EDITOR'S NOTE: In the print edition, the N&O has "Lenovo" spelled out in the headline phonetically with a definition afterward, as if from the dictionary. Guess I'm a bit psychic as I had no inkling of this story when I wrote my "You Don't Know My Name" post earlier today. --K

newsobserver.com | Computer maker courts U.S. consumers:
by Frank Norton, Staff Writer

Lenovo is hardly a household name in this country.

But China's largest computer maker is counting on its sponsorship of sporting events such as the NBA playoffs and Winter Olympics, coupled with partnerships with retail chains such as Best Buy and Circuit City, to turn it into a well-known U.S. brand.

The Morrisville-based company trails far behind rivals Hewlett-Packard, Dell and others in selling laptops and PCs to businesses and consumers in the U.S.

Its purchase of IBM's personal-computer division in 2005, including the company's ThinkPad line of laptops, gave Lenovo a toehold in the U.S. But the company has struggled to attract new customers, particularly small businesses and consumers.

'Lenovo is a brand new name to the consumer,' senior analyst Richard Shim of research firm IDC said. 'Before they do anything, they need to establish their brand here.'

And the company has to boost sales quickly. Lenovo cut 1,000 jobs worldwide last year to reduce costs. Its division that includes the U.S. and Canada was the only one worldwide to post an operating loss in the most recent quarter. Quarterly sales in the Americas fell slightly, to $1 billion.

Story continues here.