Slashdot Mirror
Lenovo Completes Acquisition Of IBM's PC Division
karvind writes "Chinese computer maker Lenovo has completed its $1.75 billion purchase of IBM's personal computer division, creating the world's third-largest PC maker. Under the deal, IBM takes an 18.9 percent stake in Lenovo. Lenovo paid $1.25 billion for the IBM PC unit and assumed debt, which brought the total cost to $1.75 billion. Slashdot timeline: Dec 3, 2004: IBM Puts PC Business Up for Sale, Dec 4, 2004: Chinese PC Maker Looks to Buy IBM's PC Business, and Mar 9, 2005: U.S. Approves IBM/Lenovo Sale"
but i wonder what this will do to support for prior IBM computers
IBM leaving the PC business seems sad, and I hope the fact they still have a big stake in the PowerPC and Workstation markets means they'll re-enter, this time with something a little more interesting. That said, it's important not to overstate this: IBM has never been a commodity player, and the PC business is a commodity market. That's why they're getting out. The chances of a populist computer coming out of IBM soon isn't that likely. It's like Anakin Skywalker being thrown into the lava and left there by Obi Wan Kenobe in the climactic scene of the new Star Wars movie, explaining why he has to wear the protective suit in his guise as Darth Vader and why he's all hairless and damaged in Return of the Jedi. Just like in that movie, it may explain things in the future of IBM (albeit things we're not aware of yet, whereas we've all seen A New Hope) and is a dramatic change. Hopefully though IBM's not "going to the dark side"!
But it is sad. In many ways, I feel that when it came to IBM and its influence over the last few years, she blinded me with science.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
how long before we see lonovo machines at Best Buy?
You're right, that is not PC... but I just laughed out loud for the first time in a week.
Honestly, I don't think this matters much. Thinkpads are about the only IBM PCs I've ever seen used in the past 10 years. We had an old IBM PC back in High School that was donated because it simply didn't hold up. We ended up trashing it because it kept eating video cards like they were candy, and the computer lab didn't have many to spare for it. It did resist that sledgehammer well, but that doesn't have much to do with the computer itself.
So in the end, this really doesn't effect anyone I know of unless you really want a Thinkpad...
This forum Sig is licensed under the LGPL.
It figures the only laptop I will even consider since they hooked me on the little pointer nub is a Thinkpad. A lot of business users rely on TP's too, and now with this Lenovo aquisition what lays ahead for the beloved Thinkpad?
http://teasphere.wordpress.com - A little spot of tea
Here's a case in which the standard question "but does it run Linux?" is actually relevant. China getting into the PC business in a big way could have an impact on the availability of machines on which one doesn't have to pay the Microsoft tax. With China explicitly interested in independence from Microsoft, it seems likely that they won't play ball with Microsoft and will offer machines with no OS or with Linux pre-installed.
As much as it may be the only practice most /.ers ever get, I hope to god they get rid of that stupid clitoris mouse.
With the powerpc, the cel processor maybe IBM ditched the old pc to begin something new? Maybe not. However I could see somekind of wirless set top box that records (DVR) has basic Web/Email/Office capabilities and has wirless KB and Mouse. Others have tried it, but maybe it's time has come?
BTW whatever happened to CHRP and the promised PowerPC MB's we hobbyists could buy and build our own system from?
So Long and Thanks for all the Fish.
One thing I noticed with the acquisition is that some of the discounts that were available previously are not there any more. Realtors were able to get a pretty good discount (20% or so) on Thinkpads, but when you go to the link from the Realtor partner site, there are no thinkpads with discounts listed anymore. I wonder if they are doing away with these discounts? What about the good discounts that IBM employees get for their family and friends...I'd really hate to have to pay retail for a thinkpad.
. . . No windows key. I didn't like it at first but then I realized, it is a neutral pc. It doesn't have an ms advertisement on the keyboard. I hope that doesn't change.
So did I...I haven't been this embarassed about laughing about something since Beavis and Butthead.
____
~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
I bet we see machines with the lenovo name before we see them with the lonovo name..
Starsucks
I recently saw a pretty decent deal on a Dell PC and called to ask if they would sell it with Linux pre-installed. No. Well, how about with no OS? Sir, you can reformat the hard drive when you get it and. . . OK, forget it. I was then quite stunned when I called about an IBM PC and even THEY(one of the biggest corporate backers of Linux) wouldn't sell a PC with Linux pre-installed . . . or even a box without Windows. ??? How is Linux supposed to catch on and put a dent in the MS monopoly when the major vendors won't sell Linux boxes and force you to buy a Windows OEM license regardless?
PC or not, the "raptop" comment from the last related post still makes me snicker.
I wish to preempt foolish comments that quality will now deteriorate into the crapper:
ThinkPads have been manufactured in China for some time now while maintaining high quality.
Please stop the unfounded China bashing: the country's industries have been quickly becoming very competent at high quality production as well as churning out $2 Wal Mart items.
Insightful, maybe--I can't stand those pads, especially if they have any extra annoyances^Wfeatures like scroll or navigation zones*--but the parent seems quite serious to me.
Even if I was on a train I'd take an optical, and maybe move it on the keyboard if said train is crowded. Touchpads are not teh awesome for me--unless, perhaps, they had a built-in cover to stop those typing accidents...
*Yes, I can turn them off on most, I know. They just feel odd in either case.
You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
Really. Mainframes are still IBM's big ticket items (no pun intended). The Slashdot community, which seems to be so infatuated with tiny things, still doesn't get it. So, right guys, the total amount of COBOL code, running on mainframes, has been reduced from 90% of all computer code in 1990, to "only" 50% of all computer source code now. IBM is saying with this transaction, that they know where big business is looking. Check the stock price; the Street also thinks that this is a good move.
I've had lots of both (and Toshiba and Dell etc) in a corporate environment. I'd be willing to put money on a Thinkpad out-living a functionally similar Gateway laptop any day of the week.
Not that I wish you any bad luck, mind you...the Gateways were fine machines, but none have ever been as good as the Thinkpads. IMHO of course...
teeker
Out of curiosity, how do the Toshibas (mainly Tecra Ms if you had 'em) hold up over time?
it seems likely that they won't play ball with Microsoft and will offer machines with no OS or with Linux pre-installed.
Yah, you get Red Flag installed for free, and a BIOS to protect the user from any OS not approved by the Party. Can't wait, comrade.
an ill wind that blows no good
You are anonymous. No one cares what you think.
____
~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
According to the Guardian operations will continue pretty much as they are now. Moreover IBM owns 18.9% of Lenovo, so they will contine to have an interest in continuing to support their PCs and Laptops.
The quaint American notion of quality, service and spiffy design features is something that an IBM-like customer would specify in their order to a Lenovo-like company and not the other way around.
I used to work for a Taiwanese ODM/OEM so I have some experience in the area.
http://www.maxineudall.com/2010/02/should-economists-be-sued-for-malpractice.html
- The cost of splitting the assembly line (Windows to the right, Linux to the left).
- The increased profit -- both increased business and decreased licensing fees -- generated by the split.
If #1 is greater than #2, they won't do it. So far, that seems to be the conclusion they've come to. Some smaller shops, working with smaller economies of scale, don't come to the same conclusion. Part of that is probably due to their licensing fees being higher, so eliminating them is more attractive.===== Murphy's Law is recursive. =====
We only had the Satellite models...the earlier ones seemed more durable than the later ones. IIRC, the biggest complaint I had with them was loose screen hinges after some use (same with Dell). Probably been 2 years since we took the last one out of service, so things may be better (or worse) these days....take it for what it's worth.
teeker
Do they get all the x86 servers as well as workstations and thinkpads?
Just wondering.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
First we pioneered the good stuff and China churned the crap out. Now we pioneer the crap and China still churns it out. When do we reach the stage that we pioneer the crap and China churns out the good stuff?
Also, how do you say "Craptiva" and "Stinkpad" in Chinese?
Worst thing we've sold to China since selling them the idea that Michael Jackson is entertainment.
If my grammar and spelling are off, I am [distracted/tired/careless] (take your pick)
I just spent 2 hours on the phone yesterday with customer service and ended up angry both at the lack of any resolution to my problem and the complete and utter waste of an hour and a half.
According to one of the 6 people I talked to during my wonderful adventure, yesterday was the day on which Lenovo took over customer supoort in form, if not in practice. The call (4 calls in truth) I made was still routed to IBM's call center in Atlanta, but my problem was given a Lenovo tracking number. Also, new procedures of a nebulous sort had just been put in effect. While no one I talked to was willing to admit any substantive change, it became clear to me during the course of the 2 hours that something had changed.
To be fair, this is a bit of a rant. My computer, a thinkpad T40, lost the ability to display useful images at about 9 am yesterday, and instead award me with a rainbow of vertical strips immediately upon power on. As it turns out, I needed to have the system board replaced as the graphics chip had stopped working. I am a student and finals are several days away and I needed my laptop in order to take one of the finals so I was distressed.
I called IBM at 1800IBMSERV and my fears were quelled immediately when I was told that I would simply need to upgrade my existing "depot" (send-it-in) warranty to a "on-site" (they come and fix it) warranty. The cost was 120 (later, when I paid it was dropped to 98) and it was worth it to me to have a computer in time for my final. So I was transferred to sales where I had to explain everything again, I paid for the upgrade and was told to call 1800IBMSERV again to schedule my maitenance for the next day. The sales person told me that because I wanted immediate service I would have to talk to "endowment" (an ethereal branch of the IBM hierarchy that turned out to be the devil incarnate) and explain my situation but that it would not be a problem. I called back, waited on hold for not too long (5 minutes) and then explained my situation yet again. After spending 10 minutes explaining everything, I was transferred to the mysterious "endowment" department. I explained everything once again and at that point the entire experience disintegrated. I was told that I, in fact, would have to wait for up to 3 days for my warranty upgrade to "invoice" and then anohter 5 days for that upgrade to be applied to my computer.
At first I couldn't believe this. I had been told that I could get service the next day by two people. I had purchased the upgrade on that understanding. I insisted to this "endowment" demon that she must be mistaken. After quite a bit of insistence on my part, she told me that I might be able to get this to work if I called back sales and got the "information (unspecified)" she needed to put this directly through.
So I called sales, waited on hold for about 40 minutes with a woman's voice repeating every minute or so "please be stay on the line and your call will be answered shortly." That phrase repeated so often was the worst part of the whole experience.
I finally got a salesman, he told me that the voice on high of endowment was correct and that I was simply out of luck (read - had been misinformed for 1.5 hours). I asked if this was due to the changeover to Lenovo, and he said no. Later, after a bit of "discussion," he mentioned that under the old policies this could have been fasttracked, but under the new, I was out of luck. This chnage seems to have just happened to coincide with the changeover.
Now, perhaps all of this is just a kink that will be worked out. I have loved my thinkpad, and I have loved the alacrity at which IBM service has always leaped to help. At the moment, I am deeply disheartened and fear for the future.
14 digits of Pi are all we need.
This story is dated Monday. It's not news anymore.
This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
When I was looking at buying a thinkpad, I contacted IBM and asked if I could buy one with linux, or without an OS, or without a hard drive, or something... The initial response was no, due to ISO testing specifications or some bullshit... after a bit more prodding, I was told that they couldn't do it due to licensing agreements with Microsoft. I ended up buying the laptop (refurb T30) with Windows, then wiping it as soon as I received it. (Hint: a fresh laptop battery doesn't have enough power on it to install slackware. Recharge it first.)
-ReK
md5sum -c reality.md5
reality: FAILED
md5sum: WARNING: 1 of 1 computed checksum did NOT match
1984: apple puts out 1984 commercial decrying IBM as Orwellian PC maker stifling industry.
2005: IBM NO LONGER MAKES IBM compatible personal computers... They now they make Apple Power Macintosh and iMac computers.
guns kill people like spoons make Rosie O'Donnell fat.
Does this mean that, officially, Apple outlasted IBM in the
personal computer industry?
-- Scott
I recently spent a lot of time on-line (shopping ever so slowly!) purchasing a high-end laptop for my wife, and settled on one of the upper-tier thinkpads. The only downside I can see is the price. They're very solid, well built little workhorses, and I'd sooner trust my work to them than just about any of the Wal-Mart machines. Go Thinkpads!
I don't really care what name/logo is on the ThinkPads... Looking at the bottom of the ThinkPad I'm working on now says "Made in China" so I doubt the MFG process will be changed all that much.
But what I'm worried about is the support. I had to call IBM today to replace a motherboard, and I had someone in "Atlanta Georgia" on the phone in about 30 seconds. They're sure to tell you that the call center is in Atlanta also. I told the guy basically that the VGA connector is loose, and needs to be replaced. He had me a box in the mail after about 5 minutes on the phone with him.
Every call to IBM, (and I support about 30 IBM computers) they impress me. That's what I'm worried about with the whole Lenovo buyout. How long until support gets moved to the third world where it is soooo much cheaper for them? Let's hope that Lenovo keeps support the same. If they do, I won't have any problems buying their stuff.
Lenovo, are you listening?
640YB ought to be enough for anybody.
So IBM had 5% of the PC market compared to others which had 16%, yet economists feel the PC business was a tiny part of IBM's income. How can 5% of the world PC market be a tiny part of anyone's income? It sounds more like the same thing which every other American company is doing.
They're getting out of perfectly profitable businesses because they're not interested in it.
Now they resell software contracts from Infosys and resell computers from Lenovo. Only 1% of the total value of that place is actually IBM.
also i think a lot of smaller white box vendors are pretty much building every box to order anyway (they let you customise basically any part of it.
ofc the problem with linux for theese white box vendors is making sure they build the boxes with hardware linux likes.
note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
No matter what you do, within 20 billion years, most of the stars in our universe will no longer exist, and no amount of Gaia worshipping commy nonsense will fix that. So we may as well consume everything we can, while we can.
Fast food, cars, and appliances do not require brainwashing. What requires brainwashing is to reject them. People choose fast food because it is convenient and tasty and warm, which is a rarity in many nations. People choose cars because they are a reliable, quick and enjoyable form of transportation, and appliances greatly increase the amount of free time we have. Go ahead and haul 500lbs of ice from the creek to your house, if you prefer. Only a fool on this earth would not want to have the wealth and luxury of an average American, and only the most power mad despot could dare proclaim that the world does not have the right to that lifestyle.
Capitalism is infinitely sustainable. There is no shortage of raw materials on this earth. We have only explored the tiniest part of the earth's crust, in select areas perhaps one or two miles deeps. The entire planet is thousands of miles wide.
Even if the planet were consumed, there is more than enough raw material to satisfy a virtually infinite human population within this galaxy. When there is a will, there is a way. If we trash the Earth, there will always be new planets that we can either colonize, consume or move onto.
This is my sig.
Grow up, kid. There's more than 1 type of troll. Did this look like GNAA shit to you?
Some "trolls" are designed to make you think. This one obviously got a LOT of people thinking. Or would you rather that everyone be a knee-jerk same-opinion fan-boi to whatever is currently fashionable?
But it's easier to scream "troll alert" than to think, isn't it, Mr. AC?
And for the record, those stupid touchpads drive a LOT of people bats. But you wouldn't know, because you're too busy "touching yourself" while posting bogus alerts.
All this bitching you do about population, and yet, you are against nuclear war. You just don't know how to have any fun, do you? Me, that's how I want to go out. I want to see the bombs going off in the distance, the giant mushroom clouds, and then, the slow death of radiation ameliorated by the massive amounts of booze I consume amid the flames of human civilization. Cheer's cockroachs, the world belongs to you now!
This is my sig.