Lenovo Completes Acquisition Of IBM's PC Division 192
karvind writes "Chinese computer maker Lenovo has completed its $1.75 billion purchase of IBM's personal computer division, creating the world's third-largest PC maker. Under the deal, IBM takes an 18.9 percent stake in Lenovo. Lenovo paid $1.25 billion for the IBM PC unit and assumed debt, which brought the total cost to $1.75 billion. Slashdot timeline: Dec 3, 2004: IBM Puts PC Business Up for Sale, Dec 4, 2004: Chinese PC Maker Looks to Buy IBM's PC Business, and Mar 9, 2005: U.S. Approves IBM/Lenovo Sale"
IBM doesn't need stinking pcs! (Score:1, Insightful)
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:5, Funny)
Worst. Analogy. Ever.
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:2, Funny)
No, this is:
It's like a bunyon in your left nostril left there by the intrusive drone of Alien Pope during his weekly sermon on why we should eat pieces of our neighbors liver to better understand the glories of our great god, Eddy the Reproductive Shrew, Lord of the Golden Fucker.
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:2)
Things could be spotty these days, but my most recent personal experience has been good. YMMV of course.
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:3, Funny)
dude, by a 10$ optical mouse and get over yourself.
I'd rather use a real mouse than ANYTHING put in a laptop because it's just simpler. But touchpads aren't really that hard to use. They are annoying if you rest on it by accident when typing but other than that they're not a mystery.
Tom
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:1)
Ever try to use an optial mouse while balancing that laptop on your lap while in the airport, restaruant, the sofa, or the easy chair? I barely have room to put my g40 and a glass of water on the flimsy little airport tray. Grrg. Argh.
I have also had a hell of a time trying to use photoshop with a trackpad or anything other than a trackpoint or a mouse.
So no mon, it's not that easy.
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:2)
Maybe thats just me flying coach all the time...
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:2)
And by "insist" I mean "laws of physics dictate this". As much as people like to think I'm a jerk for that I can't grow shorter on the plane so you can lean back over my knees [e.g. my space].
Honestly I don't understand why the seats recline at all. Not like there is actually enough space for it anyways. Might as well just be fixed p
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:2)
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:2)
The way I found to travel that makes it peaceful is to just space out. Get comfy, put seat belt on and just vege. Mind shuts off, flight seems shorter.
Now if there was more room and an AC outlet
Doesn't help that I have a Presario 2100 which isn't exactly a "small" laptop [
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:2)
But I have a special backpack that has a laptop compartment alont the back, and I keep books and such in there as well. So when I want to take it out, slide the backpack up against my legs, open the back pouch. Pull the velcro strap, and slide the laptop up and out.
I'm pretty patient about things, but being strapped into such a small place for longer than 2 hours brea
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:2)
ENJOY YOUR LIFE.
I mean I use my laptop professionally and the only time I "really need" to work at it [and not just boot it up to get a number or two] is when I'm at an office of some sort.
When I fly I just relax and enjoy the trip. Bring my gameboy/some cds and enjoy it.
Tom
funny?!? (Score:1)
Even if I was on a train I'd take an optical, and maybe move it on the keyboard if said train is crowded. Touchpads are not teh awesome for me--unless, perhaps, they had a built-in cover to stop those typing accidents...
*Yes, I can turn them off on most, I know. They just feel odd in either case.
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:2)
Plus I'm not a noob and can get along with the keyboard only for 90% of what I do with a computer anyways. Try not using a mickey-mouse operating system and you'll see what a real userland toolset can get you.
Tom
Off to a bad start (Score:3, Interesting)
According to one of the 6 people I talked to during my wonderful adventure, yesterday was the day on which Lenovo took over customer supoort in form, if not in practice. The call (4 calls in truth) I made was still routed to IBM's call center in Atlanta, but my problem was given a Lenovo tracking number. Also, new proc
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:2)
You know you can turn that off in like 5 seconds, right? And never be bothered with that problem ever again in the lifetime of the laptop, right?
Criminy.
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:2)
This deal isn't exactly about IBM leaving the PC business. They are buying there way in to the Chinese marketplace on the coattails of China's largest PC manufacturer, by practicly giving away one of their crown jewels, though one that is not profitable and they don't really want. Cringley [pbs.org] did a decent job of describing all the not so obvious angles to this deal last year.
Every greedy capitalist and multinational on the planet wants to get in to China's markets bec
What a bunch of retarded crap. (Score:2)
Fast food, cars, and appliances do not require brainwashing. What requires brainwashing is to reject them. People choose fast food because it is convenient and tasty and warm, which is a rarity in many nations. People choose cars because they are a reliable, quick and enjoyable fo
Re:What a bunch of retarded crap. (Score:2)
Heh. Dude, nice troll I almost bit and started responding to all this nonsense, before I realized either you are a troll or maybe your a trekkie whose watched a little to much Star Trek and you've lost a grip on reality, one hint no we don't have warp drive and we aren't going to be tapping the galaxy's resources anytime soon, ROFL.
Only thing that scares me is there probably are a lot of people who actually think its OK to loot and pillage the earth because A) it will never run out or B) we will just find
Re:What a bunch of retarded crap. (Score:2)
I do.
Our species survived multiple ice ages and dealing with large predatory mammals and we did so through technology. Take that Mr. Sabre Tooth Tiger - we have spears now! Guess what, now the planet is warm, and all those bad old giant sloths, saber tooth tigers, every animal that ever walked or crawled and even so much as gave mankind a dirty look is now either extinct, bordering on extinct, living in a zoo, o
Re:What a bunch of retarded crap. (Score:2)
I really think maybe you should try traveling in the parts of the world that are already desperately overcrowded and starving and just imagine what kind of a fine
There's too many of us, let's have a war. (Score:2)
Re:There's too many of us, let's have a war. (Score:2)
Re:A new hope for IBM (Score:2)
Re:Troll Alert (Score:2)
Grow up, kid. There's more than 1 type of troll. Did this look like GNAA shit to you?
Some "trolls" are designed to make you think. This one obviously got a LOT of people thinking. Or would you rather that everyone be a knee-jerk same-opinion fan-boi to whatever is currently fashionable?
But it's easier to scream "troll alert" than to think, isn't it, Mr. AC?
And
taking bets (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:taking bets (Score:1)
By the way, any recommendations? I can probably spend about $15000 - $2000, so I am assuming I'll get a nice R-series.
Re:taking bets (Score:5, Funny)
You could trick out a PowerBook and a battery operated Xserve RAID for that much cash.
Re:taking bets (Score:2)
Re:taking bets (Score:2)
Re:taking bets (Score:1)
I'll take that bet.. (Score:2)
Um... who does this effect, really? (Score:3, Insightful)
Honestly, I don't think this matters much. Thinkpads are about the only IBM PCs I've ever seen used in the past 10 years. We had an old IBM PC back in High School that was donated because it simply didn't hold up. We ended up trashing it because it kept eating video cards like they were candy, and the computer lab didn't have many to spare for it. It did resist that sledgehammer well, but that doesn't have much to do with the computer itself.
So in the end, this really doesn't effect anyone I know of unless you really want a Thinkpad...
Re:Um... who does this effect, really? (Score:3, Insightful)
Unless, of course, you're talking about that Model M keyboard [everything2.com] it came with!
Re:Um... who does this effect, really? (Score:1)
Re:Um... who does this effect, really? (Score:2)
What Future For Thinkpad's? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:What Future For Thinkpad's? (Score:3, Informative)
But will they run Linux? (Score:5, Interesting)
Here's a case in which the standard question "but does it run Linux?" is actually relevant. China getting into the PC business in a big way could have an impact on the availability of machines on which one doesn't have to pay the Microsoft tax. With China explicitly interested in independence from Microsoft, it seems likely that they won't play ball with Microsoft and will offer machines with no OS or with Linux pre-installed.
Re:But will they run Linux? (Score:1)
I highly doubt it would be profitable to spend 1.75 billion dollars on a company and then not offer Windows machines. As much as we all like Linux, in a corporate sales environment, it's just fighting an uphill battle, and not a wise choice from a risk management perspective.
Unless they really REALLY hate Microsoft, they'll continue to offer Windows, and just offer Linux as an alternative.
Re:But will they run Linux? (Score:5, Informative)
Sure, I wasn't suggesting that they would refuse to provide MS Windows, just that they wouldn't insist on it. If they don't want to deal with MS, or if it becomes problematic because they won't sell all their machines preloaded, they might ship machines with no OS or Linux, with MS Windows installation done by OEMs or retailers for those who want it.
Re:But will they run Linux? (Score:2, Insightful)
"ThinkPad recommends Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional"
But I agree that it's possible that they may go towards more to a non-MS, or MS-agnostic company.
Re:But will they run Linux? (Score:2)
Lenovo may be a private corporation, but a good chunk of their market is, or will be, in China, where many of the buyers will part of the government, and in any case, in China even private companies are subject to a lot of government influence. It is true that Lenovo will probably continue to provide MS Windows where they think it will be profitable; I don't expect them to take a purely ideological stance. At the same time, between government pressure, the growing Chinese Linux market, and the widespread d
Is Red Flag Linux? (Score:3, Funny)
it seems likely that they won't play ball with Microsoft and will offer machines with no OS or with Linux pre-installed.
Yah, you get Red Flag installed for free, and a BIOS to protect the user from any OS not approved by the Party. Can't wait, comrade.
Re:But will they run Linux? (Score:3, Informative)
Linux imogen 2.6.11 #3 SMP Fri Apr 29 14:57:42 NZST 2005 i686 Mobile Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 - M CPU 1.80GHz GenuineIntel GNU/Linux
It takes a bit of knowledge and effort to get the ACPI and wireless systems to go, but that's all. I'm happy.
Re:But will they run Linux? (Score:2)
Ugh, to me paying the China tax would be worse than paying the MS tax.
my girlfriend will hate me saying this (Score:1, Funny)
Re:my girlfriend will hate me saying this (Score:2)
Maybe they will build something different? (Score:5, Interesting)
BTW whatever happened to CHRP and the promised PowerPC MB's we hobbyists could buy and build our own system from?
Re:Maybe they will build something different? (Score:2)
Re:Maybe they will build something different? (Score:2)
no more discounts? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:no more discounts? (Score:2)
Well, speaking as an IBM employee, we were told that we'd get the same discounts that Lenovo offers its employees. How those discounts compare to IBM's historical discounts remain to be seen, but the announcement stated a continuation of 15-35% discounts. IBM has equipped its mobile employees with Thinkpads, so it makes sense that they would want to keep that consist
You know the coolest thing about thinkpads (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:You know the coolest thing about thinkpads (Score:2)
Re:You know the coolest thing about thinkpads (Score:2)
of course you then briefly remember the hours of pain and misery it took to complete the install but then you ignore that and bask in it's beauty again.
Re:You know the coolest thing about thinkpads (Score:2)
How do you safely take those stickers off? Mine seem like they're welded on. There's nothing more obnoxious than paying $2000 for a computer and being forced to see (and feel) those damn advertisements.
Re:You know the coolest thing about thinkpads (Score:2)
Re:You know the coolest thing about thinkpads (Score:2)
Re:You know the coolest thing about thinkpads (Score:2)
Re:You know the coolest thing about thinkpads (Score:2)
Re:You know the coolest thing about thinkpads (Score:2)
Re:You know the coolest thing about thinkpads (Score:2)
The Windows key is NOT just for getting the start menu to display. There are all sorts of short cuts like minimize all WindowsKey-M to minimize all windows etc.
You're obviously not a frequent Windows user. Either that or you should know better.
Re:You know the coolest thing about thinkpads (Score:2)
I plead guilty to the first accusation, innocent to the second.
Re:You know the coolest thing about thinkpads (Score:4, Insightful)
No windows key. I didn't like it at first but then I realized
I bet you prefer Apple mice, too...
Like it or not, the extra "Windows" key is something that has been missing on x86 PCs for ages, whether you run Linux or Windows. (I run both) Without it, it's much more difficult to go mouseless in a GUI environment. Not to mention all the fantastic keyboard shortcuts you miss out on in Windows without it. (W-D for desktop, W-E for computer explorer, W-R for a RUN dialog...)
On Linux you can map it to your menuing system of choice, or a Meta-key, or just about whatever else. If they really wanted be "Neutral" they could have just put a different picture on the key. All they are right now are lacking...
Re:You know the coolest thing about thinkpads (Score:2)
I find it rather handy on my laptop , i carefully removed the windows branding on my laptop keyboard and labeld it with a \|/ type symbol , That key i have marked for all manner of shortcuts .
Re:You know the coolest thing about thinkpads (Score:2)
My most common uses are Win+L for "Lock Workstation" (get up for a break), Win+F for "Find", and Win+M for "Minimise All".
I just wish I could untie it from the damn Start menu. One of the worst uses ever. (Too bad it's not Win+S, or something.)
Re:You know the coolest thing about thinkpads (Score:2)
Why don't major vendors sell Linux PCs?? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Why don't major vendors sell Linux PCs?? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Why don't major vendors sell Linux PCs?? (Score:2)
Re:Why don't major vendors sell Linux PCs?? (Score:2)
As if anyone here cares if the MSRP with Windows bundled is more expensive... as long as we can get the hardware $20 cheaper without that Windows licence.
Re:Why don't major vendors sell Linux PCs?? (Score:3, Informative)
OEMs are free to ship with other installed systems nowadays.
Re:Why don't major vendors sell Linux PCs? Volume. (Score:2)
The x86 machine is a commodity item with heavy competition and razor thin margins. The answer to the question is based on two variables:
If #1 is greate
Re:Why don't major vendors sell Linux PCs?? (Score:3, Insightful)
IBM won't, either (Score:2)
Does this mean ... (Score:1, Offtopic)
Talk about down-scaling a product ... guess there's no more "born in the USA".
ThinkPad's have been made in China (Score:5, Insightful)
ThinkPads have been manufactured in China for some time now while maintaining high quality.
Please stop the unfounded China bashing: the country's industries have been quickly becoming very competent at high quality production as well as churning out $2 Wal Mart items.
Re:ThinkPad's have been made in China (Score:2, Interesting)
Don't people rememb
Re:ThinkPad's have been made in China (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:ThinkPad's have been made in China (Score:3, Insightful)
Britan went through it (industrial revoloution anyone?). The USA went through it (railroad companies anyone?) As each country develops it seems to go through a phase where is competes purely on price and things like workers rights be damned.
why do people work in such situations? because they consider it better than the alternatives! I cant see how not buying from such countries helps the workers there.
Re:ThinkPad's have been made in China (Score:2)
More money/profit in Mainframes and COBOL (Score:1)
Re:More money/profit in Mainframes and COBOL (Score:2)
Re:More money/profit in Mainframes and COBOL (Score:2)
The "Street" also dissed Apple when they beat their quarterly earnings (or something) projections last time.
Which machines do they get? (Score:3, Interesting)
Just wondering.
Re:Which machines do they get? (Score:2)
Dated story (Score:2)
irony.... (Score:4, Insightful)
2005: IBM NO LONGER MAKES IBM compatible personal computers... They now they make Apple Power Macintosh and iMac computers.
Re:irony.... (Score:2, Informative)
Not exactly news (Score:2)
I recently spent a lot of time on-line (shopping ever so slowly!) purchasing a high-end laptop for my wife, and settled on one of the upper-tier thinkpads. The only downside I can see is the price. They're very solid, well built little workhorse
Money or interest (Score:2)
They're getting out of perfectly profitable businesses because they're not interested in it.
Now they resell software contracts from Infosys and resell computers from Lenovo. Only 1% of the total value of that place is actuall
Re:New brand name? (Score:2)
Re:New brand name? (Score:2)
So did I...I haven't been this embarassed about laughing about something since Beavis and Butthead.
Re:New brand name? (Score:2)
Re:New brand name? (Score:2)
Re:Wow, (Score:2)
Not that I wish you any bad luck, mind you...the Gateways were fine machines, but none have ever been as good as the Thinkpads. IMHO of course...
Re:Wow, (Score:2)