Skip to main content

Lenovo and NEC joint venture targets Japanese PC market

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Chinese computer maker Lenovo and top Japanese computer maker NEC have announced they are forming a new joint venture, NEC Lenovo Japan Group, to specifically make PCs for the Japanese market. Lenovo is currently the number-four PC marker in the world, but has had trouble cracking the traditionally insular Japanese market. NEC might not be a household PC name in North America, but it is the top PC manufacturer in Japan. The companies believe that Lenovo’s manufacturing, procurement, and supply chain resources combined with NEC’s marketing, sales, and distribution capabilities will give them a competitive edge in the Japanese PC market…where they will debut as the biggest player.

“The agreement with NEC is a perfect fit for our strategy. It reinforces our commitment to our core PC business while, at the same time, providing important new opportunities for growth in Japan,” said Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing, in a statement. “We are combining our global strength and momentum with NEC’s market leadership. It is the perfect partnership for us and for our customers.”

Recommended Videos

Lenovo will hold a 51 percent controlling stake in the joint venture, with NEC holding the remaining 49 percent—NEC also picks up a tidy $175 million from Lenovo in the form of Lenovo shares as part of the deal. The companies expect the deal to close by June 30, 2011, and that the combined company will be able to bring innovative products to the Japanese market quickly and at competitive prices. Both the NEC and Lenovo brand names will continue to be used.

In addition to PCs, Lenovo and NEC are open to expanding the partnership to include other classes of devices—that includes things like tablets and servers, as well as providing global support to Japanese companies operating outside Japan.

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Back to school… gaming PC? Save over $500 in Lenovo’s sale
Lenovo Legion Tower 5i with RTX 3060 gifts for PC gamers

Now that back-to-school shopping is at the forefront of every student and parents’ mind, it’s about time we started seeing some amazing desktop computer deals filter in! Of course, most matriculating youths are going to be focused on back to school laptop deals; and trust us, there are plenty. But what about the student who wants to unwind after a long day of studying, exam-taking, and thesis writing? Perhaps a solid gaming PC is in order.

As such, we found this terrific sale on a Lenovo machine. For a limited time, you’ll be able to order the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 for $1,470. At full price, this PC usually costs $2,000.

Read more
This Lenovo Legion gaming PC with RTX 4070 has a $550 discount
Lenovo Legion Tower 5i with RTX 3060 gifts for PC gamers

When it comes to gaming on your PC, you’ll want to make sure you’re running hardware that supports the kinds of games you want to play. In the case of Windows-powered desktops like the Lenovo Legion, all of your gaming essentials (solid clock speeds, powerful graphics, great lag reduction, etc.) are more than satisfied. Fortunately, while perusing our go-to retailers for gaming PC deals, we found this exceptional Lenovo offer:

For a limited time, when you purchase the Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 8 through Intel, you’ll save $550 on the computer when you buy through Lenovo. It's down to $1,450 from its usual $2,000.

Read more
This Lenovo Legion gaming PC with RTX 4080 Super is $660 off today
Lenovo Legion Tower 7i gaming PC sitting on a table.

Gamers who are planning to upgrade their gaming PC should consider the eighth-generation Lenovo Legion Tower 7i with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super graphics card. That's because this machine is on sale from Lenovo with a 20% discount, which is equivalent to $660 in savings. From its original price of $3,300, it's down to $2,640 -- it's still not cheap, but it's actually a steal price for a gaming desktop that's this powerful. You're going to have to be quick in completing your purchase though, as the offer may be gone as soon as tomorrow.

Why you should buy the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8 gaming PC
The Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8 challenges the best gaming PCs with specifications that will let you play the best PC games at their most demanding settings. In addition to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super graphics card, it's equipped with the 14th-generation Intel Core i9 processor and 32GB of RAM that our guide on how much RAM do you need says is the sweet spot for high-end gamers. There's no such thing as a future-proof gaming PC as you'll eventually have to upgrade its components -- with easy swapping of parts being one of the advantages of gaming desktops over gaming laptops -- but the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8 comes close as you'll be prepared for the upcoming PC games of the next few years.

Read more