A LEGEND in the making
--report from CNET.COM
BEIJING--It's one of the few PC companies today with profits and growth in market share. Its close allies on various projects--Microsoft, Intel, Texas Instruments, America Online--reads like high-technology's A-list.
But one important difference separates the company from the pack: It's based in China, one of the world's hottest markets for technology.
The Legend Group, which once existed only as a wholesale distributor for U.S. and European brands, has transformed itself into one of the world's fastest-growing technology conglomerates, with its hands on everything from desktops and servers to cell phones, retail franchises and information technology services. Many businesses in China that it's involved are expected to grow by double digits through 2006 and beyond.
The rapid rise of Legend contrasts markedly with the stagnating state of PC makers in the United States, which last month reported that worldwide shipments had declined nearly 1 percent in the second quarter of this year. Although no one is calling it an immediate threat to Dell Computer, competitors are following Legend's moves with a mixture of envy and nervousness.