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With Lenovo’s founder retiring, what's next for the company that bought IBM's computers and Motorola's phones?

Lenovo is preparing a ThinkPad with a foldable screen, VR headsets, 5G edge computing and IoT devices

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With Lenovo’s founder retiring, what's next for the company that bought IBM's computers and Motorola's phones?
This article originally appeared on ABACUS

The man who founded the world’s biggest PC maker is retiring -- for the third time.  

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Liu Chuanzhi announced on Wednesday that he’s stepping down from his role as chairman of Lenovo parent company Legend. As a member of China's first generation of entrepreneurs, the 75-year-old started Lenovo 35 years ago in Beijing with computer scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and an investment of 200,000 yuan. 

Over the years, Lenovo has seen ups and downs, which explains why Liu returned from retirement twice: Once in 2009 after the company suffered heavy losses and again in 2014 when he took up Legend’s chairmanship. 

As Liu steps back from the front line, here’s a look at what Lenovo has in store for consumers in the coming years.

Foldable devices

Foldable smartphones finally made their debut this year, and now it looks like foldable computers are coming soon, too. Lenovo presented its first foldable PC in May, saying it’s planning to launch a finished device in 2020 as part of its premium ThinkPad X1 brand. Lenovo sees this as the ultimate work tool: You can take it on your commute to check emails or take notes.
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Lenovo apparently wants us folding out our computers during our daily subway commutes. (Picture: Lenovo)
Lenovo apparently wants us folding out our computers during our daily subway commutes. (Picture: Lenovo)
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