Lenovo and NEC have announced plans to launch a joint company that will sell Lenovo computers in Japan. Lenovo is based in China, while NEC is a Japanese company. Reuters says the deal only works one way: NEC won’t be using the new company to sell its computers in China. Bu it’s not like NEC doesn’t get anything out of the agreement. Lenovo is apparently shelling out $175 million for the project.
The deal could help Lenovo increase sales in Japan. Lenovo made a name for itself in the West when it acquired IBM’s PC unit in 2005.
I wouldn’t mind seeing the companies work together to increase the availability of NEC laptops, tablets, and other computers in the US and other countries. I’ve seen some interesting things coming out of NEC over the past few years, but most of the devices that have caught my attention have remained Japan-only products.