Chinese computing major Lenovo has set a target of selling 1 million smartphones in India by the end of this fiscal in a bid to take forward its ‘PC plus’ strategy in the country.

“I have told my India team that we need to achieve a target of 1 million smartphones this year and sustain the number one position in the PC segment,” Yang Yuanqing, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Lenovo said at a roundtable with Indian media. “We have sold 9 million phones in China. The next boom for smartphones can happen in India,” he said.

Yuanqing said that while the focus is on smartphones, notebook and desktop segment will not die. “We are redefining the PC market with new innovative products that could in fact make the market much larger,” he said.

To increase its reach the company is also looking to expand its exclusive stores. It had initially set a target of 1,000 stores but now has crossed the 1,200 mark.

Lenovo entered India in 2005, by acquiring IBM’s PC business and since then has grown its market share exponentially. It now holds the number one position in overall personal computers sales in India with 16.9 per cent as per IDC’s quarter three (July-September 2012) report. Hewlett Packard and Acer follow with 15.6 per cent and 15.5 per cent, respectively, during the same period.

But the smartphone market will be harder to crack with intense competition from global players such as Samsung and Nokia in the high-end segment and Indian brands, including Micromax, inching its way up in the low-mid end segment. But Lenovo believes that it has a unique proposition. “We don’t want to be an Apple or Samsung. We want to offer differentiated products that are centred on user experience,” Yuanqking said.

Thomas.thomas@thehindu.co.in

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