The target shipments are too optimistic, and 18-20m units is more likely, according to the sources.
In order to reach the goal, Microsoft has offered subsidies to vendors developing and launching Windows tablets, the sources indicated. While Sony and Lenovo are less interested in developing Windows tablets, Asustek Computer and Acer have been very cooperative with Microsoft, the sources noted. Asustek aims to ship 12m tablets in 2014, including about 4m Windows units, while Acer aims to ship 10m tablets including 2m Windows units, the sources said. And Surfaces? Aiming to go from 3m in 2013 to 6m.]]>
Part of this may be out of old habits but I do not think so. I have given the Chromebook a thorough testing over the past three months and would say it meets about 80% of my needs. It is the other 20% that I have to find workarounds for or resign myself to switching devices.
I do like the Chromebook for light duty tasks, is boots lightning fast (7 seconds) and the updates are much smaller and faster than Windows updates. I do however have equivalent Windows devices that boot nearly as fast and offer more functionality. Given that my Windows 8.1 devices also run the Chrome browser I am not really giving anything up when using Windows, in fact, I gain functionality while still having access to all the Google goodies via the Chrome browser.]]>
Asustek originally planned to start marketing the TD300 in Asia and Europe in the first quarter of 2014, and in the US in the second quarter, the paper said. It was going to be a Windows/Android dual boot. It was shown off at CES. Now it's nixed.]]>
Manufacturers will be charged $15 to license Windows 8.1 and preinstall it on devices that retail for less than $250, instead of the usual fee of $50, said the people, who asked not to be named because the details aren’t public. The discount will apply to any products that meet the price limit, with no restrictions on the size or type of device, the people said.
Stronger competition from Apple and Google cut revenue last quarter at Microsoft’s devices and consumer licensing division, which includes Windows software, as the computer industry posted its biggest annual decline on record. Is it really Chromebooks that are driving this (given their tiny sales), or just a lack of low-end sales?]]>
The next conclusion to make is that the other 49 OEM partners, including Palm (NSDQ: PALM), Motorola (NYSE: MOT) and Samsung, have sold 10 million phones all combined. The next year, HTC rode the Android wave and in 2011 had its biggest-ever revenues. Now it's slipping. Is Windows (Phone this time) going to be the solution?]]>
As part of the survey, Appcelerator asked the 804 participants how interested they were in developing consumer and enterprise apps for the various mobile platforms. Apple was on top, with 80% saying they were very interested in developing applications for the company's smartphones and tablets, which is roughly the same response elicited by the first quarter version of the survey.
The third-highest priority was Android-based smartphones, which 71% of the respondents said they were very interested in, an increase of 7 percentage points from the first quarter. But unlike Apple, Google and its hardware partners have so far failed to convince enterprises that Android-based tablets are as important as smartphones based on the OS: 59% stated they were very interested, though that was an increase compared to 52% during the first quarter survey.
…After that there is a big gap down to Windows-based smartphones and tablets, at 26% and 25%, respectively, compared to 29% and 30% in the first quarter study. To add insult to injury more than 60% thought that Windows 8 would ultimately fail as a mobile platform. ]]>
What we see here are several mini- and full-sized tablets running on the Intel Atom "Bay Trail" platform, plus Microsoft and Nokia devices running on ARM. What's most interesting about Microsoft's Surface lineup for 2013, perhaps, is that they have three devices. And two of them are running Windows RT 8.1 on ARM. Surface 2 will be unveiled on Monday.]]>
If all that confused you, you are not alone. While the technologically savvy most likely lapped up those features, average consumers did not.
“Windows is a hammer, and everything looks like a nail” to Microsoft, said Ryan Block, a former editor at Engadget and a co-founder of Gdgt, a gadget Web site. “You can look at the Surface, which is the best example; they created this totally blown-out tablet based around Windows and Windows-like experiences that didn’t translate” for most people.]]>
Singh dubbed the trend "tablet-PC replacement rate," and believes that it points to the real possibility that PC shipments will, rather than uptick at some point, continue to contract, perhaps to a point where they average between 65m and just over 70m units per quarter. If accurate, that would return the PC industry to shipment volumes of 2007-2008, and represent as much as a 28% contraction from Peak PC.]]>
So far, Acer's 8.1in Iconia W3 is the only tablet in the retail channel that has been subsidized by the SST program, but its unfriendly price of NT$14,000 (US$467) is still creating difficulties for the device to attract consumer demand. The Iconia price is subsidised? Ye gods.]]>
"We think this will bring a big opportunity for HP," said Enrique Lore, senior vice president and general manager of HP's business PCs.
Lore was asked, in a later interview, whether the demand for XP replacement systems could help sales more than Windows 8. His response was unequivocal: "Yes, significantly more, especially on the commercial side," he said.
Lore said 40% to 50% of business users remain on XP systems. That latter fact is really quite scary.]]>
OEMs disappointed with Windows RT are building Windows 8 tablets. The most PC-like of these may succeed as sort of Ultra-ultrabooks, Windows 8 is fundamentally unsuited to a pure tablet. It requires too much process, too much battery power, too much storage, and too much keyboard. The same OEMs, even those most loyal to Microsoft, are also hedging their bets with Android.
That may well be too late. iOS 7, expected this fall, is likely to be a major enhancement of the iPad and we may see iOS 8 before the Windows tablet software upgrade is complete. Android tablet software still lags; the operating system has not made nearly as much progress on tablets as on phones. But Google and its partners will get it right sooner or later, and probably before Microsoft. That tablet/smartphone OSs and desktop OSs currently evolve at different rates is a big problem for Microsoft's strategy.]]>
For all this uncertainty, I can say this: The biggest single issues standing in the way of Windows 8’s success are the same as they’ve ever been: Bad perception and the continued eroding of PC viability as a business due to the continued “success” of PCs with low-ball pricing. That’s right. It’s the revenge of the netbook all over again. His numbers on PC prices are, frankly, surprising. And who he blames for it? Even more so.]]>
How is it a step forward to create a tile inscribed with the name of the program? An old alphabetized DOS listing is easier to navigate than a wall of tiles, on which nothing is immediately familiar. Our innate pattern recognition is short-circuited by similar tiles. You have to read text rather than react to an iconic image. And while colored tiles help a little, it's still problematic. For once, Dvorak actually makes a good point - though the tiles also contain icons, but being reversed (white on colour) they're not as easy to recognise as a non-reversed colour. It's the same as trying to read white text on coloured background - it's slower than black on a lighter colour. (Thanks @rquick for the link.)]]>
Microsoft also stated that Windows revenue from OEMs was in line with the drop in PC shipments. PC shipments should continue to decline throughout the year (a minimum 8-10% annual decline as per my most recent forecast), which should pressure Windows revenue over the next few quarters. (Note that Microsoft's fiscal third quarter is the calendar first quarter, ie January-March).]]>
I refuse to believe that Chromebooks make any sense at all for businesses or educational institutions, and that the manageability of Windows RT and Windows 8, combined with still-reasonable pricing, the familiarity of the environments, and the cachet of modern, new tablet form factors, won’t just keep Microsoft in the game but will in fact allow the company to continue to set the pace. Gauntlet, consider yourself thrown.]]>
The trouble is, the license for Office 365 Home Premium specifically excludes those uses. Here’s the relevant portion of the license agreement:
Only one person at a time may use the software on each licensed computer or licensed device. The service/software may not be used for commercial, non-profit, or revenue-generating activities.If that prohibition sounds familiar, it’s because the same issue arose when Microsoft released its Surface device, which includes a similar prohibition in the Office 2013 RT license agreement. That issue was eventually resolved with a change to the terms of Microsoft’s Volume Licensing program. Wonder if the same move will save it this time.]]>
Acer, which last week announced a NT$3.5bn ($120m) write-off on the value of its Gateway, Packard Bell and eMachines brands that pushed it into losses, is looking for alternatives as Windows-based computers struggle amid rising popularity of tablets and smartphones. Global computer industry shipments dropped 6.4 percent in the fourth quarter despite Microsoft’s latest operating system being released during the period, according to IDC Corp.
“Windows 8 itself is still not successful,” said Wong, whose company posted a 28% drop in fourth-quarter shipments from a year earlier. “The whole market didn’t come back to growth after the Windows 8 launch, that’s a simple way to judge if it is successful or not.” Also: won't release any Windows RT devices before autumn. Instead, it's getting into the smartphone business.]]>
The most fascinating aspect, for me, of technology product development is the intersection of engineering and social science. Holy hell. Steve Sinofsky has a blog.]]>
Don’t weep too much for Microsoft. It’s design decisions give it an advantage in the tablet to notebook continuum that is ultimately more valuable. Not only that, so far Apple has eschewed the Phablet space confirming it might remain a fairly small niche. So the question becomes, does Microsoft ignore Phablets completely? If not, how are they going to address them? ]]>
Microsoft decided instead to keep the brand for tablets, electing to simply present the tablet software as Windows RT. Windows RT is optimised for the low-powered ARM processors found in most tablets, and is presented as a stripped-down version of the full-sized Windows 8 software designed for the powerful Intel chips found in laptops and desktop computers. So that went well, showing off Dell's ability to influence Microsoft's thinking.]]>
The answer is Surface where the software margin is captured in hardware. This explains the pricing of Surface. The price isn’t significantly below what Apple charges because Microsoft wants to capture a comparable (30%+) margin. On a $500 product that amounts to $150. After subtracting hardware operating and distribution costs we can get pretty close to the $120 it currently obtains from a PC.
This also explains the lack of appetite for “partnerships”. OEMs which would normally compete on hardware would have to deal with zero margins (or less) after license fees and would be encouraged to cut corners and shave costs, compromising the experience and causing the platform to suffer. He also gives a suggestion to why Microsoft dislikes the phrase "post-PC".]]>
One thing that Android and iOS do not address is how to handle the requirement of offering a legacy Xerox Alto-style mouse-and-windows environment. Microsoft here integrates the tablet and the standard Windows desktop in the most inconvenient and inconsistent possible way. Greenspun approaches it calmly enough, and the comments (there are lots) are fascinating too because - once you ignore those which say "I'm a developer.." or "I've been using it since the RC.." - they come from actual users.]]>
Underclocking significantly reduces hardware failures, by 39% to 80%. This really shouldn’t be happening. Manufacturers apparently sell a lot of hardware that doesn’t quite meet advertised specifications, or else is inadequately integrated with the system (e.g. poor ventilation).
Laptops are 25% to 60% more reliable than desktops. Portable systems have much tougher operating conditions – smaller cases with greater potential for heat buildup, physical movement and battering while active – but evidently their sturdier design overcompensates for these conditions.]]>
HDD shipments in 2012 for the overall computer market, including PCs, are forecast to reach 524.0m units, up 4.3% from 502.5m units last year, according to an IHS iSuppli Storage Space Market Brief from information and analytics provider IHS.
The 2012 number will be the highest shipment figure on record in the HDD books at year-end—but the achievement will not stand for long. In fact, HDD shipments are projected to climb continually, the stellar results of each year bested by the next in predictable but welcome fashion until at least 2016. Wes Miller, of the consultancy Directions On Microsoft, remarked: "Windows 8 and Windows RT don't mark a recovery point for spinning disks. They mark the beginning of the end."]]>
The breakdown for favorite version of Windows, from top to bottom, was Windows 7: 53%; Windows 8: 25%, XP: 20% and Other: 2%. Research house Gartner wouldn't argue. In a Webinar, Gartner analysts Steve Kleynhans and Michael Silver argue that if your company is still using XP you want to upgrade to Windows 7 and not be distracted by Windows 8. Who on earth are these 2% on the Windows 8 forums whose favourite isn't Windows 8,7, or XP? They're not - gasp - Vista users, are they?]]>
Paying developers to target your platform is a sign of desperation. Doing so means developers have no skin in the game. A platform where developers do not have skin in the game is artificially propped up and will not succeed in the long run.
The Windows Phone 7 team was in a very, very desperate situation. Thoughtful post by ex-Microsoftie Kindel about the dynamics now in the smartphone, tablet and PC marketplace.]]>
Apparently aware that time is running out, Microsoft has at long last spoken. Next week, the company will release a beta SDK... to a few people. Calling it a limited "Preview" release, some number of developers with existing, published Windows Phone 7 applications will be able to use the new SDK. This is in addition to an existing private beta program already running, that's giving OEMs and special software partners access to the software.
A full SDK will come, but not until the company properly unveils the operating system—which is currently rumored to happen on October 29th. Presuming Windows Phone 8 devices ship this year—and Microsoft is certainly talking as if they will—that leaves developers little time to update their applications and get ready for the new platform. Not having an SDK for developers is, in these app-hungry days, a big problem if you're looking to make a difference in the smartphone market. Just ask RIM about BB10. (Thanks @avro for the link.)]]>
However, once it's installed, it's initially confusing but I have been using it every day all day since it was released and have got myself productive again. Here's what I ran into and how I realized that there's less reason to freak out than I originally thought. Detailed and helpful.]]>
In a word: Bad. This post has been kicked up and down the internet, but Berg's point is a simple one: if enterprises try just sticking Windows 8 in to replace, say, XP, the howls of user pain will be gigantic.]]>
The warning comes ahead of a talk scheduled for Black Hat later this month by Mickey Shkatov and Toby Kohlenberg. Shkatov and Kohlenberg's talk, entitled "We have you by the gadgets", threatens to expose various attack vectors against gadgets, how malicious gadgets can be created, and the flaws they have found in published gadgets.]]>
This description of the Microsoft CEO's workspace, given to Wired.co.uk in Redmond this morning, came from Microsoft VP Frank Shaw. But while it conjures an amusing image of Ballmer using his mighty palms to bat at a Windows Phone-like Metro interface, it's a scenario Shaw said is eventually going to be available to the public.
"It's his whiteboard, his email machine," Shaw said, "and it's a device we're going to sell." ]]>
I worry that in the melee of transforming Windows to be so tablet-centric OS, Microsoft may in fact convince people that an iPad is all that they need to get their job done.]]>
Will any of them be business users?
Fell has another motive for scrutinizing Windows 8. He wants another viable platform to support. “We don’t want Apple to be the only vendor in the enterprise,” Fell said. “If BlackBerry is not going to be the strong No. 1 or No. 2, somebody else has to be, and if that’s Microsoft, that’s good for us and competition.” Does assume that enterprises will be using Windows 8 and Windows Phone on smartphones. The latter may not be such a safe assumption.]]>