The following is a brief history of Lenovo:
- 1984: Lenovo's parent company, Beijing Legend, is established in Beijing by 11 technicians of the China Academy of Sciences with a 200,000 yuan (US$24,164) investment. The company distributes computers for IBM and rival PC makers. Beijing Legend also sells Hewlett-Packard Co printers. Legend develops its first product, a card that can be added to the extension slot of a personal computer to provide Chinese-language functions.
- 1988: Company establishes Hong Kong Legend.
- 1989: Legend starts to design and manufacture boards that connect electronic parts in PCs.
- 1990: Legend starts to make and sell personal computers under the company brand name.
- 1994: The company offers its first stock publicly in February, selling 169 million shares for 1.33 Hong Kong dollars (17 US cents) each. Legend sales hold firm at about HK$2.8 billion annually from the fiscal years ended March 1994 to 1997.
- 1999: In June, Lenovo sells 130 million new shares for HK$7.20 each. Goldman Sachs manages the sale.
- 2000: Legend shares peak at HK$14.75 on March 6.
- 2001: Dell takes the largest share of the worldwide PC market for the first time. Legend sales reach a peak of HK$27.2 billion in the fiscal year ended March 2001 and decline to HK$23.2 billion in the most recent fiscal year ended March 2004.
- 2003: The company changes brand name to Lenovo from Legend to avoid infringement of overseas brands. The company says it is preparing for expansion outside China, which has overtaken Japan to become the world's second-largest PC market. The US remains the world's largest PC market.
- 2004: The company changes its name to Lenovo Group. Time Warner Inc, the world's largest media company, on January 7 exits a US$50 million Internet venture in China with Lenovo. China accounts for 99 percent of Lenovo's sales in fiscal year ended March 2004 and 98 percent in the previous 12-month period. Lenovo's first-quarter PC shipment growth in China lags rivals such as Dell, according to market researcher IDC Corp. Lenovo has a 10.9 percent share of the Asian market excluding Japan, compared with 7.3 percent for Dell. Lenovo's Asian shipments rise 19 percent, compared with 52 percent for Dell. Lenovo's sales of services and hand-held electronics grow the fastest of all its products in the most recent two fiscal years, each at an average rate that roughly quadruples. Computer sales rise at an average rate of 9 percent in the same period.
- December 3, 2004: IBM in discussions with Lenovo about the sale of its PC business, the New York Times reports.
- December 7, 2004: Lenovo says it's in talks with a major international  company about a possible acquisition.
- December 8, 2004: Lenovo's purchase of IBM's personal computer business formally announced in Beijing yesterday. Acquisition expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2005.