a price lower than the previously announced $2.

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29.

Lenovo received royalty free licenses to all the patents retained by Google.

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30.

Lenovo received approval from the European Union for its acquisition of Motorola in June 2014.

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31.

In May 2015, Lenovo revealed a new logo at Lenovo Tech World in Beijing, with the slogan "Innovation Never Stands Still".

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32.

In early June 2015, Lenovo announced plans to sell up to US$650 million in five-year bonds denominated in Chinese yuan.

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33.

Financial commentators noted that Lenovo was paying a premium to list the bonds in yuan given relatively low costs for borrowing in US dollars.

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34.

Lenovo said that its x86 servers will be available to all its channel partners.

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35.

Lenovo had employees from different cultures, different backgrounds, and different languages.

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36.

However, Lenovo had failed to meet a key objective of the merger: leveraging the combined strength of the two companies to grow volume and market share.

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37.

In 2017, Lenovo formed a joint venture with Fujitsu and the Development Bank of Japan.

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38.

In 2018, Lenovo became the world's largest provider for the TOP500 supercomputers.

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39.

In 2020, Lenovo became a preferred data center innovation provider for DreamWorks Animation starting with Trolls World Tour.

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40.

On 12 January 2021, Lenovo filed an application to issue Chinese depositary receipts, representing newly issued ordinary shares, and to list them on the Science and Technology Innovation Board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

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41.

On 8 October 2021, Lenovo withdrew its application to list on the Shanghai Stock Exchange just days after it had been accepted by the exchange, citing the possibility of the validity of financial information in its prospectus lapsing as the reason.

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42.

Lenovo spent 18 million RMB on an eight-week television advertising campaign.

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43.

Lenovo is a manufacturer of personal computers, smartphones, televisions, and wearable devices.

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44.

Lenovo aggressively expanded the THINK brand away from traditional laptop computers in favor of tablets and hybrid devices such as the ThinkPad Tablet 2, ThinkPad Yoga, ThinkPad 8, ThinkPad Helix, and ThinkPad Twist; the shift came as a response to the growing popularity of mobile devices, and the release of Windows 8 in October 2012.

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45.

The server was developed under agreement with IBM, by which Lenovo would produce single-socket and dual-socket servers based on IBM's xSeries technology.

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46.

At the 2014 International CES, Lenovo announced the ThinkVision Pro2840m, a 28-inch 4K display aimed at professionals.

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47.

Lenovo announced another 28-inch 4K touch-enabled device running Android that can function as an all-in-one PC or an external display for other devices.

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48.

At the 2016 International CES, Lenovo announced two displays with both USB-C and DisplayPort connectivity.

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49.

On September 21, 2016, Lenovo confirmed that their Yoga series is not meant to be compatible with Linux operating systems, that they know it is impossible to install Linux on some models, and that it is not supported.

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50.

Lenovo has since released an alternative firmware that has restored the AHCI mode to the drive controller to allow installation of Linux operating systems.

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51.

At CES 2011, Lenovo announced the launch of four IdeaCentre desktops: the A320, B520, B320, and C205.

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52.

At E3 2018, Lenovo announced three new laptops with new redesigned chassis, Y530, Y730 and Y7000.

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53.

In 2020, Lenovo launched Legion 3, 5, and 7, where Legion 7 is the highest specification of the series.

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54.

In 2021, Lenovo launched Legion 5 pro with AMD 5th series CPU and Nvidia 30, s GPU.

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55.

Lenovo has implemented an aggressive strategy to replace Samsung Electronics as Mainland China market's top smartphone vendor.

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56.

Data from Analysys International shows that Lenovo experienced considerable growth in smartphone sales in China during 2012.

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57.

IDC analysts said that Lenovo's success is due to its "aggressive ramping-up and improvements in channel partnerships.

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58.

Lenovo has the confidence to outperform Samsung and Apple, at least in the Chinese market.

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59.

In January 2014, Lenovo announced a proposed deal to acquire Motorola Mobility to bolster its plans for the U S market.

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60.

Microsoft officially announced that Lenovo had become the hardware partner of Windows Phone platform at the Mobile World Congress 2014.

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61.

In January 2016, Lenovo announced at CES that the company would be producing the first Project Tango phone.

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62.

In November 2015, members of Lenovo management made statements that Lenovo would use the Motorola brand for all its smartphones.

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63.

Lenovo reversed course in March 2017 and announced that the Motorola brand name would be used in all regions in future products.

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64.

In November 2011, Lenovo said it would soon unveil a smart television product called LeTV, expected for release in the first quarter of 2012.

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65.

In June 2013 Lenovo announced a partnership with Sharp to produce smart televisions.

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66.

In March 2014, Lenovo announced that it projected smart television sales surpassing one million units for 2014.

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67.

Rumors that Lenovo was developing a wearable device were confirmed in October 2014 after the company submitted a regulatory finding to the Federal Communications Commission.

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68.

Lenovo started offering the device for sale on its website without a formal product announcement.

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69.

In 2015 Lenovo launched a strategic cooperation with IngDan, a subsidiary of Chinese electronics e-commerce company Cogobuy Group, to penetrate into the intelligent hardware sector.

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70.

Lenovo Connect eliminates the need to buy new SIM cards when crossing borders.

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71.

Lenovo Connect started service for phones and select ThinkPad laptops in China in February 2016.

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72.

Lenovo operates manufacturing facilities in Chengdu and Hefei in China, and in Japan.

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73.

Lenovo instead focuses on vertical integration in order to avoid excessive reliance on original equipment manufacturers and to keep down costs.

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74.

Lenovo stated, "If you look at the industry trends, most innovations for" PCs, smartphones, tablets and smart TVs are related to innovation of key components—display, battery and storage.

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75.

Lenovo responded by reducing the number of KPIs from 150 to 5, offering intensive training to managers, and working to create a global Lenovo culture.

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76.

In 2012, Lenovo partially moved production of its ThinkPad line of computers to Japan.

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77.

In October 2012, Lenovo announced that it would start assembling computers in Whitsett, North Carolina.

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78.

Lenovo has been in Whitsett since 2008, where it has centers for logistics, customer service, and return processing.

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79.

In November 2015, Lenovo announced that it would start manufacturing computers in Pondicherry.

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80.

Lenovo took some shipments out of the distribution, but other shipments were distributed to consumers.

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81.

Lenovo identifies its facilities in Beijing, Singapore, and Morrisville as its "key location addresses", where its principal operations occur.

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82.

Lenovo stated that "by foregoing a traditional headquarters model and focusing on centers of excellence around the world, Lenovo makes the maximum use of its resources to create the best products in the most efficient and effective way possible".

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83.

Lenovo's registered office is on the 23rd floor of the Lincoln House building of the Taikoo Place in Quarry Bay, Hong Kong.

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84.

In 2006, Lenovo announced that it was consolidating its U S headquarters, a logistics facility in Boulder, Colorado, and a call center in Atlanta, Georgia, to a new facility in Morrisville.

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85.

Lenovo received offers of over $11 million in incentive funds from the local Morrisville, North Carolina, area and from the State of North Carolina on the condition that the company employs about 2, 200 people.

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86.

In early 2016, Lenovo carried out a comprehensive restructuring of its business units.

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87.

In March 2013, Lenovo was included as a constituent stock in the Hang Seng Index.

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88.

Lenovo replaced the unprofitable Aluminum Corporation of China, a state-owned enterprise, on the list of 50 key companies on the Hong Kong stock exchange that constitute the Hang Seng Index.

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89.

In November 2013 Lenovo reported that they had achieved double-digit market share in the United States for the first time.

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90.

Critics argued that Lenovo was controlled by the Chinese government and a potential vehicle for espionage against the United States.

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91.

Yang worried that fears about Lenovo's supposed connections to the Chinese government would be an ongoing issue in the United States.

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92.

One of his major achievements was leading Lenovo to become the best-selling personal computer brand in China since 1997.

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93.

In early 2013, Lenovo announced the addition of Yahoo founder Jerry Yang to its board.

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94.

In 2009, Lenovo became the first personal computer manufacturer to divide countries into emerging markets and mature markets.

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95.

Lenovo then developed a different set of strategies for each category.

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96.

Lenovo's competitors have widely adopted the same approach In 2012, Lenovo made a major effort to expand its market share in developing economies such as Brazil and India through acquisitions and increased budgets for marketing and advertising.

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97.

In October 2013, Lenovo announced that it had hired American actor Ashton Kutcher as a product engineer and spokesman.

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98.

Lenovo was an official computer sponsor of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

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99.

Lenovo become technology partner for Ducati Corse in MotoGP since 2018.

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100.

Lenovo is an official partner of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes who play in nearby Raleigh, North Carolina.

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101.

Lenovo used a short-film entitled The Pursuit in its "For Those Who Do" campaign launched in 2011.

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102.

Lenovo was the first Chinese company to make use of such marketing techniques.

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103.

In May 2015, Lenovo hosted its first ever "Tech World" conference in Beijing.

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104.

Lenovo has developed close relationships with its Chinese distributors, who are granted exclusive territories and only carry Lenovo products.

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105.

Lenovo previously benefited from the Chinese government's rural subsidies, part of a wider economic stimulus initiative, designed to increase purchases of appliances and electronics.

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106.

Lenovo enjoys consistent price premiums over its traditional competitors in rural markets and a stronger local sales and service presence.

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107.

Lenovo has gained significant market share in India through bulk orders to large companies and government agencies.

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108.

In February 2013, Lenovo established a relationship with Reliance Communications to sell smartphones.

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109.

Lenovo has assembled a team of senior managers familiar with the Indian market, launched mobile phones at all price points there, and worked on branding to build market share.

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110.

Lenovo did marketing tests of its smartphones in November 2012 in Gujarat and some southern cities, where Lenovo already had a strong presence.

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111.

Lenovo's strategy has been to create awareness, maintain a broad selection of phones at all price points, and develop distribution networks.

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112.

Lenovo partnered with two national distributors and over 100 local distributors.

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113.

Lenovo has partnered with HCL in order to set up 250 service centres in 110 cities.

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114.

Lenovo uses its close relationships with distributors to gain market intelligence and speed up product development.

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115.

Canalys, a market research firm, said Lenovo took market share away from Apple and Samsung in the country.

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116.

Lenovo first started doing business in South Africa, establishing a sales office, and then expanded to East African markets such as Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Rwanda.

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117.

Lenovo picked Nigeria in 2013 to release its smartphone because unlike South Africa and other African countries, there is no requirement to partner with a local telecom firm to sell its phones.

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118.

Lenovo has had a presence in Singapore as early as its foundation, and with a focus on the Southeast Asia region, it is the location of one of Lenovo's three head offices.

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119.

Lenovo started manufacturing products in the United States in 2012.

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120.

Lenovo launched a multi-year advertising campaign called "Goodweird" in the last half of 2015.

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121.

Lenovo worked with three agencies on Goodweird: London-based DLKW Low, We Are Social, and Blast Radius.

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122.

In February 2015, Lenovo became the subject of controversy for having bundled software identified as malware on some of its laptops.

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123.

Lenovo made between 200, 000 to 250, 000 on its deal with Superfish.

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124.

In 2017 Lenovo agreed to pay as part of a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission.

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125.

Lenovo issued a promise to reduce the amount of "bloatware" it bundles with its Windows 10 devices, promising to only include Lenovo software, security software, drivers, and "certain applications customarily expected by users".

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126.

On 31 July 2015, Lenovo released instructions and UEFI firmware updates meant to remove Lenovo Service Engine.

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127.

At a third time in 2015, criticism arose that Lenovo might have installed software that looked suspicious on their commercial Think-PC lines.

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128.

Lenovo advised users to remove the offending app, "Lenovo Accelerator".

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