Lenovo Group on Tuesday said it is establishing a new business group, the mobile Internet and digital home business group (MIDH), responsible for creating mobile Internet-focused devices, including tablets and smartphones, as well as devices for new categories like cloud computing, smart TV and the digital home. The group will also be responsible for developing services and applications for next-gen devices.

“Lenovo recognizes the tremendous growth potential of the mobile Internet, as well as that of new categories like cloud computing and smart TV, and so we are putting the focus and investments in place to fully capitalize on these opportunities to drive growth in our business today and for many years to come,” said Yang Yuanqing, chief executive officer of Lenovo.

Liu Jun, formerly senior vice president and president of Lenovo’s product group, will lead the new group as president. He is based at the company’s China headquarters in Beijing. The company has promoted Peter Hortensius, who is based at Lenovo’s U.S. headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina, formerly head of its Think product group, to president of its product group. Lenovo did not name the head of its Think product group.

Liu Jun brings extensive experience from the PC industry to the MIDH. As the former head of Lenovo’s product group, he helped accelerate rapid growth in Lenovo’s consumer and commercial businesses. In 2008, he managed Lenovo’s entrance into the consumer market worldwide with the launch of the Idea brand. Now Idea-branded products are available in more than 90 countries. Under Liu’s leadership, the company achieved growth and profitability for Lenovo’s Think-branded commercial products by introducing products like the ThinkPad Edge line of laptops to gain new customers in small-to-medium business while protecting its large commercial business with innovative products like the ThinkPad T410s.

“The MIDH will help us leverage our leadership in the PC arena to create a rich portfolio of Internet-centric devices. At the same time, we’ll use our creativity, innovation and technical prowess to help our customers navigate the future of personal technology worldwide," added Mr. Yuanqing.

 Lenovo is already delivering products tailored to the mobile Internet space. Lenovo launched the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid (a combination of a slate and laptop) and the LePad slate at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. In 2010, the company entered the smartphone market in China with the launch of the Lenovo smartphone to become one of China’s leading mobile phone players, accelerating Lenovo’s growth in the mobile device category. Lenovo also showcased smart TV and digital home technologies at CES and has plans to develop and deliver new products in these areas.

Tags: Lenovo, Think, ThinkPad, Business, HDTV