The Chinese Business Forum @ MIT Sloan

 1981

IBM PCD introduces its first personal computer, the IBM PC.

 1984

IBM PCD introduces its first portable computer, the IBM Portable PC, weighing 30 pounds. 
With an initial capital outlay of only RMB200,000, (US$25,000) Lenovo's founding chairman Liu Chuanzhi, together with 10 like-minded colleagues, launches the New Technology Developer Inc. (the predecessor of the Legend Group) funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

1987

Legend successfully rolls out the Legend Chinese-character card.

 1988

Legend Hong Kong is established.

 1989

Beijing Legend Computer Group Co. is established.

 1990

The very first Legend PC is launched in the market. Legend changes its role from that of an agent for imported computer products into that of a producer and seller of its own branded computer products. Legend PCs are ratified and accepted by the China Torch Program.

 1992

Legend pioneers the home PC concept and Legend 1 + 1 home PCs enter the Chinese marketplace.

 1993

Legend enters the Pentium era, producing China's first "586" PC. Legend establishes 1+1 retail network.

 1994

Legend is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Legend PC business division is formally established.

 1995

Legend introduces the first Legend-brand server.

 1996

Legend becomes the market share leader in China for the first time.

Legend introduces the first Legend brand laptop.

 1998

Legend establishes the first Legend Shop.

 1999

Legend becomes the top PC vendor in the Asia-Pacific region and heads the Chinese national Top 100 Electronic Enterprises ranking.

Legend launches pioneering Internet PC, with its "one-touch-to-the-net" feature, which enables millions of Chinese PC users to easily access the Internet.

 2000

Legend becomes a constituent stock of the Hang Seng Index - HK.

 2001

Legend successfully spins off Digital China Co. Ltd., which is separately listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Legend appoints Yuanqing Yang President and CEO.
Legend first introduces "digital home" concept and launches accessories-enabling PC.

 2002

Legend launches its first technological innovation convention, "Legend World 2002," which opens up Legend's "Technology Era". Legend introduces its visionary concept for the future of technological development and applications, its Collaborating Applications project, as well as its strategies for implementing Collaborating Applications.

The mobile handset joint venture announced, marking Legend's formal entry into the mobile handset business.

 2003

Legend announces the birth of its new "Lenovo" logo to prepare for its expansion into the overseas market

 2004

Lenovo becomes an Olympic worldwide partner. It is the first Chinese company to become a computer technology equipment partner of the IOC.

Lenovo decides to develop the rural market by launching the "Yuanmeng" PC series designed for township home users.

Lenovo and IBM announce an agreement by which Lenovo will acquire IBM's Personal Computing Division, its global PC (desktop and notebook computer) business. The acquisition forms a top-tier (third-largest) global PC leader.

 2005

Lenovo completes the acquisition of IBM's Personal Computing Division, making it a new international IT competitor and the third-largest personal computer company in the world.

Lenovo announces the closing of a US$350 million strategic investment by three leading private equity firms: Texas Pacific Group, General Atlantic LLC and Newbridge Capital LLC.
Lenovo establishes a new Innovation Center in Research Triangle Park, N.C., to enable customers, business partners, solution providers and independent software vendors to collaborate on new personal computing solutions.

Lenovo introduces the industry's thinnest, lightest and most secure Tablet PC, the ThinkPad X41 Tablet.

Lenovo introduces the first widescreen ThinkPad with embedded wireless WAN, the ThinkPad Z60, available for the first time with a titanium cover.

Lenovo becomes the world's largest provider of biometric-enabled PCs by selling its one-millionth PC with an integrated fingerprint reader.

William J. Amelio is appointed as CEO and President of Lenovo.

 2006

Lenovo introduces the first dual-core ThinkPad notebook PCs, improving productivity and extending battery life for up to 11 hours.

Lenovo technology supports the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, supplying 5,000 desktop PCs, 350 servers and 1,000 notebook computers. Lenovo also hosts seven Internet i.lounges for use by Olympic athletes and visitors.

The first Lenovo-branded products outside of China debut worldwide. Researchers, scientists and product design teams from around the world combine Lenovo's heritage in enterprise and consumer PC technology to design the Lenovo 3000 product line, which features new desktop and notebook models specifically designed to provide worry-free computing to the small business market segment.