Yang Yuanqing, the chief executive of Lenovo Group, quickly frowned on the word 'emulate' when asked about how the mainland computer giant's mobile internet devices strategy compares with that of iPhone maker Apple's.
'Emulate is not a good word,' said Yang, as he quickly pointed to devices on a small table. These were the LePhone, the first Lenovo smartphone that was released last year on the mainland, and the LePad media tablet, which will have its domestic launch this first quarter.
In an interview, Yang said Lenovo has plotted its own approach to become a global leader in the highly competitive mobile internet devices market.
That included creating a new media tablet for business based on ThinkPad, its flagship notebook computer, expanding its international distribution network and eyeing potential new acquisitions that could fit its mobile devices strategy.
'This is a battle we cannot lose. We must win no matter how much money we need to invest,' Yang told the South China Morning Post the day after Lenovo reported robust gains in its fiscal third-quarter results.
With traditional computer makers such as Apple, Lenovo, Dell, Hewlett-Packard in the mobile internet device market, Yang said these products will 'account for 15 per cent to 20 per cent of the total global PC market very quickly'.
Lenovo, the world's fourth-largest supplier of personal computers, last month created its new Mobile Internet and Digital Home Business Group in Beijing, to initially grow the operation on the mainland before expanding worldwide.