Lenovo just didn’t buy IBM’s x86 server business to sell hardware, which is a low-margin business as are PCs.

Rather, the world’s top PC maker has an eye on selling high-margin services.

Proof: A new initiative to build 50 “cloud” computing centers in China and to train some 1,000 workers on delivering services.

Plus, its lineup of app is is growing.

Branded as “DOit,” which plays offs Lenovo’s branding slogan of “For Those Who Do,” the latest app is called “REACHit.” As the name implies, REACHit is designed to help users manage files across multiple devices.

And how better to help people manage their data than through Lenovo-controlled clouds?

Chinese media is filled with reports about Lenovo’s latest grand expansion strategy. Just off closing the IBM and Motorola Mobility deals, which cost the company more than $5 billion, Lenovo says it’s committing nearly $50 million in the cloud data centers – $1 million on average per point of presence or POP.

More data centers are planned outside China, such as the U.S. and Germany, China website Yibada reports. 

Now a top seller of servers and smartphones as well as PCs, Lenovo has been stressing services for some time.

Ye Ming, a Lenovo vice president, told Yibada that CEMS services (cloud, enterprise, mobility and services) now account for 15 percent of Lenovo revenues. That percentage was some 3-4 percent a year ago. 

“Enterprise is a core place for Lenovo to explore in its PC Plus strategy in long-term development,” Ye said.

Lenovo operates its corporate executive headquarters in Morrisville, bases its x86 server business nearby, and also has a manufacturing and services center in the Triad. 

REACHit Download Available

Lenovo plans to launch REACHit early next year on Lenovo machines but it can be downloaded now at Lenovo, Google and Apple’s app store.

“We are extremely excited about launching REACHit but this is only the beginning,” said Lenovo’s Mark Cohen, who oversees Ecosystem and Cloud Services.

“We have lots of cool ideas and features that we’ll be using to enhance REACHit’s functionality. But even more important than those we are looking to drive a model where our customers ‘vote’ on what we should do next and provide us with feedback to direct our future development.”

Cohen said REACHit is designed to provide “the ability to get to any file, no matter where it is stored, has quickly become a core need.”