Media are all abuzz that trendy smartphone maker Xiaomi may be preparing to launch an Internet TV, after a photo was leaked showing boxes of the packaging for such a product in a warehouse. Of course it’s always possible the photos are doctored and were created by someone trying to stir up gossip about this up-and-coming company co-founded by the marketing savvy Lei Jun. But I’ve had a look at the photo, which features stacks of boxes with the words “Xioami TV – L47M1-AA 47-inch” printed on them, and have to say the pictures look authentic, meaning the rumors may be true. (English article; Chinese article) Read Full Post…
A day after we saw the latest sign that Lenovo (HKEx: 992) was pursuing a major purchase in the US, we’re getting news of another smaller deal by China’s leading PC maker with word of a new smartphone tie-up with faded Japanese brand NEC (HKEx: 6701). Whereas I quite like the US deal that would see Lenovo buy the low-end server business of IBM (HKEx: IBM), this smaller deal with NEC looks more like Lenovo’s older pattern of buying up dying global brands with little or no real value. Read Full Post…
PC giant Lenovo (HKEx: 992) has announced plans for a major new bond issue, in the latest signal that it still hopes to revive stalled talks to buy IBM’s (NYSE: IBM) low-end server business. More broadly speaking, this announcement also marks a new chapter in Lenovo’s development as it adds bonds to its arsenal of to tools for financing global M&A. In the past, Lenovo typically gave stock to finance a big part of its global M&A, which was the case with its landmark purchase of IBM’s PC business in 2005 and its more recent formation of a joint venture with Japan’s NEC (Tokyo: 6701). Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on June 4. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Alibaba in Talks to Acquire PPTV – Sources (English article)
Lenovo (HKEx: 992), NEC (HKEx: 6701) To Establish Smartphone JV (English article)
Canadian Solar (Nasdaq: CSIQ) Signs Loan Deal with China Development Bank (PRNewswire)
Sale Of AIG’s (NYSE: AIG) ILFC Unit To Chinese Investors Hits A Snag (English article)
SMIC (HKEx: 981) Announces Establishment Of JV In Beijing (HKEx announcement)
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on June 1-3. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) China To Resume Online Shopping Search Service – Source (English article)
Lenovo (HKEx: 992) Proposes Offer Of Dollar-Denominated Debt (HKEx announcement)
China Mobile (HKEx: 941), Vodafone Withdraw Myanmar License Bid (HKEx announcement)
Banks Said To Lend China’s Shuanghui $7 Bln For Smithfield (NYSE: SFD) Deal (English article)
China Mobile (HKEx: 941) New Jego App Eyes WeChat, Overseas Users (Chinese article)
Some 6 months after buzz first emerged that Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) could soon bring its popular Kindle tablet PCs to China, media are reporting that the product could finally make its debut in the market next month. I’ll be frank in saying that Amazon is coming to the China tablet PC market a bit late, as the space is already quite competitive due to the earlier arrival of Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPad, along with tablet offerings from Samsung (Seoul: 005930) and homegrown giant Lenovo (HKEx: 992). But that said, I would also say there’s still no clear leader in the space, meaning Amazon could quickly grab some market share if it makes the right moves. Read Full Post…
I have to commend Yang Yuanqing, chairman of PC giant Lenovo (HKEx: 992), for his company’s latest quarterly results that look quite solid, but even more for his ability to stay on message. Just a year ago, Yang took every opportunity to talk about his desire to overtake US rival Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) to become the world’s biggest PC brand. That message has clearly become yesterday’s news, replaced by the latest mantra that China’s consumer tech giant is setting its sights on smartphone leaders Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Samsung (Seoul: 005930) as its next targets. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on May 24. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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LightInTheBox Sets IPO Price Range, To Raise Up to $87 Mln (Chinese article)
Lenovo (HKEx: 992) Announces Results For Fiscal Q4 (HKEx announcement)
Softbank Says Won’t Use Huawei Equipment After Sprint (NYSE: S) Buy (Chinese article)
Sohu (Nasdaq: SOHU) Talks To Buy PPTV Collapse Over Price (Chinese article)
Levono (HKEx: 992), Jingdong Partner on 3C Service and Maintenance (English article)
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on May 18-20. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Media are buzzing today with word that talks have broken down in a landmark deal that would see PC giant Lenovo (HKEx: 992) buy the low-end server business from IBM (NYSE: IBM), in a multibillion dollar deal that would have been Lenovo’s largest purchase ever. But my observation from years of reporting this kind of deal is that the story isn’t over yet, and this disagreement is just a negotiating ploy by both sides before they resume their talks and reach a deal. The reason is simple: both sides want to see this deal happen, because it makes too much strategic sense for either to abandon.
It’s been at least a few weeks since the last major M&A rumor involving Lenovo (HKEx: 992), so it seems only appropriate that the acquisitive PC giant is back in the headlines with word of its latest bid for a major global asset. This time the target is the server business of global IT services giant IBM (NYSE: IBM). (English article) Such a move would certainly make sense for IBM, which continues its drive to exit the hardware manufacturing business after the landmark sale of its PC business to Lenovo back in 2005. I’m less certain about the wisdom of the move for Lenovo, although it’s certainly consistent with the company’s pattern of snapping up a steady stream of global hardware assets since the original IBM deal. Read Full Post…
