Lenovo aims to sell 1m smart TVs

People walk past a Lenovo shop in Hefei, Anhui province in Oct 18, 2013 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]

Lenovo Group Ltd is aiming to sell 1 million "smart" television sets in China this year after releasing a highly anticipated second-generation flagship product on Thursday.

Called the S9, the TV has the world's fastest data-processing speed on the market, according to Lenovo.

It was the Chinese company's biggest news since last June, when it unveiled the hybrid television products developed in partnership with Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp.

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"We hold high sales expectations for S9 and other smart TV products," said David Ren, head of the smart TV unit at Lenovo China.

Smart TVs are equipped with an open-source platform, video on demand and other user interactive features such as online gaming and web browsing.

More than half of the devices will be sold at brick-and-mortar stores, while online sales will contribute the rest, according to the company.

Lenovo's Senior Vice-President Chen Xudong told China Daily previously that the company had plans to sell 1 million of the TVs through major retail sites in the 2013-2015 period.

The Beijing-based vendor also is building an e-commerce website to spur its new television business, according to a person familiar with the matter. The website will be active in early April.

Lenovo is likely to lift its online sales target because of Thursday's news release.

The world's largest maker of personal computers in terms of shipments re-entered the television industry in 2012 as a part of the company's ambitious strategy to dominate more hardware markets after the demand for PCs went flat.

"Next-generation smart TVs should be strong in processing capability, social media and rich content. That's why we think the S9 will be a powerful player in the market," said Ren.