Archive for Hardware

RB | January 24, 2012
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Tablet Info

The Tablet PC has long been a pet project for Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who showed the first Tablet PC prototype in 2000 at Comdex. Mr. Gates described the device, which featured input via stylus only, as an evolutionary step in PC functionality and usability. For the next ten years leading up to CEO Steve Ballmer‘s introduction of the new “slates”, which support Windows 7 touchscreen features, the company has tried to make the Tablet catch-on but with little success according to PCWorld.

Microsoft Office Coming To iPad Next Year – Report

Microsoft OfficeMicrosoft may be bringing Office to the iPad next year, according to a report in The Daily. The report cites unnamed sources, and says that Microsoft (MSFT) will also update its version of Office for the Mac next year.

On a business level, it might make sense the Apple (AAPL) iPad is making inroads into enterprise, and having some sort of Office client available for it would let Microsoft earn at least some money from these Apple invaders. It would also help make sure that Office 365 the company’s cloud-based business services would work on the iPad according to the BusinessInsider,

Microsoft might even do this at the risk of driving some enterprise customers to stick with iPads instead of adopting Windows 8 tablets. After all, Office and related back-end products has been driving Microsoft’s growth for the last year, while Windows sales have been pretty stagnant (I wrote about Office’s profitability here).

The BusinessInsider points out that Microsoft has NEVER released Office for the Mac in the same year (or before) Office for Windows. Microsoft is building Office 15 for Windows. It’s going to be a ton of work to revamp it to work with the Windows 8 tablet interface, or risk having it relegated to traditional PCs only (and having one less reason for customers to choose Windows 8 tablets). The Mac version of Office almost always comes a year after the Windows version. It COULD be different this time, but that would require a diversion of resources to a minority platform (the Mac still has less than 5% market share for personal computers).

Microsoft said through a spokesperson: “We already deliver Office on multiple platforms and devices and are committed to expanding in the future, but have nothing further to share today.”

BI says that expanding Office to the iPad is not crazy.

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Dell Streak Discontinued

DellThe Dell Streak 7 won’t even get to turn one year old. The BusinessInsider noted that Dell (DELL) is pulling the plug on its unremarkable tablet, as indicated on its site.

This is only shortly after discontinuing the Dell Streak 5 as well.

BI recalled Walt Mossberg‘s February 2011 AllThingsD review of the tablet, he sums it all up with one sentence: “I found the compromises Dell made to get to that low price make it impossible for me to recommend the Streak 7.”

rb-

I wrote about hardware companies abandoning the tablet market in 2012 here. Does this move make Dell a market leader?

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Proof That The PC Is Dying

PC is dyingThe BusinessInsider noted this excellent chart from Horace Dediu @asymco as proof that the PC is dying a slow, painful death. Mr. Dediu’s chart shows PC sales, including Google (GOOG) Android and Apple (AAPL) iOS devices, from the dawn of time to today.

As you can see, PC sales have started to go flat. Based on recent numbers from last quarter, they may have already hit their peak.

Meanwhile, Macs are gaining steady momentum while Android and iOS devices are blowing up.

One thing BI thinks could break the trend are all those fancy new Ultrabooks displayed at CES. Those could give PC sales a major boost considering how cheap and efficient they are.

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Apple Sues Chinese Outfit for Heresy

Steve Jobs Apple (AAPL) is suing a Chinese company for making graven idols of its founder Steve Jobs reports TechEye. Chinese company In Icons created an “eerily realistic” 12-inch action figure of Steve Jobs. TechEye says the model comes with the clothes and accessories such as the black faux turtleneck, blue jeans and sneakers. It was being sold in a box that looks like Walter Isaacson‘s “Steve Jobs” biography cover, and comes with a chair, a “One More Thing…” backdrop, as well as two red apples, including one with a bite in it.

Apple sees this an affront and has told In Icons that using Apple’s logo or products, or Jobs’ name or appearance, is a “criminal offence.” The article points out that the Pope and Elvis have similar deals on their merchandise.

But it is clear that its threat is going nowhere In Icons is not giving up.

Tandy Cheung, the entrepreneur behind In Icons told TechEye said that he was an Apple fanboy and a lot of people like him who want to have Jobs’ action figure. Cheung spoke with several lawyers from Hong Kong who told him that he wasn’t in violation unless he decided to brand any of his designs with Apple products or logos. He told IB Times that Steve Jobs was not an actor, he’s just a celebrity. There is no copyright protection for a normal person. Steve Jobs is not a product.

BuzzFeed updates that the promo pics from toy company In Icons might suggest that the late Apple co-founder comes with cool accessories, but alas. For $99 all you get is the black turtleneck-clad 12” action figure, no assembly required. Due for U.S. release in late February.

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RB | September 27, 2011
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Tablet Info

Mobile computing Morgan Stanley predicts (PDF) that by the end of 2020 10 billion mobile internet devices will be in use, up from 2 billion today. they also says that enterprise adoption is more widespread than expected. Two-thirds of the CIO’s surveyed expect either to buy tablets for some of their employees or allow employee-owned tablets on their networks within one year. The investment house also says that tablets will be viewed as content creation devices. They found 20% of tablet owners use the device to create or edit files regularly.and believe the rate of introduction of new mobile applications and faster processors could increase these figures over time.

People Have No Clue How To Use iPad Apps

ConfusediPad readers are skimming and can’t remember what they’ve read according to Nielsen Norman Group, BussinessInsider points out the report which finds that many big name iPad apps are too difficult to use, and should abide by one standard for gestures, tapping, etc.

Nielsen gave 16 study participants access to the NPR app, the Flipboard app, The Daily app, and the Amazon app, among others for two months, to see how they reacted and what they attempted to swipe, pinch, and tap.

According to Nielsen, most consumer’s are confused because every app has a different navigation scheme, and look different than their website counterparts. People had a lot of trouble in specific situations, because from one app to another, performing simple tasks like search, scrolling, or shopping, can be completely different.

In the midst of all their hard findings, Nielsen makes suggestions for app-makers to make their apps more intuitive and ergonomic for users. Nielsen suggests:

  • Always have a back button.
  • Content should look the same in portrait or landscape navigation.
  • Apps should take less than 20 seconds to download initial content.
  • Stick to a solid format for your website and tablet app.

Fring 4-way Group Video Chat Lands on iPad 2

fringThere is now a good reason for iPad 2 owners to use their front and rear cameras. AppScout says that Fring is the first app that brings group video chat to the Apple (AAPL) iPad 2.

Fring is a competitor to Skype and Qik that offers free 1-1 video chat over smartphones, but with the added bonus of free cross-platform 4-way live video chat. You can chat over Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G. AppScout predicts this feature along makes Fring a force to be reckoned with. Instead of waiting on its competitors to bring video chat to the iPad, Fring stepped up to deliver group video chat to the iPad. AppScout states that for now is the ONLY iPad-specific video chat app.

All the same features that are available for iPhone, iPod Touch, Google’s (GOOG) Android and Nokia (NOK) devices are available on the iPad as well. Additional features include FringOut that lets you call ANY phone number using low-cost Fring credits.

USB Hub Allows Simultaneous Syncing of 49 iPads

Datamation Systems Datamation Systems has released a desktop station that allows simultaneous syncing for up to 49 Apple (AAPL) iPads or other USB devices. The DS-IP-49-SYNC changes the way information is managed and distributed. The device acts as a fully powered USB hub for 49 devices. Using a Mac, it can sync with iTunes or other software capable of addressing USB devices. The system will work with Microsoft (MSFT) Windows, Linux and Mac computers but could have some software limitations with a non-Mac host.

The device is a syncing device which will provide a “trickle charge” for iPads, not as a fast-charge device. A single station in a tech center or IT department can quickly sync 49 devices which permits more practical centralized management control in technology deployments and maintenance. (rb- Something that Apple still does not get)

Foxconn Exported 48 Billion From Shenzhen In 2010

Foxconn Technology Group ChinaTechNews reports that Foxconn Technology Group (2038) says that in 2010, the company’s export value from its Shenzhen processing and trade enterprise reached $48 billion, a year-on-year increase of 50%.

According to ChinaTechNews nearly half of the world’s top branded computers are made by Foxconn. The company also makes mobile phone for Nokia (NOK) and Motorola (MMI) (GOOG); it makes playstations, laptops, and LCD TVs for Sony (SNE); and it makes iPods, iPhones and iPads for Apple (AAPL).

The article goes on to say that the Foxconn Shenzhen Longhua campus has become the manufacturing base for the latest technology products, including smartphones and tablet computers; and the volume and speed of shipments from this plant influence the prices in the global IT market.

Foxconn boasted new technology breakthroughs during the past year. In 2010, Foxconn applied for 16,000 global patents and 7,000 were approved; and it applied for 6,000 patents on Chinese mainland and nearly 3,000 got approved. (rb- And still the idiots politicians in Washington are still messing around with another budget extension.)

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RB | July 7, 2011
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To Late for Cisco to Take on Apple?

Compaq Portable IIIChronically under-performing Cisco is finally getting into the iPad tablet market. Cisco (CSCO) will be releasing Cius in July.  Technology Review reports that Cisco’s Cius, is bulkier than the iPad, and has a smaller screen (7-inches wide, compared to the iPad’s 9.7). But it packs a number of tricks designed to woo business users.

Cisco SystemsTested.com says the Cius can connect into a Cisco phone network to port calls from a desk number to the tablet to  makes a user’s desk number mobile, enabling a person to make and receive voice and video calls anywhere. The tablet features HD quality cameras front and back and can be used with a Bluetooth headset for more private calling.

Cisco CisuThe tablet can also be used as a desktop videoconferencing device when docked on a special desktop phone, and can smoothly switch between a WiFi a cellular network connection. The Cius can be docked to serve as a videoconferencing device. The dock supports a keyboard and mouse, so the Cius really can serve as a little computer,  “It can replace my desktop operating system,” says Tom Puorro, senior director for Cisco’s collaboration technologies told Technology Review. .

Google Android Tested.com says the tablet runs Google‘s (GOOG) Android 2.2 Froyo on an Intel (INTC) Z650 1.6GHz Atom chip and weighs 1.5 pounds despite its small 7” screen. Tested.com speculates that Cisco has heavily modified the open source  Android to support business-centric features like, multi-person videoconferencing and virtual desktop software.

Engadget has a video demo of the product here.

The fully skinned Android tablet seems like a relic of 2010 thanks to the arrival of Honeycomb, a version of Android actually built for tablets–which the Cius isn’t running. Tested.com says Cisco plans to upgrade the tablet to Android Ice Cream Sandwich eventually, but for now it’s slumming around with version 2.2 (Froyo). Cisco probably spent too much time developing its custom skin and software to upgrade to Android version 2.3  (Gingerbread) or version 3.0 (Honeycomb).

Cisco has also created its own app store, AppHQ, that has only apps deemed stable and secure by Cisco and  segregated it from the Android app market. This gives IT department greater control over what a Cius user can do. IT managers can shut down access to the Android app market to protect a company from malicious apps according to Technology Review. Companies can even create their own app store within AppHQ and limit employees to certain applications, or apps built in house.

Cisco has demonstrated a Cius virtual desktop that runs in the cloud, and makes use of a dedicated chip in the tablet that encrypt all its data says Technology Review

A WiFi only version of the tablet will be available worldwide from July 31 at an estimated price of $750. Cisco will sell it along with related services and infrastructure, so the cost to businesses will vary, and could be as low as $650. AT&T and Verizon will each offer versions for their 3G and 4G networks this fall.

rb-

I wrote about the Cius here and don’t think it is an Apple Killer. Cisco will give its big partners a deal, but the Cius also depends on an existing Cisco telephony infrastructure. I don’t see the Cius fitting in the Cisco product line-up since they jettisoned the Flip and are reportedly shopping Linksys and WebEx. The built-in virtual desktop looks pretty cool, though.

What do you think?

Can the Cisco Cius knock off the Apple iPad?

Does the Cius make sense in the non-consumer Cisco?

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RB | June 20, 2011
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Tablet Notes

iPad sold three million units in the first 80 days after its April 2010 release and its current sales rate is about 4.5 million units per quarter, according to Bernstein Research. This sales rate is blowing past the one million units the iPhone sold in its first quarter and the 350,000 units sold in the first year by the DVD player, the most quickly adopted non-phone electronic product.

Dell Inc.Apple iPad Will Fail in the Enterprise: Dell

Andy Lark, Dell‘s (DELL) global head of marketing for large enterprises and public organizations told CIO Australia that the Apple (AAPL) iPad would ultimately fail in the enterprise.

… longer term, open, capable and affordable will win, not closed, high price and proprietary [Apple has] done a really nice job, they’ve got a great product, but the challenge they’ve got is that already Android is outpacing them.

Apple is great if you’ve got a lot of money and live on an island. It’s not so great if you have to exist in a diverse, open, connected enterprise; simple things become quite complex.

Mr. Lark claimed Dell had taken an enterprise approach toward tablet PCs, which would ultimately give the company, which has a major stake in Microsoft Windows and the desktop PC market, an edge. “We’ve taken a very considered approach to tablets, given that the vast majority of our business isn’t in the consumer space,” he said.

The cost of Apple products was another deterrent to iPad deployments, with Lark claiming that a the economics on a fully loaded iPad did not add up. “An iPad with a keyboard, a mouse and a case [means] you’ll be at $1500 or $1600; that’s double of what you’re paying,” he claimed. “That’s not feasible.”

Despite the company’s history with Microsoft, it had embraced both Windows Phone 7 and Android operating systems “…Our strategy is multi-OS,” Lark said. “We will do Windows 7 coupled with Android Honeycomb, and we’re really excited. We think that giving people that choice is very important.”

Get Outlook Offline on the iPhone and iPad

PST MailApple (AAPL) iPhone and iPad owners who need access to their Microsoft (MSFT) Outlook e-mail even when they don’t have an Internet connection, help has finally arrived says AppScout. Arrow Bit has released Pst Mail an iPad app that provides offline access, potentially saving money on the user’s data plan. With the app, you can carry around a year’s worth of messages with you. Pst Mail can interact with the Mail app on your iPhone or iPad to reply to or forward messages. It can also open pst files created with any version of Microsoft Outlook.

AppScout says to find messages in large pst files, Pst Mail includes an advanced search feature. You can search by sender, recipient, subject text, message body, or even attachment name. You can also limit the search to a particular time frame. The developers offer a free lite version of the app in the iTunes Store, which has all the same features as the full version but is limited to the number of messages a user may open in each folder. The full version costs $9.99 in the iTunes app store.

GoToMyPC: iPad App

GoToMyPCiPad Citrix (CTXS) has launched an Apple (AAPL) iPad version of GoToMyPC, a remote desktop application that lets you login to your computer and control it on the go. Up until recently you needed a PC to login to a remote PC using the service. But the iPad app lets you do it anywhere you can get an internet connection on an iPad.

Mobilputing says GoToMyPC is hardly the first app of its type for the iPad. LogMein, TeamViewer, Parallels and Splashtop all offer similar apps. But the GoToMyPC app has tight security features including 128-bit AES encryption, user authentication, and dual passwords, oriented for business.

Apple Sued Over Applications Giving Information to Advertisers

Law SuitApple (AAPL) and Apple app developers have been sued over the collection and sharing of user data with outside companies (which I wrote about here). Two suits were filed in the Northern District of CA against the iPhone and iPad manufacturer. Apple is named in Lalo v. Apple, 10-5878.

Lalo seeks class action and claims that iPhones and iPads are encoded with identifying devices that allow advertising networks to track what applications users download, how frequently they’re used and for how long. “Some apps are also selling additional information to ad networks, including users’ location, age, gender, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation and political views,” reports Bloomberg’s BusinesWeek.

According to Wired the second suit, Freeman v. Apple seeks both monetary damages and a court order to stop the profiling by  app makers being sued are Pandora and Dictionary.com, Toss It, Text4Plus, The Weather Channel, Talking Tom Cat and Pimple Popper Lite.

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iPad sold three million units in the first 80 days after its April release and its current sales rate is about 4.5 million units per quarter, according to Bernstein Research. This sales rate is blowing past the one million units the iPhone sold in its first quarter and the 350,000 units sold in the first year by the DVD player, the most quickly adopted non-phone electronic product.
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RB | May 7, 2011
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Money Makes the Tech World Gou Round

Foxconn, Microsoft and Intel just reported financial results and things look different. Apple is more profitable than Microsoft, MSFT‘s most profitable division are toys and Intel says server growth for the mobile web is driving  its growth.

Foxconn Profits Jump in 2010

Foxconn Foxconn, the world’s manufacturer of all things tech recently posted its latest earnings report. TechEye points out that despite inconveniences like having to pay workers a slightly larger pittance, and provide them with better working conditions, Foxconn has announced a 53 percent rise in consolidated revenues for 2010.  Terry Gou‘s company’s gross profit for the twelve months increased by 58.5 percent to NT$100.9 billion from NT$63.6 billion in 2009.

Digitimes says the figures are all better than market watchers’ forecasts. Market watchers originally expected rising labor and component costs would seriously impact Foxconn’s profitability in 2010, but the company’s strong revenues last year still managed to boost its overall profitability despite a drop of 1.37 percentage points in its gross margin from the 2009 level to 8.15%.

oxconn: Audited non-consolidated financial report, 1Q11 (NT$b)

 

 

Item

 

 

Amount

 

 

Y/Y

 

 

Revenues

 

 

554.011

 

 

33.56%

 

 

Gross margin

 

 

4.52%

 

 

down 0.20pp

 

 

Net operating profit

 

 

5.904

 

 

(34.44%)

 

 

Net profit

 

 

14.401

 

 

(19.94%)

 

 

Net earnings per share (NT$)

 

 

1.49

 

 

(19.89%)

Windows Sales Down Microsoft Profits Up 31 percent

Microsoft Microsoft (MSFT) profits grew 31 percent during its fiscal 3rd quarter ending March 31, 2011.  During this period, the software giant racked up $5.23 billion in profits, while revenues reached $16.43 billion, a 13 percent climb. These profits came thanks to strong performance from some nontraditional divisions.

MSFT’s Entertainment and Devices Division provided the biggest revenue gain. The home of Xbox and Kinect, Ballmer’s boys motion-sensing game controller increased sales by 60 percent to $1.94 billion.  This is the smallest of Microsoft’s product divisions so it only generated 11.8 percent of overall sales. According to CNET. Kinect drove sales, selling 2.4 million units in the quarter according to the New York Times. CNET reports the company sold 2.7 million Xbox 360 consoles in the quarter, a 79 percent increase from last year.

Microsoft‘s second-largest revenue generator this quarter was the Windows and Windows Live Division which had revenue of $4.45 billion. This represents a 4 percent decrease from last year’s $4.65 billion and net income fell 10 percent. According to CNET Redmond says Windows is the fastest-selling operating system in history with 350 million licenses sold.

The Server and Tools Division saw the next best performance. The home to Windows Server had sales of $4.1 billion, up 11 percent from a year ago. Profit for the unit climbed 12 percent. CNET says business adoption of Windows Server, SQL Server and System Center lifted the division’s results.

At the Business Division, home of Office, Microsoft’s revenue grew 21 per cent from last year according to the NYT . Thee NYT says the company’s Office software has no significant competition revenue grew to $5.25 billion. Office 2010 is the fastest-selling version of Office ever, Microsoft said, with businesses deploying the software at five times the rate of its predecessor.

Microsoft’s smallest revenue generator the Online Services Division, home of Bing  gained 14 percent in revenue to $648 million from $566 million.TechEye reports that Bing increased its share of the search market but Microsoft spent so much on promotion the division saw operating losses of over $700 million. Ballmers partners are not happy with these results.  Two years ago, Microsoft and Yahoo inked a deal to use MSFT technologies for Yahoo’s search  to help both fight off rival to Google. However, Yahoo’s chief executive, Carol A. Bartz, said that the partnership had not yielded the expected financial results for Yahoo and that technical glitches by Microsoft were to blame according to the NYT.

Intel Cashes in on Mobile Boom – Just Not on the Phone

IntelChip giant Intel (INTC) has finally found a way into the mobile market. After years trying to get its Atom chips into mobile devices, they are profiting from the demand for servers to feed the mobile devices. Intel Chief Financial Officer Stacy Smith told Bloomberg that the spread of mobile devices fuels “explosive” growth for processors used in data centers. “There’s a significant, maybe even an insatiable, demand driver for more and more performance and computing power that’s moving into the cloud,” Mr. Smith told Bloomberg. “What gets lost is the explosive growth of all of these devices connecting to the Internet is driving a $10 billion dollar server business.” Intel recently reported that its second-quarter revenue will be $1 billion more than analysts had estimated, in part driven by the data center boom.

 

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