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Earlier this year, I expressed misgivings about the sale of IBM's PC division to China-based Lenovo Group (www.networkworld.com; DocFinder: 8557). While I thought IBM was smart for unloading its unprofitable PC group, I also thought ThinkPad and ThinkCentre customers would get the raw end of the deal.
However, I recently spent an intense day talking with Lenovo's senior executives, and they have allayed my fears. In fact, these discussions have given me a positive outlook on Lenovo's worldwide role in the PC market. Of course, it's just barely three months since the sale closed, so time will tell if Lenovo can pull off its grand plans.
Initially, I had three concerns about the sale: 1) the inevitable loss of innovation if Lenovo curtails the funding of R&D to which PCD was accustomed; 2) The fear that Lenovo might focus simply on cost cutting in order to stay competitive, resulting in a loss of corporate customers outside of China; and 3) a potential "brain drain" if former IBMers refuse to don a Lenovo badge. Lenovo addressed each of my fears with a...