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Tag: PCs

  • As PCs Tank, Gaming Hardware Sales Are Steady

    PC shipments are falling, and fast. Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system was not enough to save PC manufacturers from a disappointing holiday season in 2012, and the quickly rising tablet market is beginning to cut out PC sales for consumers who would use them for only simple tasks, such as email and web browsing.

    While this is bad news for PC manufacturers, it may not be quite as bad for component manufacturers. New numbers out from analyst firm Jon Peddie Research show that the manufacturers of gaming hardware are weathering the onslaught of tablets. The firm found that the global gaming hardware market has declined to just $17.8 million in 2013, down slightly from 2012’s 18.368 million. It also predicts that the gaming hardware business will rise in the coming years, reaching over $20.7 million in 2016.

    “Not only is gaming becoming an even more important purchasing influence of PC sales due to the offloading of more basic functionality to smart devices, but we are forecasting growth in the most expensive discrete graphics products,” said Jon Peddie, president of Jon Peddie Research. “We are also impressed with the embedded graphics offerings this generation and going forward.”

    The research firm went on to state the obvious – that no other platforms, especially tablets, can outperform PCs when it comes to gaming graphics. Even with new video game consoles coming in just a few short months, the analysts predict that PC’s “precision and power” will overcome the new console’s display and control limitations.

    “The effect that key titles have on hardware sales is phenomenal,” said Ted Pollak, senior gaming analyst at Jon Peddie Research. “Enthusiast PC gamers embrace content creation and modding, so when titles like Bohemia Interactive’s ARMA 3 are in the pipeline, we start to see anticipatory hardware sales. In fact, we are estimating over $800 million of PC builds influenced primarily by this title. A major component of this situation is that many games are placing increasing demands on the CPU. The result is that swapping out the graphics add-in board is not enough this time around and gamers are building (and ordering) overclocked PC’s from the ground up.”

  • PC Sales Could Pick Up Again, Say Analysts

    PC Sales Could Pick Up Again, Say Analysts

    Following a disappointing holiday season, PC sales have been on the decline for the first half of 2013. Even the release of a new Windows operating system wasn’t enough to buoy sales of traditional PCs. The prevailing opinion is that smartphones and tablets have stolen a large chunk of the PC market, and will continue to do so. However, one analyst firm is now going against the crowd and predicting that PC sales could pick up in the near future.

    Strategy Analytics this week released the results of its recent “Home Computing Devices: Purchase Intention Index Q2 2013” survey. The survey asked over 6,000 Americans and Europeans what their PC buying intentions were for the coming year. Almost 23% of survey respondents said they were “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to purchase “portable PC” within the next year – an increase from the 17% the survey found the previous year.

    “The PC market has suffered for some time from falling sales and increasing competition from tablets,” said Jia Wu, director of Connected Home Devices at Strategy Analytics. “But our survey findings suggest that consumers are still ready and willing to buy PCs when their personal finances begin to improve.”

    Strategy Analytics, rather than blaming tablets for all of the downturn in the PC market, is seeing the downturn in the economy in the past half-decade as a major factor as well. The survey found that U.S. consumers’ “intention index” for buying notebook PCs has increased over 10% since 2012’s holiday season, and increased over 11% for buying desktop PCs.

    “There has been much talk about the threat to PCs from surging demand for tablets,” said David Mercer, principal analyst at Strategy Analytics. “But this evidence suggests that many consumers are putting home computers back on the shopping list now that the economic outlook is improving.”

  • Ashton Kutcher (You Know, Steve Jobs) Reportedly Eyeing Lenovo Gig

    Remember those “I’m a Mac and I’m a PC” ads? Well, replace both John Hodgman and Justin Long with Ashton Kutcher and insert the new line “I’m here to sell you a PC, and also a movie about the guy who made Macs” and you’re on the right path.

    According to the NY Post, Kutcher is close to signing a deal with PC makers Lenovo – a deal that will involve Kutcher appearing in a series of advertisements for Lenovo computers. It’s also a deal that will net Kutcher $10 million, or so says the Post. Considering that Kutcher has been a pitchman for Nikon cameras, and is a noted tech-investor, it shouldn’t really surprise you that he would sign on to push computers.

    What makes this interesting, however, is that Kutcher has already filmed a movie in which he portrays iconic Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

    Is this some kind of marketing genius? Subversive advertising where a Steve Jobs-like figure tries to sell you PCs? Interesting, Lenovo.

    Jobs is the movie, and it’s slated to premiere on August 16th – which is actually a lot later than it was supposed to hit theaters. The film premiered back in January at the Sundance Film Festival and received mixed reviews. The film was supposed to open on April 19th but was pushed back in order to benefit from an additional marketing push.

    Here’s what you can expect:

    “JOBS details the major moments and defining characters that influenced Steve Jobs on a daily basis from 1971 through 2001. The film plunges into the depths of his character, creating an intense dialogue-driven story that is as much a sweeping epic as it is an immensely personal portrait of Steve Jobs’ life.”

    Recently, Kutcher took to Quora to talk about why he decided to take on the iconic role of Steve Jobs.

    “It was a perfect convergence in my craft and my interests. I’ve spent the last 5 years working with early stage technology companies as an investor and advisor. Whenever you take on a role, it’s like a crash course in the subject matter of the film. So while researching the role I was able to spend countless hours studying tech design, product, and history. It also afforded me the opportunity to meet with several of Steve’s peers who happen to be icons of the tech world,” he said.

    Maybe one of those interests involves pitching Lenovo products? It’s unlikely that Kutcher’s role in any future advertising would even remotely be tied to Steve Jobs – but hey, it’s an interesting thought, right?

  • Another Analyst Predicts Declining PC Sales

    Another Analyst Predicts Declining PC Sales

    Following a disappointing 2012 holiday season that saw PC sales decline despite the launch of Windows 8, industry analysts began predicting further declines for PC shipments throughout 2013. Last week, a Digitimes report raised hopes, stating that PC shipments could pick up in the third quarter 2013 due to a combination of new Intel Haswell processors and the release of Windows 8.1.

    Now, yet another analyst firm is cautioning investors against optimism in the PC market. IDC has released its monthly PC Tracker numbers, showing that PC shipments have not grown significantly in Europe and emerging markets throughout the first half of 2013. Though the firm predicts declines to slow throughout the rest of the year, it predicts an overall 7.8% decline in the PC shipments for the year.

    “The expectation for the second quarter was not all that high, showing only minor improvement from the first quarter,” said Loren Loverde, VP of Worldwide PC Trackers at IDC. “But the May results reflect deteriorating conditions rather than improvement and the market will probably fall short of projections. We still expect an improvement in the second half of the year as more new products are launched and we get into the back-to-school and holiday seasons. But the market will likely remain cautious about the second half of 2013.”

  • Samsung Rebrands All of its Laptops, Launches Two New Ones

    Samsung Rebrands All of its Laptops, Launches Two New Ones

    While the U.S. braces for the imminent launch of the Galaxy S4, Samsung has also quietly been selling its laptops. The Korean electronics manufacturer this week announced that it has rebranded its entire Windows PC lineup to fit under the ATIV brand.

    The move is meant to make it easier for customers to tell Samsung‘s laptops apart, but it could ultimately end up being just as confusing. While the renaming of the ATIV Smart PC and the ATIV Smart PC Pro to the ATIV Tab 5 and the ATIV Tab 7, respectively, isn’t too much to think about, The Series 5 510 and the Series 3 370 will both now share the name ATIV Book 4. And while Samsung’s all-in-one laptops will be rebranded as ATIV One laptops, devices that weren’t previously branded Smart PC or all-in-one PC are now branded ATIV Book devices with a corresponding number.

    The confusion continues ast the numbers will be shifting from previous brand names. For example, the Series 7 Chronos will now be the ATIV Book 8, the Series 3 300 will be the ATIV Book 2, and the Series 5 Chronos will – you know what? Just have a look below at the renaming chart Samsung has provided. And make sure to keep it handy in case you find yourself in the market for a Samsung laptop.

    Samsung's ATIV rebranding chart

    “Samsung has been the fastest growing PC brand for the past three years, in part because of our commitment to developing solutions that meet and exceed the ever-evolving needs of our customers,” said Mike Abary, SVP of product marketing at Samsung Electronics America. “Our expanded ATIV brand and the introduction of solutions like SideSync create the necessary synergy between our mobile and PC lines to create real ease of use for consumers. These synergies enable us to maintain our momentum and continue to offer our customers innovations that enhance the way they live and work.”

  • Microsoft Blames PC Makers For Slow Windows 8 Sales [Report]

    Microsoft released its quarterly earnings report yesterday, and there was a bit of good news for the company’s Windows business. The company announced that it had sold 60 million Windows 8 licenses and that it was making more money off of the operating system than last year. Windows 8 is performing worse than Windows 7 and Vista, however, and Microsoft is putting the blame on its hardware partners.

    In a report from The Register, a source close to Microsoft says that the company is blaming PC makers for the lackluster Windows 8 sales that the company has seen thus far. Microsoft says its hardware partners are not following the “clear and specific guidance” it gave on how Windows 8 hardware should look and operate, specifically the touchscreen input that it wanted in every machine.

    PC makers are reportedly objecting to Microsoft’s accusations saying that its “guidance” would have led to expensive PCs that nobody would understand or want. It would have led them to the situation that Microsoft is in now with its Surface RT tablet – a lot of expensive product rotting on shelves. The manufacturers also blame the rise of cheap alternatives, like Android tablets, and a marketing campaign that didn’t properly explain Windows RT. In fact, the latter is the very reason that Samsung won’t be bringing its Windows RT tablet to the U.S.

    All of this reeks a little of deja vu as Microsoft has occasionally been at odds with its hardware partners over the decisions it makes. The most recent was its secret development of the Surface tablet that was a complete surprise to hardware partners.

    It’s not like any of this is going to suddenly destroy the long standing relationship between Microsoft and OEMs though. Both realize that they need the other to survive. The PC is still a popular piece of hardware even if global shipments are falling. Maybe what’s best is that both parties temper their expectations and aggressively market to its strongest allies – the power user, enterprise and education.

    So, what is Microsoft going to do in response to sluggish Windows 8 sales? The Register’s source says the company will be rebooting the launch of Windows 8 alongside the launch of the Surface Pro tablet on February 9. It’s not known what form this “reboot” will take, but it could very well tie into the rumored Windows Blue launch scheduled for 2013.

    It will be interesting to see how much of this pans out in the coming year. A reboot of Windows 8 this soon after the launch might be seen as a sign of Microsoft’s admittance that Windows 8 was a “disaster,” but it could also be the best thing to happen to the struggling operating system.

  • PC Sales Dropping, Shows Yet Another Report

    Last week, a report from International Data Corporation (IDC) showed that PC shipments during the fourth quarter of 2012 declined by around 6.4% from the fourth quarter of 2011. Now, analyst firm Gartner has weighed in on the PC market with similar statistics.

    Gartner’s research shows a 4.9% decline in PC shipments in the fourth quarter of 2012 when compared to the same quarter in 2011. The firm went even further than IDC, all but stating that this is a harbinger of the predicted post-PC era.

    “Tablets have dramatically changed the device landscape for PCs, not so much by ‘cannibalizing’ PC sales, but by causing PC users to shift consumption to tablets rather than replacing older PCs,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. “Whereas as once we imagined a world in which individual users would have both a PC and a tablet as personal devices, we increasingly suspect that most individuals will shift consumption activity to a personal tablet, and perform creative and administrative tasks on a shared PC. There will be some individuals who retain both, but we believe they will be exception and not the norm. Therefore, we hypothesize that buyers will not replace secondary PCs in the household, instead allowing them to age out and shifting consumption to a tablet.”

    Much like the IDC report, Gartner shows that the launch of Windows 8 did not re-energize the PC market the way Microsoft may have hoped. Also, HP is once again leading PC shipments worldwide, with Lenovo following close behind.

    “The PC market continues to face many headwinds. The launch of Windows 8 had no impact on PC demand, especially as ultramobile products were both limited in supply, as well as being priced too high,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. “The holiday season mostly saw retailers clearing Windows 7 notebook inventory or driving volume of low-end notebooks. Furthermore, the increasing choice of tablets at decreasing price points no doubt became a favorite Christmas present ahead of PCs.”

  • PC Sales Declined During Last Year’s Holiday Season

    PC Sales Declined During Last Year’s Holiday Season

    A new report issued this week by International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that worldwide PC shipments during the fourth quarter of 2012 actually declined, down 6.4% from 2011. The 89.8 million units were less than even the predicted decline of 4.4%. This is is spite of the launch of Windows 8 and the accompanying products from companies such as HP, Asus, and Microsoft itself.

    “Although the third quarter was focused on the clearing of Windows 7 inventory, preliminary research indicates the clearance did not significantly boost the uptake of Windows 8 systems in Q4,” said Jay Chou, senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. “Lost in the shuffle to promote a touch-centric PC, vendors have not forcefully stressed other features that promote a more secure, reliable and efficient user experience. As Windows 8 matures, and other corresponding variables such as Ultrabook pricing continue to drop, hopefully the PC market can see a reset in both messaging and demand in 2013.”

    The U.S. market in particular took a big hit, dropping 7% compared to holiday 2011. IDC blames the drop on the failure of imagination manufacturers had towards what a good Windows 8 experience would be. However, this could simply be the beginning of the post-PC world that Apple and Microsoft are predicting.

    “Consumers expected all sorts of cool PCs with tablet and touch capabilities,” said David Daoud, research director at IDC U.S. Quarterly PC Tracker. “Instead, they mostly saw traditional PCs that feature a new OS (Windows 8 ) optimized for touch and tablet with applications and hardware that are not yet able to fully utilize these capabilities. Despite a generally weak performance, some leading brands managed do to well relative to the market. HP, Lenovo, Asus, and Samsung were among the top performers, taking advantage of some consumer interest in Windows 8, and a push to build up their presence ahead of 2013.”

    Despite its recent write-downs and accusations of accounting fraud at Autonomy before its acquisition, HP continues to rank highest on IDC worldwide PC shipment rankings. HP seized on this bit of good news, highlighting the fact that the IDC rankings include the workstation segment rather than just the consumer market. From HP:

    IDC announced today that HP maintained the No. 1 position in PC shipments worldwide and in the United States. The IDC analysis also includes the very important workstation segment and therefore represents the most comprehensive analysis of the entire PC market.

    We believe HP’s position as the market share leader demonstrates our ongoing commitment to deliver superior PC products and experiences across customer segments.

    Meanwhile, Bloomberg is reporting that even HP CEO Meg Whitman knows it will take half a decade to pull the company up from its current downward trajectory.

  • All-In-One-PCs Coming This Fall Courtesy Of Samsung

    All-in-one-PCs are definitely one of the better performers in the PC market. Tablets and notebooks have been eating away at their market share, but they still have a healthy life ahead of them. Samsung still believes in the market potential and will be launching a number of new AIO PCs this fall.

    Samsung announced the Series 7 and Series 5 AIO PCs on Tuesday. The PCs have been designed with Windows 8 in mind and feature 10-point touchscreens to take advantage of the new UI. The computers are expected to launch in late October alongside Windows 8. They are expected to cost anywhere between $750 to $1,700.

    The Series 5 PCs will feature 21-inch screens, 500 GB hard drives and an Intel Core i3 processor. The graphics will be handled by Intel’s integrated HD graphics 4000 GPU. The Series 5 PCs will be on the lower end of the price spectrum.

    The Series 7 PCs will feature a 23 or 27-inch screen. The 23-inch PC will feature an Intel Core i5 CPU and an Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU. The 27-inch PC will feature an Intel Core i7 and an AMD Radeon HD 7850M GPU. The latter will the better choice for gamers looking for an AIO gaming PC, but it will be higher on the price scale.

    Both the Series 5 and Series 7 PCs will feature resolutions set at 1920×1080. They will also feature Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, three USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports and a 3-in-1 multicard slot. The computers also feature hand gesture recognition that the computer can interpret from up to three feet away.

    Samsung intends for these AIO PCs to be placed in the kitchen. The hand gestures will make them especially useful for those who can’t touch sensitive components due to wet hands. But in all reality, these new AIO PCs can be used in just about any situation. They’re slim enough to fit just about anywhere and they’re powerful enough for most, if not all, of your basic computing needs. Of course, we’ll have to see how they perform before anybody makes a final verdict.

    [h/t: Slashgear]

  • GameFly Teams Up With 2K Games For Big Name PC Games

    Love GameFly but wish that their PC catalog was a lot better than it actually is? Well now GameFly has annouced that it is expanding its partnership with 2K Games to deliver more PC games to GameFly via it’s Unlimited PC Play. Games like BioShock, Civilization IV, and X-Com: Enforcer are among the new titles available for free downloading and playing on multiple PCs for GameFly subscribers.

    “GameFly’s Unlimited PC Play is a great way to reach new fans with some of the best games in our catalog,” said Sarah Anderson, senior vice president of marketing at 2K Games. “With our upcoming releases of BioShock Infinite, Civilization V: Gods & Kings and XCOM: Enemy Unknown on the horizon, we’re taking this opportunity to introduce or re-introduce fans to these beloved franchises.”

    “We’re excited that 2K Games has partnered with GameFly, giving our members access to games in their top franchises to play for free in the Unlimited PC Play,” said Sean Spector, GameFly co-founder and SVP of Business Development and Content. “We’re working hard to continue adding major publishers and chart-topping games to our library.”

    The new 2K Games titles are available for immediate download on your PC

    @NeoNugget
    Neo Nugget    @Tex1090 I did go with Gamefly, yeah. Everything went smoothly. Went into the PC client to find my game code already waiting for me. 6 days ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Time Warner Cable Brings Streaming App To PCs And Macs

    Time Warner Cable Brings Streaming App To PCs And Macs

    In an attempt to stay relevant with the kids, Time Warner is bringing its streaming service to PCs and Macs. The service was originally only available for the iPad and iPhone.

    The software is currently in beta form and works on all major browsers. I unfortunately, or fortunately depending on who you ask, do not have Time Warner Cable so I can’t personally verify the quality of the app.

    The original report on PC World, however, seems to indicate that the web app works well and has good video quality. Unfortunately, like with any streaming service, users can only watch live television at their home where the cable connection is hooked up. There are about 200 channels to choose from but the all too important Viacom channels, Comedy Central and MTV, are absent.

    The app essentially works like a cable set top box does. It allows for HD programming, recording, setting favorites, etc. It also features search, parental controls and search functions.

    It’s a good move on Time Warner’s part, but will people really choose this over other options like Boxee? It’s good to see cable companies embrace the Internet, but they still make it too hard and obnoxious for users to access the content they want to watch.

    No wonder the cable companies like Time Warner are pushing for cable encryption rules so that we have even less choice when it comes to entertainment.

    Have any of you, the readers, checked out Time Warner Cable’s new online streaming app? How is it? Let us know.

  • HP Decides Keeping PC Business More Cost Effective Than Dropping It

    HP Decides Keeping PC Business More Cost Effective Than Dropping It

    A couple months ago, HP announced it was exploring options for spinning off its PC business, but has now announced that it will keep it instead.

    In a statement, the company said it has completed its evaluation of strategic alternatives for its Personal Systems Group (PSG), and has decided that the unit will remain part of the company.

    “HP objectively evaluated the strategic, financial and operational impact of spinning off PSG. It’s clear after our analysis that keeping PSG within HP is right for customers and partners, right for shareholders, and right for employees,” said President and CEO Meg Whitman. “HP is committed to PSG, and together we are stronger.”

    Whitman was appointed to her position last month, replacing Leo Apotheker after just a year in the role.

    The company says the strategic review involved “subject matter experts from across the businesses and functions,” and that “data-driven evaluation revealed the depth of the integration that has occurred across key operations such as supply chain, IT and procurement.”

    The evaluation, HP says, also detailed the significant extent to which the PSG unit contributes to the company’s portfolio and overall brand value.

    Yeah, I can see that.

    HP added that the cost of recreating these things in a standalone company outweighed the benefits of separation.

    “As part of HP, PSG will continue to give customers and partners the advantages of product innovation and global scale across the industry’s broadest portfolio of PCs, workstations and more,” said Todd Bradley, EVP of HP’s Personal Systems Group. “We intend to make the leading PC business in the world even better.”

    Last year’s revenues for PSG totaled $40.7 billion.

  • Acer CEO Lanci Resigns

    Gianfranco Lanci, President and CEO of Acer has stepped down immediately according to a statement released today.  The Taiwan-based multinational PC maker announced that Chairman J.T. Wang has immediately taken over the role for the interim.

    Lanci, a former employee at Texas Instruments, went to Acer when they acquired the TravelMate laptop business from TI in 1997.  He became president of the company in 2005, and was named CEO in 2008.

    Acer has recently overtaken Dell as the 2nd largest maker of PCs, but has hit a rough patch as of late.  According to Bloomberg:

    The resignation comes less than a week after the company lowered its sales forecast, which led to a four-day, 18 percent rout of the stock. Analysts at 10 brokerages including Daiwa Securities Group Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) have lowered their investment ratings on Acer since March 25, citing concerns about earnings.

    Lanci’s resignation passed a Board of Directors today, as they explain that they held different views about the direction the company was taking.  From the press release:

    On the company’s future development, Lanci held different views from a majority of the board members, and could not reach a consensus following several months’ of dialog. They placed different levels of importance on scale, growth, customer value creation, brand position enhancement, and on resource allocation and methods of implementation.

    While the company assures that this change will not affect business as usual, interim CEO J.T. Wang expresses that the company will be moving into the mobile device market.  “Acer needs a period of time for adjustment,” he says.

    “In his role as President and CEO, Lanci has contributed significantly toward Acer’s growth. The company expresses its true appreciation for Lanci’s efforts and wishes him all the best in his future endeavors,” said Wang

  • Apple Macbook Pro Gets Processor, Graphics, Thunderbolt I/O Update

    The Apple Macbook Pro family has been updated with new next-generation processors and graphics, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology and a new FaceTime HD camera. 

    FaceTime has become a popular selling point of Apple’s iPhone, and the iPad 2 is expected to accommodate it as well. 

    "The new MacBook Pro brings next generation dual and quad Core processors, high performance graphics, Thunderbolt technology and FaceTime HD to the great design loved by our pro customers," said Apple SVP of Worldwide Product Marketing Philip Schiller. "Thunderbolt is a revolutionary new I/O technology that delivers an amazing 10 gigabits per second and can support every important I/O standard which is ideal for the new MacBook Pro."

    Apple Macbook Pro family gets updated

    Apple says in its announcement, "MacBook Pro is the first computer on the market to include the groundbreaking Thunderbolt I/O technology. Developed by Intel with collaboration from Apple, Thunderbolt enables expandability never before possible on a notebook computer. Featuring two bi-directional channels with transfer speeds up to an amazing 10Gbps each, Thunderbolt delivers PCI Express directly to external high performance peripherals such as RAID arrays, and can support FireWire and USB consumer devices and Gigabit Ethernet networks via adapters. Thunderbolt also supports DisplayPort for high resolution displays and works with existing adapters for HDMI, DVI and VGA displays. Freely available for implementation on systems, cables and devices, Thunderbolt technology is expected to be widely adopted as a new standard for high performance I/O."

    "With Apple’s innovative FaceTime video calling software, the new camera allows high definition video calls between all new MacBook Pro models and supports standard resolution calls with other Intel-based Macs, iPhone 4 and the current generation iPod touch," the company says. "FaceTime is included with all new MacBook Pro models and is available for other Intel-based Macs from the Mac App Store for 99 cents. The MacBook Pro lineup continues to feature its gorgeous aluminum unibody enclosure, glass Multi-Touch trackpad, LED-backlit widescreen display, illuminated full-size keyboard and 7-hour battery."

    There is a 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro model, as well as a 15-inch and a 17-inch model. The 13-inch version is available in a 2.3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 and 320GB hard drive version for $1,199, as well as a 2.7 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 and 500GB hard drive version for $1,499. The 15-inch MacBook Pro is available in a 2.0 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6490M and 500GB hard drive version for $1,799 and a 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6750M and 750GB hard drive version for $2,199. The new 17-inch Apple MacBook Pro comes in just one version –  2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6750M and 750GB hard drive, and is priced at $2,499.

    Apple has an event scheduled for March 2nd, where it will almost certainly unveil the iPad 2. Stay tuned for that. Meanwhile, the iPad continues to dominate tablet shipments.

  • Netbooks Set To Overtake Laptops And PCs

    Netbooks Set To Overtake Laptops And PCs

    Purchase rates for personal computers and mobile phones (not including smartphones) will decrease by 39 percent and 56 percent this year compared with last year, respectively, according to a new survey from Accenture.

    By contrast, buying rates of 3DTVs (three-dimensional TVs) are expected to rise 500 percent; tablet computers 160 percent; ebook readers 133 percent; and smartphones 26 percent.

    Consumer-Technologies

    The survey found that only 17 percent of survey respondents plan to buy a desktop or laptop computer in 2011– a 39 percent drop from 2010. Tracking with this trend, the survey revealed that 75 percent of U.S. survey respondents emailed each week from their PCs in 2010, down from 80 percent the year before.

    The research also showed that respondents are using multiple devices such as tablet PCs for activities that used to be done on traditional PCs. For example, on at least a weekly basis, 40 percent of the respondents email from a tablet PC. In addition to checking email, respondents are using tablet PCs for browsing the web, watching videos and reading books, newspapers and magazines.

    “The research findings raise the question as to whether, in the long run, desktop and laptop PCs in the home will be increasingly replaced by a group of newer technology alternatives such as tablet computers, netbooks, smartphones and e-book readers,” said Kumu Puri, senior executive with Accenture’s Electronics & High-Tech Practice.

    “If strength is measured by unit sales, the computer will remain the strong consumer technology giant for many years. Our research found that 93 percent of survey respondents own a computer—a higher proportion than any of the 19 technologies included in the survey. But if measured by growth rate, the PC market–at least for consumers–has reached a level of saturation and will continue to see diminished growth rates. There’s increasing potential for an end in sight for the relevance of the personal computer in the home as we know it today.”

     

  • Google Exec Gives Desktops Three More Years

    Never mind the associated cubicles, desks, chairs, and monitors that, for many people, have become part of everyday life.  A Google exec believes desktop computers will be irrelevant in three years’ time.

    No twisting of words or misinterpretations took place here.  John Herlihy, Google’s vice president of global ad operations, simply said at University College Dublin’s Digital Landscapes conference, "In three years’ time, desktops will be irrelevant."

    According to John Kennedy, Herlihy then argued, "In Japan, most research is done today on smart phones, not PCs . . . .  Mobile makes the world’s information universally accessible."

    So if Herlihy’s views are representative of Google’s, it’s probable that the company will continue to focus more and more on Android.  Chrome OS, the lightweight operating system intended for netbooks, should get a lot of attention.  And Google’s cloud storage offerings will likely be expanded, too, to compensate for the small hard drives in smartphones and netbooks.

    Interestingly, though, mobile ad opportunities may not be a primary consideration next to all of this stuff.  Herlihy said, "When we build something we strive for ubiquity in usage and adoption.  That helps us understand how customers react and then we build a revenue model."

  • Consumer Technology Holiday Sales Hit $10.8 Billion

    U.S. consumer technology retail sales fell less than one percent for the 2009 holiday season, according to a new report from The NPD Group.

    The report found sales for the five-week holiday period reached $10.8 billion, a big improvement from the 6 percent decline during the 2008 holiday season.

    The holiday season had its share of fluctuations. Overall revenue declined three out of the five weeks. While the second week of the season posted the largest revenue growth it only represented for 15 percent of overall holiday sales. The final week of the season also saw revenue growth and represented 22 percent of all sales, so the success of the final week was more relevant to the overall success of the season.

    Technology-Revenue

    "The dynamics of the holiday season changed this year; the holiday season started before Black Friday as retailers ran Black Friday-like sales throughout November," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD. 

    "That move may have lessened the Black Friday hype for consumers, but the increase during the final week of the season is a sign that consumers either went back out or waited it out to get the best deal."

    PCs and flash-based camcorders were popular this holiday leading the way in unit growth among large categories, but total sales numbers were dependent on the success of PCs and flat-panel TVs.  Combined they accounted for 41 percent of the revenue over the five week holiday period, up from 39 percent in 2008 and 34 percent in 2007.

    Despite the high revenue, flat-panel TVs registered a decline in dollars of 13 percent, in line with their performance during most of 2009.  That decline pulled down the industry overall. MP3 players, for the third year in a row, were the largest unit volume category despite increased ASPs and declining unit volumes.

    "Just cutting prices this year was not enough to guarantee successful sales results," said Baker.  Flat-panel TVs had a disappointing holiday because there wasn’t enough price-cutting on the right items, while notebook PCs and camcorders offered new form factors and price points that drove enormous increases in units and revenue despite falling prices."