Word on the street is that Chinese PC manufacturer Lenovo is the leading contender to acquire IBM's PC unit for a price tag rumored to be close to $2 billion. Even the New York Times, though, was left scratching its head about the Chinese company: "Lenovo. Who?" Lenovo may be the world's fastest-growing PC maker and the 8th largest PC maker in the world, but the company is obviously hampered by a lack of brand recognition. Thus, a major consideration for Lenovo is getting access to the IBM brand, and more precisely, the ThinkPad brand -- one analyst interviewed for the article called the ThinkPad a "steppingstone to a global market."

Selling the PC unit to Lenovo is not a done deal, though. According to market rumors, IBM has hired Merrill Lynch to find other possible buyers. Neither IBM nor Merrill are confirming or denying the rumors, though. Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group is dismissive that the deal will actually get done: "The sale of the IBM PC unit to Lenovo is unlikely at this time, and the sale to another unnamed company while possible, is less likely due to the release of this story."