Lenovo Group plans to begin sales of its LePad tablet computer in China this month.
The mobile Internet is a “key area” for growth for Lenovo, CEO Yang Yuanqing told reporters at the opening session of the National People’s Congress in Beijing, Bloomberg News reported.
The technology company, which has a headquarters in Morrisville, announced last month that it planned to start selling LePad in China "later this quarter," and bring it to the United States in the second half of the year.
Lenovo needs new products to fend off new products from competitors such as Dell and Apple, which began selling its iPad tablet computer in China last fall. Lenovo also introduced its LePhone smart phone in China last spring, but hasn't said when that will arrive in the U.S.
Lenovo will continue to see growth in computer sales in “mature markets” such as the U.S. and western Europe, Yang said today. “While emerging markets are our key growth market, our growth in mature markets is also very rapid.”
The company, which bought IBM's PC division in 2005, employs about 1,625 people in Morrisville.
Assistant Business Editor Alan M. Wolf joined the N&O in 1999 covering the business of health care. He became an editor in 2001, and helps oversee the paper's daily business coverage and Sunday Work&Money section. He lives in Clayton with his wife and two children. Reach him at 919-829-4572 or