Apple and Samsung have been at it for a while, dominating the number #1 and #2 spots when it comes to mobile devices in many markets across the globe. But does anyone know who #3 is? According to IDC, an industry research firm, the #3 spot belongs to Lenovo, which is a bit ironic considering Lenovo is more known for being a player in the PC market than they are in mobile.
It’s only been in the past few years that they’ve started branching off from desktops and laptops to smartphones and tablets, and they’ve recently been having a lot of success, doubling their smartphone sales in China in the third quarter of 2012 compared to the same period the year before. This is significant considering the sheer size of the Chinese market, and we’re already seeing their phones getting recognition in local markets.
Lenovo CEO Yang Yanquin was quoted as saying “The most important strategy for Lenovo is to further explore mobile devices where Apple and Samsung dominate the market.”
Lenovo is a latecomer to the smartphone and tablet business, which makes the achievement of grabbing the #3 spot that much more remarkable. Their success in the smartphone market should allow them to invest in further research and development and establishing distribution channels for them to better compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung. Lenovo might not have as much invested in research and development as Apple or Samsung, but they can certainly compete in the world market by producing powerful yet affordable devices. Need an example? Just take a look at their current wave of Android smartphones.