Lenovo counting on China to overtake Apple in AIOs

Lenovo is growing quickly enough to be a challenger to Apple's long-held dominance in all-in-one computers, a mixture of unofficial sources and estimates claimed on Monday. The iMac represented 30 percent of AIO market share in all 2010, but Lenovo's 23 percent growth in desktop sales during the fall has been attributed to a "significant" bump from its IdeaCentre AIO models. The growth would be just the start, as Digitimes Research estimated that Lenovo's shipments would surge 54 percent just in 2011 to hit two million PCs based on sales in its native China.

Apple would still be expected to grow iMac sales significantly in 2011 and hold its lead, advancing 15 percent to 4.6 million, but the relative gap will have closed due to Lenovo's advancement. The American company has a virtual monopoly on the US market, selling an estimated 75 to 80 percent of the AIO desktops in its home country.

The two electronics giants have steadily turned into rivals for each other in the past year. Chairman Liu Chuanzhi has been determined to carve out a space for Lenovo in mobile to avoid being erased by Apple and has also been hoping to fend off Apple in China to keep a local edge in computers and phones.

The IdeaCentre line has often been consciously targeted at the same market as Apple, but Lenovo has also been willing to have a wider lineup that, in the US, can cost a third the price of an iMac and is more likely to be bought in China. Traditionally, Apple has chosen to add features and performance rather than lower the price, such as by going to all-wireless input, increasing the display size or moving to faster dedicated video.

By Electronista Staff

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iMac, computers, industry, Lenovo, IdeaCentre, Apple