Lenovo profit growth sags in fiscal Q2

IDG News Service - Lenovo said Thursday its net profit for the fiscal second quarter increased by only 13% year-over-year, marking a shift from the high profit growth the company has previously seen.

For the fiscal second quarter ending on Sept. 30, Lenovo's net profit reached $162 million. Revenue for the quarter was a record US$8.7 billion, a year-over-year increase of 11%.

In its fiscal first quarter, Lenovo reported 30% year-on-year growth in net profit. Last year, the company saw profit growth almost doubling year-over-year in some quarters.

Lenovo has consistently reported solid growth in its product shipments despite slowing growth in the PC industry, and competition from Apple's iPad which has cut into sales of laptops.

The Chinese company increased PC shipments in the fiscal second quarter, and was named the world's largest PC vendor by research firm Gartner. Research firm IDC, however, still ranks rival HP as the top PC vendor with a slight lead ahead of Lenovo.

During the quarter, Lenovo reported that its PC shipments grew year-over year by 10.3%. Lenovo has credited the growth to its "protect and attack" strategy, with the company maintaining its dominant position in China's PC market, while expanding into new emerging markets. In China alone, the company's revenue reached $3.9 billion, accounting for 44% of Lenovo's global sales.

The company also saw growth in its Mobile Internet Digital Home group, which sells smartphones. The business group saw revenue reach $718 million in the quarter, up 155% from the same quarter last year. In China, Lenovo's smartphone shipments reached second place, behind Samsung, according to research firm Canalys.

Lenovo announced during the quarter it would begin selling smartphones in Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and India. Microsoft's Windows 8, which was formally launched only two weeks ago, could also help grow PC sales.