Lenovo
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1984 |
| Type | Public |
| Industry | Electronics |
| Official website | https://lenovo.com/ |
Lenovo is a Chinese PC manufacturer founded originally as a state-founded branch of a research institute called Legend in 1984.[1] In 2005, they officially rebranded as Lenovo and bought the IBM computer division alongside the Thinkpad brand.[2] Today, Lenovo has more than 77,000 employees and holds about a quarter of the Worldwide PC Shipments market.[3][4][5]
In 2014, the company bought Motorola Mobility from Google for around US$2.91 billion.[6]
Controversies
Suppliers accused of child labor
In 2020, The Intercept made headlines showing how Chinese manufactures like Lenovo have suppliers accused of forced child labor in Uyghur regions of China.[7] The company later said it was ending relationships with these suppliers.[8]
X1 Carbon series problems
The X1 Carbon series of laptops exhibits hardware durability issues and will fail to POST (Power-On Self-Test) if their WWAN Broadband card is replaced with one that is not included in Lenovo's vendor whitelist.
- Main article: Lenovo X1 Carbon
Wording in their FAQs; "Is it safe to buy a used laptop or computer?"
Originally from this video: [wants you to stop buying used PCs because they may have viruses on them]
Archived FAQ:
A few snippets:
Is it safe to buy a used laptop or computer?
In a word, no. Though many people have found inexpensive used computers that work just fine, the world of used laptops and computers can be a difficult one to navigate. People just looking for a good deal can often be swindled out of their money.
The computer could be slow, infected with a virus, or have damaged hardware and you might not realize this until it's too late. Buying a used laptop or computer is a gamble when it comes to computer safety.
Buying a used laptop doesn't only cause headaches. It might not even end up being financially feasible. The maintenance and repair costs that may be incurred due to viruses, malware, spyware and hardware malfunctions can add up quickly. Also, because used laptops have a shorter lifespan, you may have to pay to replace the laptop sooner.
Lenovo then responded to the video with:
"Thank you for calling this out, Louis! Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and we hear you. The FAQ page in question has since been taken down and will be reviewed to ensure it correctly reflects Lenovo's views on refurbished products. We know that smarter, more sustainable technology solutions are as big of a priority for our customers as they are for us, and we want to be clear that we encourage buyers to explore refurbished options from authorized resellers. For this reason, many Lenovo computers are designed to be easily serviceable and repairable, and Lenovo has set goals to improve the serviceability and repairability of our PCs even more. We hope that you continue to be part of the Lenovo community."
References
- ↑ "Sequential learning in a Chinese spin-off: the case of Lenovo Group Limited" - onlinelibrary.wiley.com - accessed 2025-02-01
- ↑ "Lenovo Goes Global" - strategy-business.com - accessed 2025-02-01
- ↑ "About Lenovo" - lenovo.com - accessed 2025-02-01
- ↑ "2023/24 Environmental, Social and Governance Report" - doc.irasia.com - accessed 2025-02-01
- ↑ "Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Increased 0.3% in Fourth Quarter of 2023 but Declined 14.8% for the Year" - gartner.com - 2025-02-01
- ↑ "Lenovo Completes Acquisition of Motorola Mobility from Google" - news.lenovo.com - accessed 2025-02-01
- ↑ "Kids may be using laptops made with forced labor this fall" - theintercept.com - accessed 2025-02-01
- ↑ "U.S. faces back-to-school laptop shortage" - washingtonpost.com - accessed 2025-02-01