Lenovo today announced its new ThinkPad S531, a premium laptop PC featuring an ultra-thin bezel and bevelled edges, giving the illusion that the PC is floating. Optimized for Windows 8, the ThinkPad S531 offers small businesses enhanced performance and 15 per cent faster processor speed than previous generations. The ThinkPad S531 is being launched today at the Xander Zhou fashion show at London Fashion Week in conjunction with the designer's new men's fashion collection.

Lenovo's first 15-inch ThinkPad Ultrabook delivers high style and performance to image-conscious small businesses and is ideal for professionals who want a combination of design and substance. It is also a fit for small businesses that need a laptop to do it all - great performance for work tasks and an excellent experience for personal computing

LenovoEMC Ltd, a joint venture between industry-leaders Lenovo and EMC that includes the Iomega network storage product business, today announced the rebranding of Iomega products and programs worldwide, emphasizing the identity of this transformative joint venture and laying the foundation for new product and partnership announcements, beginning with a new Acronis agreement to provide PC backup software for select Lenovo network storage products.

Effective immediately, the former Iomega-branded network storage products are available worldwide with new branding that reflects the LenovoEMC business while continuing to utilize the Iomega mark on entry-level consumer network storage products. Lenovo consumer network storage solutions include the desktop single-drive Lenovo Iomega EZ Media and Backup Center (former the Iomega EZ Media and Backup Center), and two models in the Lenovo Iomega ix series of network storage products (formerly the Iomega StorCenter ix series): the desktop double-drive Lenovo Iomega ix2-300d Network Storage, and the desktop quad-drive Lenovo EMC ix4-300d Network Storage.

Lenovo, the world's second-largest PC vendor, hosted a grand opening ceremony today attended by North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and other prominent local dignitaries at its first U.S. personal computer production facility in Whitsett, N.C.

With the return of PC manufacturing to the U.S., the company is adding 115 new manufacturing jobs in North Carolina and is on track to fully ramp up production by the end of June. Lenovo's bold move to develop the long-term strength of the American PC market defies the decades-old trend of US electronics firms relying on overseas facilities for manufacturing and other outsourced functions. The 240,000-square-foot Whitsett facility, located approximately 10 miles east of Greensboro, serves four critical business functions: Logistics Center, Customer Solutions Center, National Returns Center, and now U.S. Manufacturing Production.

At an industry event in Taipei today, Hermann Eul, general manager of Intel's Mobile and Communications Group, unveiled new details about the company's forthcoming Intel Atom processor-based SoC for tablets ("Bay Trail-T") due in market for holiday this year. Based on the new Silvermont microarchitecture, the next generation 22nm Intel technology for tablets and ultra-mobile devices will enable sleek designs with 8 or more hours of battery life2 and weeks of standby, as well as support Android* and Windows 8.1*.

Eul also spoke to recent momentum and announcements around the smartphone business and demonstrated the Intel XMM 7160 multimode 4G LTE solution, now in final interoperability testing (IOT) with Tier 1 service providers across North America, Europe and Asia. "The mobile category is undergoing a tremendous amount of innovation and constant change," said Eul. "As we look at growing it, we continue to invest in and accelerate our efforts across all aspects of mobility with a focus on smartphones, tablets and wireless communications. Intel's unique assets will enable more compelling and differentiated products and experiences, while at the same time helping to shape and lead markets in the future."

Lenovo announced that customers can place orders for the IdeaPad Yoga 11S beginning today on www.lenovo.com or pre-order on www.bestbuy.com. The acclaimed 360° flip and fold Yoga 11S premiered in January at the International Consumer Electronics Show, following its popular predecessor, the IdeaPad Yoga 13.

Sized well for mobility in a thin, 11.6-inch design, the Yoga 11S Ultrabook convertible comes with choices of a powerful third generation Core i3, i5 or i7 Intel processor giving consumers the ability to create high-performance content and presentations and seamless graphics that make it a great entertainment device.

Lenovo today announced its new ThinkPad S431, a premium laptop PC featuring an elegant floating design and touchscreen display. Optimized for Windows 8, the ThinkPad S431 offers enhanced performance and 15 percent faster processor speed than previous generations. The laptop is ideal for professionals who want a combination of style and substance. It is also a fit for small businesses that need a laptop to do it all - great performance for work tasks and an excellent experience for personal computing.

"The progressive design of our ThinkPad S431 will help small businesses impress their customers. We pack a punch behind that style, however, as we are committed to delivering genuine substance," said Jerry Paradise, executive director, Think Business Group. "The ThinkPad S431 offers an intuitive Windows 8 experience with the power needed to accelerate productivity."

Worldwide PC shipments totaled 76.3 million units in the first quarter of 2013 (1Q13), down -13.9% compared to the same quarter in 2012 and worse than the forecast decline of -7.7%, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. The extent of the year-on-year contraction marked the worst quarter since IDC began tracking the PC market quarterly in 1994. The results also marked the fourth consecutive quarter of year-on-year shipment declines.

Despite some mild improvement in the economic environment and some new PC models offering Windows 8, PC shipments were down significantly across all regions compared to a year ago. Fading Mini Notebook shipments have taken a big chunk out of the low-end market while tablets and smartphones continue to divert consumer spending. PC industry efforts to offer touch capabilities and ultraslim systems have been hampered by traditional barriers of price and component supply, as well as a weak reception for Windows 8. The PC industry is struggling to identify innovations that differentiate PCs from other products and inspire consumers to buy, and instead is meeting significant resistance to changes perceived as cumbersome or costly.

LenovoEMC Limited today announced the next generation of the award-winning LenovoEMC LifeLine operating system for its Iomega-branded network storage solutions. LifeLine 4.0, available next week as a free-of-charge download for owners of StorCenter ix and px series network storage products, includes new and improved enterprise computing and security features for easy and efficient storing, sharing and protecting of data for organizations and work groups of all sizes. LenovoEMC-branded network storage devices with LifeLine 4.0 are expected to debut in May.

"LenovoEMC LifeLine 4.0 improves upon our previous version of LifeLine, bringing advanced computing options and capabilities to our network storage products that organizations of all sizes can benefit from," said Eric Arcese, president and general manager, LenovoEMC Ltd. "Businesses today need rock solid, dependable, affordable and innovative network storage, and this new version of LifeLine brings those attributes together with an intuitive menu of choices that can be tailored to the needs of any organization. Existing and new customers will benefit from the latest technology embedded in the new version of LifeLine."

Lenovo today announced its new ThinkPad, with design enhancements inspired by the results of an extensive global research project. The ThinkPad T431s is the thinnest T series ever featuring a sleek, innovative trackpad, enhanced keyboard and refined aesthetics.

"We obsess over the pursuit of perfection - as evidenced by more than 20 years of Lenovo ThinkPad design and engineering accolades. However, perfection cannot be achieved without a key ingredient: customer insight," said Dilip Bhatia, vice president and general manager, ThinkPad Business Unit. "The ThinkPad T431s is the first device featuring Lenovo's new design, which represents a comprehensive examination of user experience and input."

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) today reported revenue for fiscal 2013 ended Jan. 27, 2013, of a record $4.28 billion, up 7.1 percent from $4.00 billion in fiscal 2012. GAAP earnings per share for the year were $0.90 per diluted share, a decrease of 4.3 percent from $0.94 in fiscal 2012. Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share were $1.17, down 1.7 percent from $1.19 in fiscal 2012.

During the quarter, NVIDIA repurchased $100.0 million of stock and paid a dividend of $0.075 per share, equivalent to $46.9 million. "This year we did the best work in our company's history," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and chief executive officer of NVIDIA. "We achieved record revenues, margins and cash, despite significant market headwinds.

Lenovo today announced the ThinkPad X131e Chromebook -- a fast booting, highly customizable ThinkPad built with rugged features for the daily rigors of K-12 education. The ThinkPad X131e Chromebook simplifies software and security management for school administrators and provides students and teachers with quick access to thousands of apps, education resources and storage.

Throughout the course of a typical school day, students' laptops are often subject to extreme wear and tear. To help school-proof them, the ThinkPad X131e has rugged features including a rubber bumper around the top cover and stronger corners to protect the system in the case of an accidental drop. The hinges and hinge brackets are also strengthened to last more than 50,000 open and close cycles.

Worldwide PC shipments totaled 89.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2012 (4Q12), down 6.4% compared to the same quarter in 2011 and worse than the forecasted decline of 4.4%, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. Although the quarter marked the beginning of a new stage in the PC industry with the launch of Windows 8, its impact did not quickly change recently sluggish PC demand, and the PC market continued to take a back seat to competing devices and sustained economic woes. As a result, the fourth quarter of 2012 marked the first time in more than five years that the PC market has seen a year-on-year decline during the holiday season.

The lackluster fourth quarter results were not entirely surprising given the spate of challenges the PC market faced over the course of 2012. IDC had expected the second half of 2012 to be difficult. Consumers as well as PC vendors and distribution channels continued to be diverted from PC sales by ongoing demand for tablets and smartphones. In addition, questions about the use of touch on Windows PCs vs. tablets slowed commercial spending on PCs.

Lenovo today announced two new additions to its family of convertible laptop-tablet devices: the ThinkPad Helix, a premium convertible for business professionals featuring a "rip and flip" design - a blueprint for the next generation of laptop designs - and a more powerful and productive IdeaPad Yoga 11S, the first multimode mini Ultrabook equipped with powerful Intel processors and featuring Windows 8.

"Our unmatched family of convertibles gives consumers, students, business professionals, and everyone in between the opportunity to choose the convertible that's right for them," said Peter Hortensius, president, Product Group, and senior vice president, Lenovo. "The ThinkPad Helix gives business professionals two devices in one incredible form factor. It is a high performance, thin and light Ultrabook with a detachable Windows 8 tablet. We've also pumped more power and productivity into the new IdeaPad Yoga 11S mini-Ultrabook so it can handle whatever mobile computing tasks consumers throw at it."

A recent press-release by Lenovo announcing the Erazer X700 gaming desktop may not have sounded like much, but it turns out the company is enthused by AMD, particularly AMD CrossFireX, because it is an early design win for AMD's next-generation Radeon HD 8000 series family. The specifications sheet of the Erazer X700 blurts out the graphics subsystem to consist of "up to dual Radeon HD 8950 3GB" as a graphics option next to dual- GeForce GTX 660 SLI. Given that Lenovo chose not to wait until any of the other big tech trade-shows of the year to announce this, it wouldn't be far-fetched to imagine a new AMD Radeon family launch within Q1, 2013. The other more obvious explanations are that Lenovo committed a brutal typo, or it plans to re-brand the Radeon HD 7950, an act that should be made a human-rights violation.

Lenovo today announced the IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC, the company's first "interpersonal PC," a multi-user, multi-touch, multi-mode device for the home that allows users to turn their personal computing experience into a shared computing experience.

As a Table PC, Horizon can lie flat on any surface, lets two or more people use the screen at the same time, supports interactive physical gaming accessories and is designed for touch screen game-play among several players. Horizon takes advantage of Windows 8 touch functionality to bring customized games from Electronic Arts and Ubisoft to life in a way players have never seen before. Horizon can also easily transform into a 27-inch high-performance desktop to handle whatever productivity tasks users need to do.

Lenovo today announced its new lineup of consumer and business Windows 8 touch-optimized devices at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show. Headlining the collection are new additions to the ultra-portable IdeaPad U Series Ultrabooks and the multimedia intensive IdeaPad Z Series laptops as well as new models of IdeaCentre all-in-one desktops, from the sleek and stylish A Series to the affordable and space-saving C Series.

Lenovo also introduced an extreme performance gaming desktop PC, the Lenovo Erazer X700, designed for enthusiast-level gaming and graphics-hungry applications. For small businesses, the ThinkPad Edge E431 and E531 laptops introduce a unique Lenovo OneLink technology for new docking capabilities, and to complete the new range of Windows 8 touch devices, the ThinkPad Mobile Monitor makes a great companion as a second display, especially for complementing non-touch devices with touch functionality.

Lenovo today announced the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch, optimized for Windows 8 and now adds touch experience to the industry's leading business class Ultrabook. The X1 Carbon and X1 Carbon Touch are developed from superior grade carbon fibre and deliver legendary durability and the highest levels of performance. The new X1 Carbon Touch paves the way for mobile professionals who demand the best in mobility and entertainment and want to experience the simplicity of touch gesture control.

"Bringing touch gesture control to our best ThinkPad ever is a natural evolution of the portfolio and a big step towards fulfilling our promise to bring computers into a new PC+ era," said Peter Hortensius, president, Lenovo Product Group. "We are excited to be able to offer customers the best experience in a thin and light business class Ultrabook. The X1 Carbon Touch is the Ultrabook to beat."

Ahead of its December launch, Lenovo started taking orders for the IdeaPad Yoga 11, designed for those who do find the IdeaPad Yoga 13 two inches too big for lugging around, given that it's a convertible tablet. The IdeaPad Yoga 11 is driven by Windows RT, NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor clocked at 1.50 GHz. It is available in 32 GB and 64 GB variants (which include installed software), priced at $679.20 and $759.20, respectively.

Ahead of its December launch, Lenovo gave us a sneak peak of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch Ultrabook on its website. The 14-incher retains the essential design of its August 2012 launched predecessor, with the addition of Windows 8 Pro, a multi-touch screen, and a screen-resolution marked "HD+," which most probably is 1600 x 900 pixels. No other details were revealed. We don't expect the new X1 Carbon to deviate from its formidable system specs, which includes Core i5 "Ivy Bridge" with vPro processor, GeForce graphics, and SSD/HDD storage options.

Lenovo today announced the IdeaCentre Q190, the world's smallest full-function desktop PC - measuring just 22 mm (0.86 inches) wide - and the latest additions to the C-Series all-in-one (AIO) family. With convenient space-saving designs that fit into any home, the IdeaCentre Q190 and C-Series AIOs offer affordable but powerful performance and multimedia features designed for immersive entertainment.

"Lenovo is committed to making PC innovation accessible to all, and the IdeaCentre Q190 and latest C-Series AIOs deliver just that." said Ouyang Jun, Executive Director and General Manager, IdeaCentre Business Unit. "Whether it's the subtle, space-saving design of the Q190 that transforms your living room TV or monitor into a home theater, or the sleek look, powerful performance and family friendly features of the C-Series AIOs, Lenovo's latest desktop PCs are designed to meet the entertainment needs of any household."

Lenovo Group today reported results for its second fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2012. Outgrowing the market in all geographies, Lenovo continued its push towards becoming the number one vendor in the PC industry, with record quarterly sales of $8.7 billion, an 11 percent increase year-over-year. While growing faster than the top four PC companies for three straight years, Lenovo also turned in another quarter of record pre-tax income at US$204 million, evidence that the Company continues to build upon its track record of profitable growth.

During the second fiscal quarter, Lenovo's worldwide PC shipments grew 10.3 percent, in a difficult market that was down eight percent year-over-year, the 14th quarter in a row that the company has grown faster than the PC industry as a whole. In this challenging environment, Lenovo achieved its highest-ever worldwide market share of 15.6 percent*, gaining share points in every geography, every product category in which it competes, and in every respective customer segment.

Lenovo today announced the availability of ThinkServer TD330, designed to handle behind-the-scenes IT tasks for small-and-medium-sized organizations - from schools deploying virtual desktop sessions or blackboard applications, to retail deployments, to distributed environments like banks with multiple locations. Supporting up to 16 cores based on the Intel Xeon E5-2400 processor family, the TD330 does the heavy-lifting, running line-of-business applications that support business processing and collaborative efforts.

ThinkServer TD330 is the first product introduced by Lenovo's new Enterprise Product Group, a dedicated business unit that will expand the Company's server, storage, networking and software offerings. It will be led by Roy Guillen, vice president and general manager, Enterprise Product Group, Lenovo.

Showcased back in January and expected in August, the ThinkPad T430u ultrabook has now found its way to Lenovo's online store and is set to begin shipping next week (on November 11th to be exact). Running Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 8, the T430u features an aluminum construction, a 14-inch (1366 x 768) LED-backlit display, a Core i3/i5 mobile processor, Intel HD or NVIDIA GeForce GT 620M graphics, 4 GB of RAM, up to a 500 GB hard drive or a 128 GB SSD, a 720p webcam, two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI and mini DisplayPort outputs, and a battery allowing up to 7 hours of operation.

The ThinkPad T430u starts at $740 and can be found here.

Initially announced for the Chinese market, Lenovo's ThinkPad Helix tablet is expanding its reach and is set to arrive in Israel, and likely other countries, in the not too distant future. The Helix is a business-oriented offering that runs Windows 8 and features an 11.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS screen supporting both finger and pen input, an Intel Ivy Bridge CPU (up to a Core i7), WiFi, 3G, NFC, and a battery allowing up to 10 hours of operation. The tablet comes with a ThinkPad -style keyboard dock for improved productivity.

The ThinkPad Helix has not been priced.

AMD today announced its collaboration with Microsoft Corp. for more than 125 Windows 8-based PC designs from leading OEMs including ASUS, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba and more. With a hardware accelerated user interface, Microsoft and AMD have collaborated to design Windows 8 to unlock the high performance graphics capabilities found in AMD accelerated processing units (APUs) and discrete AMD Radeon graphics processing units (GPUs) to deliver the best HD video, gaming and app experience consumers want with the always on, always connected, touch-driven interface with great battery life they need.

"There is a lot of exciting innovation happening in the marketplace today -- from the new Windows 8 graphics-accelerated user interface and apps, to ultraportable and sleek hardware designs -- and AMD's CPU, GPU and APU technology designed for Windows 8 helps enable a no-compromise solution," said Stefan Kinnestrand, director of Product Management, Windows Division at Microsoft.