Tag Archives: form factors

May 22

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By | Paul Kunert 2nd May 2012 13:58 Just 40,000 sales separate tech titans in Q1

Apple’s rise to the summit of the global personal computer market at the end of last year was short lived: HP has regained the top spot in Q1, Canalys figures reveal.

A total of 107 million PCs were shipped in the quarter, up 21 per cent. HP, which ceded leadership to the Foxconn-rebrander in Q4, sold 40,000 more units than Apple’s 15.8 million (11.8m iPads) in Q1.

Lenovo gained the third spot with 50 per cent unit growth. Acer and Dell ended up in the fourth and fifth positions respectively, but both posted declining sales.

Fondleslabs accounted for one fifth of all PCs sold, growing 200 per cent year-on-year, but traditional form factors were also on the up: notebook and desktop shipments rose 11 per cent and eight per cent respectively.

The one-time high flying netbook platform continued the fall from grace for the sixth consecutive quarter, dropping 34 per cent in Q1.

Tom Evans, research analyst at Canalys, said most of the major vendors have made a “reasonable” stab of offsetting declines in netbook sales with tablets, but were still not in a position to challenge Apple and Amazon.

“The challenge is breaking out into the really big volumes to challenge the leaders,” he said. “So far, only Samsung has shown it can routinely ship more than a million pads a quarter.”

It is worth noting however that even Samsung admitted several months ago that its slate cash haul was disappointing.

“Honestly, we’re not doing very well in the tablet market,” product strategy exec Hankil Yoon told Mobile World Congress in February.

Split by region, overall PC shipments grew 31 per cent in North America but more modestly in EMEA and Asia Pacific, where sales were up 19 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.

Despite signs of life in the market during Q1, Canalys warned of ongoing uncertainty in 2012.

“Turbulence in the economy means the consumer market in many countries remains a cause for concern. Q2 is expected to be soft, with Taiwanese ODMs having reported a decline in shipments in April,” it said.

Intel’s Ivy Bridge chips may spur demand, once the channel clears stock based on previous processor generations, at least that is the hope according to the analyst.

But Canalys pinned more hope of a recovery on the launch of Windows 8.

“This will lead many consumers to delay new PC purchases into Q4. But by then thin and light laptops will be approaching mainstream price points, and a new wave of pads, based on Microsoft’s new OS, will be hitting the market,” said the analyst. ®

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Apr 20

Intel’s Letexo Brings the Hybrid ...

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Tablets. Laptops. Peanut butter and jelly, right? in fact I’d argue that’s been the case from the start, so much so that I’m as surprised now as I was when the iPad first arrived two years ago that we haven’t seen a vanguard hybrid from a company like Apple.

I’m betting there’d be huge demand for such a device once we topple conventional thinking about keeping these two form factors separate. Wouldn’t you rather not have to choose between your predominantly casual-use tablet and a more work-angled laptop with a full QWERTY keyboard? (Assuming “work” involves typing more than 20 or 30 words a minute, accurately, as well as manipulating pixels precisely in ways stubby-ended fingers never will.)

Intel just demonstrated such a creature at IDF 2012, a prototype hybrid Ultrabook dubbed “Letexo” based on Intel’s Ivy Bridge platform that runs Windows 8 and uses a sliding screen. Tom’s Hardware says it can transform three ways: into a tablet (screen flush to the casing, keyboard completely hidden), into a touch-based all-in-one PC (screen slides up at an angle, keyboard still obscured) and into a full-on Ultrabook (screen slides to the back, keyboard fully accessible).

(MORE: Survey Shows 85% of Tablet Owners Use them while Watching TV)

The Android-based Asus Eee Pad Slider comparisons are obvious, but the latter’s screen only slides halfway up the chassis, thus it uses a cramped keyboard. The Letexo prototype’s screen, by contrast, can slide almost to the case’s edge, offering access to a full-sized QWERTY keyboard with palm rests. And unlike other hybrids, there’s no awkward screen rotation. It’s also said to include an HDMI port and at least two USB ports.

As Tom’s Hardware rightly notes, consumers aren’t flocking to the Asus Eee Pad Slider, instead opting for Asus’s Transformer, a tablet that can be used with an optional standalone dock. Apple’s iPad offers a similar standalone keyboard dock, something I’m personally familiar with because my wife and I bought one for her mother this Christmas as a testbed replacement for her parents’ desktop computer — so far, so good.

But some of us using Apple laptops and watching iPads fly off store shelves — I know I’m not the only one — have probably glanced at our MacBook Airs or Pros and wondered why those lovely Apple LCD screens couldn’t be replaced by actual touch-based tablet technology, with either a sliding (like the Letexo) or some sort of detachable mechanism. Who wouldn’t pay a little extra for a MacBook whatever, say, to be able to slide down or detach the screen and boot up iOS?

The only reason I haven’t picked up a tablet yet, is that my smartphone does most of what an iPad would otherwise. Adding a discrete third device to the mix (fourth, if you count my 3DS or PS Vita) starts to feel unwieldy. How many devices I have to carry has been on my mind since the mid 1990s, when mobile phone and computing applications began to merge. I’ve always viewed my operational computing bubble in those terms, not as a gadget laboratory where I’m splitting what I do across four or five or half a dozen devices. And I’m always thinking about what I have to take with me when I’m out, since I’m often on the move.

Tablets are in process of becoming far more than just “the casual computer you use on the couch” or “in bed” or “at family get-togethers.” I’ve been convinced since the iPad 2 debuted in 2011, for instance, that it or any number of competing products could eventually replace game consoles as well as set-top entertainment center boxes and interface, wirelessly, with all your other home devices, transmitting wireless video, say, to your big-screen TV or letting you interact with cutting-edge games using a wireless controller.

In the meantime, in anticipation of that, I’d love to see Apple take a stab at melding the iPad and MacBook families, combining the versatility of OS X with the tote-ability of iOS. I’m oversimplifying things, of course, but when I look at my laptop’s screen these days, I see a potential twofer technology. I don’t really want two separate tablet-sized screens in my mobile work/play life anymore. And with Intel’s Letexo, I’d like to think we’re getting a look at where that concept is headed next.

MORE: 7 Reasons Apple’s New iPad could Replace your Games Console

Intel’s Letexo Brings the Hybrid Tablet/Laptop Party — So Where’s Apple’s?

Mar 28

Windows 8, Ultrabooks could uplift PC shipments in ...

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Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook

MANILA, Philippines — Coming from an underwhelming PC shipment stature in 2012, research firm IDC predicts a modest 5-percent uptick for the sector in the latter part of 2012, driven mainly by the release of Microsoft’ new Windows operating system.

Despite the good news, IDC said PC shipments are taking a hit from the onslaught of media tablets into the market, which shattered fourth-quarter forecasts by analysts to reach a massive 155-percent year-on-year growth rate last year.

IDC said the trend was most evident during the last quarter of the year, as the industry is beset with a “lackluster Christmas season” sale.

“many consumers are holding off making PC purchases at the moment because tablet devices like Apple’s iPad are proving to be a powerful distraction,” according to Bob O’Donnell, vice president of clients and displays at IDC.

O’Donnell, however, pointed out that according to some studies, consumers are not necessarily seeing tablets as complete replacements of full-blown PCs.

“So later this year when there is a new Microsoft operating system, available in sleek new PC form factors, we believe consumer interest in PCs will begin to rebound,” he added.

The next two years, therefore, is going to be a challenge for Microsoft and the entire PC industry altogether, as it attempts to wrest consumer interest from tablets through slim and sleek form factors found in Ultrabooks.

“Windows 8 and Ultrabooks are a definitive step in the right direction to recapturing the relevance of the PC,” said Jay Chou, senior research analyst at IDC. “but its promise of meshing a tablet experience in a PC body will likely entail a period of trial and error, thus the market will likely see modest growth in the near term.”

Intel, which is leading the Ultrabook revolution, predicts as much as 40 percent of the PC market will be made up of Ultrabooks by the end of this year.

Microsoft, meanwhile, has pegged the launch of its touch- and tablet-optimized Windows 8 operating system by October.

Still, IDC said the PC market “will still enjoy pockets of growth,” particularly in emerging markets such as the Philippines where shipment forecasts remain at a high 215.4 million total units this year, compared with just 155.7 million units in mature markets.

Shipments of PCs worldwide, meanwhile, are expected to reach 371.1 million units by the end of this year, driven mainly by portable PCs, which comprises about 60 percent of total shipments.

Windows 8, Ultrabooks could uplift PC shipments in 2012, IDC says

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Mar 27

ARMH: Morgan Stanley Says Buy, Still Leading ...

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By Tiernan Ray

Morgan Stanley’s Francois Meunier this morning raised his rating on the ordinary shares of ARM Holdings (ARM) to Overweight from Equal Weight, with a 650 pence target, writing that “risks on earnings remain clearly on the upside,” and that “ARM retains a two-year lead over Intel (INTC) and news flow should improve.”

ARM shares, he points out, have underperformed the broader market this year, falling about 4%. the earnings estimates are currently too low, he thinks, when one looks back over the growth in ARM’s markets over the last ten years, “and we think consensus is missing various mobile computing form factors that could be launched.”

Meunier is estimating revenue of £557 million this year, up from a prior estimate of £527 million, and earnings per share of 15.7 pence, up from a prior 15.4. that compares to consensus of £551 million and 14 pence.

“we expect news flow to reverse in ARM’s favour with the launch of the iPad3/iPad2 price cut, actual product launches for Windows8 on ARM at Computex and launches of hybrid products,” writes Meunier.

“Longer term,” writes Meunier, Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows 8 is “anecdotal” to ARM’s success, for the market is so large that ARM will prosper with or without the so-called Windows-on-ARM, or WARM, devices.

Meunier models what he thinks ARM may forecast for 2016 when it holds its analyst day on May 23rd. Reviewing the forecast for 2012 offered back in 2008, he sees that ARM actually surpassed that same forecast by 64%, ending up with a total unit shipment of partners of 23 billion versus the 14 billion it had originally forecast.

If the company can do the same this time around, its partners could be shipping 62 billion chips with its designs by 2016, including 11 billion wireless chips.

That could produce EPS of 37 pence a share in 2016, he muses, on revenue of £1.24 billion.

Moreover, Intel’s progress recently with its “Medfield” processor for mobile devices still leaves the chip giant “two generations” behind ARM, in Meunier’s view, “and that’s enough to maintain leading market share.”

We have compared the best tablets available from ARM and Intel and found that Intel devices consume 133% more power than ARM (iPad 3 consumes 2.1W and Viewsonic Viewpad 10 Pro on Intel consumes 4.9W). we have also found that products based on Cortex-A15, which will be launched this year at the same time as products based on Intel Medfield, will increase their power performance by x2 vs Cortex-A8 for the same power envelope; hence ARM should retain the same lead over Intel in 2012. and in 2013, the power envelope of Big Little (Cortex A7) should be divided by 5x.

Meunier’s assessment of the relative power advantages come from a comparison of the ARM-based “A5″ processor running in Apple’s (AAPL) iPad 2 with Viewsonic’s tablet computer powered by Intel’s “Oak Trail,” also known as the Z670.

ARM’s ordinary shares are up 18 pence, or 3.4%, at 568 pence in U.K. trading, while the company’s American Depository Receipts (AMRH) are up $1.21, or almost 5%, at $27.06.

ARMH: Morgan Stanley Says Buy, Still Leading Intel; Raises Estimates

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Feb 20

Microsoft SA: Windows re-imagined and great new ...

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Microsoft South Africa says consumers can expect great new devices and a new connected world from them

South African consumers can expect “Windows Re-imagined” and great devices from Microsoft in 2012.  This is according to Melanie Botha, marketing and operations lead at Microsoft South Africa.

Botha says that it is a very exciting time with new hardware innovation afoot and the ability to mix and match solutions for clients based on their needs. “We’re all in. Nearly every one of our products has or is developing features and/or services that support the cloud,” says Botha.

“Another focal area for us will be devices, devices, devices, it’s going to be an interesting year for device innovation and I think we will see some very interesting form factors,” predicts Botha.

Botha predicts that we are going to see cloud starting to become a little more mainstream this year, enabling some interesting integration across devices and media. “Applications will be the order of the day, both on devices and in the cloud,” says Botha.

An interesting observation is that despite the rise of tablet PCs globally, there is still strong growth in the PC market in South Africa and other developing markets.

Microsoft is however not neglecting the tablet PC market. “We’ve already previewed Windows 8, which is a massive step to changing the way that Windows customers experience the power of technology.”

And 2012 is obviously the year of Windows Phone. “Windows Phone is set to change the smartphone landscape with the announcement of our partnership with Nokia and the introduction of the Lumia device,” says Botha.

Both highlight that the trends of ‘consumerisation of IT’ is one of the reasons why it is so important for Microsoft to stay ahead of both consumer lifestyles and emerging work patterns.

“The blurring of boundaries between desktop PCs, enterprise servers, web and online services and devices is creating a new way of doing business,” says Botha.

“We’re unshakeably optimistic about the future of technology, and we spend a vast amount of time and resources delivering future technologies, today.”

Microsoft SA: Windows re-imagined and great new devices

Sep 04

Absolute Software Extends Persistent Endpoint ...

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Press Release Source: Absolute Software Corporation on Tuesday August 30, 2011, 8:00 am EDT

The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet marks the first Android-based tablet to benefit from Computrace persistence technology

VANCOUVER, Aug. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ – Absolute® Software Corporation (“Absolute” or the “Company”) (TSX:ABT.to – News), the leading provider of firmware-embedded endpoint security and management solutions, today announced the extension of the Computrace® persistence module into the firmware of the new ThinkPad Tablet from Lenovo, the fastest growing PC-maker worldwide.

“As organizations allow for new platforms and form factors to operate within their network they are faced with new security and manageability challenges,” states John Livingston, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Absolute Software. “With our patented persistence technology, organizations using Lenovo ThinkPad Tablets will benefit from having a consistent connection to these devices, regardless of the user or the location.”

Absolute customers place a high degree of value in Computrace persistence technology. it provides them with a comprehensive view of all their mobile devices and allows them to take proactive and immediate action on devices that are at risk, whether they are on or off the network.

“Persistence technology built in to the devices in our deployment provides our company with the ability to accurately track our mobile assets beyond that of any other technology available,” stated Deron Means, Information Security Officer for Scantron Corporation. “Even in the event of an asset theft, Computrace persistence technology allows our company to maintain control over the unit so we can recover or delete sensitive data. Persistence technology has also proven itself incredibly valuable in deterring any potential internal theft situations.”

“All of our devices carry sensitive patient information. Computrace persistence technology from Absolute provides an additional layer of security,” said Kyle Duke, Chief Information Security Officer, HealthSpring. “Persistence is imperative as it allows us to continue to track, monitor, and manage devices to ensure all sensitive data is wiped and not disclosed.”

“We created the ThinkPad Tablet to address our customers’ needs to access data the way they want,” said Tom Butler, director, ThinkPad Marketing, Lenovo.  “With Computrace persistence technology embedded in the Tablet, we’re providing customers with the latest in endpoint security and management to ensure their devices and data are protected.  There are no other Android tablets on the market today that can provide this capability.”

To learn more about Absolute persistence technology for ultra-mobile devices, view the Computrace Persistence for Android video.

How Computrace Technology Works

Computrace products are powered by the Absolute Software patented Computrace persistence technology. When embedded in the firmware of computers, netbooks, and tablets from leading computer manufacturers, Computrace can survive operating system re-installations, as well as hard-drive reformats, replacements and re-imaging, ensuring that the service is there when it’s needed most.* the Computrace Agent is virtually undetectable and calls home to the Absolute Monitoring Center with IT asset information including the physical location of each device. If a computer is reported stolen, the Absolute Theft Recovery Team works on behalf of the customer to gather evidence from the computer to identify where it is and who’s using it, then they work with local police to get the computer back.  Customers can also remotely delete data, freeze a device, and remotely retrieve files to secure the device (and the data it contains) – a reliable contingency when other data protection solutions fail.

*For a list of computers with firmware-embedded Computrace technology, visit www.absolute.com/firmware.

About Absolute Software

Absolute Software Corporation (TSX:ABT.to – News) is the world leader in firmware-embedded endpoint security and management for computers and ultra-portable devices. the Company’s Computrace, Absolute Manage, and LoJack for Laptops solutions provide organizations with actionable intelligence to prove compliance, generate fast ROI, reduce overhead, and deliver comprehensive visibility and control over all of their endpoints, anywhere, anytime. the Company’s software agent is embedded in the firmware of computers, netbooks, and tablets by global leaders, including Acer, ASUS, Dell, Fujitsu, General Dynamics Itronix, HP, Lenovo, Motion, Panasonic, and Toshiba, and the Company has reselling partnerships with these OEMs and others, including Apple. For more information about Absolute Software, visit www.absolute.com and http://blog.absolute.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. these forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the expected performance, functionality and availability of our services and products, and other expectations, intentions and plans contained in this press release that are not historical fact. When used in this press release, the words “plan,” “expect,” “believe,” and similar expressions generally identify forward-looking statements. these statements reflect our current expectations. they are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, changes in technology and general market conditions. in light of the many risks and uncertainties you should understand that we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements contained in this press release will be realized.

©2011 Absolute Software Corporation. all rights reserved. Computrace and Absolute are registered trademarks of Absolute Software Corporation. LoJack is a registered trademark of LoJack Corporation, used under license by Absolute Software Corporation. LoJack Corporation is not responsible for any content herein. U.S. patents # 5,715,174, # 5,764,892, # 5,802,280, # 5,896,497, # 6,087,937, # 6,244,758, # 6,269,392, # 6,300,863, # 6,507,914, # 7,818,557, # 7,818,803 and # 7,945,709. Canadian patents # 2,211,735, # 2,284,806 and # 2,205,370. U.K. patents # EP0793823, # GB2298302 and # GB2338101. German patent # 69512534. Australian patent # 699045. Japanese patent # 4067035. the Toronto Stock Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved of the information contained in this news release.

Absolute Software Extends Persistent Endpoint Security to the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet