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Tag: hybrid tablets

  • Even More Hybrid Tablets Are on the Way

    Even More Hybrid Tablets Are on the Way

    The PC market is still in decline, though the bottom of the market may now be in sight. At the same time, the tablet market is still going strong, growing nearly every quarter at a rapid pace.

    Given these realities, it isn’t surprising that PC manufacturers are now turning to hybrid PC/tablet devices to boost their notebook segments. The only problem is that these devices might fit a niche that doesn’t yet exist. With many containing hardware inferior to notebooks in the same price range, consumers looking for productivity seem to be turning toward Chromebooks and slim notebooks while favoring their substantially smaller tablets as mobile computing devices.

    Still, these facts aren’t likely to stop manufacturers from building out the hybrid PC/tablet market. Market research firm Juniper Research today released a new report predicting that PC manufacturers will ship almost 50 million hybrid tablet devices by the year 2018. This represents a significant rise from the estimated 9.5 million hybrid tablets that were shipped during 2013.

    Judging from the current lineup of hybrid tablets, it would be easy to dismiss the segment an already failed attempt to shove the tablet hype into the notebook space. While this may be true with current devices, Juniper predicts that devices released over the next few years will increase the diversity of the market and bring some worthwhile products that certain consumers may purchase.

    Juniper predicts that hybrid tablets will be expecially attractive to enterprise customers and gaming enthusiasts. Luckily for manufacturers, these two types of consumers are exactly the type of niche consumers willing to spend a premium for high-end devices. This should help keep the average sale price for hybrid tablets steady in the coming years.

    The firm also believes that the education market may embrace hybrid tablets in the coming years as tablets become viewed increasingly as an educational tool. Hybrid tablets that are priced lower could appeal significantly to governments looking to supply schools with tablets that are more functional that traditional tablets.

    Image via Asus

  • HP Unveils New Hybrid Tablet/Notebook

    HP Unveils New Hybrid Tablet/Notebook

    HP has recently shifted its business to focus more on its enterprise software and security offerings but the company still has its foot firmly planted in the PC hardware business. HP is now neck-and-neck with Lenovo for the title of largest notebook brand.

    HP today unveiled two new notebooks, one of which is the type of tablet/notebook hybrid devices that have proved popular with manufacturers over the past year and at this year’s CES. With the consumer market for PCs now turning to tablets, HP is aiming its new notebooks toward the business community.

    The HP Pro x2 410 is HP’s latest 2-in-1 tablet/notebook. The device features an 11.6″ screen that can detach and be used as a tablet. Though HP did not state the resolution of this tablet/screen, the company has referred to it as HD. The tablet/screen also sports cameras on both its front and back sides.

    The HP 350 G1 is the first in a line of products that HP is calling ” budget-friendly” business notebooks. The device is not a hybrid tablet/notebook is being positioned as “affordable” for the small business market. Though low in price, the 350 G1 has the option to add-on features such as a fingerprint scanner or a higher performance Intel processor and AMD graphics processor.

    HP is now selling both the Pro x2 410 and the 350 G1 in the U.S. The company estimates that the notebooks will sell for $899 and $399, respectively.

  • CES 2013: ASUS Announces Hybrid Windows 8 PC/Android Tablet

    Along with its Google TV-playing cube-shaped “QUBE“, Asus today announced a hybrid all-in-one/tablet Windows 8 PC as part of its Consumer Electronics Show (CES) lineup.

    The device is called the Asus Transformer AiO, and the manufacturer is calling a “world first.” It features an 18.4-inch multi-touch screen and Nvidia GT graphics. The catch is that the screen can be detached from its cradle in front of the PC and become a tablet.

    Of course, an 18-inch tablet is on the larger side of tablets, so it has a handle on the back that allows it to be carried around. Asus calls the device “king-sized,” though it isn’t quite as large as Lenovo’s announced 27-inch IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC. It seems that super-sized devices that nobody is calling for might be the trend at this year’s CES.

    The interesting thing about Asus’ Transformer tablet is that it can be operated in two different modes. When it is close enough to the PC it maintains a wireless connection to the full computer, allowing users to run Windows 8 on the tablet and operate it using the touch display. “At the touch of a botton,” however, the tablet can be “transformed” into an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean tablet that has a Tegra 3 quad-core processor. It’s the sort of versatility that is very impressive but simply not useful enough to justify a purchase for the average consumer.

    No release date or pricing for the device has yet been announced, though it was stated the Transformer AiO will be available “from Q1 2013.”

  • ASUS Announces the PadFone 2 Tablet/Smartphone Hybrid

    ASUS has always been a bit experimental with its products. The company had a prototype dock-able tablet/laptop hybrid long before Windows 8 was announced.

    Today ASUS announced the PadFone 2, an Android tablet that has a slot to dock a smartphone, which is included.

    The package is an upgrade from the original PadFone, and the tablet, according to ASUS, has been completely redesigned. The 10.1-inch tablet now weighs just 649g, and the company claims that the combined weight of the smartphone and tablet is “lighter than most tablets on the market.” The dock mechanism now only requires one step, and the battery is large enough to recharge the smartphone three times.

    As for the smartphone, it now has a 4.7-inch screen and features a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 13MP rear camera. It has NFC and 4G LTE capabilities.

    Pricing for the PadFone 2 has not yet been announced, though ASUS did state that the device will come with “up to” 64 GB of storage. Also, customers who purchase a PadFone 2 will get 50GB of ASUS WebStorage free for two years.

    The PadFone 2 may seem odd, but these tablet/laptop/smartphone hybrid types of form-factors are beginning to become popular with manufacturers. The philosophy seems to be that customers should want a single device that works in a myriad of situations, rather than several devices to cover all situations.

  • Microsoft’s Surface Tablet Price Ball-Parked by Ballmer

    This weekend The Seattle Times published an interview with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in which he discusses the future of Microsoft, especially regarding Windows 8. In the course of the interview, Ballmer gives a ball-park estimate for how much Microsoft’s highly touted Surface tablets will cost: from $300 to $700 or $800.

    Ballmer justified the price by saying that the Surface, which was announced back in June, will be a “very competitive product from the features perspective…” He also critisized the Kindle Fire, saying that no one would ever use one to do their homework.

    Of course, the Kindle Fire is almost entirely designed to be a content consumption device, specifically for Amazon content. It is also only $199 for the New Kindle Fire HD. While a rumored $200 price would have put the Surface in clear competition with Amazon and Google in the mini-tablet market, a $300 or more price puts it in direct competition with Apple’s iPad, which might be a harder market to jump into.

    Aside from his tablet market evaluation, Ballmer also made predictions on where Microsoft is going. He stated that Windows 8 is one of the biggest things to ever happen to Microsoft. From the interview:

    “You know, Windows 95 was certainly the biggest thing in the last 20 years until now. I think Windows 8 certainly surpasses it. It’s a little hard to compare things like the founding (of the company) and the introduction of the first popular PC and the system that popularized it, but it’s at that scale.”

    Of course, Ballmer isn’t known for his accurate predictions. Back in 2007 he predicted that the original iPhone would be a failure due to its high price.

    (via BGR)