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PC Market Trends
A comment from IDC brought ahead: “Competition from 2-in-1 devices and phones remains an issue“. In the notes to the IDC press release it is mentioned as well that “tablets with detachable keyboards [i.e. 2-in-1 devices] running either Windows or Android are not included in the PC category” by IDC. This approach to the PC category is one of the reasons why the decline of the PC market in Q2 2015 is 11.8% according to IDC, while it is 9.5% according to Gartner.
But most importantly: the PC market has continuously been shrinking for the last 3 years as is shown by the chart below:
You will find more statistics at Statista
July 14, 2015: After a brief respite throughout last year, the global PC market returned to its pre-2014 slump in the first half of 2015. According to Gartner’s latest estimates, worldwide PC shipments amounted to 68.4 million in the past three months – down 9.5 percent from last year’s June quarter.The struggling PC industry had received a boost when Microsoft ended official Windows XP support in April 2014, prompting a replacement cycle that has now apparently faded. Despite the sobering results, analysts remain cautiously optimistic about the industry’s mid-term outlook. They argue that the recent decline is no sign of structural weakness but partly a consequence of last year’s unusually positive results and partly an effect of inventory control ahead of the Windows 10 launch scheduled for later this year.
[Gartner’s latest estimates:]
July 9, 2015: Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Declined 9.5 Percent in Second Quarter of 2015
PC Industry Faces Slowdown as Industry Anticipates the Launch of Windows 10
STAMFORD, Conn., July 9, 2015 — Worldwide PC shipments totaled 68.4 million units in the second quarter of 2015, a 9.5 percent decline from the second quarter of 2014, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. This was the steepest PC shipment decline since the third quarter of 2013. PC shipments are projected to decline 4.4 percent in 2015.
There were many contributors to the decline of PC shipments in the second quarter of 2015, and Gartner analysts highlighted three of the major reasons for the drop in shipments. Analysts emphasized that these inhibitors are temporary events, and they are not changing the PC market’s structure. Therefore, while the PC industry is going through a decline, the market is expected to go back to slow and steady growth in 2016.
“The price hike of PCs became more apparent in some regions due to a sharp appreciation of the U.S. dollar against local currencies,” Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. “The price hike could hinder PC demand in these regions. Secondly, the worldwide PC market experienced unusually positive desk-based growth last year due to the end of Windows XP support. After the XP impact was phased out, there have not been any major growth drivers to stimulate a PC refresh. Lastly, the Windows 10 launch scheduled for 3Q15 has created self-regulated inventory control. PC vendors and the channels tried clearing inventory as much as possible before the Windows 10 launch.”
Lenovo maintained the top position in worldwide PC shipments in the second quarter of 2015 (see Table 1), but the company suffered a year-on-year shipment decline for the first time since the second quarter of 2013. EMEA, Latin America and Japan were tough regions for Lenovo, as the company experienced double-digit shipment declines. HP also experienced a shipment decline after five consecutive quarters of PC shipment growth. HP showed a steep decline in EMEA, which was potentially due to the currency impact. The company was also impacted by tight inventory controls in the consumer market before the Windows 10 launch.
Table 1
Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2Q15 (Thousands of Units)
Notes: Data includes desk-based PCs, notebook PCs and ultramobile premium (see “Market Definitions and Methodology: Consumer Devices”). All data is estimated based on a preliminary study. Final estimates will be subject to change. The statistics are based on shipments selling into channels.
Numbers may not add up to totals shown because of rounding.
Source: Gartner (July 2015)For the second consecutive quarter, Dell experienced a decline in PC shipments. Dell’s decline was relatively moderate in EMEA compared with Lenovo and HP. Analysts said this could be partly attributed to Dell’s lower presence in the consumer market, which created less impact to Dell from the Windows 10 prelaunch inventory control.
In the U.S., PC shipments totaled 15.1 million units in the second quarter of 2015, a 5.8 percent decline from the second quarter of 2014 (see Table 2). The decline was led by a double-digit decline of desk-based shipments, which offset single-digit growth of mobile PCs. Based on preliminary results, the desk-based PC shipment decline was the steepest since 2009 when the market was hit by the economic crisis.
“The weakness of desk-based PC shipments in the second quarter of 2015 is partly due to relatively large shipments in the second quarter last year when the market was driven by the end of XP support,” Ms. Kitagawa said. “Despite inventory controls for the Windows 10 launch, mobile PC shipments grew in the quarter, which resulted in five consecutive quarters of mobile PC growth in the U.S. Affordable thin/light notebooks are attracting more business buyers.”
HP maintained the top position for PC shipments in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2015 despite a 10.1 percent decline (see Table 2). Dell narrowed the gap with HP compared with a year ago. Lenovo was the only vendor showing year-over-year PC shipment growth among the top five vendors in the U.S.
Table 2
Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2Q15 (Thousands of Units)
Notes: Data includes desk-based PCs, notebook PCs and ultramobile premium (see “Market Definitions and Methodology: Consumer Devices”). All data is estimated based on a preliminary study. Final estimates will be subject to change. The statistics are based on shipments selling into channels.
Numbers may not add up to totals shown because of rounding.
Source: Gartner (July 2015)
[The Ultramobile (Premium) category includes devices such as Microsoft’s Windows 8 Intel x86 products and Apple’s MacBook Air. Source]PC shipments in EMEA totaled 18.6 million units in the second quarter of 2015, a 15.7 percent decline from the second quarter of 2014. In Europe, vendors spent most of the quarter trying to manage already high inventory levels. They tried clearing that inventory with promotions, having to absorb this with lower margins. In the third quarter of 2015, vendors should see better “sell-in” into the channel with new Windows 10-based devices.
Asia/Pacific PC shipments reached 24.2 million units in the second quarter of 2015, a 2.9 percent decline from the same period last year. Both desk-based and mobile PC shipments declined from the second quarter of 2014. PC shipments in China are estimated to have declined 4 percent in the quarter as demand for consumer PCs remained weak.
These results are preliminary. Final statistics will be available soon to clients of Gartner’s PC Quarterly Statistics Worldwide by Region program. This program offers a comprehensive and timely picture of the worldwide PC market, allowing product planning, distribution, marketing and sales organizations to keep abreast of key issues and their future implications around the globe.
See also
July 16, 2015, Forbes: Why Are IDC And Gartner’s PC Market Stats Different, And Does It Even Matter? by Scott McCutcheon
July 9, 2015: PC Market Continues to Decline Ahead of Windows 10 Release, According to IDC
FRAMINGHAM, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Worldwide PC shipments totaled 66.1 million units in the second quarter of 2015 (2Q15), according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. This represented a year-on-year decline of -11.8%, about one percent below projections for the quarter.
The slow PC shipments were largely anticipated as a result of stronger year-ago shipments relating to end of support for windows XP as well as channels reducing inventory ahead of the release of Windows 10. In addition, weaker or changing exchange rates for foreign currencies have effectively increased PC prices in many markets, thereby reducing purchasing power and also complicating investment planning.
“Although the second quarter decline in PC shipments was significant, and slightly more than expected, the overall trend fits with expectations,” said Loren Loverde, Vice President, Worldwide PC Trackers & Forecasting. “We continue to expect low to mid-single digit declines in volume during the second half of the year with volume stabilizing in future years. We’re expecting the Windows 10 launch to go relatively well, though many users will opt for a free OS upgrade rather than buying a new PC. Competition from 2-in-1 devices and phones remains an issue, but the economic environment has had a larger impact lately, and that should stabilize or improve going forward.”
“The U.S. market was in line with forecasts, declining -3.3% from a year ago, after avoiding the global market declines over the past five quarters. Soft retail demand, short term weakness from inventory reductions, some cannibalization from competing devices, and low demand for large commercial refreshes are among the factors that reduced PC shipments,” said Rajani Singh, Senior Research Analyst,Personal Computers. “Nevertheless, moving forward, we expect a healthy second half as inventory and purchase decisions pick up following the launch of Windows 10. Emerging product categories will remain a bright spot as attention shifts to convertibles and Chromebooks in the commercial as well as consumer segments.”
Regional Highlights
United States – With shipments totaling nearly 16.4 million PCs in 2Q15, the U.S. market shrank -3.3% from the same quarter a year ago. Although most vendors saw volume decline, gains from Apple and Lenovo helped limit the overall decline. A tough year-on-year comparison contributed to a decline in desktop shipments, while portable PCs shipments continued to grow.
Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) – In EMEA, weakening demand and high inventory levels inhibited sell-in, driving results below expectations. Vendors continued to clean stock ahead of the back-to-school season and Windows 10 launch. Moreover, unfavorable exchange rates led to increasing prices and continued to affect demand both in the business and consumer spaces. The commercial market also faced a difficult year-on-year comparison with 2Q14, when the end of support for Windows XP boosted sales.
Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) – China was impacted by excess commercial notebook inventory from earlier quarters as the anti-corruption campaign continues to suppress commercial spending. Currency fluctuation also remained a key factor in many countries in the region, contributing to lower demand. Nevertheless, volume was close to expectations, reflecting a slight decline in growth from prior quarters.
Japan – continued to see low growth as the weak Yen contributed to a difficult market. The Japanese PC market faced a particularly difficult comparison to year ago shipments that were boosted by the end of support for Windows XP and also changes to Japan’s tax code. As the market responds to these shifts and managing inventory, Yamada Denki (one of Japan’s major electronics stores) announced the closure of unprofitable stores in both urban and rural markets.
Vendor Highlights
Lenovo held onto the top position with shipments of 13.4 million units. Volume was up 1% from the prior quarter, but down -7.5% from the prior year. The vendor continued to aggressively court expansion outside of Asia/Pacific, leading to share gains in the U.S. and EMEA.
HP remained the number 2 vendor, but saw shipments decline -10.4% from a year ago. Slowing business demand and inventory control of entry notebooks contributed to the dip. While most of the slowdown was from outside of the U.S., the vendor also saw its U.S. volume contract nearly -7%.
Dell came in at number 3, shipping more than 9.5 million units and registering a year-over-year decline of -8.7%. Strong results in 2Q14 contributed to a poor year-over-year comparison. Stronger performance in Asia/Pacific and EMEA were offset by slower growth in the U.S.
Apple continued to outperform other vendors, with growth of 16.1% globally. The vendor has largely avoided the price competition affecting other players and may be benefitting from some of the uncertainty around the launch of Windows 10, along with refreshed products like the 12-inch MacBook and a relative concentration of shipments in the U.S.
Acer continued to see growth in Chromebooks with more models introduced. However, the vendor also struggled with the larger pullback in the market, particularly in EMEA where it had seen a rebound in mid-2014. The vendor ended 2Q14 with a volume of 4.33 million, a significant decline from the prior quarter and year ago volumes.
ASUS was statistically tied* with Acer for the number 5 position. ASUS has also been affected by currency factors and inventory management, but strong growth in the U.S. boosted overall results.
Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, July 9, 2015
* Note: IDC declares a statistical tie in the worldwide PC market when there is less than one tenth of one percent difference in the revenue share of two or more vendors.In addition to the table above, an interactive graphic showing worldwide PC market share for the top 5 vendors over the previous five quarters is available here. The chart is intended for public use in online news articles and social media. Instructions on how to embed this graphic can be found by viewing this press release on IDC.com.
Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, July 9, 2015
Table Notes:
- Some IDC estimates prior to financial earnings reports.
- Shipments include shipments to distribution channels or end users. OEM sales are counted under the vendor/brand under which they are sold.
- PCs include Desktops, Portables, Ultraslim Notebooks, Chromebooks, and Workstations and do not include handhelds, x86 Servers and Tablets (i.e. iPad, or Tablets with detachable keyboards running either Windows or Android). Data for all vendors are reported for calendar periods.
IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker gathers PC market data in over 80 countries by vendor, form factor, brand, processor brand and speed, sales channel and user segment. The research includes historical and forecast trend analysis as well as price band and installed base data.
Cortex-A53 is used alone in higher and higher-end devices as the result of increased competition between MediaTek and Qualcomm
We’ve learned a lot during the last one a half years about the superiority of the Cortex-A53 cores for the mass produced SoCs. Some major points about that you see on the right:
My prediction back in Dec 23, 2013 was that The Cortex-A53 as the Cortex-A7 replacement core is succeeding as a sweet-spot IP for various 64-bit high-volume market SoCs to be delivered from H2 CY14 on. Such a prediction is a reality now as no less than 291 smartphones are listed as of today in PDAdb.net, which are using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 quad-core SoC based on Cortex-A53. The first such device, the Lenovo A805e Dual SIM TD-LTE was released in July, 2014.
Meanwhile Qualcomm’s downstream rival, MediaTek is moving up fast with its offerings as well. There are 8 devices based on quadcore MT6732M since Dec’14, 27 devices which based on quad-core MT6732 since Nov’14, and even 6 devices based on octa-core MT6753 since Jan’15. Note however that there are 3 such products from the Chinese brand Meizu, and one each from another local brands, Elephone and Cherry Mobile. Only the ZTE model is from a 1st tier global vendor yet.
My prediction was also proven by the fact that interest in that post was the highest on this blog as soon as the respective new SoCs, and commercial devices based on them arrived:
Now even higher end, octa-core smartphones based on Cortex-A53 alone are coming to the market from 1st tier device vendors
June 1, 2015: Asus ZenFone Selfie (ZD551KL)
(launched on the ASUS Zensation Press Event at Computex 2015)
from the product site:
ZenFone Selfie features the industry’s first octa-core, 64-bit processor — Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 615. With its superb performance and superior power-efficiency you’ll shoot sharp photographs at stupefying speed, record and edit Full HD (1080p) video with minimal battery draw, and enjoy using the integrated 4G/LTE to share everything you do at incredible speeds of up to 150Mbit/s!
expected price in India: ₹12,999 ($205)
(Re: “coming in an incredible price” said in the launch video about the earlier ZenFone 2 (ZE551ML) which has the same price, but a 1.8 GHz Intel Atom Z3560 processor, only 5 MP secondary camera etc.)
from the ASUS Presents Zensation at Computex 2015 press release:
ZenFone Selfie is a unique smartphone designed to capture the best possible selfies, quickly and simply. Featuring front and rear 13MP PixelMaster cameras with dual-color, dual LED Real Tone flash, ZenFone Selfie captures beautiful, natural-looking selfies in gloriously high resolution. The rear camera features a large f/2.0 aperture lens and laser auto-focus technology to ensure near-instant focusing for clear, sharp pictures — even in low-light conditions where traditional cameras struggle.
ZenFone Selfie includes the brilliant ZenUI Beautification mode for live digital cosmetics. A few taps is all that’s needed to soften facial features, slim cheeks, and enhance skin tone to add vibrancy, and all in real time — injecting instant verve into any composition. ZenFone Selfie also has Selfie Panorama mode, which exploits ZenFone Selfie’s f/2.2-aperture front lens and 88-degree field of view to capture panoramic selfies of up to 140 degrees. With Selfie Panorama mode enabled, selfies become a party with all friends included — plus the ability to capture panoramic scenery for stunning backdrops.
ZenFone Selfie has a large 5.5-inch screen that fits in a body that’s a similar size to that of most 5-inch smartphones, for a maximized viewing experience in a compact body that fits comfortably in the hand. It has a high-resolution 1920 x 1080 Full HD IPS display with a wide 178-degree viewing angle and staggering 403ppi pixel density that renders every image in eye-delighting detail. ASUS TruVivid technology brings color to life in brilliant clarity, making selfies and other photos look their best. Tough Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 covers the display to help protect against scratches and drops.
ZenFone Selfie features the industry’s first octa-core, 64-bit processor for the perfect balance of multimedia performance and battery efficiency — the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 615. This extraordinarily powerful chip equips ZenFone Selfie to provide the very best multimedia and entertainment experiences, carefully balancing high performance with superior power-efficiency.
June 19, 2015 by SamMobile: Samsung’s first smartphones with front-facing LED flash, Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7, now official
Samsung has announced its first smartphones with a front-facing LED flash; the Galaxy J5 and the Galaxy J7. Specifications of these devices were previously leaked through TENAA, and their UI was revealed through Samsung’s own manuals. Now, they have been officially announced in China, where they would be available starting this week, but there’s no clarity about their international launch.
All the mid-range and high-end smartphones from the company released recently have started featuring high-resolution front-facing cameras, and the same is the case with the Galaxy J7 and the Galaxy J5. To complement their 5-megapixel wide-engle front-facing cameras, they are equipped with a front-facing single-LED flash. Other features include a 13-megapixel primary camera with an aperture of f/1.9, 1.5GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, a microSD card slot, dual-SIM card slot, and LTE connectivity. Both these smartphones run Android 5.1 Lollipop with a new UI that is similar to that of the Galaxy S6 and the S6 edge.
The Galaxy J7 is equipped with a 5.5-inch HD display, a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, a 3,000 mAh battery, and is priced at 1,798 CNY (~ $289). The Galaxy J5 features a slightly smaller 5-inch HD display, a 64-bit quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor, a 2,600 mAh battery, and is priced at 1,398 CNY (~ $225). Both of them will be available in China in three colors; gold, white, and black.
The Galaxy J5 and J7 are targeted at the youth and compete with devices like the HTC Desire EYE, Sony Xperia C4, and the Asus ZenFone Selfie, all of which have high-resolution front-facing cameras with an LED flash.
May 6, 2015: Sony launches next generation “selfie smartphone” – Xperia™ C4 and Xperia C4 Dual
The selfie phenomenon is about to kick up a notch with the introduction of Xperia™ C4 and Xperia C4 Dual – Sony’s next generation PROselfie smartphones, featuring a best in class 5MP front camera, a Full HD display and superior performance.
“Following the success of Xperia C3, we are proud to introduce Sony’s evolved PROselfie smartphone,” said Tony McNulty, Vice-President, Value Category Business Management at Sony Mobile Communications. “Xperia C4 caters to consumers that want a smartphone that not only takes great photos, but also packs a punch. Benefiting from Sony’s camera expertise, the 5MP front-facing camera with wide-angle lens lets you capture perfect selfies, while its quality display and performance features provide an all-round advanced smartphone experience.”
We all like a high-profile selfie – so go ahead and get snapping:
You can now stage the perfect selfie, getting everything – and everyone – in shot, thanks to the powerful 5MP front camera with 25mm wide-angle lens. Sony’s Exmor RTM for mobile sensor, soft LED flash and HDR features means the pictures will always be stunning, even in those ‘hard to perfect’ low light conditions. Superior auto automatically optimises settings to give you the best possible picture and SteadyShot™ technology compensates for any camera shake.
With 13MP, autofocus and HDR packed in there is no compromise on the rear camera, which delivers great shots for those rare moments you’re not in the picture.
You will also be able to get even more fun out of your smartphone with a suite of creative camera apps such as Style portrait with styles including ‘vampire’ and ‘mystery’ to add a unique edge to your selfie. Moreover, apps such as AR maskgive your selfie a twist by letting you place a different face over your own face or others’ faces while you snap a selfie.
Experience your entertainment in Full HD
Now you can enjoy every picture and every video in detail with Xperia C4’s 5.5” Full HD display. Watching movies on your smartphone is more enjoyable thanks to Sony’s TV technology – such as Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 and super vivid-mode – which offers amazing clarity and colour brightness. Enjoy viewing from any angle with IPS technology.Great video deserves great audio to match, so Xperia C4 features Sony’s audio expertise to deliver crisp and clear audio quality. With or without headphones, you can sit back and enjoy your favourite entertainment in all its glory.
The design of Xperia C4 has also been crafted with precise detail and care to ensure every aspect amplifies the sharp and vivid display. A minimal frame around the scratch-resistant screen enhances both the viewing experience and the smartphone design, while its lightweight build feels comfortable in the hand. Xperia C4 comes in a choice of white, black and a vibrant mint.
Superior performance, with a power-packed battery that just keeps going
Whether you’re running multiple apps, checking Facebook, snapping selfies or listening to the best music – you can do it all at lighting speed thanks to Xperia C4’s impressive Octa-core processor. Powered by an efficient 64-bit Octa-core processor [Mediatek MT6752], Xperia C4 makes it easier than ever to multitask and switch between your favourite apps, without affecting performance. Ultra-fast connectivity with 4G capabilities means it’s quicker than ever to download your favourite audio or video content and surf the web without lag.
The large battery (2,600mAh) provides over eight hours of video viewing time, meaning that the entire first season of Breaking Bad can be binged uninterrupted, while Battery STAMINA Mode 5.0 ensures you have complete control over how your battery is used.
Xperia C4 is compatible with more than 195 Sony NFC-enabled devices including SmartBand Talk (SWR30) and Stereo Bluetooth® Headset (SBH60). You can also customise the smartphone with the protective desk-stand SCR38 Cover or with a full range of original Made for Xperia covers.
Xperia C4 will be available in Single SIM and Dual SIM in select markets from the beginning of June 2015.
For the full product specifications, please visit: http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/phones/xperia-c4/specifications/
price in India: ₹25,499 ($400) and ₹25,899 ($408) for the Dual-SIM version
June 1, 2015: The stakes have been raised even higher by a higher-end octa-core SoC from MediaTek with 2GHz cores which is also 30% more energy efficient because of the first time use of 28HPC+ technology of TSMC
MediaTek Expands its Flagship MediaTek Helio™ Processor Family with the P Series, Offering Premium Performance for Super Slim Designs
P-series the first to use TSMC’s 28nm HPC+ process, which reduces processor power consumption
MediaTek, a leader in power-efficient, System-on-Chip (SoC) mobile device technology solutions, today announces the launch of the MediaTek Helio™ P10, a high-performance, high-value SoC focused on the growing demand for slim form-factor smart phones that provide premium, flagship features. The Helio P10 showcases a 2 GHz, True Octa-core 64-bit Cortex-A53 CPU and a 700MHz, Dual-core 64-bit Mali-T860 GPU. The Helio P10 will be available Q3 2015 and is expected to be in consumer products in late 2015.
The P10 is the first chip in the new Helio P family, a series which aims to integrate into a high-value chipset, premium features such as high-performance modem technology; the world’s first TrueBright ISP engine for ultra-sensitive RWWB; and, MiraVision™ 2.0, for top-tier display experiences. The features available in the P series include several of MediaTek’s premier technologies, such as WorldMode LTE Cat-6, supporting 2×20 carrier aggregation with 300/50Mbps data speed; MediaTek’s advanced task scheduling algorithm, CorePilot®, which optimizes the P10’s heterogeneous computing architecture by sending workloads to the most suitable computing device – CPU, GPU, or both; and, MediaTek’s Visual Processing Application – Non-contact Heart Rate Monitoring, which uses only a smartphone’s video camera to take a heart rate reading and is as accurate as pulse oximeters/portable ECG monitoring devices.
“The P series will provide OEM smartphone makers with greater design flexibility to meet consumer demands for slim form-factors, which provide dynamic multimedia experiences,” said Jeffrey Ju, Senior Vice President of MediaTek. “The P10 enables state-of-the-art mobile computing and multimedia features all while balancing performance and battery life.”
The Helio P10 is the first product to use TSMC’s 28nm HPC+ process, which allows for reduced processor power consumption. With the help of the latest 28HPC+ process and numerous architecture and circuit design optimizations, the Helio P10 can save up to 30% more power (depending of usage scenarios), compared to existing smartphone SoCs manufactured using the 28 HPC process.
“We are pleased to see MediaTek’s achievement in producing the world’s leading 28HPC+ smartphone chip,” said Dr. BJ Woo, Vice President, Business Development, TSMC. “As an enhanced version of TSMC’s 28HPC process, 28HPC+ promises 15% better speed at fixed power or 50% leakage reduction at the same speed over 28HPC. Through our competitive 28HPC+ technology and process-design collaboration with MediaTek, we believe MediaTek will deliver a series of products which benefit smartphone users across the world.”
As with the entire line of Helio SoCs, the P10 is packed with premium multimedia features. With a concentration on advanced display technologies, premium camera features, and HiFi audio, the P10 delivers leading functionality around the features most used on today’s mobile phones:
21MP premium camera with the world’s first TrueBright ISP engine:
Enables ultra-sensitive RWWB sensor to capture twice as much light as traditional RGB sensors in order to retain true color and detail, even in low light. The RWWB sensor also enhances the color resolution, even when compared with RGBW sensors.
Other features include a new de-noise/de-mosaic HW, PDAF, video iHDR, dual main camera, less than 200ms shot-to shot delay, and video face beautify.
Hi-fidelity, hi-clarity audio achieves 110dB SNR & -95dB THD
Full HD display at 60FPS with MediaTek’s suite of MiraVision 2.0 display technologies:
UltraDimming – Dimmer background lighting for more comfortable reading, even in low-light situations.
BluLight Defender – A built-in blue light filter that saves more power than conventional software applications.
Adaptive Picture Quality – Ensures the best picture quality when using different applications. True-to-life colors when in camera preview; vibrant colors when watching videos.
The MediaTek Helio P10 will be released in Q3 2015 and is expected to be available in consumer products in late 2015.
Note that Helio P1 is a significant step in MediaTek’s strategy already outlined in the following posts of mine:
– March 4, 2014: MediaTek is repositioning itself with the new MT6732 and MT6752 SoCs for the “super-mid market” just being born, plus new wearable technologies for wPANs and IoT are added for the new premium MT6595 SoC
– March 10, 2015: MediaTek’s next 10 years’ strategy for devices, wearables and IoT
The ultimate ultrabooks/notebooks and 2-in-1 hybrids/detachables with the upcoming Intel Core M processors
What is presented below it is an incredible advance versus that of one a half year ago. For comparison see my earlier Saving Intel: next-gen Intel ultrabooks for enterprise and professional markets from $500; next-gen Intel notebooks, other value devices and tablets for entry level computing and consumer markets from $300 [this same blog, April 17, 2013] post. Note as well that with Core M Intel is able to differentiate its enterprise offerings from the consumer ones, as the latter could be mainly represented by products like in ASUS EeePC revival with the $199/€199 EeeBook X205 at IFA 2014: the Chromebooks alternative based on Windows 8.1 with Bing [this same blog, Sept 6, 2014].
See also the report about IDF 2014 PC Mega Session: 2-in-1s to Rule Mobile, Wireless Everything Coming Soon [Tom’s Hardware US, Sept 10, 2014]
They are of the fanless design! So it is time—says Intel—to upgrade your aging PCs to these business-ready touch devices built on the latest Intel Core processors and Windows 8.1:
Touch business-grade performance [Intel YouTube channel, Sept 4, 2014]
For small businesses a special business app bundle from Intel (already available with selected business tablets) is also providing an immediate opportunity to boost productivity:
Intel Business Apps [Intel YouTube channel, Sept 8, 2014]
Chip Shot: Intel Business App Portfolio Now on Windows OS and Intel® Core™ M Processor-based Devices [News story on Intel Newsroom, Sept 5, 2014]
The Intel® Business App Portfolio, a collection of useful business apps to boost productivity and enhance security of small businesses, is now available on the latest Intel-based tablets and 2 in 1 devices running the Windows OS. And, with the app bundle on some of the newest devices powered by Intel® Core™ M processors, users will realize additional benefits with up to 8 hours of battery life with full HD display and up to 50 percent faster CPU performance. Previously offered only on Intel-based tablets running the Android OS, the mobile app bundle includes special offers—valued at more than $250—and is now available with the following Windows apps:
AirWatch, Calc Pro HD, CamCard, Dictionary, DocuSign, Drawboard PDF, McAfee Anti-Virus Plus, Microsoft Office 365 Business, OneDrive, OneNote, Skype, SpeechTrans and Splashtop Business.
It is available for free by purchasing a qualifying device from Intel® Technology Provider members in North America, Latin America and Europe or through Amazon.com (in the U.S. and Canada). Visit www.intel.com/businessapps to learn more.
Chip Shot: Intel Releases Mobile App Bundle for Business Tablets [News story on Intel Newsroom, Aug 4, 2014]
Intel® Business App Portfolio is now available for select tablets based on Intel® processors and Android. Intel has bundled a collection of top business apps that include Evernote, ooVoo, Dropbox, McAfee, DocuSign and others, to turn tablets into enhanced productivity tools for workers. With the app bundle, an employee can easily create and share documents and presentations; video conference; access company files in the cloud or a remote PC; guard sensitive data from viruses; and capture images and signatures for business contracts. At an estimated value over $250, the portfolio is a cost-effective solution that meets the needs and budgets of small businesses worldwide to accelerate achieving goals of improving customer interactions and sales growth. The app bundle is available for free by purchasing a qualifying tablet from Intel® Technology Partner members in North America, Latin America and Europe or through Amazon.com (in the U.S. and Canada).
The categories in Intel® Business App Portfolio (for small businesses) as of Sept 9, 2014:
| Windows | Android | |
| Access | OneDrive1 Splashtop Business2 |
Dropbox12 Splashtop Business2 |
| Assist | Calc Pro HD3 Dictionary4 SpeechTrans Ultimate5 |
Dictionary4 SpeechTrans Ultimate5 |
| Capture | CamCard6 DocuSign7 Drawboard PDF8 |
ABBYY Business Card Reader13 DocuSign7 |
| Connect | Skype9 | ooV0015 PrintHand16 |
| Create | Office 365 Business1 OneNote1 |
WPS Office17 Evernote18 Swype19 |
| Protect | AirWatch10 McAfee Antivirus Plus11 |
McAfee Antivirus Plus11 |
For Windows:
1 Special Offer: Coming October 1, 2014 to the Intel® Business App Portfolio! Receive 15% off a 1-year paid subscription to Office 365 Business, which includes the familiar and powerful Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook applications, as well as cloud storage with OneDrive! ($23 USD value)
2 Special Offer: 2-month subscription of Splashtop Business ($10 Value)
3 Special Offer: Receive 60% off the Full Version of the Calc Pro HD (just $2.99) when you redeem this special offer.
4 Special Offer: Receive the Dictionary app from Farlex, Inc. for free ($1.99 USD value)
5 Special Offer: One year of SpeechTrans Ultimate ($24 USD value)
6 Special Offer: Extend CamCard free trial from 6 months to 12 months with promo code! ($5 USD value)
7 Special Offer: Special 20% discount on a DocuSign annual subscription (up to a $72 USD value)
8 Special Offer: A one-year extended trial of Drawboard PDF
9 Special Offer: Three months of unlimited calling for free!. That means, in addition to making free Skype to Skype calls, you can also call offline contacts on their mobiles and landlines.
10 Special Offer: 30-day trial with a consultation from a member of dedicated Airwatch SMB account team.
11 Special Offer: 1-year McAfee Antivirus Plus subscription ($35 USD value)
Android specific apps only:
12 Special Offer: 14-day free trial of Dropbox for Business
13 Special Offer: Receive Serial Number and download instructions for the full, premium version of ABBYY Business Card Reader.
14 Special Offer: Receive 3-months Premium service and lifetime paid [CamScanner] app features (totals $20) upon sign-up
15 Special Offer: One-year of ooVoo Video Conferencing Service
16 Special Offer: Activation code to upgrade PrintHand to Premium Mode.
17 Special Offer: While we highly recommend you utilize [MS Office compatible] WPS Office for your office document needs on your Android device, the application is free to use so there is no promotional offer available at this time.
18 Special Offer: While we highly recommend you utilize Evernote for your note taking needs on your Android device, the application is free to use so there is no promotional offer at this time.
19 Special Offer: 30-day trial of the Swype keyboard & dictation.
Mobile Devices (Intel based 2 in 1s and tablets) for the Intel® Business App Portfolio as of Sept 9, 2014:
| Windows | Android |
| Acer Iconia A1-830 (7.9”, Z2560)
ASUS MeMO Pad (10.1”, Z2560) Dell Venue 7 (7”, Z2560) ASUS Transformer Book* T100 (10.1”, Z3740) |
Acer Iconia A1-830 (7.9”, Z2560) ASUS MeMO Pad (10.1”, Z2560) Dell Venue 7 (7”, Z2560) Samsung Galaxy Tab* 3 (10.1”, Z2560) |
Atom Z2560 (Q2’13): Clover Trail+ platform
Atom Z3740, Z3740D, Z3795 (Q3’13 and Q1’14): Bay Trail-T Type 4 platform
Computex 2014: What’s next for Intel: Cheaper 4K, new Core M chip and 3D cameras [Network World YouTube channel, June 5, 2014]
Intel® 14 nm Technology [an Intel Silicon Innovations page as of Sept 9, 2014]
Ultra-fast, energy-sipping devices powered by Intel
Supporting a wide range of products from mobile devices to servers, 14 nm transistors improve performance and reduce leakage power. Intel’s 14 nm technology will be used to manufacture a wide range of high-performance to low-power products including servers, personal computing devices, and products for the Internet of Things. The first systems based on the Intel® Core™ M processor will be on shelves for the holiday selling season followed by broader OEM availability in the first half of 2015. Additional products based on 14 nm process technology will be introduced in the coming months.
Using 2nd generation 3-D tri-gate transistors, the 14 nm technology delivers industry-leading performance, power, density, and cost per transistor, and will be used to manufacture a wide range of products, from high performance to low power.
Smaller is better
Intel’s 14 nm technology provides good dimensional scaling from 22 nm. The transistor fins are taller, thinner, and more closely spaced for improved density and lower capacitance. Improved transistors require fewer fins further improving density, and the SRAM cell size is almost half the area of that in 22 nm.
14 nm manufacturing
Intel’s 14 nm process and lead system-on-a-chip (SoC) product are now qualified and in volume production, with fabs in Oregon (2014), Arizona (2014), and Ireland (2015).
Microscopic Mark Bohr: Intel 14nm Processors Explained [Intel YouTube channel, Aug 11, 2014]
Intel® Core™ M Processor [an Intel Core Processors page as of Sept 9, 2014]
Versatile, Mobile, Blazing Fast
Intel® Core™ M and Intel® Core™ M vPro™ processors
With the world’s first processors built on 14 nm manufacturing process technology, PC performance is now possible within a range of ultra-mobile 2 in 1 devices. Blazing fast speed combined with the highest level of energy efficiency in Intel’s history enables razor-thin, fanless designs that meet your needs for both performance and mobility. The Intel® Core™ M vPro™ processor provides additional built-in security features1 to deliver the perfect combination of business-class performance and battery life to keep you productive longer no matter where you are. For small businesses, the Intel® Core™ M processor provides an optimal combination of business-class performance and battery life, so your employees have the power to stay productive longer, no matter where they work. Free yourself from carrying multiple devices and get the best of both worlds in a 2 in 1 device with the conflict-free Intel Core M and Intel Core M vPro processors.
Product Brief: Preview | Download
Datasheet, volume 1: Preview | Download
Datasheet, volume 2: Preview | Download
Specification update: Preview | Download…
IFA 2014: Intel presents new Core M Processors [allroundpc Youtube channel, Sept 5, 2014]
See also:
– Intel® Core™ M Processor for Small Business
– Products (Formerly Broadwell),
– Fact Sheet: Intel® Core™ M Processor – Razor-thin Laptop Meets Ultra-fast Tablet
New Intel® Core™ M Processor Enables Razor-thin, Fanless Designs with the Optimal Blend of Beauty, Performance and Battery Life; Available Holiday 2014 [IFA 2014 press release, Sept 5, 2014]
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
- Acer*, ASUS*, Dell*, HP*, Lenovo* and Toshiba* to introduce new Intel® Core™ M processor-based 2 in 1s. Some systems available starting in October.
- Intel Core M processor delivers amazing performance and battery life for the thinnest, fanless 2 in 1 devices.
- At a power-sipping 4.5 watts, it is the most energy-efficient Intel® Core™ processor in the company’s history.1
IFA, Berlin, Sept. 5, 2014 – At IFA, a global trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances, Intel launched the new Intel® Core™ M processor, which will power new 2 in 1 devices from a variety of manufacturers including: Acer*, ASUS*, Dell*, HP*, Lenovo* and Toshiba*. Delivering the optimal blend of mobility and performance, Intel’s new processor was purpose-built for amazing performance in the thinnest, fanless ultra-mobile devices. The Intel Core M processor can power razor-thin devices with Intel Core processor-level performance and deliver up to double the battery life when compared to a 4-year-old system.2
“We’ve been on a multi-year mission to address end-user requirements and transform mobile computing,” said Kirk Skaugen, senior vice president and general manager of personal computing at Intel Corporation. “The introduction of Core M marks a significant milestone in that journey. Core M is the first of a new product family designed to deliver the promise of one of the world’s thinnest laptops and highest performance tablets in a single 2 in 1 device.”
Faster Performance, Even More Battery Life
The Intel Core M processor enables up to 50 percent faster compute performance and 40 percent faster graphics performance versus the comparable, previous 4th generation Intel Core processor.3 Consumers with older PCs will notice a more significant performance improvement. The Intel Core M processor delivers up to two times the compute performance and up to seven times better graphics compared to a 4- year-old PC, for example.2In 2013, Intel delivered the biggest generation-over-generation battery life improvement in the company’s history. The Intel Core M processor and platform power reductions raise the bar on battery life even higher. The Intel Core M processor can handle more than 8 hours of video play, which is up to 20 percent (1.7 hours) longer battery life versus the previous-generation Intel Core processor4 and double the battery life of the average 4-year-old PC.1
Thin, Fanless 2 in 1s Available for Holiday 2014…and Beyond
The Intel Core M processor package is 50 percent smaller and, at 4.5 watts, has 60 percent lower thermal power than the previous generation.5 This lets OEMs design sleek, fanless systems less than 9 mm thin – thinner than an AAA battery and today’s sleekest laptops. There are already more than 20 Intel Core M processor-based OEM products in the development pipeline. The first systems based on the Intel Core M processor will be on shelves for the holiday selling season.At IFA, manufacturers including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo unveiled new, coming-soon Intel Core M processor-based devices across a range of sizes, styles and price points.
- In Q4, Acer will expand its popular 2-in-1 series of notebooks with the Aspire Switch 12*, featuring a 12.5-inch FHD display with unique kickstand and magnet keyboard to move smoothly between five modes.
- ASUS introduced the ASUS Zenbook UX305*, an incredibly light and thin Ultrabook™ with a 13-inch QHD display
Asus unveiled the UX305, its newest flagship laptop at IFA 2014 this week. The device, it claims, is the world’s thinnest 13-in QHD+ ultrabook, giving it one of the highest pixel densities of any computers on the market. It faces competition from the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro and the Samsung ATIV Book 9 as well as the Apple MacBook Pro Retina Display, although we expect vendors to refresh their current thin-and-light laptop range very soon. At only 12.3mm thick and weighing 1.2Kg, it is light enough to be carried comfortably with one hand. Its specification sheet lists an Intel Core M processor (the 5Y10), Windows 8.1, 4GB or 8GB of LPDDR3 memory, either 128GB or 256GB SSD, an Intel HD Graphics 5300 subsystem, a webcam and a 6-cell, 45Whr battery. As for connectivity, it has three USB ports, one mini-HDMI output and a SD card reader.and the ASUS Transformer Book T300FA* 2 in 1, which was unveiled during the Intel keynote. The Transformer Book T300FA is a high-performance 2 in 1 and is expected to be available in Europe this fall for an estimated €599. Looking ahead, ASUS plans to go even thinner with the ASUS Transformer T300 Chi*.
- Dell has announced its first commercial 2 in 1, the Latitude 13 7000 Series*, which combines a lightweight business Ultrabook and a detachable tablet in one powerful, no-compromise device.
- HP further extends its award-winning ENVY portfolio with the addition of two new HP ENVY x2* detachable PCs, available in 13.3-inch and 15.6-inch form factors.
- The new [11.6”] Lenovo ThinkPad Helix*, available in October, is 12 percent lighter and measures 15 percent thinner than its predecessor while packing even more power thanks to the Intel Core M processor.
[From Lenovo on Sept 4 with the VP PCG Marketing & Design, Dilip Bhatia: “the most complete 2-in-1 in the marketplace”] The ThinkPad Helix is the industry’s leading 2-in-1 device. Powered by the latest Intel Core processor family, sporting a new revolutionary fan less design and up to 12 hours of battery life. Built for business, the ThinkPad Helix. Learn more about Lenovo: http://lnv.gy/lenovo[From Lenovo on Sept 4 with the product manager for ThinkPad Helix, Sachin Pathak: “specific focus on productivity in business … in line with Lenovo’s multimode strategy to 4 earlier modes now a new desktop mode has been added … etc. –> for ‘full PC connectivity’ ultimately satisfying the ‘business traveller’ ”] Join Kevin Beck for the First Look at the new Think Helix. Lots of awesome new features, including an innovative new fanless design, up to 12 hours of battery life and plenty more surprises. Learn more about Lenovo: http://lnv.gy/lenovoIntel also previewed a forthcoming Intel Core M processor-based design from Toshiba, and said broader availability of Intel Core M processor-based devices is expected in the first half of next year.
To further system choice and availability, Intel said it is working with ODMs including Wistron* and others. Wistron plans an Intel Core M processor-based design inspired by the Intel “Llama Mountain” reference device. Intel first unveiled the stunning, fanless Llama Mountain reference device, which measures 7.2 mm thin and weighs a mere 670 grams, at Computex in Taiwan earlier this year.
Intel Core M “Broadwell-Y” 2-in-1 Tablet / Ultrabook Reference Design hands on at Computex 2014 http://www.mobilegeeks.com http://www.mobilegeeks.de We got to quickly check out Intel’s new reference design für “Broadwell-Y” based Intel Core M ultrabooks and 2-in-1 tablet style devices. It’s called “Llama Mountain 2” and has a 12,5 inch QHD IPS display with 2560×1440 pixels. The device is only 7,5 millimeters thin and weighs in under 800 grams. It shows what to expect from this years 2-in-1 devices coming in from Intels many hardware partners in the run up to the holiday shopping season!A “Conflict-Free” Processor; Additional Features
Intel Core M is a “conflict-free” product, which means this product does not contain conflict minerals (tin, tantalum, tungsten and/or gold) that directly or indirectly finance or benefit armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or adjoining countries.The Intel Core M processor is available in several versions: the up to 2.0 GHz Intel Core M-5Y10/5Y10a processors and the up to 2.6 GHz Intel Core M-5Y70 processor. The Core M-5Y70 is the highest performing Intel Core M processor and is also available with Intel® vPro™ technology for business 2 in 1s with built-in security features to help protect data, user identities and network access.6
Additional Intel Core M platform features include support for high-quality audio, Intel® Wireless Display 5.0, Intel’s second-generation 802.11ac products and will evolve to support wireless docking with WiGig from Intel. For more information visit:www.intel.com.
…1Energy efficiency based on SPEC CPU2006 Intel estimates for both performance and core power. Comparison made vs. Intel prior generation Intel Core family CPU Processors.
2Intel® Core™ M-5Y70 Processor (up to 2.60GHz, 4T/2C, 4M Cache) vs. Normalized to a 4-year-old PC with Intel® Core™ i5-520UM. Performance based on SYSmark* 2014. Intel® Core™ M 5Y70 compared to Intel® Core™ i5-520UM. Weight based on Intel® Core™ M processor-based 2 in 1 based on Intel® FFRD Llama Mountain. Old PC is OEM laptop with Intel® Core™ i5-520UM and 62WHr battery, 3 lbs weight, 1.1-inch thick.
3Up to 50 percent faster vs. 4th generation Intel Core processors based on: Specfp_rate_base 2006 comparing Intel® Core™ M-5Y70 Processor compared to previous-generation Intel® Core™ i5-4302Y at 4.5W. Up to 40 percent faster graphics vs. 4th generation Intel Core processors based on: 3D Mark Ice Storm comparing Intel® Core™ M-5Y70 Processor with Intel HD graphics 5300 vs. Previous Generation Intel® Core™ i5-4302Y at 4.5W with HD Graphics 4200.
4Intel Core M battery life tested vs. 4th generation Intel® Core™ processor based platforms – 11.6-inch panel; 19×10; 200 nits; 35WHr battery; SSD; 4GB memory. Full HD Local Video Playback Battery Rundown-measured using a Tears of Steel 1080p 10 Mbps video. Configuration: In the device settings, disable all radios. Disable Intel® Display Power Saving Technology (Intel® DPST), set up the system to specified screen brightness using a full screen white background, and re-enable Intel DPST. Turn OFF the adaptive brightness setting under Power Options in Control Panel. Set “Dim the display” to never on both battery and AC. Set “Put the computer to sleep” to never on both battery and AC. Wait 15 minutes after boot. Launch the default video player (Windows* 8.1 Style UI video player for win), start the workload video in a loop, and disconnect the AC plug to start the test. Measure the time until battery is exhausted.
54th generation Intel® CoreTM Processor (40 X 24 X 1.5 mm; 960 mm; 11.5W) vs. Intel® Core™ M processor (30 X 16.5 X 1.05 mm; 495 mm; 4.5W)
6No computer system can provide absolute security. Requires an enabled Intel processor, enabled chipset, firmware and/or software optimized to use the technologies. Consult your system manufacturer and/or software vendor for more information.
Intel Mobility at Computex 2014 with Core-M, WiGig, RealSense [Steve Paine YouTube channel, June 10, 2014]
– under Kirk Skaugen –> [46:23]:
>>> Reinvention of the Desktop
>>> 2 in 1 Momentum and the Intel Core M Processor
>>> User Experience at Intel
– then under Herman Eul –> [1:20:38]
>>> The Year of Intel Inside Your Tablet
>>> Powerful Smartphones
The growing Chromebook challenge for Windows laptops: promises from Google I/O are getting realized with new Chromebooks introduced at IFA 2014
1. New Chromebooks (13.3”, 14”)
2. Recently introduced Chromebooks (11.6”)
3. Gartner Says Chromebook Sales Will Reach 5.2 Million Units in 2014
Note that a highly competitive ASUS EeePC revival with the $199/€199 EeeBook X205 at IFA 2014: the Chromebooks alternative based on Windows 8.1 with Bing [this same blog, Sept 6, 2014] is coming in November for the U.S. and European markets. That offering is also just the first of a number of similar kinds expected from global laptop brands using the latest Intel Bay Trail-T Type 3 SoCs (i.e. Z3735G and Z3735F, details are in the above post) specifically designed for significantly lower SoC and PCB costs with specific design for “China Technical Ecosystem”. As of today there are no Chromebooks with Bay Trail-T Type 3 SoCs but those could come as well in November timeframe for even greater Windows laptop competition. The current low-end Chromebooks are mostly using the Intel Bay Trail-M (Intel Mobile Celeron) platform, namely the N2830 SoC (for comparison see the N2830, Z3735F, Z3735G table from Intel).
At the same time it is still unclear what the competition between Chromebooks and the cost reduced Windows laptops will be on the emerging markets. For reasons see the ‘Naked PCs’ lay bare Microsoft’s emerging markets problem article from Reuters (Aug 12, 2014) which has been widely republished (like in Business Insider). In addition Xinhua reported on Aug 24 that a Chinese OS expected to debut in October with the aim to relieve China’s way high dependence on both Windows and Android. With that Chrome OS chances in China could be minimal. We should therefore think of the competition between Chromebooks and the upcoming cost reduced Windows laptops just as a mature market phenomenon. More importantly the latest Gartner analysis considers the Chromebook market a niche market for the next 5 years (see at the end).
Microsoft facing increased competition from MacBooks and Chromebooks, say Taiwan makers [DIGITIMES, July 23, 2014]
Microsoft is facing increased competition from MacBooks and Chromebooks, with the global notebook OS market share for Windows 8 already dropping to below 90%, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.
Thanks to iPhones and iPads, demand for Apple’s Mac series products has also been rising in the past few years.
Meanwhile, Google is seeing increased Chromebook demand from the US and the UK’s education procurement and enterprise markets. By the end of 2014, vendors including Acer, Asustek Computer, Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Lenovo, LG Electronics and Toshiba are together expected to launch about 20 Intel-based Chromebooks priced at around US$349, the sources said.
To counter, Microsoft has recently extended its free Windows 8 licensing coverage and is cooperating with HP and Acer to release US$199 notebooks at the end of 2014, the sources noted.
In addition to extending free licensing for Windows 8, Microsoft may also need to revise the shortcomings of Windows 8 and accelerate its pace on the development of Windows 9 in order to stay competitive, the sources added.
Google previews new Chromebook features [CNET YouTube channel, June 25, 2014]
The 3 years of Google’s Chromebook journey as it was represented by Sundar Pichai
(As far as Chromebook’s 1st year is concerned see also my Chromebook / box with Citrix Receiver going against Microsoft [May 12 – July 29, 2011] post of mine.]
| I’ve already recognized that “the whole Android-centric story is getting even more interesting when Chrome, Google Drive, Chrome OS and the apps related to that are added” in my Nexus 7: Google wanted it in 4 months for $199/$245, ASUS delivered + Nexus Q (of Google’s own design and manufacturing) added for social streaming from Google Play to speakers and screen in home under Android device control [June 28, 2012] post. |
From Native Android apps are coming to Chrome OS [The Verge, June 25, 2014]
Google is working to bring Chrome OS and Android closer together, and that’ll eventually mean having Android apps running right on a Chromebook. “We’re in early days,” Sundar Pichai, Google’s Chrome and Android chief, said on stage today at Google’s I/O developer conference. Pichai didn’t say when the feature would arrive, but he demonstrated it already working using Android apps for Evernote, Flipboard, and Vine. The apps can appear in a tall, phone-sized window, or they can be expanded to run as they would on tablets.
…
Earlier this month, a project for Google’s Chromium called Athena pointed toward big changes to the touch aspects of Chrome OS. That included a virtual software keyboard, a card-based interface a la Google Now, and a new app launcher interface.
Altogether, it sounds as though touch input is bound to become a far more integral part of Chrome OS. Google didn’t comment on what future Chromebooks will look like from its partners, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see more and more shipping with touchscreens.
Google also said today that Chrome OS will eventually be able to display notifications from a paired Android phone, and that a paired phone will be able to unlock a Chromebook just by coming near it.
1. New Chromebooks (13.3”, 14”)
HP Chromebook 14 inch Tegra K1 Hands On [Steve Paine YouTube channel, Sep 4, 2014]
From: HP Unveils Five New Innovative and Stylish Consumer Products for Holiday [press release, Sept 4, 2014]
…
The 14-inch HP Chromebook combines beautiful design, super-fast performance and a wide 14-inch FHD [1920 x 1080] diagonal screen(5) for a superior Chrome experience. Powered by the latest-generation NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor with world-class graphics performance, the HP Chromebook provides smooth multitasking while browsing the web, running productivity apps or streaming music. Tegra K1’s breakthrough power efficiency gives the 14-inch HP Chromebook improved battery life. It also features a silent, slim, fanless design and is optimized for Google Hangouts, supporting Hangouts in HD.(5,7)Available in Twinkle Black or Snow White with a choice of complementary accent color options, including Smoke Silver, Sorbet Orange, Ocean Turquoise or Neon Green, the 14-inch HP Chromebook stands out in a crowd.(6)
…
- The 14-inch HP Chromebook is expected to be available in the United States beginning on Oct. 22 for a starting price of $299.99.
…
(5) High definition (HD) content is required to view high-definition images.
(6) Color availability may vary by region.
(7) Internet service required and not included.
Toshiba Chromebook 2 [CB30-B 13.3”] with Full HD [1920 x 1080] Screen Hands-On [Steve Paine YouTube channel, Sep 3, 2014] with Intel’s BayTrail-M (Intel Mobile Celeron) platform
Note: In France the Toshiba Chromebook 2 CB30-B is available for €329 as of Sept 7.
Acer Chromebook 13 Hands-On (CB5, Tegra [K1], 2014) [Steve Paine YouTube channel, Sep 5, 2014] Note: available for pre-order in U.S. since Aug 12 (see below), but as of Sept 7 it still has not been released
A new type of Chromebook with extra-long battery life [Google Chrome Blog, Aug 11, 2014]
Chromebooks were designed for your mobile lifestyle. They’re thin and light, resume instantly, and are easy to use.
Starting today, we’re welcoming a new type of Chromebook into the family, beginning with the Acer Chromebook 13. This new device uses the NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor, so you get the speed you’re used to from Chromebooks with a battery life up to 13 hours. What could you do in thirteen hours?
- Fly from New York to Beijing
- Watch the entire set of Harry Potter movies
- Complete an Iron Man triathlon (average finish time is 12hr 13min)
- Finish a 1-credit college course
- Watch 390 adorable cat videos (2 min per video)
- Use your Chromebook 13 to watch, play and get a lot done
The Acer Chromebook 13 is available now (with optional touchscreen and 1080p resolution) at Amazon and other online retailers from $279.
Hands-on: The Tegra K1-powered Acer Chromebook 13 [NVIDIA YouTube channel, Aug 12, 2014]
See more at: Tegra K1 Transforming Chromebooks From The Inside Out [NVIDIA Blog, Aug 11, 2014]
Acer Chromebook 13 laptop – The Chromebook with 13 hours of battery life (features & highlights) [Acer YouTube channel, Aug 11, 2014]
Acer Launches Industry’s First Chromebook Powered by NVIDIA Tegra K1 and its First 13.3-inch Model [press release, Aug 12, 2014]
Acer America today announced the Acer Chromebook 13, the industry’s first Chromebook powered by an NVIDIA Tegra K1 mobile processor mobile processor and the company’s first with a 13.3-inch display. The Chromebook 13 enhances Acer’s already dominant position in this category with an impressive 46.7 percent market share in Chromebooks.(1)
Acer’s early lead in the Chromebook space you could understand from my earlier Leading PC vendors of the past: Go enterprise or die! [Nov 7, 2013] post.
The combination of additional real estate on the vibrant 13.3-inch display, industry-leading battery life of up to 13 hours,(2) and a thin and light fanless design makes the Acer Chromebook 13 the ideal choice for customers who want additional screen real estate along with a portable and productivity-boosting design. The Acer Chromebook 13 is available in two options – one with a full HD display with 1920×1080 resolution and another model with a 1366×768 display.(2)
The Acer Chromebook 13 delivers the ultimate in mobility with the Tegra K1 with a 192-core GPU, enabling customers to get more done throughout their work day and after hours, no matter where they take their Chromebook. Customers will experience a first-rate multi-tasking experience when keeping multiple tabs open, playing a video and doing more all at once.
“The Acer Chromebook 13 is an ideal device for families who need a new or additional computer to share for school projects, research, entertainment and fun online,” said Sumit Agnihotry, Acer’s vice president of product marketing. “The display is large and vibrant, so everything from homework to video is incredibly crisp and detailed. Plus, up to 13 hours of battery life means families can use the device all day for work or school and not have to recharge it for nighttime activities like homework and watching movies.”
The Acer Chromebook 13 uses the NVIDIA Tegra K1 4-Plus-1™ quad-core ARM Cortex A15 CPU plus a third-generation battery-saver core to provide up to 13 hours of battery life(2). Tegra K1 uses an NVIDIA Kepler architecture-based GPUwith 192 programmable GPGPU cores to process rich and detailed graphics.
“The Acer Chromebook 13’s long battery life, speedy multitasking and advanced graphics highlight the tremendous experiences that Tegra K1 delivers,” said Kaustubh Sanghani, general manager of the mobile PC business unit at NVIDIA. “Acer’s innovations and Tegra K1 will make the Chromebook 13 a popular device with consumers.”
Two Options Provide Choice of Full HD Display, Extra-Long Battery Life
The Acer Chromebook 13’s large 13.3-inch display comes in two models to give customer the options that fit their needs. The version with a full HD 1920×1080 display shows video in lifelike 1080p resolution and provides up to 11 hours of battery life.(2) In addition, models will be available with a bright and crisp 1366×768 resolution display that provides even longer battery life of up to 13 hours.(2) Both displays will have Acer ComfyView™ anti-glare panels that minimize light reflection that can cause eye fatigue. In addition, the Acer Chromebook 13’s display provides rich colors and excellent contrast, while the large size helps accommodate the spacious keyboard that is both comfortable and maximizes productivity.Designed with mobility in mind, the Acer Chromebook 13 has an incredibly thin and light design that measures only 0.71 inches thin and weighs only 3.31 pounds. In addition, the Acer Chromebook 13 is fanless, so the system is nearly silent while operating. The Acer Chromebook 13 keeps customers in touch and connected with 802.11ac WiFi, which provides speeds up to three times faster than 802.11n. Plus, the 2×2 MIMO antenna helps ensure reliable throughput.
Starts Quickly; Connects to Popular Devices
The new Acer Chromebook 13 boots up in less than 9 seconds and resumes nearly instantly from sleep mode. This enables customers to more quickly enjoy the more than 30,000 free and paid apps, themes and extensions in the Chrome web store.Customers will enjoy faster data transfers of photos and video with the Acer Chromebook 13’s two USB 3.0 ports. Plus, streamed video and movies can be shared on a larger display or home TV using the Acer Chromebook 13’s HDMI port. Video chats and Google Talk are all enhanced by the Chromebook’s HD webcam that provides 720p HD audio/video recording as well as the two built-in stereo speakers and microphone.
Fun to Share, Easy to Protect
Chromebooks are simple to use and ideal for sharing by multiple users, such as families, schools or at different shifts at a business. Users can log into their own account to access Gmail, Docs, website bookmarks and other information. Storage on Google Drive(3) protects files, documents, and photos safely in the cloud, and ensures that the most current version of the file or document is always available and safe, even if the Chromebook is lost or stolen. Plus, Acer Chromebook 13 users can view, edit, create and collaborate on-line and off-line with a growing number of programs, such as Microsoft Office documents and Gmail.
Security is a key benefit of the Chrome operating system, as it’s automatically updated to guard against ever-changing online threats. This is especially useful for families and schools who want to protect children.
Pricing and Availability
Several models are available now for pre-sale:
- The Acer Chromebook 13 CB5-311-T9B0 has the 1920×1080 full HD [1920 x 1080] display, 2GB of memory and a fast 16GB Solid State Drive(4). It is priced at only $299.99 and is available now for pre-sale at BestBuy.com.
- The Acer Chromebook 13 CB5-311-T1UU has a 1920×1080 full HD [1920 x 1080] display, 4GB of memory and a fast 32GB Solid State Drive(4). It is priced at only $379.99 and is available now for pre-sale at Amazon.com and the Acer Store.
- The Acer Chromebook 13 CB5-311-T7NN has a 1366×768 display, 2GB of memory and a fast 16GB Solid State Drive(4). It is priced at only $279.99 and is available now for pre-sale at Amazon.com and the Acer Store.
Acer is also offering a configuration via resellers that will be sold to commercial and education customers. That model comes with a 1366×768 display, 4GB of memory, a fast 16GB Solid State Drive(4) and will be priced at $329.99.
Acer systems are backed by professional, high-quality technical support. The company’s online community at community.acer.com provides customers discussion forums, answers to frequently asked questions and the opportunity to share ideas for new and enhanced services and products.
Prices listed are manufacturer suggested retail prices and may vary by location. Applicable sales tax extra.
Q1 2014 NPD data, U.S. market.
The Acer Chromebook 13 model with the full HD 1920×1080 display provides up to 11.5 hours of battery life. The Acer Chromebook 13 model with the 1366×768 display provides up to 13 hours of battery life. Battery life as measured with Google power_LoadTest (http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/testing/power-testing). Actual battery life varies by model, configuration (including storage capacity, RAM capacity, processor in use, display type and resolution, etc.), applications, power management settings, operating conditions, and utilized features.
More information on Google Drive on Chrome devices:https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/2703646?p=driveoffer&rd=1
Accessible capacity varies: (MB = 1 million bytes; GB = 1 billion bytes)
2. Recently introduced Chromebooks (11.6”)
Acer Chromebook 11 laptop – The right choice for a smart buyer (features & highlights) [Acer YouTube channel, Aug 21, 2014] with Intel’s BayTrail-M (Intel Mobile Celeron) N2830 platform (availability?)
From Acer’s Chrome Devices Now Expand to Include New Chromebox CXI and Chromebook 11 [press release, Aug 21, 2014]
…
Acer Chromebook 11
The Acer Chromebook 11 enhances life on-the-go with an even faster wireless connectivity and long-lasting battery life that extends productivity from day to night on a single charge. There are two models: the CB3-111 consumer model in an immaculate Moonstone White color, and the C730 commercial/education model in Granite Gray.
The Acer Chromebook 11 meets the needs of students, families, anyone on a budget, as an affordable secondary device, and for the growing number of customers who enjoy the Google ecosystem for school, work and entertainment.
Faster Connection and Long-lasting Battery
Up to 3x faster(1) connection is achieved via the latest 802.11ac wireless communication, which vastly improves coverage in distance and range. The Chromebook 11 features Bluetooth 4.0 technology and one USB 3.0 port that lets users share and send data faster. Up to 8.5 hours(2) of battery life means users can fit in plenty of work and entertainment throughout the day.
Fast Boot and Connectivity
The Intel® Celeron® N2830 processor(4), based on the Intel Bay Trail M architecture, and eMMC 16/32 GB solid-state drive helps this system boot fast(5), perform well without slowing over time. The Chromebook 11 comes with an 11.6-inch HD 1366 x 768 display, 16:9 wide aspect ratio, and Acer ComfyView™ LED backlit TFT LCD. Input/output ports include USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports for quick and easy data sharing and external storage, SD™ Card reader, combo headphone/speaker jack, and HDMI® port.
The Chromebook 11 (CB3-111) for consumers is slimmer than its predecessor measuring 299 x 202 x 18.65 mm with a reduced height, and weighs 1.1kg (2.43 lbs.) so it can be taken anywhere for exploring online, staying in touch, running Chrome apps and more.
The Chromebook 11 (C730) for the commercial/education with improved structural design can withstand a 60% higher drop test than the consumer model, and features a water spill proof keyboard/touchpad with drainage channel designed to tackle the higher possibilities of spills and drops in businesses and schools. This model measures 302.6 x 206.6 x 21.75 mm and weighs 1.4 kg (3.09 lbs.)
Speed, Security and Synchronicity of Acer Chrome-based Devices
The New Acer Chromebox CXI and Chromebook 11 pack all the speed, security and auto-synchronization convenience of Chrome OS.
Powerwash – Easy Factory Reset
Powerwash enables IT to quickly and easily clear all local user data stored in the Chrome device by resetting it to its original factory state. Using this feature, all data stored on the device such as files, photos, owner permissions, and saved networks, will be deleted for all accounts. After clearing this data, the IT professional is guided through the initial setup again. Resetting the device doesn’t affect the accounts themselves, or any data synced to these accounts.
Always Up to Date, Easy to Use
IT professionals will find that it’s simple to control a fleet of Chrome devices via the web-based Google Management Console, which makes it possible to deploy an app from 1 to thousands of Chrome-based devices with a single click of a button. The OS and all downloaded applications are automatically updated every six weeks, saving IT staff’s time and assuring users the freshest software and security features.
Acer’s Chrome devices come with pre-installed web apps and over 30,000 additional apps, themes and extensions on the Chrome Web Store. Since all applications run within the browser, there is little to no computer management required.
Acer’s Chrome devices are easy to use. After the user signs into Chrome with a Google account, they’re immediately immersed in the Google ecosystem and signed into Google services. Their bookmarks, history and settings are synced across all of their devices and computers running Chrome. Once logged in, they can surf the Internet with the Chrome browser, read and send emails from Gmail, search the web with Google Search, create documents, spreadsheets, presentations and more with Google Drive, as well as watch videos from YouTube, etc.
Fun to Share, Easy to Protect
Chrome devices are simple to use and ideal for sharing by multiple users, such as families, schools or at different shifts at a business. Users can log into their own account to access Gmail, Docs, website bookmarks and other information. Storage on Google Drive 4 protects files, documents, and photos safely in the cloud, and ensures that the most current version of the file or document is always available and safe, even if the Chrome device is lost or stolen. Plus, users of Acer Chrome devices can view, edit, create and collaborate on-line and off-line with a growing number of programs, such as Office documents and Gmail.
Layers of Tight Security
Multiple layers of security features including data encryption and verified boot defend the device against online threats, malware and viruses. Every time the Chrome OS boots, it checks the integrity and validity of system files. If it detects any anomaly or unauthorized change, the system will restore from a prior backup. User and system files are stored on separate partitions that keep data secure and make restoration from a backup simple. Individual user’s data is encrypted automatically and protected by the TPM 1.2 chip, which generates and stores secure cryptographic keys, enabling IT professionals to read data from a stolen Chrome device.
Via individual accounts, data is kept safe when the device is used by multiple users. Storage on Google Drive safeguards files, documents, and photos in the cloud, and ensures that the most current version is always available. IT staff will also appreciate that the Acer Chromebox CXI has a Kensington lock to secure them to a desk or mobile cart.
(1) Based on a IEEE 802.11ac draft specification. Actual speed will vary based on range, connection rate, site conditions, size of network, and other factors.
(2) Battery life may vary depending on model and configuration. Based on Google power_LoadTest.
(3) 330 ml of liquid water spillage resistant keyboard and touchpad design on Acer Chromebook 11 – C730 only.
(4) Accessible capacity varies: (MB = 1 million bytes; GB = 1 billion bytes).
(5) Reg: Boots up under 10 seconds. Source: Chromium OS Fast Boot.
Lenovo N20/N20P [11.6”] Chromebook hands-on [SlashGear YouTube channel, May 5, 2014] !! The N20p comes with a 300-degree hinge that allows the screen to be turned around for using the notebook in all-touch mode!! with Intel’s “BayTrail-M” [Mobile] Celeron N2930 or N2830 platform, available beginning in July and August, respectively
Lenovo Breaks The Mold By Going Multimode On Its First Consumer Chromebook [press release, May 6, 2014]
Portfolio offers thin and light designs and breakthrough dual mode, touch experience
- N20 Chromebook in clamshell design offers familiar laptop feel with choice features
- N20p Chromebook features an HD 10-point multitouch display and easily converts from Laptop to Stand mode for added flexibility and new ways to use it
Lenovo(HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced Lenovo’s first consumer Chromebooks, the N20 Chromebook and N20p Chromebook. These devices offer consumers choices of two ways to enjoy the Chrome experience in a thin and light form factor with a set of comprehensive technologies – all at an unbelievably affordable price starting at $279. While the N20 provides the familiar comfort of a traditional laptop, the N20p Chromebook breaks the mold for Chromebooks with its innovative multimode design featuring Laptop and Stand modes.
These new additions complement Lenovo’s Chromebook family, which includes the ThinkPad 11e Chromebook and the ThinkPad YOGA 11e Chromebook, built with the needs of education customers in mind.
Fusing Innovative Hardware
Designed for maximum portability, both Chromebooks are thin and light at less than 17.9mm and weighing less than 1.4 kg. With an 11.6-in 1366×768 HD screen, users can comfortably see their work and type by using the full-sized keyboard with its oversized trackpad and attractive cool-touch palmrest.
While the N20 Chromebook features a traditional laptop design, the multimode N20p Chromebook’s keyboard flexes 300° backward to convert from Laptop mode to Stand mode. Stand mode gives users a new way for watching videos up close and interacting with the 10-finger touchscreen for playing games and browsing.
With up to eight hours of battery life1 and powered by an Intel® Celeron processor with integrated graphics, users can quickly and seamlessly boot the Chromebook and immediately begin their task, whether it’s watching videos, video chatting using the high definition web cam, listening to music, surfing the web and more without bringing their power cord along. They can also stay constantly connected with its WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. The Chromebooks also come with up to 16 GB internal and up to 100 GB of free cloud storage from Google Drive for storing digital content.
The Chrome Experience
Combining the Chrome experience with Lenovo’s innovative multimode Chromebook design offers an unmatched value for consumers. With the Chrome operating system, the Chromebooks boot within seconds. Chrome offers fast, automatic updates and tens of thousands of apps available via the Chrome Web Store.
Users can work on their N20 Chromebook and N20p Chromebook offline writing email on Gmail and creating documents with Google Docs. To facilitate working with other people and devices, the Chromebooks allow for opening, editing and sharing Microsoft Word and Excel files. Users can even share their Chromebook with someone else through a guest’s personal Google account or by enabling Guest Mode, and they can enable monitoring of children’s web browsing with supervised user profiles. With the Chromebooks, users can print anywhere via Google Cloud Print, and they can employ remote desktop access to access software on their machine.
Quote
“Our first consumer Chromebooks perfectly complement people’s changing mobile digital lifestyles,” said Dilip Bhatia, vice president, worldwide marketing and design, PC Group, Lenovo. “Equipped with thousands of apps, the N20 and N20p Chromebooks are also fast, secure and incredibly simple for anyone to use and manage. With touch and two unique modes on the N20p Chromebook, users are getting a great technology experience at a handsome price.”
Pricing and Availability2
Pricing for models of the N20 Chromebook and N20p Chromebook start at $279 and $329, respectively. They will be available beginning in July and August, respectively, via Lenovo retailers and www.lenovo.com.
ASUS C200 [11.6”] Chromebook Review. Detailed. HQ. [Steve Paine YouTube channel, Aug 4, 2014] with Intel’s BayTrail-M (Intel Mobile Celeron) [N2830] platform, was first available in U.S. since May 6, 2014 (Amazon) and as of Sept 7. its MRP is $249 while you can buy it on Amazon for $230
See also: Introducing the New ASUS Chromebooks C200 and C300 [press release, May 6, 2014] where it was stated that:
… The ASUS Chromebook C200 and C300 will begin shipping in the US at the end of June 2014 with a starting price at $249.99. …
New Chromebooks: in more shapes, sizes and colors [Google Chrome Blog, May 6, 2014]
Spring has finally arrived in the U.S. And with the new growth the season brings, we’re happy to expand our Chromebook family. Together with Intel, today we’re announcing a new lineup of Chromebooks with Intel inside from leading manufacturers Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, LG and Toshiba—spanning an entire range of shapes, sizes, colors and configurations.
Lenovo’s N20p Chromebook and Thinkpad YOGA 11e Chromebook offer options for touchscreen and hinge designs that enable tablet or tented-angle usage, so they’re just as easy to use at your desk or coffee table, on your lap or at school.
ASUS is following the success of their Chromebox (now the most popular desktop on Amazon.com) by introducing two new laptops: The ASUS C200 Chromebook (11-inch) and ASUS C300 Chromebook (13-inch).
New versions of the Dell Chromebook 11 and the Acer C720 Chromebook will be powered by Intel’s Core i3 processor, which packs the additional performance to help you get things done faster. These new Chromebooks, along with a new 13-inch Toshiba model, a Chromebox from HP, and the LG Chromebase (the first all-in-one computer running Chrome OS), will be available in retail over the next few months.
3. Gartner Says Chromebook Sales Will Reach 5.2 Million Units in 2014 [press release, Aug 11, 2014]
Chromebook Sales Expected to Nearly Triple by 2017
In 2014, Sales to Consumers Will Account for Over Half of All Chromebook Sales
Sales of Chromebooks* will reach 5.2 million units in 2014, a 79 percent increase from 2013, according to Gartner, Inc. By 2017, sales of Chromebooks are set to nearly triple to reach 14.4 million units.
“Competition in the Chromebook market is intensifying as more vendors launch Chromebooks, with eight models in the market in 2014,” said Isabelle Durand, principal analyst at Gartner. “Now that the PC market is no longer growing strongly, vendors are searching for new business opportunities. They launched Chromebooks to revive interest in sub-$300 portable PCs once the netbook bubble had burst.”
Demand for Chromebooks is mainly driven by the education sector in the U.S. Gartner estimates that the education sector accounted for nearly 85 percent of Chromebook sales in 2013. In addition, of the 2.9 million Chromebooks sold during 2013, 82 percent were sold in North America, making it the major market for Chromebooks globally.
While Chromebooks are primarily used by the education sector, they will also have a place in businesses for specific workers, such as staff in banking, financial services, estate agents and hotel receptionists. “So far, businesses have looked at Chromebooks, but not bought many,” said Ms. Durand. “By adopting Chromebooks and cloud computing, businesses can benefit; they can shift their focus from managing devices to managing something much more important — their data.”
These devices also encourage more collaboration and sharing of content. As more users work collaboratively in the cloud, collaborative working practices are likely to become more common which may further increase the appeal of Chromebooks and similar devices.
In 2011, Samsung and Acer, very consumer-focused vendors, were the first vendors to invest in Chromebooks, and were the two dominant leaders in the market in 2013 (see Figure 1) “While there is less presence in the business market, and a limited product portfolio for midsize businesses, Chromebooks could open doors to the business market,” said Ms. Durand.
Acer’s early lead in the Chromebook space you could understand from my earlier Leading PC vendors of the past: Go enterprise or die! [Nov 7, 2013] post. Meanwhile Samsung earliest lead was documented in the very end of my Nexus 7: Google wanted it in 4 months for $199/$245, ASUS delivered + Nexus Q (of Google’s own design and manufacturing) added for social streaming from Google Play to speakers and screen in home under Android device control [June 28, 2012] post. Figure 1. Chromebook Vendors’ Shares of Unit Sales to End Users, Worldwide, 2013
Source: Gartner (July 2014)
By selling 1.7 million units in 2013, Samsung led the Chromebook market globally. It was especially dominant in the education market, having the most popular devices in primary and secondary schools. Acer, which had a 21.4 percent market share in 2013, designs Chromebooks with a consistent focus on delivering the best value for money. It uses Intel, rather than ARM-based, CPUs because its target consumers are price-sensitive.
HP was the No. 3 vendor, with a 6.8 percent share of Chromebook shipments, and Lenovo (which did not enter the market until last year) accounted for 6.7 percent of shipments in 2013. HP was the only vendor to launch a Chromebook with a 14-inch screen. HP positions itself as a provider of solutions and services for businesses, and its large installed customer base in the business and education markets should provide it with a strong competitive advantage in the Chromebook market going forward. Lenovo’s Chromebooks are very rugged, compared with the competition, and therefore ideal for primary and secondary school pupils. However, Lenovo needs to manage its devices portfolio in such a way as to avoid selling so many Chromebooks that it undermines sales of its other ThinkPads — which provide better margins.
Chromebooks will remain a niche market during the next five years. To reach a wider audience, vendors need to offer better features that address cloud-based usage patterns: faster connectivity, faster memory access, faster and larger solid-state drives, and strong user support in the education, business and consumer segments. “Making a competitive Chromebook is not just a matter of hardware and price; what is most important is to show how the device’s cloud-based architecture provides genuine advantages to users,” said Ms. Durand.
More detailed analysis is available in the report “Competitive Landscape: Chromebooks, Worldwide.” The report is available on Gartner’s website at http://www.gartner.com/document/2811820.
2014 H1 changes on the Worldwide Tablet market
Versus as it was presented in The lost U.S. grip on the mobile computing market, including not only the device business, but software development and patterns of use in general [this same blog, April 14, 2014]:
Source: The Tablet Market Ticks Up In The Second Quarter
With White Box Shipments Leading The Way [Business Insider, July 25, 2014]
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The global tablet market ticked up in the second quarter of 2014, although growth is still near the market’s historical low.
- Shipments hit about 44.3 million during the period, yielding year-over-year growth of 11%.
While an improvement from the previous quarter, consider that the tablet market had year-over-year growth of nearly 80% in the same quarter just a year ago.
- Although it lead all vendors with about 27% market share, Apple’s iPad shipments declined 9% year-over-year during the period. That marks the second consecutive quarter in which iPad shipments have declined.
- Samsung’s tablet shipments grew a paltry 1% for the period to hit 8.5 million units in the second quarter. That is an enormous slowdown compared to the growth rates it was achieving just a year ago. In the second quarter of 2013, Samsung tablet shipments grew 300% year-over-year.
- Both Apple and Samsung lost market share during the quarter. Apple’s leading market share fell from 33% to 27% while Samsung’s dipped two percentage points to 17%.
- “White-box” vendors = 41% of market
Worldwide Tablet Market Grows 11% in Second Quarter on Shipments from a Wide Range of Vendors, According to IDC [IDC press release, July 24, 2014]
The worldwide tablet grew 11.0% year over year in the second quarter of 2014 (2Q14) with shipments reaching 49.3 million units according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker. Although shipments declined sequentially from 1Q14 by -1.5%, IDC believes the market will experience positive but slower growth in 2014 compared to the previous year.
“As we indicated last quarter, the market is still being impacted by the rise of large-screen smartphones and longer than anticipated ownership cycles,” said Jean Philippe Bouchard, IDC Research Director for Tablets. “We can also attribute the market deceleration to slow commercial adoption of tablets. Despite this trend, we believe that stronger commercial demand for tablets in the second half of 2014 will help the market grow and that we will see more enterprise-specific offerings, as illustrated by the Apple and IBM partnership, come to market.”
Despite declining shipments of its iPad product line, Apple managed to maintain its lead in the worldwide tablet market, shipping 13.3 million units in the second quarter. Following a strong first quarter, Samsung struggled to maintain its momentum and saw its market share slip to 17.2% in the second quarter. Lenovo continued to climb the rankings ladder, surpassing ASUS and moving into the third spot in the tablet market, shipping 2.4 million units and grabbing 4.9% markets share. The top 5 was rounded out by ASUS and Acer, with 4.6% and 2.0% share, respectively. Share outside the top 5 grew to an all time high as more and more vendors have made inroads in the tablet space. By now most traditional PC and phone vendors have at least one tablet model in the market, and strategies to move bundled devices and promotional offerings have slowly gained momentum.
“Until recently, Apple, and to a lesser extent Samsung, have been sitting at the top of the market, minimally impacted by the progress from competitors,” said Jitesh Ubrani, Research Analyst, Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker. “Now we are seeing growth amongst the smaller vendors and a levelling of shares across more vendors as the market enters a new phase.”
Worldwide Tablet Shipments Miss Targets as First Quarter Experiences Single-Digit Growth, According to IDC [IDC press release, May 1, 2014]
Worldwide tablet plus 2-in-1 shipments slipped to 50.4 million units in the first calendar quarter of 2014 (1Q14) according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker. The total represents a sequential decline of -35.7% from the high-volume holiday quarter and just 3.9% growth over the same period a year ago. The slowdown was felt across operating systems and screen sizes and likely points to an even more challenging year ahead for the category.
“The rise of large-screen phones and consumers who are holding on to their existing tablets for ever longer periods of time were both contributing factors to a weaker-than-anticipated quarter for tablets and 2-in-1s,” said Tom Mainelli, IDC Program Vice President, Devices and Displays. “In addition, commercial growth has not been robust enough to offset the slowing of consumer shipments.”
Apple maintained its lead in the worldwide tablet plus 2-in-1 market, shipping 16.4 million units. That’s down from 26.0 million units in the previous quarter and well below its total of 19.5 million units in the first quarter of 2013. Despite the contraction, the company saw its share of the market slip only modestly to 32.5%, down from the previous quarter’s share of 33.2%. Samsung once again grew its worldwide share, increasing from 17.2% last quarter to 22.3% this quarter. Samsung continues to work aggressively with carriers to drive tablet shipments through attractively priced smartphone bundles. Rounding out the top five were ASUS (5%), Lenovo (4.1%), and Amazon (1.9%).
“With roughly two-thirds share, Android continues to dominate the market,” said Jitesh Ubrani, Research Analyst, Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker. “Although its share of the market remains small, Windows devices continue to gain traction thanks to sleeper hits like the Asus T100, whose low cost and 2-in-1 form factor appeal to those looking for something that’s ‘good enough’.”
Digitimes Research: Global tablet shipments reach 55.06 million units in 2Q14 [press release, July 23, 2014]
There were 55.06 million tablets shipped globally in the second quarter of 2014, decreasing 4.5% on quarter but increasing 17.9% on year, according to Digitimes Research.
The shipments consisted of 14.1 million iPads, down 10% on quarter, and 18.96 million units launched by vendors other than Apple, down 12.7% on quarter. Additionaly, 22.3 million white-box units were shipped in the second quarter.
Shipments of small-size Wi-Fi-enabled units in particular slowed down in the second quarter and the time period was also a slow season for shipments. Supply chains also faced yield issues and Samsung saw less-than-expected shipments for its 8-inch tablets. Tablets sized 10-inch and above have seen shipment increases since fourth-quarter 2014.
Taiwan tablet makers meanwhile surpassed 20 million in shipments for brand tablets during the second quarter, which made up 60% of overall brand tablet shipments during the time period, added Digitimes Research.
Digitimes Research: Global tablet shipments drop 30% sequentially in 1Q14 [press release, April 23, 2014]
Global tablet shipments reached only 58.56 million units in the first quarter of 2014, down almost 30% sequentially, but up 4.6% on year despite Samsung Electronics trying to boost both its high-end and entry-level tablet shipments and Lenovo pushing shipments to meet its fiscal 2013 targets. Seasonality, Apple seeing weaker sales, and the tablet market growing mature were also factors that affected shipment performance, according to Digitimes Research.
Shipments of iPads suffered both on-year and sequential drops to reach 15.85 million units in the first quarter. Non-iPad tablet shipments were 22.31 million units, down 20% sequentially, but up over 30% on year thanks to strong demand for Samsung, Lenovo and Asustek’s Windows-based models. White-box tablet shipments reached only 20.4 million units due to seasonality and labor shortages during the Lunar New Year holidays.
Apple and Samsung remained the top-two vendors in the first quarter, but the two players’ market share gap was less than 6pp. Lenovo was the third-largest vendor, followed closely by Asustek Computer in fourth. Amazon and Google dropped to number seven and ten.
Taiwan ODMs shipped 22.15 million tablets together in the first quarter, accounting for less than 60% of global shipments. The largest maker, Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry), and second-largest Pegatron Technology both suffered significant shipment drops due to lower-than-expected demand for iPad. Quanta saw increased shipments in the quarter because of Asustek’s T100 tablet, and returned to being the third-largest maker in Taiwan. Compal Electronics’ shipments suffered a sharp decline because Amazon’s Kindle Fire range is approaching the end of its lifecycle, while Acer is turning to cooperate with China-based makers, Digitimes Research‘s figures showed.
Digitimes Research: Global white-box tablet shipments down in 1Q14 [press release, May 12, 2014]
There were 20.4 million white-box tablets shipped globally in the first quarter of 2014, decreasing by 27.4% on quarter and by 2.4% on year, according to Digitimes Research.
The decrease in shipments was mainly because most white-box vendors are based in China and there were fewer working days in the first quarter due to the Lunar New Year holidays, Digitimes Research pointed out.
Of the shipments, 7-inch models accounted for 70.5%, 7.85/7.9-inch ones 21.3%, 8- to 9-inch ones 4.2%, above 9- to 10-inch 2.9%, above 10-inch 1.1%.
Due to strong demand in emerging markets including India, Indonesia, Thailand, Russia and Eastern Europe, global white-box tablet shipments in the second quarter of 2014 will increase 14.2% on quarter and 45.6% on year to 23.3 million units.
2014 H1 changes on the Consumer Tablet Market in China
Versus as it was presented in Section I. of The lost U.S. grip on the mobile computing market, including not only the device business, but software development and patterns of use in general [this same blog, April 14, 2014]
The lost U.S. grip on the mobile computing market, including not only the device business, but software development and patterns of use in general
This is my conclusion after the two sections of analysis presented below:
I. China-based white-box tablet and smartphone vendors were shaping the 2013 global device market which will even more so in 2014
II. Asia is following different patterns of mobile use than the United States – the case of China and South Korea
The single, most forceful evidence for all of the above is the extraordinary presentation of Hugo Barra, Vice President, Xiaomi Global & Loic Le Meur, LeWeb Founders- LeWeb’13 Paris – [LeWebYouTube channel, Dec 11, 2013]
I. China-based white-box tablet vendors and smartphone vendors were shaping the 2013 global device market which will even more so in 2014
My analysis of the smartphone market in general was first presented in the Device businesses should have a China-based independent headquarter at least for Asia/Pacific if they want to succeed [‘Experiencing the Cloud’, Jan 28, 2014] and then it was already updated by the recent Chinese smartphone brands to conquer the global market? [‘Experiencing the Cloud’, March 18, 2014] post of mine.
As a Q4’13 update to The tablet market in Q1-Q3’13: It was mainly shaped by white-box vendors while Samsung was quite successfully attacking both Apple and the white-box vendors with triple digit growth both worldwide and in Mainland China [‘Experiencing the Cloud’, Nov 14, 2013] post of mine I should first add here the following analysis:
Note that the white-box tablet shipments from China were estimated by company data and Credit Suisse estimates as 7% and 10% higher: 2012: 58M (vs. 54.4M here), 2013: 98M (vs. 89.1M here) (as per the “Figure 30” chart in this blog below). As you see here and later on the conclusion of the Q1-Q3’13 analysis for the tablet market, represented by the title of the previous post will hold for the whole CY2013 as well. The only remarkable change is the sudden jump in Apple iPad sales in Q4, both worldwide and in China. This is, however, only attributed to Q4 introduction of the new iPad Air which was much anticipated for months, thus postponement of new purchases and the peak when it was available. So, for the whole year, my conclusion still holds true,
Note that the 2013 tablet market in China was 17.2M as per the above data, while the 2013 worldwide tablet market was 219.5M per IDC, and 255M according to company data and Credit Suisse estimates (as per the “Figure 30” chart in this blog below). So China was just 7.8% or 6.4% of the worldwide tablet market, while China shipped significantly more, 38.4% of the worldwide tablet market by the Chinese white-box vendors only (the last one according to company data and Credit Suisse estimates). This is 5.5% higher than the share of China-based smartphone vendors in the global 2013 smartphone shipments (32.9%, according to DIGITIMES Research—see well below), although in tablet space only Lenovo was a significant player, while in smartphones Huawei, ZTE, Coolpad and TCL were also signicant ones (being actually in the global Top 10). In addition a much higher portion of that was shipped internally: about 50% according to company data and Credit Suisse estimates (as per the “Figure 25” chart in this blog below), while for tablets 3M local brand tablets were shipped (as per Analysys International, see the above chart) against 98M of white-box tablets only (as per company data and Credit Suisse estimates), i.e. around 3%. Even taking the DIGITIMES Research’ 54.4M white-box tablet shipment data as the basis, this number will only climb to around 5.5%.
Then I need to add here some external analysis as well, for both the smartphone and tablet markets:
From Taiwan Display IC Sector [Credit Suisse Equity research, March 12, 2014]
[p. 10] … We are … seeing entry level tablet shifting from 7″ to 8″ with higher resolutions given the competition from large size smartphone (Phablet). Tablet brands also plan to introduce over 10″ models for more commercial applications. …
China smartphone will continue to proliferate
Credit Suisse Global Research team estimates global smartphone shipment growth of 18% CAGR in 2013-2016E, while China build smartphone shipment (domestic and export) will see 29% CAGR in 2013-16E. For 2014, we forecast total China smartphone DDI [Display Driver IC] demand of 650-700mn units, up 33-36% YoY, and panel resolution to see faster migration on aggressive pricing and less capacity constraint …
[p. 10] Tablet unit demand still solid in 2014 post strong 2013
Tablet set shipment growth is expected to slow down in 2014 (34% YoY) after a strong 57% YoY growth in 2013 and 107% YoY growth in 2012. However, we believe Chinese tablet makers (brand and whitebox) … will outgrow the industry thanks to further cost reduction …
[p. 11] We estimate there will be limited growth for high-end or branded tablets in 2014, with the exception of Samsung (60% YoY growth). We believe the overall tablet demand will be driven by the Chinese, such as Lenovo and whitebox makers.
[2011: 73M*, 2012: 163M, 2013: 255M, 2014E: 342M]
* Samsung’s own data: 2010: 1.5M, 2011: 5.8M, 2012: 16.6M
** Note that the white-box tablet shipments were estimated by DIGITIMES Research as lower: 2012: 54.4M (vs. 58M here), 2013: 89.1M (vs. 98M here)
(as per the 1st chart in this blog above)
2014 China smartphone market and industry – Forecast and analysis [DIGITIMES Research, March 24, 2014]
Digitimes Research expects demand in the domestic China market to reach 422 million smartphones in 2014, with 278 million units contributed by China-based smartphone vendors. The continued expansion by international vendors Samsung and Apple will push up their sales to almost 144 million units, accounting for nearly 4% growth from 2013. As competition in the local market heats up, China-based vendors are turning to overseas markets in order to maintain their shipment volumes, especially taking an aggressive approach to penetrating emerging markets, which hold higher barriers for overseas vendors to enter.
The outlook for the 2014 China domestic smartphone market is that fewer local brands will remain to compete in the market. With the general enhancement of software-hardware specifications in 2013, brand-building and channel management have become the key to sustainability. Vendors without the advantage of substantial product differentiation will face the challenge of being eliminated in the short term. On the other hand, local vendors need to deal with inventories with discretion to counter the vigorous attacks initiated by international vendors in the domestic market.
In terms of the China smartphone industry, Digitimes Research expects global shipments of China-based smartphone vendors to reach 412 million units in 2014, a 30.7% increase from 2013. Overseas shipments will account for about 126 million units. While shipments to mature markets are expected to grow on a small scale, shipments to emerging markets are expected to expand at strong rates, mainly due to the low base they are starting from.
In the forecast for shipments from different vendors in 2014, Lenovo and Huawei are expected to reach 50 million units. Huawei has been engaged in overseas markets for a long time so its export portion outweighs Lenovo’s. ZTE’s and CoolPad‘s shipments are expected to reach 35.5 million units. TCL [Alcatel] has shown a significant growth in exports with shipments expected to exceed 26 million units in 2014, ranking No. 5 on the list. Second-tier vendors Gionee and Xiaomi are expected to ship 20 million units.
Digitimes Research: China smartphone shipments to decline slightly in 1Q14 [DIGITIMES Research, Feb 7, 2014]
China-based handset companies are expected to see their shipments of smartphones decline lightly in the first quarter of 2014, after combined shipments posted a 13% sequential growth in the previous quarter, according to Digitimes Research.
Efforts by brand vendors to clear out entry-level models in previous quarters and increased overseas shipments by Huawei, ZTE and TCL contributed to shipment gains the fourth quarter of 2013.
Additionally, first- and second-tier vendors also launched a number of new models in the fourth quarter to meet demand during the year-end buying season, ramping up total shipments in the quarter.
For all of 2013, China-based handset makers shipped a total of 314 million smartphones, increasing 62.4% from a year earlier, Digitimes Research said.
Second-tier vendors, including Xiaomi Technology, TCL, Oppo Mobile and Gionee managed to ship over 15 million smartphones in 2013.
Digitimes Research: Global smartphone shipments to top 1.24 billion units in 2014 [DIGITIMES Research, Jan 14, 2014]
Global smartphone shipments are expected to top 1.24 billion units in 2014, with Samsung Electronics, Apple, LG Electronics, Sony Mobile Communications, Lenovo, Huawei, Microsoft, ZTE, Coolpad and TCL serving as top-10 vendors, according to Digitimes Research.
Apple may see its shipments double in 2014 largely due to increased shipments to China and Japan as it will benefit from its cooperation with the largest telecom operators in the two countries, said Digitimes Research.
The growth rate for Samsung will be limited in 2014 as its sales in the US, China and Japan will be depressed by growing popularity of iPhones.
China-based Lenovo, Huawei and Coolpad are expected to step up their efforts to boost sales in overseas markets after being enlisted among the top-10 vendors due to higher shipment volumes in the home market in China.
However, TCL and ZTE will continue to ship smartphones to overseas markets mainly, but will also strengthen sales in China, with domestic sales to account for less than 50% of their total shipments in 2014, commented Digitimes Research.
2014 global smartphone market forecast [DIGITIMES Research, Jan 7, 2014]
In 2014, smartphones are expected to continue penetrating rapidly into emerging markets such as Russia, India, Indonesia and Latin America, while China’s smartphone shipments will see weakened on-year growth in the year, but still enormous volume. This report will provide in-depth analyses to forecast whether global smartphone shipments in 2014 will maintain a growth similar to that of 2013 and what the global shipment scale will reach in 2014.
Within the top-10 smartphone vendors in 2013, four of them are from China and in 2014 more China-based vendors are expected to enter the top 10. This report will also analyze which China-based vendors will have the best chance to become parts of the top-tier players.
How Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s handset business will affect Windows Phone products’ shipment growth in 2014 and shake Android and iOS’ domination in the smartphone market, as well as the possibility of Amazon and Facebook joining the smartphone competition in 2014 and their potential influence to the market will also be analyzed within the report.
Digitimes Research: Global smartphone shipments to reach 1.24 billion in 2014 [DIGITIMES Research, Nov 25, 2013]
Global smartphone shipments are expected to reach about 1.24 billion in 2014, up 30% on year [i.e. 954M in 2013], according to Digitimes Research.
The increase in growth is expected to be driven by demand in Russia, India, Indonesia and Latin America countries.
Digitimes Research believes that Samsung Electronics will lead the way in shipments followed by Apple, LG Electronics, Sony, Lenovo, Huawei Device, Microsoft, ZTE, Coolpad and TCL [Alcatel].
Android and IOS operating systems are expected to be used in about 93% of the devices shipped in 2014, added Digitimes Research.
Global tablet market – 4Q 2013 [DIGITIMES Research, March 24, 2014]
Global tablet shipments grew 25% sequentially and 29.8% on year to reach 78.45 million units in the fourth quarter of 2013 benefiting mainly by economic recoveries of Europe and North America, which relatively boosted demand during the year-end holidays.
Digitimes Research: Global tablet shipments in 1Q14 to drop over 20% sequentially [DIGITIMES Research, Jan 27, 2014]
An estimated 62.14 million tablets will ship globally in the first quarter of 2014, decreasing 20.8% on quarter but increasing 10.9% on year, according to Digitimes Research.
iPads will account for 29% of shipments, brand models launched by vendors other than Apple for 36.7%, and models launched by white-box vendors for 34.3%, Digitimes Research indicated.
Of brand tablet shipments in particular, Android-based models will take up 50.5%, iOS-based 44.1% and Windows-based 5.4%. 7.9-inch models will account for 24.8% of the shipments, followed by 7-inch models with 20.2%, 9-inch models with 19.6%, 10-inch models with 18.3% and 8-inch models with 15.3%. In terms of touch solutions, GFF will account for 47.8% of shipments, GF2 for 42.9%, OGS for 5.3%, GG for 2.7% and G1F for 1.3%.
Among vendors, Apple will have the largest global market share at 29%, followed by Samsung Electronics with 23.1%, Lenovo 4.7%, Asustek Computer 2.7%, Amazon 1%, Acer 1%, Microsoft 0.9%, Dell 0.8%, Google 0.5% and Hewlett-Packard 0.5%.
Taiwan-based ODMs/OEMs will ship 22.5 million tablets in the quarter, taking up 55.1% of total brand model shipments. Foxconn Electronics will account for 51.7% of shipments, Pegatron 34.8%, Compal Electronics 5.1%, Wistron 4.3% and Quanta Computer 4.1%.
Digitimes Research: Global tablet shipments in 4Q13 estimated at 78.45 million units [DIGITIMES Research, Jan 24, 2014]
There were an estimated 78.45 million tablets shipped globally in the fourth quarter of 2013, increasing 25% on quarter and by 29.8% on year, according to Digitimes Research.
iPads accounted for 29.7% of shipments, brand models launched by vendors other than Apple for 36.6%, and models launched by white-box vendors for 33.8%, Digitimes Research indicated. Android-based models took up 51.2% of the shipments, iOS-based 44.9% and Windows-based 3.9%. 7-inch models accounted for 31% of the shipments, followed by 9-inch models with 25.4%, 7.9-inch models with 19.7%, 10-inch models with 15.8% and 8-inch models with 7.6%. In terms of touch solutions, GF2 accounted for 41.5% of shipments, GFF for 38.6%, OGS for 9.8% and GG for 9.5%.
Among vendors, Apple had the largest global market share at 29.7%, followed by Samsung Electronics with 17.4%, Amazon 5.4%, Lenovo 4.2%, Asustek Computer 2.8%, Google 1.4%, Acer 1%, Dell 0.8% and Hewlett-Packard 0.5%.
Taiwan-based ODMs/OEMs shipped 32.8 million tablets in the fourth quarter, with Foxconn Electronics accounting for 52.7%, Pegatron 24.4%, Compal Electronics 12%, Quanta Computer 6.6% and Wistron 4.2%.
II. Asia is following different patterns of mobile use than the United States – the case of China and South Korea
The Post-PC Era: Is the U.S. losing its grip on the software industry? [Flurry Blog, Aug 29, 2013]
Just five years ago, PCs reigned supreme and so did the US software industry. In 2008, U.S. companies produced an estimated 65% of all PC software units sold on a worldwide basis.
In only half a decade, smartphones, tablets, and perhaps most importantly, apps, have changed the nature of the software industry. In this post we look at where apps are being developed and used and discuss the implications of that for the Post-PC Era software industry.
More Apps Are Now Being Created Outside The U.S. Than Inside The U.S.
… By June of this year only 36% of the apps we measure were made in the U.S.A. …
…
U.S. Made Apps Still Dominate App Engagement, But Their Share Is Slipping
Of course, some apps enjoy much greater use than others, so we next considered how the picture changes if apps are weighted by total time, which takes into account both user numbers and engagement. Once time is taken into account, things look considerably better for the U.S., suggesting that, on average, user numbers or engagement are greater for apps made in the U.S. than for apps created elsewhere. That makes sense given the size of the U.S. population, the fact that it was an app pioneer country, and the number of English speakers in other countries who might be able to use U.S.-made apps without any localization. Nonetheless, even the weighted percentage of apps made in the U.S.A. has dropped in the past year.
Use of Local Apps Is Strong In China
This should not lull U.S. app developers into a false sense of security however. That becomes evident from examining where the apps used by people in particular countries are made. That’s what the chart below does, starting with the United States. Nearly sixty percent (59%) of the time U.S. users spend in apps is spent in apps developed domestically, meaning that more than 40% of the app time of U.S. consumers is already spent in apps developed in other countries.
And while U.S. made apps are used elsewhere, unsurprisingly, people in many other countries spend a significant amount of their app time in apps developed in their home countries. For example, 13% of the time spent in apps in the UK is spent in apps made in the UK and 8% of the time spent in apps in Brazil is spent in apps made in Brazil. But as is so often the case, it’s China where things get really interesting. Nearly two-thirds of the time spent in apps in China is spent in apps made in China. U.S. made apps only account for 16% of total time spent in apps in China. The size and growth rate of the Chinese app market imply that the worldwide share of time spent in apps that are produced in the U.S. can be expected to contract further.
China Report: Device and App Trends in the #1 Mobile Market [Flurry Blog, July 23, 2013]
In June of this year Flurry Analytics measured 261,333,271 active smartphones and tablets in China. That represented a whopping 24% of the entire worldwide connected device installed base measured by Flurry.
…
Smartphones and tablets are not just about fun and games in China. Compared to iOS device owners elsewhere, the average time Chinese owners spend using Books, Newsstand, Utility, and Productivity apps is greater than the rest of the world (1.8x, 1.7x, 2.3x, and 2.1x respectively). On average Chinese owners of Android devices spend more than seven times as much time in Finance apps (7.4x) than Android owners elsewhere spend in Finance apps, but they also spend more time in Entertainment apps (1.7x).
The South Korea Report: Device and App Trends in The First Saturated Device Market [Flurry Blog, Oct 14, 2013]
In August of this year Flurry Analytics measured 33,527,534 active smartphones and tablets in South Korea. While that was only 2.8% of the entire worldwide connected device installed base Flurry measures, South Korea is an important market for connected devices for several reasons. First, it is the first connected device market in the world to approach saturation. Second, it is Samsung’s home market, and largely as a consequence of that, more of the devices in use there are manufactured by domestic firms than is the case for any other country. Finally, it is home to more phablet fans than anywhere else.
…Social networking accounts for a significant share of app activity in South Korea, as it does in many other countries. Tool apps are used heavily by South Korean Android users, and entertainment apps capture a lot of time spent in iOS apps.
Compared to app users elsewhere, South Koreans over-index on Entertainment apps on iOS and several Android app categories (Media / Video, Photography, Lifestyle, Shopping, and Tools).
…
Given that South Korea’s rapid period of connected device growth was ushered in by the phablet, it is perhaps not surprising that it continues to surpass the rest of the world in its preference for that form factor. As shown below, in a worldwide sample of 97,963 iOS and Android devices, only 7% were phablets, but for South Korea that percentage was 41%. The appeal of phablets in South Korea appears to suppress the tablet market there. Worldwide, 19% of the devices in our sample were tablets compared to only 5% in South Korea.
Worldwide:
Size Matters for Connected Devices. Phablets Don’t. [Flurry Blog, April 1, 2013]
… For this study, we focused on the top 200 device models, as measured by active users in Flurry’s system, which represent more than 80% of all usage. Doing so, five groups emerged based on screen size:
1. Small phones (e.g., most Blackberries), 3.5” or under screens
2. Medium phones (e.g., iPhone), between 3.5” – 4.9” screens
3. Phablets (e.g., Galaxy Note), 5.0” – 6.9” screens
4. Small Tablets (e.g., Kindle Fire), 7.0” – 8.4” screens
5. Full-size tablets (e.g., the iPad), 8.5” or greater screens
…
The ‘Is it a phone or is it a tablet’ devices otherwise known as phablets have attracted interest, but currently command a relatively small share (2%) of the device installed base, and their share of active users and sessions is also relatively small.
…
Android owns the phablet market and also has the greatest proportion of devices using small tablets. iOS has the greatest share of active devices using large tablets.
…
… notice that nearly a third of time spent playing games take places on larger devices, namely full-sized tablet, small tablets and phablets. And while they command consumer time spent, they represented only 15% of device models in use in February and 21% of individual connected devices. These differences are statistically significant.Studying books and videos, it’s somewhat surprising that tablets, which possess larger screens, do not see a larger proportion of time spent. An explanation for the high concentration in time spent in smartphones could be that consumers watch videos from their smartphones on-the-go (e.g., commuting to work on public transit), whereas they opt for a bigger screen to watch video (e.g., computer or TV) when at work or home. We expect that tablets may represent a greater share of time spent in book and video apps in the future as tablet ownership expands and tablet owners branch out into more types of apps.
…
From our study, consumers most prefer and use apps on medium-sized smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy smartphones and full-sized tablets like the iPad. In particular, smaller smartphones under-index in terms of app usage compared to the proportion of the installed base they represent, and would suggest they are not worth developers’ support.
…
Mobile Use Grows 115% in 2013, Propelled by Messaging Apps [Flurry Blog, Jan 13, 2014]
… the segment that showed the most dramatic growth [worldwide] in 2013 was Messaging (Social and Photo sharing included). The growth in that segment should not come as a surprise to many, given the attention that messaging apps such as WhatsApp, WeChat, KakaoTalk, LINE, Facebook Messenger and SnapChat have received in the press. What is surprising, however, is that the rate of growth (tripling usage year-over-year) dramatically outpaced other popular categories. This type of growth could explain the high valuation Facebook has allegedly put on SnapChat, or Facebook’s rush to add direct messaging in Instagram, an app frequented by teens.
…
Another explosive growth year in mobile has passed. On December 31st, 2013 at 11:59 pm, Flurry Analytics tracked a record 4.7 Billion app sessions in a single day, for a total of 1.126 Trillion sessions for the whole year. Those are some very, very big numbers. …
The Truth About Cats and Dogs: Smartphone vs Tablet Usage Differences [Flurry Blog, Oct 29, 2012]
… Taking a snapshot in September 2012 from Flurry Analytics, that totaled more than 6 billion application sessions across approximately 500 million smart devices, Flurry provides a comprehensive comparison between smartphones and tablets, spanning age, gender, time of day usage, category usage and engagement metrics. For age and gender comparisons, Flurry leverages a panel of more than 30 million consumers who have opted-in to share demographic data. …
…
The chart below compares the time spent across app categories between smartphones and tablets. At a high level, consumers spend more time using tablets for media and entertainment, including Games (67%), Entertainment (9%) and News (2%) categories which account for nearly four-fifths of consumption on tablets. Smartphones claim a higher proportion of communication and task-oriented activities with Social Networking (24%), Utilities (17%), Health & Fitness (3%) and Lifestyle (3%) commanding nearly half of all usage on smartphones. Games are the most popular category on both form factors with 67% of time spent using games on tablets and 39% of time spent using games on smartphones. Further reinforcing that tablets are “media machines” is the fact that consumers spend 71% more of their time using games on tablets than they spend doing so on smartphones.
Indie Game Makers Dominate iOS and Android [Flurry Blog, March 6, 2012]
For the first two months of 2012, Flurry Analytics measured that more than half of all end user sessions were spent in games. Across January and February, Flurry observed sessions across a sample of more than 64 billion applications sessions across more than 500 million iOS and Android devices.
United States
:
Apps Solidify Leadership Six Years into the Mobile Revolution [Flurry Blog, April 1, 2014]
Last year, on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the mobile revolution, Flurry issued its five-year report on the mobile industry. In that report we analyzed time-spent on mobile devices by the average US consumer. We have run the same analysis, using data collected between January and March of 2014, and found some interesting shifts that we are sharing in this report
…The chart
belowon the left takes a closer look at app categories. Comparing them to last year, gaming apps maintained their leadership position at 32% of time spent. Social and messaging applications, including Facebook, increased share from 24% to 28%. Entertainement (including YouTube) and Utility applications maintained their positions at 8% each, while productivity apps saw their share double from 2% to 4% of the overall time spent.
Flurry Five-Year Report: It’s an App World. The Web Just Lives in It
[Flurry Blog, April 3, 2013]
… On the five-year anniversary of launching Flurry Analytics, we took some time to reflect on the industry and share some insights. First, we studied the time U.S. consumers spend between mobile apps and mobile browsers, as well as within mobile app categories. Let’s take a look. …
Mobile App Usage [in U.S.] Further Dominates Web, Spurred by Facebook [Flurry Blog, Jan 9, 2012]
The chart compares how daily interactive consumption has changed over the last 18 months between the web (both desktop and mobile web) and mobile native apps. For the web, shown in green, we built a model using publicly available data from comScore and Alexa. For mobile application usage, shown in blue, we used Flurry Analytics data, which tracks anonymous sessions across more than 140,000 applications. We estimate this accounts for approximately one third of all mobile application activity, which we scaled-up accordingly for this analysis.
…
With mobile app usage soaring, Flurry additionally studied which categories most occupy consumers’ time. The results are shown in the pie chart below.
Further considering that Flurry does not track Facebook usage, the Social Networking category is actually larger. Combined, from just what Flurry can see, these two categories control a whopping 79% of consumers’ total app time. This breakdown in usage reveals Facebook’s inherent popularity as the leading social network, as well as how important controlling the game category is for all platform providers. As we drill down into the category data, consumers use these two categories more frequently, and for longer average session lengths, compared to other categories.
The tablet market in Q1-Q3’13: It was mainly shaped by white-box vendors while Samsung was quite successfully attacking both Apple and the white-box vendors with triple digit growth both worldwide and in Mainland China
Details about Samsung’s strengths you can find inside the Samsung has unbeatable supply chain management, it is incredibly good in everything which is consumer hardware, but vulnerability remains in software and M&A [‘Experiencing the Cloud’, Nov 11, 2013] post of mine.
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Note what was communicated in the 2013 global tablet forecast [Dec 11, 2012]:
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My findings behind the title statement:
- White-box vendors from Mainland China delivered 62.6 million tablets in Q1-Q3’13 vs. 35.4 million a year ago (76.8% growth) per DIGITIMES Research
(the two latest sources used for that are included in the end) - Apple delivered 48.2 million tablets in Q1-Q3’13 vs. 42.8 million a year ago (12.6% growth) per IDC
(the IDC sources used are the corresponding quarterly press releases) - Samsung delivered 27.3 million tablets in Q1-Q3’13 vs. 8.7 million a year ago (214% growth) per IDC (with a H1’13 correction from Samsung itself)
- IDC’s latest forecast couldn’t take properly into the account the group of white-box vendors (44.6 million in “Others” category vs. 62.6 million), even more than a year ago (25.8 million in “Others” category vs. 35.4 million)
- With such error for Q1-Q3’13 there was a 142.6 million strong worldwide market by IDC vs. 76.4 million a year ago (86.7% growth)
- Together the white-box vendors, Apple and Samsung, as the market changing vendors/vendor group delivered 132.7 million tablets in Q1-Q3’13 vs. 86.9 million a year ago (52.7% growth)
- Meanwhile the “Others” group (with improper inclusion of white-box vendors) by IDC delivered 49.8 million tablets in Q1-Q3’13 vs. 25.8 million a year ago (93% growth)
- Mainland China had a 4.4 million strong tablet market in Q3’13 vs. the 44.6 million worldwide market as per IDC. Since white-box vendors sold 25 million tablets worldwide (according to DIGITIMES Reasearch) in Q3’13 vs. only 16.8 million sales in the ‘Others’ category by IDC we can safely raise the 49.8 million number by upto 10 million to upto 60 million. This means that in the current quarter Mainland China constituted at least 8.8% of the worldwide tablet market.
- The sequential (Q/Q) growth rate on the Mainland China market per Analysis Int. is:
- Meanwhile the sequential (Q/Q) growth rate on the worldwide market per IDC is:
- This means that Mainland China has much less seasonality than the worldwide market, which is a sign of greater untapped tablet demand than in other markets of the world. Considering the fact that an unusually large group of local tablet vendors are playing the local brand game in China, while the white-box vendor game outside, any global brand tablet vendor should already participate in the Mainland China market in order to succeed worldwide. Lenovo, Samsung and Microsoft have clearly recognised this:
(the two latest Analysis International sources used for that are indicated later)
- Samsung has dramatically increased its market penetration efforts in Q3’13 and succeeded quite well. In fact it was able to push back somewhat the growth rate of the group of local brand vendors (from 170% Q/Q growth rate in Q2’13 to 150% in Q3’13) while significantly increased its own growth rate (from 170% to a whopping 220%).
- Therefore, if things stay as it is (see the above chart) Samsung will outgrow local brand vendors on the Mainland China market within a year.
- Otherwise, if the group of local brand vendors will be able to withstand Samsung’s local efforts and significantly improve the value of their own brands, then the outlook may return to a view which could have been forecasted after Q2’13 (see the below chart):
- Meanwhile two local brands, Teclast (台电) and Onda (昂达) each were able to beat two other global brands, Asus and Acer, on the Mainland China market in the last two quarters.
- The group of ‘Others’, i.e. other local brands taken together were able to grow by similar rate in the last two quarters which shows that with an ongoing consolidation of the local brands (details ommitted here) a few local brands may join Teclast and Onda as the strongest local vendors which will have an opportunity to change their white-box vendor status abroad (and grow globally under their own brand as well).
The Q3’13 and Q2’13 Analysys International sources:
– Nov 8, 2013: http://www.enfodesk.com/SMinisite/maininfo/articledetail-id-389539.html
– Aug 28, 2013: http://www.enfodesk.com/SMinisite/maininfo/articledetail-id-376953.html
The Q3’13 and Q2’13 DIGITIMES Research sources:
- Digitimes Research: White-box tablet shipments to reach 25 million in 3Q13 [DIGITIMES Research, Nov 11, 2013]
China white-box tablet shipments reached about 25 million units in the third quarter of 2013, up 56.3% sequentially and 40.4% on year thanks to strong overseas shipments, which accounted for 80% of the total volume. Among white-box tablet shipments, 7-inch models accounted for the largest share, while 8-inch models, which were originally expected to become new star products, were unable to do so because of high costs from the bezel design and limited supply of 8-inch panels.
Although white-box tablets are expected to see extraordinary growth in 2013, they are also expected to face more obstacles and challenges in the future. First, they will see strong price competition from large brand vendors, which will offer Android-based products at price levels similar to those of white-box models. Second, the tablet market will gradually reach saturation and should no longer see demand as strong as before.
Third, white-box tablet costs have already hit the bottom margin, causing related assembly service providers and component suppliers to see limited profits. Several unhealthy players were already been eliminated from the market at the end of the second quarter, while the remaining players will need to rely on pumping up their shipments to support their profitability. However, such a strategy is unlikely to sustain for long, Digitimes Research noted.
Digitimes Research also found that white-box tablets in Europe or North America are mostly used as gifts in product promotions or bundling deals and therefore specifications are not as high as those of regular tablets. As for emerging markets such as Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America, most consumers are buying white-box tablets with a single-core processor, because of limited purchasing power.
As for application processors (APs), 70% of white-box tablets with phone functions adopted solutions from MediaTek in the third quarter, replacing the solutions from China-based Allwinner, the original favorite. Digitimes Research estimates that the proportion of white-box Wi-Fi-only tablets using MediaTek’s solution will also increase dramatically starting the fourth quarter, further impacting China-based Allwinner and Rockchip’s AP shipments. In addition to low prices, China-based AP suppliers will also need to consider how to create additional value for their APs to survive the competition.
- Digitimes Research: White-box tablet shipments suffer over 25% drop in 2Q13 [DIGITIMES Research, Sept 2, 2013]
White-box tablet shipments reached only 15.9 million units in the second quarter of 2013, down 26.3% sequentially due to weakening tablet demand in May and June. Many smaller white-box players were also forced to quit the market, according to Digitimes Research’s latest figures.
Although white-box tablet shipments peaked in April 2013, increasing component costs and the fact that consumers are becoming more sensitive over tablet pricing, are impacting white-box players’ profitability.
For component supply, China-based chipmakers’ competition is gradually becoming fierce for both single-core and dual-core processors. In August 2013, some single-core processor prices were as low as US$5. By the end of 2013, dual-core processor will become the basic specification for entry-level white-box tablets, while mid-range models will turn to quad-core processor completely, Digitimes Research noted.
DRAM and NAND Flash remained at high price points in the second quarter of 2013, but as related players are increasing their supplies in the third quarter, prices are dropping.
As for panels, an entry-level 7-inch TN panel was priced at about US$10-11 at the beginning of the third quarter, and the price has been rising. Although the industry is seeing tight panel supply, the issue is expected to be eased as more panel players will open up new production lines to manufacture small-to-medium size panels in the first half of 2014.
White-box vendors’ over-optimism about demand in the first half created high tablet inventories for the vendors. Weak demand in Europe and North America has affected sales of both first-tier brand vendors and white-box players.
As for China, local first-tier brand vendors’ increasing sales have impacted white-box models’ demand in the country. Emerging markets such as India, Russia, countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia, are only providing limited contributions to white-box tablet players because shipments to these countries have just recently started.
Currently, strengthening their inventory management and expanding into overseas emerging markets will be important tasks for white-box tablet players to survive in the tablet market.
The long awaited Windows 8.1 breakthrough opportunity with the new Intel “Bay Trail-T”, “Bay Trail-M” and “Bay Trail-D” SoCs?
“Bay Trail” was, and still is a highly secretive project inside Intel as you could see from this latest video Update: New Atom Chip, Bay Trail: Great User Experience and Battery Life [channelintel YouTube channel, Sept 26, 2013]
Coming back to the title of the post: could be very much so. Look at the first tablet:
ASUS Transformer Book T100 [the Official ASUS Facebook page, Sept 11, 2013]
The announcements just keep coming! Introducing the ASUS Transformer Book T100, the 2-in-1 Ultraportable laptop with a 10″ tablet powered by Intel’s latest Bay Trail-T quad-core [Atom] processor. Available in the US starting October 18th from only $349.
ASUS Transformer Book T100 Press Event [ASUS North America YouTube channel, Sept 12, 2013]
From ASUS Transforms Expectations for Mobile Computing with New Transformer Books at IDF 2013 [press release, Sept 12, 2013]:
“The ASUS Transformer Book T100 is the perfect transformation of the Eee PC with full compatibility, detachable touch screen, immersive entertainment and enough battery for all-day computing,” said ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih. “It is truly a game-changer for our mobile lifestyle.”
Transformer Book T100— high-mobility notebook and tablet combined
ASUS Transformer Book T100 is a 10.1-inch ultraportable with an Intel® Atom™ ‘Bay Trail’ quad-core processor and detachable HD display than can be used as a standalone Windows 8.1 tablet. Featuring a sleek design and durable finish, Transformer Book T100 is not only one of the lightest ultraportables currently available at just 1.07kg, but also one of the lightest 10-inch tablets around, at 550g.
Transformer Book T100 features the new Intel® Atom™ Bay Trail-T Z3740 [2M Cache, 1.33 GHz, up to 1.86 GHz] quad-core processor for smooth multi-tasking performance and incredible energy efficiency that can last up to 11 hours on battery power. The lightweight keyboard dock features precision-engineered keys designed for comfortable extended use, a multi-touch touchpad with full Windows 8.1 gesture support and USB 3.0. Just 10.5mm thin, Transformer Book T100 features a brilliant HD 10.1-inch tablet IPS multi-touch display with wide 178-degree viewing angles and razor-sharp images. Transformer Book T100 is also pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 with full versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, the perfect productivity solution for both school and work.
In retrospective:
ASUS: We are the real transformers, not Microsoft [‘Experiencing the Cloud’, Oct 17, 2012]
ASUS Transformer Book T100 – Intel Bay Trail Quad-Core Tablet / Notebook 2-in-1 Hands On Preview [TechnologyGuide YouTube channel, Sept 12, 2013]
From Intel we learned the same day that smaller 8” or even 7” tablets without detachable keyboards will come for as low as $199. There will be certainly higher priced versions as well, with higher resolution than that of the T100’s 1366×768 (which has an IPS screen nevertheless), 11” screen instead of the 10” T100, and most importantly using the higher-end Z3770 SoC with up to 2.4 GHz in burst mode (when thermal and other conditions allow it) instead of T100’s Z3740 SoC with up to 1.8 GHz only. In fact there will be notebook and desktop SoC products as well, code named Bay-Trail-M and Bay-Trail-D, respectively.
#5 slide of SPCS004 – Technology Insight: Intel® Platform for Tablets, Code Name Bay Trail-T
by Shreekant (Ticky) Thakkar – Intel Fellow, Director, Platform Architecture,
Mobile & Communications Group, Intel Corporation
#47 slide of the same SPCS004 presentation as above
This is pretty good as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 and NVIDIA Tegra 4 are the current leaders among quad-core ARM SoCs. And a very important point here is that Intel went down very significantly with the recommended customer price of just $37 in volume (1K TRAY) for Z3770. Its “little brother” the Z3740 has even lower $32 price in volume (1K TRAY) while the same clock frequency Clover Trail Z2760 launched a year ago had $41 price (1K TRAY) but significantly less performance as you will see below. And remember that the non-tablet but netbook Atoms, the N470 and N475, launched 2 and a half year ago had even $75 (1K TRAY) price, and were inferior in all regards even to the Z2760. Intel has definitely decided to compete with ARM quadcores not only in performance but in price as well.
UPDATE as of Sept 20, 2013: By the time of publishing my analysis of The manufacturing side of the “Race to the Bottom” Ecosystem [‘USD 99 Allwinner’, Sept 19, 2013] the pricing information for the announced Bay Trail-T SoCs as well as the earlier generation Clover Trail (Z3770, Z3740 and Z2760) disappeared from subsequent ark.intel.com specification pages. I cannot think any other reason than the indicative pricing information became a public blunder for Intel when people were asking questions similar to the two opening ones in my above indicated post:
Update as of Oct 14, 2013:
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Let’s see then the great video decoding capability of Z3770:
Bay Trail playing 4K video 100Mb/s on a 2560×1440 sreen [of Intel Z3770 based Reference Design] [Francois Piednoel YouTube channel, Sept 11, 2013]
then a recent game with 3D graphics: Torchlight II on Intel’s Bay Trail Tablet at IDF13 [HardwareZoneMY YouTube channel, Sept 11, 2013]
No wonder as relative to the previous generation Clover Trail Atom Z2760 introduced last September, which had the Imagination PowerVR SGX545 GPU @533 MHz, the Bay Trail Atom Z3770 has the Intel HD Graphics (Gen 7 with 4EU) @313 MHz. Measured at the same 13×7 resolution the improvement is not less than 6.42 times according to benchmarking run by Intel. It is also significantly better than the contemporary (Sept’12) leaders of quad-core ARM SoCs from NVIDIA and Qualcomm, by 4.4 and 3 times, respectively:
#52 slide of SPCS004 – Technology Insight: Intel® Platform for Tablets, Code Name Bay Trail-T
by Shreekant (Ticky) Thakkar – Intel Fellow, Director, Platform Architecture,
Mobile & Communications Group, Intel Corporation
This comparison is speaking for itself:
Intel Bay Trail demo (tablet on the right) vs. Clover Trail (tablet on the left) [zzopmusic YouTube channel, Sept 11, 2013] i.e. the previous generation Atom
Note that relative to the current quadcore SoC leaders from ARM the GPU performance of Bay Trail Z3770 is still lagging somewhat:
#49 slide of SPCS004 – Technology Insight: Intel® Platform for Tablets, Code Name Bay Trail-T
by Shreekant (Ticky) Thakkar – Intel Fellow, Director, Platform Architecture,
Mobile & Communications Group, Intel Corporation
It is important here to compare the Bay Trail Z3770 with Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 only because only they are at the same 19×10 resolution while NVIDIA Tegra 4 is at the much higher 25×16 resolution.
This current lag in GPU performance may be overcome in the future as the Bay Trail-T GPU had been announced by much higher clock frequency possibilities, as given on #15 slide of the above presentation:
Intel HD Graphics architecture
– Graphics turbo supported with CPU-GPU power sharing
– DirextX 11, OpenGL ES 3.0 graphics core
– Support for high-resolution displays (up to 25×16)
– Programmable in-order multi-threaded
– 4EUs, 8 threads each, SIMD32
– >= 667MHzHigh-quality, high-performance, low power HD H.264 encoder
– High profile support, fast transcode
– Separate 3D and media power wells
– Video and display post-processing supportPower
– Autonomously hardware detects Idle condition, save state and power gate
– Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling
No wonder why at IDF 2013: Intel demos Bay Trail tablet with virtual shopping app [Computerworld YouTube channel, Sept 12, 2013]
That was meant to be the supposedly most convincing demo at the full IDF 2013 San Francisco Dr. Hermann Eul Keynote [karan YouTube channel, Sept 12, 2013]
Also read the relevant part of the from IDF Day 2 Keynote Transcript, from which I will quote here just the following:
[4:14] The platform from soups to nuts. What does that mean? First, we start with a fantastic CPU, then we add the gorgeous imaging processing, and we have a stunning graphics coming to this. And around this, of course we will always be connected. We want to have fast, robust, reliable connectivity, cellular connectivity, short range connectivity. We put this on this platform as well, and then we add much more stuff: I/Os, audio, display, and so on and so forth.
Last but not least, we dovetail very sophisticated security into this and a highly specialized, optimized power management. That is the crown jewel of the platform. On this, we put software, a protocol stack, hardened in more than 100 countries and operators around the globe, a very proven stack around all the connectivity connections, and of course a highly optimized software operating system load that runs best on our architecture. And this we call the platform, from A to Z. All these elements are important. They form this platform.
For the user-facing part, the application system, it all starts with a great CPU. A leadership CPU is necessary to do this. And we all know, all cores are not created equal. That compares very much to our brains. So to speak, the analogy is that the core is the brain of that system. And so, our brains are all not equal.
And for our platform, it just starts with an extraordinary brain. The Silvermont core. It’s a flexible, multi-core architecture, has 64 bits, it is leading in performance per watt efficiency. And the good thing is, it spans an ultra-wide dynamic range from very low power to extremely high performance that we need. And we are supporting with this the broadest range of devices and market segments. And needless to say, it comes with the advanced 22-nanometer tri-gate transistor technology.
#9 slide of SPCS004 – Technology Insight: Intel® Platform for Tablets, Code Name Bay Trail-T
by Shreekant (Ticky) Thakkar – Intel Fellow, Director, Platform Architecture,
Mobile & Communications Group, Intel Corporation
And having said this, we have the capabilities, and we know the secret sauce on matchmaking: this stunning architecture and this very advanced process technology manufacturing. That is what I call in that slide here magic. This is our secret sauce. And this is what, exactly what we have done.
And all that leads me to today’s announcement, the introduction of the Bay Trail platform.
Bay Trail is architected for the best mobile computing experience. In more detail, it has leading performance and outstanding battery life. It comes with the next generation of Intel multi-core technology. It provides immersive experiences with Intel HD graphics, and it has ample performance on demand, with the Intel Burst technology 2.0. And of course, it comes with advanced imaging capabilities, and with our next-gen programmable ISP. [8:54]
Intel Bay Trail the Newest Intel Atom Processor, Tech News Interview [Santa Barbara Arts TV YouTube Partner Global News YouTube channel, Sept 12, 2013]
Intel Executives and Developers talk about Bay Trail, the Newest Intel Atom Processor 22 nanometer, quad-core system-on-a-chip technology Intel Bay Trail the Newest Intel Atom Processor Tech News Interviews.
Dr. Hermann Eul, Vice President & General Manager for Intel’s Mobile and Communications Group: [1:33] “If you look at the Windows tablets I think it is amazing to see what you can do on these lightweight tablets. What you did years back with a heavy weight computer everything now works on those tablets: from office applications, from productivity work to what’s gaming, everything runs on it. They are just compatible PERIOD.” [1:57] – says
“Bay Trail is an amazing platform we’ve developed for tablets,” says Ticky Thakkar, Chief Platform Architect for Intel’s Mobile and Communication’s Group. [2:46] “Well, Bay Trail will give you the same performance as the previous generation of our core at about 5x less power. So that gives you some perspective of how much hard work we did on power.” [3:03] “You’re going to get awesome performance delivered in the thinnest, lightest tablet.” Thakkar led the development of the latest Atom processor, which is based on 22 nanometer, quad-core system-on-a-chip technology. Essentially, the technological achievement has resulted in a chip that outperforms laptops of just a few years ago.
Tami Reller from Microsoft talks Windows 8.1 at IDF 2013 Keynote [camwilmot YouTube channel, Sept 12, 2013]
Intel Launches New Multicore, Low-Power SoCs for Tablets, 2 in 1s and Other Computing Devices [press release, Sept 11, 2013]
Scalable 22nm Silvermont Microarchitecture Delivers Flexibility for a Range of Designs, Price Points
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
- Built on its leading 22nm tri-gate technology and the new “Silvermont” microarchitecture, Intel launched three new multicore SoCs, formerly codenamed “Bay Trail,” for tablets, 2 in 1 devices, all-in-ones, laptops and desktops.
- The multi-core Intel® Atom™ Z3000 Series, Intel’s most powerful SoC for tablets to-date, delivers an ideal balance of performance, battery life, graphics and features for consumers and businesses, on both Android* and full Windows 8* operating systems.
- Leading OEMs will offer a wide range of Bay Trail-powered devices at a variety of prices starting in the fourth quarter of 2013.
INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, San Francisco, Sept. 11, 2013 –Intel Corporation today launched its latest family of low-power systems-on-a-chip (SoC), codenamed “Bay Trail,” that will fuel a wave of highly powerful and energy efficient tablets, 2 in 1s and other mobile devices to market for consumers and business users in the fourth quarter of this year from leading OEMs including AAVA*, Acer*, ASUS*, Dell*, Lenovo* and Toshiba*.
The “Bay Trail” family of processors is based on Intel’s low-power, high-performance microarchitecture “Silvermont,” announced in May 2013. The Intel® Atom™ Z3000 Processor Series (“Bay Trail-T“) is the company’s first mobile multi-core SoC and its most powerful offering1 to date for tablets and other sleek mobile designs. It delivers a fast and fluid experience and a powerful balance of performance, battery life, graphics and rich features.
The flexibility of the new microarchitecture allows for variants of the SoC to serve multiple market segments, including new Intel® Pentium® and Celeron® processors (“Bay Trail”-M and -D) for entry 2 in 1s, laptops, desktops and all-in-one systems.
The family of “Bay Trail” SoCs provides a wide range of options for Intel’s customers by enabling one hardware configuration that supports both Windows 8* and Android*, ultimately offering people broader choice of form factors at a range of price points that meet the varied needs of consumers and business users.
“What we have delivered with our Bay Trail platform is an incredibly powerful SoC that delivers outstanding performance, long battery life, and a great experience for the way people use these devices today. It’s an incredible leap forward,” said Hermann Eul, corporate vice president and general manager of Intel’s Mobile and Communications Group. “With Bay Trail as the foundation, our OEM partners are bringing a wide variety of designs at a range of prices to delight consumers, business users and IT managers.”
To bring this level of performance to a processor aimed at mobile devices, Intel developed a new platform that solves the contemporary technology challenges people have today, including the ability to multitask, the need for prolonged battery life and enhanced graphics, and the ability to have a more productive, enjoyable mobile experience. Video content and B-roll featuring Intel executives and developers on the making of Bay Trail and supporting images are available at intel.synapticdigital.com.
More Powerful Tablets, 2 in 1s with Intel Atom Z3000 Processor Series
The Intel Atom Z3000 Processor series delivers leading performance with all-day battery life. It is Intel’s most capable, best-performing platform to-date for tablets and other sleek mobile devices. It offers a smaller footprint and lower power usage while also enabling double the compute performance and triple the graphics performance compared to the previous-generation Intel Atom processor. The low-power SoC platform enables over 10 hours of active battery life2 and three weeks of standby with an always-connected mobile experience.
The Intel Atom Z3000 Processor series also includes Intel® Burst Technology 2.0 with four cores, four threads and 2MB L2 cache. This performance allows users to multi-task, consume and create content, and enjoy a rich experience across either Android or Windows 8. People will also have a choice of form factors between tablets and 2 in 1s, with thin-and-light devices ranging from 8mm to 1 pound, and screen sizes ranging from 7-11.6 inches.* Tablets based on this latest Intel Atom SoC will be available at prices starting as low as $199.
The Intel Atom Z3000 series also enables business-ready tablets that deliver the experiences and designs people want with the protection for the enterprise that IT requires. With robust security features, including McAfee® DeepSAFE* Technology, AES hardware full disk encryption, Intel® Platform Trust Technology, Intel® Identity Protection Technology and Intel Data Protection Technology, the platform offers a more secure computing environment. It also supports Microsoft Windows 8 Pro Domain Join and Group Policy, and delivers full application and peripheral compatibility.
Intel has been working with top application developers to ensure the best experience is available for Intel® architecture platforms on both Windows and Android. Work with Cyberlink, Skype-HD and Netflix-HD, PhiSix, Arcsoft, Tieto, Gameloft, and many line of business apps are a few examples where Intel has focused on optimizing imaging, graphics, and overall performance that will ultimately improve the experience for consumers. Intel has a long history of optimizations for Windows and Andorid operating systems.
Intel will introduce 64-bit support for tablets in early 2014, delivering even greater value to IT managers. Devices built on this version of the SoC will offer enterprise-class applications and security, and with Intel® Identity Protection Technology (IPT) with PKI, will not require a VPN password when used with systems optimized for IPT and PKI.
Bay Trail Processors to Power Entry 2 in 1s, Notebooks, Desktops and All-in-Ones
The “Bay Trail M” line will be available in four SKUs: Intel Pentium N3510 and Intel Celeron N2910, N2810 and N2805 processors. This series will power a number of innovative 2 in 1 devices in addition to notebooks enabled with touch capabilities, bringing them to new audiences at lower price points.
With the microarchitecture flexibility and graphics improvements across all of the “Bay Trail” SKUs, the Pentium N3000 Processor and Celeron N2000 Processor series also boast two times faster performance in productivity applications and up to three times improvement in graphics compared to 2-year-old Intel-based value notebooks3. Designs powered by these processors can be fanless, can measure less than 11 mm thick and weigh just 2.2 lbs. Intel expects the systems to start at $199 for a clamshell device, $250 for a notebook with touch and $349 for a 2 in 1 device.
The “Bay Trail D” line will be available in three SKUs: Intel Pentium J2850, Intel Celeron J1850 and Intel Celeron J1750. These offerings are Intel’s smallest-ever packages for desktop processors, making them ideal for fanless and smaller form factor systems for entry level desktop computing. The processors are also ideal for vertical uses, including intelligent digital displays, with the power savings and up to three times faster performance than similar products from Intel just three years ago3. Full systems based on these SKUs are expected to start at $199.
Intel® Atom™ Z3000 Processor Series (“Bay Trail-T“) … its most powerful offering1 to date for tablets and other sleek mobile designs
1 Based on the geometric mean of a variety of power and performance measurements across various benchmarks. Benchmarks included in this geomean are measurements on browsing benchmarks and workloads including SunSpider* and page load tests on Internet Explorer*, FireFox*, & Chrome*; Dhrystone*; EEMBC* workloads including CoreMark*; Android* workloads including CaffineMark*, AnTutu*, Linpack* and Quadrant* as well as measured estimates on SPECint* rate_base2000 & SPECfp* rate_base2000; on Silvermont preproduction systems compared to Atom processor Z2580. Individual results will vary. SPEC* CPU2000* is a retired benchmark. Performance tests, such as SYSmark and MobileMark, are measured using specific computer systems, components, software, operations and functions. Any change to any of those factors may cause the results to vary. You should consult other information and performance tests to assist you in fully evaluating your contemplated purchases, including the performance of that product when combined with other products. For more information go to: www.intel.com/performanceIntel® Atom™ Z3000 Processor Series (“Bay Trail-T“) … over 10 hours of active battery life2
2 Battery life is measured 1080p,10″, 31Whr 13×7 OEM System; FFRD on 38.5 Whr 25×14, 10Mbps h.264 Elephants Dream video. Windows 8 only.The “Bay Trail M” line … two times faster performance in productivity applications and up to three times improvement in graphics compared to 2-year-old Intel-based value notebooks3
The “Bay Trail D” line … up to three times faster performance than similar products from Intel just three years ago3
3 Software and workloads used in performance tests may have been optimized for performance only on Intel microprocessors. Performance tests, such as SYSmark and MobileMark, are measured using specific computer systems, components, software, operations and functions. Any change to any of those factors may cause the results to vary. You should consult other information and performance tests to assist you in fully evaluating your contemplated purchases, including the performance of that product when combined with other products. For more information go to www.intel.com/performance
Intel Baytrail SOC Explained [minipcpro YouTube channel, Sept 11, 2013]
More information: Intel’s Bay Trail Fact Sheet (PDF) [Intel, Sept 11, 2013]
as well as from: http://ark.intel.com/products/codename/55844/Bay-Trail
……………………….………………….. Z3740 ……… Z3770 ……. Z3770D ….. Z3740D
UPDATE as of Sept 20, 2013: By the time of publishing my analysis of The manufacturing side of the “Race to the Bottom” Ecosystem [‘USD 99 Allwinner’, Sept 19, 2013] the pricing information for the announced Bay Trail-T SoCs as well as the earlier generation Clover Trail (Z3770, Z3740 and Z2760) disappeared from subsequent ark.intel.com specification pages. I cannot think any other reason than the indicative pricing information became a public blunder for Intel when people were asking questions similar to the two opening ones in my above indicated post:
|
The complete set of Z3000 Series SKUs from here (with all other Bay Trail SKUs as well):
According to #5 slide of SPCS004 – Technology Insight: Intel® Platform for Tablets, Code Name Bay Trail-T by Shreekant (Ticky) Thakkar – Intel Fellow, Director, Platform Architecture, Mobile & Communications Group, Intel Corporation the 2-core Z3600 Series (Z3680, Z3680D) is targeting only the Android tablets:
4th Generation Intel® Atom™ Processor-Based Tablet Overview [Intel Developer Zone article, Sept 11, 2013]
Introducing the next generation Intel® Atom™ Processor
(Code named “Bay Trail”)Abstract
Intel has launched its latest Intel® Atom™ processor, code named “Bay Trail”. It is the first Intel Atom processor based on 22-nm technology. This article discusses the key features of the platform like extended battery life, Intel® Gen7 graphics architecture, advanced imaging and video, improved performance, security, and more.
Platform Overview
The new processor offers Intel level performance for apps, games, photos, videos, and web browsing in the new thinnest/lightest/coolest form factors. The Intel Atom processor is optimized for tablets and 2 in 1 devices. Tablets based on the new Intel Atom processor support multiple cameras with excellent camera quality and feature integrated image signal processing for both still and video image capture. The table below shows the “Bay Trail” improvements.
Comparison of Clover Trail vs Bay Trail features
Intel Atom processor feature highlights
First-ever 22-nm Intel Atom processor
The new first-ever, 22-nm Intel Atom processor is a quad-core system on chip (SOC) with 4 cores/4 threads. With the CPU, graphics, and memory in one package, this modular design provides the flexibility to package a high-performance processor and graphics solution for multiple form factors.
Enhanced battery life
The new processor offers active battery life of more than 10 hours and standby performance of approximately 30 days3.
Graphics and Media Performance
The latest Intel Atom processor includes a 7th generation Intel® GPU with burst technology to provide a stunning graphics and media experience. The new processor supports high resolution displays up to 2560X1600 @ 60HZ and supports Intel® Wireless (Intel® WiDi) technology through Miracast. Seamless video playback is supported by a high performance and low power hardware acceleration of media encode and decode. The table below compares the two processors’ graphics features.
Intel Burst Technology 2.0
Automatically allows processor cores to run faster than the base operating frequency if they’re operating below power, current, and temperature specification limits.
Graphics Feature ComparisonAdvanced Imaging and video
The new Intel Atom processor comes with an integrated image signal processor and supports excellent camera quality. It supports video capture at 1080p with full HD playback. Superior multi axis Document Image Solution (DIS) and image alignment extend High Dynamic Range (HDR) to moving devices hence removing the moving blur. Ghost removal is also extended from HDR to moving scenes.
Security Features
With people carrying their devices with them almost everywhere they go, they are more likely to lose their tablet or laptop. And even if they don’t lose them, devices are susceptible to the growing number of viruses and malware threats. Intel® Identity Protection Technology (Intel® IPT)4 can help businesses keep their critical information secure and protect against malware. Intel® IPT helps prevent unauthorized access to personal and business accounts by using hardware-based authentication.
New business-class tablets built with the Intel Atom processor Z3700 Series are specifically designed for the needs of business and the enterprise. Hardware-enhanced Intel® security technologies and support for software from McAfee offer robust security capabilities.
Intel® Wireless Display benefits on Intel Atom processor
Intel® WiDi enables content-protected HD streaming and interactive usages between tablets and TVs. It supports full 1080p video and low latency gaming, and is Miracast compliant Intel® WiDi can be used to link health indicators as well. A few of the capabilities of Miracast-enabled apps are:
– Share & Enjoy: use a big screen HDTV to enjoy and share media with family and friends
– Wireless: quickly and securely connect with standard Wi-Fi to a TV without cables
– Easy Set-up: simple user interface makes it easy to connect; no additional remote controls
– Portable: adapter is small and light, so solution can move with youResources for Developers
Below are links to some resources for programming on Windows 8 that can help you take advantage of the new Intel Atom processor features.
1: Optimize apps for touch: The latest devices with Intel Atom processors include touch screens. To learn more on how about UX/UI guidelines and how optimize app design for touch, see:
– Ultrabook™ Device and Tablet Windows* Touch Developer Guide
– Handling touch input in Windows* 8 Applications
2: Optimize apps with sensors: Intel Atom processor-based platforms come with several sensors: GPS, Compass, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, and Ambient Light. These sensor recommendations are aligned with the Microsoft standard for Windows 8. Use the Windows sensor APIs, and your code will run on all Ultrabook™ and tablet systems running Windows 8. For more information, see:
– Ultrabook™ and Tablet Windows* 8 Sensors Development Guide
– Detecting Ultrabook sensors on Windows 8
3: Optimize apps with Intel platform features: Take advantage of the security features such as Intel Anti-Theft Technology4 and Intel Identity Protection Technology with HD Graphics. Please refer to resources below for more information on each. For more information, see:
– Intel® Anti-Theft Technology
– Intel® Identity Protection Technology
4: Optimize for visible performance differentiation: Intel® Quick Sync Video encode and post-processing for media and visual intensive applications. For more information, see:
– Intel® Media SDK
– Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions
– Intel® 64 and IA-32 Architectures Software Developer Manuals
– Graphics Developers Guide
5: Optimize app performance with Intel® tools: Check out the Intel® Composer XE 2013 and Intel® VTune™ Amplifier XE 2013 for Windows. These suites provide compilers, Intel® Performance Primitives, and Intel® Threaded Building Blocks that help boost application performance. You can also optimize and future-proof media and graphics workloads on all IA platforms with the Intel® Graphics Performance Analyzers 2013 and Intel Media SDK. For more information, see:
– intel.com/software/products
– http://software.intel.com/en-us/windows-tool-suites/
– http://software.intel.com/en-us/vcsource/tools
1 Claims for Intel® Atom™ Processor Z3770 (up to 2.40GHz, 4T4C Silvermont, 2MB L2 Cache) are based on an internal Intel® Reference design tablet which is not available for purchase: 10” screen with 25×14 resolution, Intel Gen 7 HD Graphics, pre-production graphics driver, 2GB (2x1GB) LPDDR3-1067, 64GB eMMC solid state storage, 38.5 Whr battery. Based on TouchXPRT, WebXPRT and SYSmark* 2012 Lite compared to Intel Atom Processor Z2760. Individual results will vary. Commercial systems may be available after future Windows updates. Consult your system manufacturer for more details. Software and workloads used in performance tests may have been optimized for performance only on Intel microprocessors. You should consult other information and performance tests to assist you in fully evaluating your contemplated purchases, including the performance of that product when combined with other products. For more information go to http://www.intel.com/performance.
2 Claims for Intel® Atom™ Processor Z3770 (up to 2.40GHz, 4T4C Silvermont, 2MB L2 Cache) are based on an internal Intel® Reference design tablet which is not available for purchase: 10” screen with 25×14 resolution, Intel Gen 7 HD Graphics, pre-production graphics driver, 2GB (2x1GB) LPDDR3-1067, 64GB eMMC solid state storage, 38.5 Whr battery. Measured using 3DMark* Ice Storm—a 3D graphics benchmark that measures 3D gaming performance compared to Intel Atom Processor Z2760. Find out more at http://www.futuremark.com. Individual results will vary. Commercial systems may be available after future Windows updates. Consult your system manufacturer for more details. Software and workloads used in performance tests may have been optimized for performance only on Intel microprocessors. You should consult other information and performance tests to assist you in fully evaluating your contemplated purchases, including the performance of that product when combined with other products. For more information go tohttp://www.intel.com/performance.
3 Based on a 30W Hour battery on 19×10 resolution on 10.1” display. Higher resolution will require larger battery. Active use measured as 1080/30 fps local video playback. Battery life may differ based on SKU and SoC performance.
4 No computer system can provide absolute security. Requires an Intel® Identity Protection Technology-enabled system, including an enabled Intel® processor, enabled chipset, firmware, software, and Intel integrated graphics (in some cases) and participating website/service. Intel assumes no liability for lost or stolen data and/or systems or any resulting damages. For more information, visit http://ipt.intel.com/. Consult your system manufacturer and/or software vendor for more information.
Tablet Performance: Intel® Atom™ Processor Z3770 [Intel Infographic]
System Configurations – Performance
- Latest Generation: Intel® Atom™ Processor Z3770 (4T4C, up to 2.4 GHz, 2 MB L2 Cache) measured on Intel® Reference Design 1.4.1: Memory: 2 GB; OS: Microsoft* Windows* 8.1 RTM; Browser: Chrome* 29.0.1547.57; Graphics driver 10.18.10.3266; Display size: 10”; Display Resolution: 2560×1440; Battery size: 38.5 WHr; Storage: 64 GB
- Prior generation / existing tablet: Intel® Atom™ Processor Z2760 (4T2C, up to 1.8 GHz, 1 MB L2 Cache) measured on Acer* Iconia* W510: Memory: 2 GB; OS Microsoft* Windows* 8; Browser: Chrome* 29.0.1547.57; Graphics driver: 9.14.3.1082; Display size: 10.1”; Display Resolution: 1366×768; Battery size: 26.6 WHr; Storage: 64 GB
System Configurations – Battery life
- Intel® Atom™ Processor Z3770 (4T4C, up to 2.4 GHz, 2 MB L2 Cache) measured on Intel® Reference Design 1.4.1: Memory: 2 GB; OS: Microsoft* Windows* 8.1 RTM; Browser: Chrome* 29.0.1547.57; Graphics driver 10.18.10.3266; Display size: 10”; Display Resolution: 2560×1440; Battery size: 38.5 WHr; Storage: 64 GB
- Intel® Atom™ Processor Z3740 (4T4C, up to 1.86 GHz, 2 MB L2 Cache) measured on OEM pre-production system: Memory: 2 GB; OS: Microsoft* Windows* 8.1 RTM; Browser: Chrome* 29.0.1547.57; Graphics driver 10.18.10.3266; Display size: 10”; Display Resolution: 1366×768; Battery size: 31 WHr; Storage: 64 GB
Product and Performance Information
1. Based on TouchXPRT*, WebXPRT*, and SYSmark* 2012 Lite compared to Intel® Atom™ processor Z2560. Individual results will vary.
2. Measured by TouchXPRT* 2013 overall score and Convert video for sharing sub score. TouchXPRT 2013 is a benchmark for evaluating the capabilities of your Windows* 8 and Windows RT devices. TouchXPRT 2013 runs tests based on five user scenarios (beautify photo album, prepare photos for sharing, convert videos for sharing, export podcast to MP3, and create slideshow from photos) and produces results for each of the five test scenarios plus an overall score. Find out more at http://www.principledtechnologies.com/benchmarkxprt/touchxprt/.
3. Measured by WebXPRT* 2013. WebXPRT 2013 uses scenarios created to mirror the tasks you do every day to compare the performance of almost any Web-enabled device. It contains four HTML5- and JavaScript-based workloads: Photo Effects, Face Detect, Stocks Dashboard, and Offline Notes. Find out more at http://www.principledtechnologies.com/benchmarkxprt/webxprt/. File transfer workload measures time transferring a 423 MB playlist from a PC to a tablet.
4. Measured by SYSmark* 2012 Lite overall score and TabletMark*. SYSmark 2012 Lite is an application-based benchmark that reflects usage patterns of business users in the areas of office productivity, data/financial analysis, system management, and web development. SYSmark 2012 Lite features popular applications from each of their respective fields. Find out more at http://bapco.com/products/sysmark-2012-lite. TabletMark is targeted specifically for touch-enabled devices. With support for Windows* 8 and Windows 8 RT, TabletMark measures performance for two different usage scenarios: Web & Email and Photo & Video sharing. Find out more at http://bapco.com/products/tabletmark.
5. Measured using 3DMark* Ice Storm, a 3-D graphics benchmark that measures 3-D gaming performance. Find out more at http://www.futuremark.com.
6. Display resolution is an OEM feature selection. Consult your system manufacturer for more details.
7. Battery life is measured using a 1080p 10Mbps h.264 Elephants Dream video. Configuration: In the device settings, disable all radios except Wi-Fi. Disable Intel® Display Power Saving Technology (Intel® DPST), set up the system to ~200 nits screen brightness using a full screen white background, and re-enable Intel DPST. Turn OFF the adaptive brightness setting under Power Options in Control Panel. Set “Dim the display” to never on both battery and AC. Set “Put the computer to sleep” to never on both battery and AC. Wait 15 minutes after boot. Launch the default Windows* 8.1 Style UI video player, start the workload video in a loop, and disconnect the AC plug to start the test. Measure the time until battery is exhausted.
8. Requires an Intel® Wireless Display-enabled system, compatible adapter, and TV with 1080p and Blu-ray* or other protected content playback, a compatible adapter and media player supporting Intel® WiDi software, and graphics driver installed. Consult your tablet manufacturer. For more information, see http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/intel-wireless-display.html.
9. Software and workloads used in performance tests may have been optimized for performance only on Intel microprocessors. Performance tests, such as SYSmark and MobileMark, are measured using specific computer systems, components, software, operations, and functions. Any change to any of those factors may cause the results to vary. You should consult other information and performance tests to assist you in fully evaluating your contemplated purchases, including the performance of that product when combined with other products. For more information, go to http://www.intel.com/performance.
ASUS Transformer Book T100 [the Official ASUS Facebook page, Sept 11, 2013]
The announcements just keep coming! Introducing the ASUS Transformer Book T100, the 2-in-1 Ultraportable laptop with a 10″ tablet powered by Intel’s latest Bay Trail-T quad-core processor. Available in the US starting October 18th from only $349.
ASUS Transformer Book T100 Press Event [ASUS North America YouTube channel, Sept 12, 2013]
In retrospective:
ASUS: We are the real transformers, not Microsoft [‘Experiencing the Cloud’, Oct 17, 2012]
Jerry Shen, CEO, ASUS (from IDF Day 2 Keynote Transcript):
The machine in my hand, T100, which features the incredible Bay Trail quad-core processor, and incredible 11 hours of battery life. With SD IPS display and stereo audios. And the detachable keyboard back features precisely keyboard and touchpad. It’s perfect for productivity. We are very proud of this machine, and very excited about the Bay Trail quad-core promise. It’s perfect, it’s a perfect two-in-one device in the market.
Dell shows off new Venue tablet during IDF 2013 Keynote [camwilmot YouTube channel, Sept 12, 2013]
Neil Hand, VP Product Marketing, Dell (from IDF Day 2 Keynote Transcript):
I am really excited to be here at the Bay Trail launch to talk about some of the new platforms that Dell can actually innovate from some of the Bay Trail technologies that Intel is bringing out.
And what I want to show you today is, firstly, one of our new Windows 8 eight-inch tablets we’ll be introducing very soon. This system is part of a new family that we’re introducing that are going to really innovate and drive new capabilities into very small new form factors.
The whole family will offer several key benefits.
Firstly, quality, quality Dell is renowned for, products that last a long time but have great performance on the screen and usability. Secondly, battery life. Anybody worry about range anxiety? Am I going to be able to turn it on and be able to use it? This really fixes that.
Security, making sure you’re connecting to a business, or you’re connecting to your home. That data is secure in transit and on the device.
And lastly, to make sure that there is connectivity, a range of 4G and LTE connectivity, so wherever you happen to be, you’ll be able to connect to the wells.
So great features in the products. But more importantly, we think, is actually being able to have fun and easy to-use products.
So with this introduction, I’m actually pleased to announce here at IDF that we’ll be branding our new family of tablets, Venue, the Dell Venue family. Venue means the place where things happen. And to us, this really is the place that things happen and becomes the center of the universe.
So you can actually carry your entire life with you, connect back, use Dell pocket clouds to be able to access content, be able to use your files and applications wherever you happen to be, really excited about them.
And October 2 in New York City, we’ll be announcing the entire range of products.
Android to overtake the overall PC market?
I came to this after the recent posts of mine (between July 20 and August 17, 2013):
- With Android and forked Android smartphones as the industry standard Nokia relegated to a niche market status while Apple should radically alter its previous premium strategy for long term
- Google Play catchup with iOS App Store and its way of assuring compatibility across Android 1.6 to 4.3
- The Upcoming Mobile Internet Superpower
- China is the epicenter of the mobile Internet world, so of the next-gen HTML5 web
- Superphones turning point: segment satured with Tier 1 globals while the Chinese locals are at less than 40% of the Samsung price
- Xiaomi, OPPO and Meizu–top Chinese brands of smartphone innovation
- GiONEE (金立), the emerging global competitor on the smartphone market
- Eight-core MT6592 for superphones and big.LITTLE MT8135 for tablets implemented in 28nm HKMG are coming from MediaTek to further disrupt the operations of Qualcomm and Samsung
as well as after the accumulated contents of my separated website on the whole issue of ‘USD99 Allwinner’ devoted to a multifaceted disruption to not only the traditional PC market but even to the current tablet market as the analyst companies are viewing that.
Those analyst companies are already hinting indirectly to the possibility of Android (sooner or later) overtaking the overall PC market via the following headlines which I derived from their recent press release contents:
- IDC: ‘Tablets will surpass portable PC volumes already this year’
- Gartner: ‘Traditional PC shipments to decline as tablets are becoming the primary consumption device’
- Digitimes Research: ‘Overtaking iPad will happen in 2H13’
- Canalys says ‘Yes’
- EnfoDesk (Analysys International) from China says ‘For sure, as it is already happening against the iPad in China even at a nascent stage of the local tablet market’
You can read those release in the detailed sections given below.
Before that first note: Everything is rooted in the established fact that: TrendForce: iPad Marked Historically Low Market Share 35% of Global Q2 Tablet Shipment [press release, July 25, 2013] (although the exact number differs between the different market research organisations, as you will see in the detailed sections below)
According to the survey by WitsView, the display research division of the global market intelligence provider TrendForce, the global shipment of the 7” tablets with WSVGA resolution and above attained 41.1 million units, dropping 12.4% from the previous quarter. The seasonal factor, the generation shuffles for some mainstream products, and the inventory adjustments amid the weakening sales were all key reasons for declining shipments.
WitsView’s research director Eric Chiou says that Apple, as one single brand that controls the most volumetric tablet shipment, saw its 9.7” iPad entering the end of life cycle in Q2, and iPad mini’s relatively selling prices caused slow sales and the impacts from the inventory adjustments, leading to a dropping shipment of 14.6 million units compared with 19.5 million units in Q1. On top of the quarterly drop as high as 25%, its market share has dropped to 35.5%, the new historical low.
Samsung’s ambition of boosting the tablet shipment was also shown on the Q2 shipment. Despite its slightly decreased shipment of 8.8 million units from the previous quarter, the Korean maker’s market share, supported by the newly launched 8” model, grew from 20.2% to 21.5%, still a remarkable result. As for the two leading PC brands, Asus and Acer, their business cores both were placed on the under-$130 7” products, and the price-cutting strategy helped them become the two of a few brands counter to the declining trend, seeing excellent QoQ growth of 60% and 36%, respectively.
“The two long-term winners of the entry-level tablet segment, Amazon and Google, showed unideal shipment results, holding shipment volumes of only 1.1 million and 0.9 million units, respectively,” Chiou indicates. Amazon’s 2013 new models are all concentrated after September and the brand is in an empty-product period, while Google’s fighter model Nexus 7 had the 1st generation approach the end of life cycle in Q2 and saw a significantly dropping shipment. The single-quarter shipment will bounce back to more than 2 million units in Q3 as the 2nd generation product is projected to ship smoothly.
The white-box tablet couldn’t avoid the decline in Q2. The price increases and the short supply for the key component RAM led to double strikes of cost increase and insufficient supply to white-box tablets that had smaller production scales, in addition to brands’ strongly promoted entry-level tablets that squeezed their room for survival. Under both the internal and external impacts, the white-box tablet saw a shipment volume of only 9.7 million units, declining 7% QoQ
Based on WitsView’s analysis, on top of Amazon’s yearly new 7” model and the 2nd generation of Nexus 7, several highly-anticipated models will be revealed in Q3, including Apple’s heavyweight Generation 5 iPad and the new Android 10.1” tablet intensively designed by PC brands. With the stimulation of improved spec and tempting prices, the Q3 shipment is projected to reach an amount of 49.6 million units, challenging a QoQ growth of 21%. The tablet shipment for the entire 2013 is estimated at 196.5 million units, including 153.2 million units of brand tablets and 43.3 million units of white-box tablets.
The second well established fact affecting the future is that Surface RT was a huge market failure first recognized indirectly via the FORM 10-K submission of the Microsoft on July 18, 2013.
… The general availability of Surface RT and Windows 8 started on October 26, 2012. The general availability of Surface Pro started on February 9, 2013. …
ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
… includes a charge for Surface RT inventory adjustments recorded in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2013, which decreased operating income by $900 million, net income by $596 million, and diluted earnings per share by $0.07. …
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
…
- Cost of revenue increased $2.7 billion or 16%, reflecting increased product costs associated with Surface and Windows 8, including an approximately $900 million charge for Surface RT inventory adjustments, higher headcount-related expenses, payments made to Nokia related to joint strategic initiatives, royalties on Xbox LIVE content, and retail stores expenses, offset in part by decreased costs associated with lower sales of Xbox 360 consoles and decreased traffic acquisition costs.
- Sales and marketing expenses increased $1.4 billion or 10%, reflecting advertising of Windows 8 and Surface.
…
Windows Division
…
Fiscal year 2013 compared with fiscal year 2012
Windows Division revenue increased $839 million. Surface revenue was $853 million. …
Cost of revenue increased $1.8 billion, reflecting a $1.6 billion increase in product costs associated with Surface and Windows 8, including a charge for Surface RT inventory adjustments of approximately $900 million. Sales and marketing expenses increased $1.0 billion or 34%, reflecting an $898 million increase in advertising costs associated primarily with Windows 8 and Surface.
…
The possibility of such failure was already recognized in my other posts:
- Microsoft Surface with some questions about the performance and smoothness of the experience [Nov 12 –28, 2012]
- Steven Sinofsky, ex Microsoft: The victim of an extremely complex web of the “western world” high-tech interests [Nov 13-20, 2012]
IDC: ‘Tablets will surpass portable PC volumes already this year’
IDC Forecasts Worldwide Tablet Shipments to Surpass Portable PC Shipments in 2013, Total PC Shipments in 2015 [press release, May 28, 2013]
According to a new forecast from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker, tablet shipments are expected to grow 58.7% year over year in 2013 reaching 229.3 million units, up from 144.5 million units last year. IDC now predicts tablet shipments will exceed those of portable PCs this year, as the slumping PC market is expected to see negative growth for the second consecutive year. In addition, IDC expects tablet shipments to outpace the entire PC market (portables and desktops combined) by 2015. (A press release summarizing IDC’s latest PC market forecast can be found here.)
“What started as a sign of tough economic times has quickly shifted to a change in the global computing paradigm with mobile being the primary benefactor,” said Ryan Reith, Program Manager for IDC’s Mobility Trackers. “Tablets surpassing portables in 2013, and total PCs in 2015, marks a significant change in consumer attitudes about compute devices and the applications and ecosystems that power them. IDC continues to believe that PCs will have an important role in this new era of computing, especially among business users. But for many consumers, a tablet is a simple and elegant solution for core use cases that were previously addressed by the PC.”
While Apple has been at the forefront of the tablet revolution, the current market expansion has been increasingly fueled by low-cost Android devices. In 2013, the worldwide average selling price (ASP) for tablets is expected to decline -10.8% to $381. In comparison, the ASP of a PC in 2013 is nearly double that at $635. IDC expects tablet prices to decline further, which will allow vendors to deliver a viable computing experience into the hands of many more people at price points the PC industry has strived to meet for years.
“Apple’s success in the education market has proven that tablets can be used as more than just a content consumption or gaming device,” said Jitesh Ubrani, Research Analyst for the Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker. “These devices are learning companions, and as tablet prices continue to drop, the dream of having a PC for every child gets replaced with the reality that we can actually provide a tablet for every child.”
In addition to lower prices, another major shift in the tablet market has occurred around screen sizes. Apple’s first generation iPad, which included a 9.7-inch display, was perceived by many as the sweet spot for tablets. That is, until 7-inch Android-based tablets began to gain traction in the market. Apple responded with the iPad mini in the fourth quarter of 2012, and in the space of two quarters the sub-8-inch category exploded to overtake the larger-sized segment in terms of total shipments.
Worldwide Tablet Market Share by Screen Size Band, 2011 – 2017
Screen Size
2011
2013
2017
< 8″
27%
55%
57%
8″ – 11″
73%
43%
37%
11″+
0%
2%
6%
Total
100%
100%
100%
Source: IDC Worldwide Tablet Tracker, May 28, 2013.
* Forecast Data
Table Notes:
- Shipments include shipments to distribution channels or end users. OEM sales are counted under the vendor/brand under which they are sold.
- IDC considers all LCD-based slate devices with screens between 7 and 16 inches as tablets, regardless of whether or not they include a removable keyboard (such as the Surface RT). Convertible devices with non-removable keyboards (such as Lenovo’s Yoga) are not counted as Tablets.
Tablet Shipments Slow in the Second Quarter As Vendors Look To Capitalize on a Strong Second Half of 2013, According to IDC [press release, Aug 5, 2013]
As expected, worldwide tablet shipment growth slowed in the second quarter of 2013 (2Q13), according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC)Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker. Worldwide tablet shipments finally experienced a sequential decline as total volumes fell -9.7% from 1Q13. However, the 45.1 million units shipped in the second quarter was up 59.6% from the same quarter in 2012, when tablet vendors shipped 28.3 million devices.
Lacking a new product launch in March to help spur shipments, Apple’s iPad saw a lower-than-predicted shipment total of 14.6 million units for the quarter, down from 19.5 million in 1Q13. In years past, Apple has launched a new tablet heading into the second quarter, which resulted in strong quarter-over-quarter growth. Now, Apple is expected to launch new tablet products in the second half of the year, a move that better positions it to compete during the holiday season. Meanwhile, the other two vendors in the top 3 also saw a decline in their unit shipments during the quarter. Second-place Samsung shipped 8.1 million units, down from 8.6 million in the first quarter of 2013, although up significantly from the 2.1 million units shipped in 2Q12. And third-place ASUS shipped a total of 2.0 million units in 2Q13, down from 2.6 million in 1Q13.
“A new iPad launch always piques consumer interest in the tablet category and traditionally that has helped both Apple and its competitors,” said Tom Mainelli, Research Director, Tablets at IDC. “With no new iPads, the market slowed for many vendors, and that’s likely to continue into the third quarter. However, by the fourth quarter we expect new products from Apple, Amazon, and others to drive impressive growth in the market.”
Not all vendors experienced a slowdown during the quarter. PC stalwarts Lenovo and Acer both re-entered the top five this quarter. Lenovo continued to make headway into the world of mobility and for the first time had shipments surpass the million unit mark in a quarter, shipping a total of 1.5 million devices. This was up 313.9% from a year ago and enough to capture 3.3% market share. Rounding out the top 5 was Acer, which shipped 1.4 million tablets in 2Q13 for 247.9% year-over-year growth and an increase of 35.4% over the first quarter of 2013.
“The tablet market is still evolving and vendors can rise and fall quickly as a result,” said Ryan Reith, Program Manager for IDC’s Mobility Tracker programs. “Apple aside, the remaining vendors are still very much figuring out which platform strategy will be successful over the long run. To date, Android has been far more successful than the Windows 8 platform. However, Microsoft-fueled products are starting to make notable progress into the market.”
Top Five Tablet Vendors, Shipments, and Market Share, Second Quarter 2013 (Shipments in millions)
Vendor
2Q13 Unit Ship-ments
2Q13 Market Share
2Q12 Unit Ship-ments
2Q12 Market Share
Year-over-Year Growth
1. Apple
14.6
32.4%
17.0
60.3%
-14.1%
2.Samsung
8.1
18.0%
2.1
7.6%
277.0%
3. ASUS
2.0
4.5%
0.9
3.3%
120.3%
4. Lenovo
1.5
3.3%
0.4
1.3%
313.9%
5. Acer
1.4
3.1%
0.4
1.4%
247.9%
Others
17.5
38.8%
7.4
26.2%
136.6%
Total
45.1
100.0%
28.3
100.0%
59.6%
Source: IDC Worldwide Tablet Tracker, August 5, 2013.
See additional Table Notes following the last table.
Top Tablet Operating Systems, Shipments, and Market Share, Second Quarter 2013 (Shipments in Millions)
Vendor
2Q13 Unit Ship-ments
2Q13 Market Share
2Q12 Unit Ship-ments
2Q12 Market Share
Year-over-Year Growth
1. Android
28.2
62.6%
10.7
38.0%
162.9%
2. iOS
14.6
32.5%
17.0
60.3%
-14.1%
3.Windows
1.8
4.0%
0.3
1.0%
527.0%
4. Windows RT
0.2
0.5%
N/A
N/A
N/A
5.BlackBerry OS
0.1
0.3%
0.2
0.7%
-32.8%
Others
0.1
0.2%
N/A
N/A
N/A
Total
45.1
100.0%
28.3
100.0%
59.6%
Source: IDC Worldwide Tablet Tracker, August 5, 2013
Table Notes:
- All data are preliminary and subject to change. Vendor shipments are branded shipments and exclude OEM sales for all vendors.
- Some IDC estimates prior to financial earnings reports.
- Shipments include shipments to distribution channels or end users. OEM sales are counted under the vendor/brand under which they are sold.
- IDC considers all LCD-based slate devices with screens between 7 and 16 inches as tablets, regardless of whether or not they include a removable keyboard (such as the Surface RT). Convertible devices with non-removable keyboards (such as Lenovo’s Yoga) are not counted as Tablets.
Gartner: ‘Traditional PC shipments to decline as tablets are becoming the primary consumption device’
Gartner Says Worldwide PC, Tablet and Mobile Phone Shipments to Grow 5.9 Percent in 2013 as Anytime-Anywhere-Computing Drives Buyer Behavior [press release, June 24, 2013]
Traditional PC Shipments to Decline 10.6 Percent in 2013, While Tablet Shipments Increase 67.9 Percent
Worldwide devices (the combined shipments of PCs, tablets and mobile phones) are projected to reach 2.35 billion units in 2013, a 5.9 percent increase from 2012, according to Gartner, Inc. The market is being driven by sales in tablets, smartphones, and to a lesser extent, ultramobiles, as PC shipments are on the decline.
Worldwide traditional PC (desk-based and notebook) shipments are forecast to total 305 million units in 2013, a 10.6 percent decline from 2012 , while the PC market including ultramobiles is forecast to decline 7.3 percent in 2013 (see Table 1). Tablet shipments are expected to grow 67.9 percent, with shipments reaching 202 million units, while the mobile phone market will grow 4.3 percent, with volume of more than 1.8 billion units. The sharp decline in PC sales recorded in the first quarter was the result in a change in preferences in consumers’ wants and needs, but also an adjustment in the channel to make room for new products hitting the market in the second half of 2013.
“Consumers want anytime-anywhere computing that allows them to consume and create content with ease, but also share and access that content from a different portfolio of products. Mobility is paramount in both mature and emerging markets,” said Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner.
Table 1
Worldwide Devices Shipments by Segment (Thousands of Units)
Device Type
2012
2013
2014
PC (Desk-Based and Notebook)
341,273
305,178
289,239
Ultramobile
9,787
20,301
39,824
Tablet
120,203
201,825
276,178
Mobile Phone
1,746,177
1,821,193
1901,188
Total
2,217,440
2,348,497
2,506,429
Source: Gartner (June 2013)
Demand for ultramobiles (which includes Chromebooks, thin and light clamshell designs, and slate and hybrid devices running Windows 8) will come from upgrades of both notebooks and premium tablets, such as the Apple iPad or Galaxy Tab10.1. Analysts said ultramobile devices are gaining in attractiveness and drawing demand away from other devices. This will be even more evident in the fourth quarter of 2013 when the combination of new design based on Intel processors Bay Trail and Haswell running on Windows 8.1 will hit the market. Although these devices will only marginally help overall sales volumes initially, they are expected to help vendors increase average selling prices (ASPs) and margins.
The tablet and smartphone markets are facing some challenges as these devices gain longer life cycles. There has also been a shift as many consumers go from premium tablets to basic tablets. The share of basic tablets is expected to increase faster than anticipated, as sales of the iPad Mini already represented 60 percent of overall iOS tablet sales in the first quarter of 2013.
“The increased availability of lower priced basic tablets, plus the value add shifting to software rather than hardware will result in the lifetimes of premium tablets extending as they remain active in the household for longer. We will also see consumer preferences split between basic tablets and ultramobile devices,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. “With mobile phones, volume expectations for 2013 have been brought down as the life cycles lengthen as consumers wait for new models and lower prices to hit the market in the Fall and holiday season. The challenge in the smartphone market is also that, as penetration moves more and more to the mass market, price points are lowering and in most cases so do margins.”
“Although the numbers seem to paint a clear picture of who the winner will be when it comes to operating systems (OS) in the device market (see Table 2), the reality is that today ecosystem owners are challenged in having the same relevance in all segments,” said Ms. Milanesi. “Apple is currently the more homogeneous presence across all device segments, while 90 percent of Android sales are currently in the mobile phone market and 85 percent of Microsoft sales are in the PC market.”
Table 2
Worldwide Devices Shipments by Operating System (Thousands of Units)
Operating System
2012
2013
2014
Android
505,509
866,781
1,061,270
Windows
346,464
339,545
378,142
iOS/MacOS
212,878
296,356
354,849
RIM
34,584
25,224
22,291
Others
1,118,004
820,592
689,877
Total
2,217,440
2,348,497
2,506,429
Source: Gartner (June 2013)
Additionally, with enterprises’ growing acceptance of bring your own device (BYOD), there is an increase in consumer-owned devices in the computing world. Gartner forecasts that computing devices bought by consumers will grow from 65 percent in 2013 to 72 percent in 2017. This signifies the growing importance of designing for the consumer inside the enterprise.
Gartner’s detailed market forecast data is available in the report, “Forecast: Devices by Operating System and User Type, Worldwide, 2010-2017, 2Q13 Update.” The report is on Gartner’s website athttp://www.gartner.com/resId=2524916.
Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments in the Second Quarter of 2013 Declined 10.9 Percent [press release, July 10, 2013]
PC Industry Continues to Shrink as the Installed Base Restructures to Accommodate Tablets as the Primary Consumption Device
Worldwide PC shipments dropped to 76 million units in the second quarter of 2013, a 10.9 percent decrease from the same period last year, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. This marks the fifth consecutive quarter of declining shipments, which is the longest duration of decline in the PC market’s history.
All regions showed a decline compared to a year ago. The fall in the Asia/Pacific PC market continued, showing five consecutive quarters of the shipment decline, while the EMEA PC market registered two consecutive quarters of double-digit decline.
“We are seeing the PC market reduction directly tied to the shrinking installed base of PCs, as inexpensive tablets displace the low-end machines used primarily for consumption in mature and developed markets,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. “In emerging markets, inexpensive tablets have become the first computing device for many people, who at best are deferring the purchase of a PC. This is also accounting for the collapse of the mini notebook market.”
HP and Lenovo’s neck-and-neck competition continued. This time, Lenovo was back in the top position by only a small difference in share (see Table 1). Lenovo showed mixed regional results, as it experienced strong growth in the Americas and EMEA, while showing a major decline in Asia/Pacific. Weakness in China was most likely the contributor of Lenovo’s shipment decline in the region as the majority of Lenovo’s volume came from China.
While HP was slightly behind Lenovo, HP is a market leader in key regions including the U.S., EMEA and Latin America. Asia/Pacific has been a weakness the last three years for HP, but preliminary second quarter results suggest an improvement of their performance in the region.
Table 1
Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2Q13 (Units)
Company
2Q13 Ship-ments
2Q13 Market Share (%)
2Q12 Ship-ments
2Q12 Market Share (%)
2Q12-2Q13 Growth (%)
Lenovo
12,677,265
16.7
12,755,068
14.9
-0.6
HP
12,402,887
16.3
13,028,822
15.3
-4.8
Dell
8,984,634
11.8
9,349,171
11.0
-3.9
Acer Group
6,305,000
8.3
9,743,663
11.4
-35.3
ASUS
4,590,071
6.0
5,772,043
6.8
-20.5
Others
31,041,130
40.8
34,675,824
40.6
-10.5
Total
76,000,986
100.0
85,324,591
100.0
-10.9
Note: Data includes desk-based PCs and mobile PCs, including mini-notebooks but not media tablets such as the iPad.
Source: Gartner (July 2013)
Dell’s shipments declined compared to a year ago, but its 2Q13 results showed a smaller decline than the past several quarters. Dell showed good growth in the U.S. and Japan, but struggled to increase shipments in Asia/Pacific and EMEA. Both Acer and ASUS showed steep declines compared to the second quarter last year. The decline was partly affected by their strategies to exit the mini-notebook market.
“While Windows 8 has been blamed by some as the reason for the PC market’s decline, we believe this is unfounded as it does not explain the sustained decline in PC shipments, nor does it explain Apple’s market performance,” Ms. Kitagawa said.
In the U.S. market, PC shipments totaled 15 million units in the second quarter of 2013, a 1.4 percent decline from the second quarter of 2012 (see Table 2). This decline was less than the past seven quarters, and the market grew 8.5 percent sequentially.
“Our preliminary results indicate that this reduced market decline was attributed to solid growth in the professional market,” Ms. Kitagawa said. “Three of the major professional PC suppliers, HP, Dell and Lenovo, all registered better than U.S. average growth rate. The end of Windows XP support potentially drove the remaining PC refresh in the U.S. professional market.”
Table 2
Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2Q13 (Units)
Company
2Q13 Ship-ments
2Q13 Market Share (%)
2Q12 Ship-ments
2Q12 Market Share (%)
2Q12-2Q13 Growth (%)
HP
3,957,761
26.4
3,976,041
26.2
-0.5
Dell
3,681,725
24.6
3,458,736
22.8
6.4
Apple
1,740,500
11.6
1,818,959
12.0
-4.3
Lenovo
1,515,562
10.1
1,266,109
8.3
19.7
Toshiba
848,984
5.7
1,006,900
6.6
-15.7
Others
3,230,717
21.6
3,659,220
24.1
-11.7
Total
14,975,249
100.0
15,185,965
100.0
-1.4
Note: Data includes desk-based PCs and mobile PCs, including mini-notebooks but not media tablets such as the iPad.
Source: Gartner (July 2013)
PC shipments in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) were weakened in the second quarter of 2013, with a 16.8 per cent decline over the same period last year, marking the fifth consecutive quarter of decreasing shipments.
“The sharp decline in the second quarter of 2013 was partly due to the shift in usage patterns away from notebooks to tablets, and partly because the PC market was exposed to inventory reductions in the channel due to the start of the transition to new Haswell-based products,” said Isabelle Durand, principal research analyst at Gartner. “Touch-based notebooks still account for less than 10 per cent of the total consumer notebook shipments in the last quarter.”
“Shipment levels remained weak in Western Europe in the second quarter of 2013 as PC replacement rates continued to be extremely low, while the challenging economic environment is muting spending in consumer markets,” said Ms Durand. “Shipments in Eastern Europe also remained low as this is typically a quiet quarter for business buyers in the region, and consumers are predominantly looking for Android-based tablets. In the Middle East and Africa, tablet and smartphone adoption also continued to draw demand away from PCs in the second quarter of 2013.”
Despite the steep shipment decline, HP retained the top position in EMEA due to better results in the professional PC market. Lenovo was the only top five vendor to exhibit shipment growth, recording a fourth consecutive quarter of growth and taking second place in the EMEA PC vendor rankings in the second quarter of 2013.
Acer exhibited the worst performance of the second quarter with a shipment decline of 38.5 percent year-on-year. Most of Acer’s decline resulted from its portfolio shifting away from netbooks to Android tablets. ASUS also experienced a PC shipment decline in the second quarter 2013. The drop of its netbooks continued to impact its overall notebook results.
Table 3
Preliminary EMEA PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2Q13 (Units)
Company
2Q13 Ship-ments
2Q13 Market Share (%)
2Q12 Ship-ments
2Q12 Market Share (%)
2Q12-2Q13 Growth (%)
HP
3,779,160
17.8
4,683,376
18.3
-19.3
Lenovo
2,641,622
12.4
2,180,362
8.5
21.2
Acer Group
2,456,255
11.5
3,995,518
15.6
-38.5
Dell
1,979,895
9.3
2,173,552
8.5
-8.9
ASUS
1,743,345
8.2
2,670,268
10.4
-34.7
Others
8,675,143
40.8
9,864,285
38.6
-12.1
Total
21,275,420
100.0
25,567,361
100.0
-16.8
Notes: Data includes desk-based PCs and mobile PCs, including x86 tablets equipped with Windows 8. All data is estimated, based on a preliminary study. Final estimates will be subject to change. The statistics are based on the shipments selling into channels.
Source: Gartner (July 2013)
In Asia/Pacific, PC shipments surpassed 26.8 million units in the second quarter of 2013, an 11.5 percent decline from the first quarter of 2012. All country markets across the region showed weakness, but India performed slightly better due to a state PC tender fulfillment. China’s PC shipment remained weak as the consumer market was hampered with lack of new demand generation programs, such as subsidized PC program in the rural cities.
These results are preliminary. Final statistics will be available soon to clients of Gartner’s PC Quarterly Statistics Worldwide by Region program. This program offers a comprehensive and timely picture of the worldwide PC market, allowing product planning, distribution, marketing and sales organizations to keep abreast of key issues and their future implications around the globe. Additional research can be found on Gartner’s Computing Hardware section on Gartner’s website at http://www.gartner.com/it/products/research/asset_129157_2395.jsp.
Digitimes Research: ‘Overtaking iPad will happen in 2H13’
Digitimes Research: iPad sees its first on-year shipment drop in 2Q13 [July 29, 2013]
Global tablet shipments reached 29.32 million units in the second quarter of 2013, down 8.2% sequentially, but still up 46.6% compared to the same period a year ago. As overall market demand is declining, both iPad and non-iPad product shipments have been impacted. Because of the iPad mini’s significant shipment drop, Apple’s tablet shipments in the second quarter were only 14.6 million units, down 25.1% sequentially and 2.7% on year, according to Digitimes Research’s latest figures.
As for non-iPad tablet shipments, non-Apple brand vendors’ new products and the second-generation Nexus 7 have both contributed to the volume, helping it to grow 18.5% on quarter and reach 14.72 million units. However, since Samsung Electronics and Lenovo have both increased their in-house production rates, Taiwan’s share of global tablet shipments dropped below 70% in the second quarter with shipments of only 20.38 million units, Digitimes Research figures showed.
In terms of brand vendors’ ranking, Apple and Samsung Electronics were the top-two players, followed by Asustek Computer third, Lenovo fourth and Acer sixth. As for processor rankings, MediaTek was the third-largest supplier in the second quarter thanks to its strategy of pushing mainly in the entry-level segment, only behind Apple and Texas Instruments (TI). Nvidia was the fourth largest with Samsung and Intel following closely behind.
Digitimes Research: Tablet shipments to grow 17.7% on year in 2H13 [Aug 6, 2013]
Tablet shipments in the second half are expected to reach 82.07 million units, up 17.7% on year; however, several changes will also occur during the period: hardware brand vendors will dominate the small-size tablet segment; non-iPad tablet shipments will surpass those of iPad; closed Android platforms will be impacted by the official Android platform; and Qualcomm and MediaTek will replace Texas Instruments (TI) and Nvidia in the non-Apple camp, according to Digitimes Research’s latest figures.
Small-size devices are expected to become mainstream products of the tablet market, accounting for 70% of total shipments in the second half. Non-iPad tablet shipments are also expected to surpass those of iPad and reach 45.07 million units. With the non-iPad camp’s strong shipments, over 50% of global tablets will adopt the Android operating system in the second half, Digitimes Research estimates.
Android’s large market share will also strongly impact closed Android platforms such as Amazon’s operating system for its tablets due to lack of key application support.
The Retina display-featured iPad mini may not appear before the end of 2013 due to the panel’s weak yield rate and the possibility that the device may undermine sales of the new high-end iPad. As a result, Apple’s shipments in the second half may drop to 37 million units with an on-year growth of 3%.
As for Windows-based tablets, although Microsoft is offering more price cuts for its Small Screen Touch (SST) program, the deal is unlikely to help push vendors to release Windows-based devices and the platform will only account for 3.8% of second-half tablet shipments.
Qualcomm became the processor supplier of the second-generation Nexus 7 and the third-generation Kindle Fire, replacing Nvidia and TI. Qualcomm will ship close to 10 million processors in the second half of 2013, becoming the largest CPU supplier of the non-Apple camp. MediaTek, thanks to its hardware brand clients’ small-size tablet orders, will become the second largest supplier, followed by Samsung Electronics and Intel, both of whom will ship over seven million units.
Taiwan makers’s tablet shipments will reach 59.45 million units in the second half, but as Samsung and Lenovo are increasing their in-house production rates, Taiwan makers’ share of global tablet shipments will drop to around 70%. As ODMs are aggressively competing for orders, Apple, Amazon and Asustek Computer will no longer place most of their orders with only Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) and Quanta Computer and will spread out their orders more evenly, Digitimes Research believes.
Canalys says ‘Yes’
Small tablets drive big share gains for Android [Canalys press release, Aug 1, 2013]
– Android overtakes iOS with 53% market share in tablets
Over 34 million tablets shipped in Q2 2013, a 43% year-on-year increase. Tablets now account for 31% of worldwide PC shipments. But Apple’s performance faltered. Its tablet shipments declined 14% on Q2 2012 and its market share dropped to 43%. The chasing pack of Samsung, Amazon, Lenovo and Acer each grew annually by over 200%, driven by increasing demand for small-screen tablets. Canalys estimates that 68% of tablets shipped in Q2 had a screen size smaller than 9″. ‘Consumers have been evaluating tablets and the results are now in,’ said Tim Coulling, Canalys Senior Analyst. ‘With touch-screens contributing to a high proportion of the build cost of a tablet, small-screen products can be priced very aggressively.’
Apple’s decline in shipments and share has been partly attributed to its aging portfolio. But Canalys believes that new product launches will have less impact on its shipments in future. ‘When Apple does decide to refresh its iPad range it will not experience the buzz of previous launches,’ said Canalys Analyst James Wang. ‘Tablets are now mainstream products and hardware innovation is increasingly difficult. With branded Android tablets available for less than $150, the PC market has never been so good for consumers, who are voting with their wallets.’ The move to smaller tablets has sparked a price war that has real consequences for the entire supply chain. These products generate little absolute margin for channel partners, vendors or component manufacturers. Content, applications and accessories (especially cases and keyboards) are now even more important to boost margins – areas where Apple remains a leader.
In addition to disappearing margins, inventory management is emerging as a major challenge. If a vendor overcommits at the product planning stage, unsold inventory can play havoc with a company’s balance sheet, even with other hit products in a portfolio. The market for full-sized tablets has stalled and even Apple has found it harder to sell its larger iPads in recent quarters. ‘Microsoft’s inventory issues with the Surface have been well publicized,’ said Coulling. ‘Heavily discounted Surface RTs will fly off the shelves. Expect prices to continue to fall though, as the starting price of $350 is still too expensive to spark an HP TouchPad-style buying frenzy.’
Despite its 53% share, Android still lags far behind iOS in the availability of fully-optimized tablet apps, and tablet app downloads from the Apple App Store dwarf those from Google Play. But Android is expected to continue to close the ecosystem lead iOS has in tablets and increase share in coming quarters. ‘Developers can and will quickly switch their priorities as different opportunities evolve and improve,’ said Canalys Senior Analyst Tim Shepherd. ‘We expect to see a substantial increase in the quantity, as well as the quality, of apps built or optimized for Android tablets over the next 12 months, as Google brings more attention to them through improvements to the Play store, and as the addressable base of devices continues to soar.’
While it is true that Apple is losing its stranglehold on the tablet market in terms of volume, it will remain its most profitable vendor for years to come. Apple has already faced a similar battle in the smart phone market, and it now looks increasingly likely that it is readying a product that can address lower price tiers and high-growth markets in that space. If this is indeed the case, Apple could replicate a similar portfolio play in the tablet market. It will be in no rush – after all, the launch of the iPad mini was designed to address this segment. But its hand could be forced if competitors’ prices continue to plummet. The margin models in the smart phone and tablet markets are very different. It will still make good margin on a cheaper iPhone but will struggle to do so with a cheaper tablet, and would instead need to rely increasingly on accessory sales and, likely, subsidy from apps and content purchases.
PC market flat in Q2 2013, despite tablet growth [Canalys press release, Aug 6, 2013]
– Android takes 17% of PC market in Q2 as PC vendors turn to Google for tablets
The worldwide PC market experienced a quarter without growth, as a 42.9% increase in tablet shipments was offset by declines in desktop and notebook shipments, which fell 7.4% and 13.9% respectively. Despite tablet growth slowing in Q2, Canalys still believes that tablets will outsell notebooks by Q4 of this year.
PC shipments in EMEA fell by 3% year-on-year in Q2, the first decline after two successive quarters of double-digit growth. Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe continue to be challenging for vendors, with annual declines of 10% and 3% respectively. PC shipments in the Asia Pacific region declined 0.5% year-on-year to just over 40 million units. The region was badly affected by slow shipments in the People’s Republic of China, which accounted for almost 45% of the region’s shipments and declined by approximately 6%. Demand for smart phones and tablets is increasing around the world. Faced by an industry in transition, channel partners are exercising caution when planning and placing orders.
Apple remained the top PC vendor in Q2, with a 4.5 million unit lead over second-placed Lenovo. But Apple’s share fell more than two percentage points to 17.1% from 19.4% in Q2 last year due an annual decrease in iPad shipments. Desktop and notebook shipments only accounted for around 20% of its total PC shipments. With tablet vendors attacking Apple on price it must bring fresh innovation to future generations of its iPad range if it is to maintain the lead it has built in the PC market.
Lenovo had a strong quarter, gaining share in its core notebook and desktop categories, as well as tablets. Its performance in Q2 was helped by strong annual growth in EMEA (34%), the US (28%) and Latin America (93%). Lenovo’s tablet business also performed well – it shipped around 1.5 million units. ‘It is striking how successful it has been in globalizing its PC business and breaking the 1 million unit barrier is an important milestone for its tablet shipments,’ noted Canalys Analyst James Wang. ‘Lenovo is on an upward curve with its tablets, expanding in mainland China and Latin America, where there is little competition from the likes of Google or Amazon.’
HP has overtaken Samsung to regain third place. HP has recently changed its tablet strategy and launched its first Android tablet in Q2, the Slate 7. ‘HP has a broad enterprise portfolio, channel relationships and global reach that others still cannot match,’ said Canalys Research Analyst Pin-Chen Tang. ‘To increase its market share it should look to leverage its strengths in the enterprise to advance Android in business.’
iOS and Android have profited from the shift to tablets, as they have proved to be the only type of PC with any momentum. Android’s share of the total PC market increased to 17% in Q2 2013 from 6% a year ago. With the likes of HP, Lenovo and Samsung looking to use Android to compete with iOS in the tablet space, the platform is well placed to continue increasing its share. Google is targeting the consumer market and has its sights set on beating Apple in the smart phone and tablet space. Android remains weak in management and security, which is preventing commercial uptake. Google, or its partners, must address this shortfall quickly if it is to penetrate the enterprise
There has been rapid innovation in the Windows category, as vendors such as HP, Lenovo, Toshiba and Acer have built PCs using a variety of new form factors. These products are struggling to take off as the difference in price between Android and Windows-based tablets remains high. ‘Component pricing has been an issue, particularly with multi-touch screens, though scale economies make this less of an issue as demand increases. The price of Windows itself is a contributing factor and one that Microsoft must address as a matter of urgency. Its PC OEM partners are in an increasingly difficult position and consolidation in the PC market is inevitable within the next 12 months,’ said Tim Coulling, Canalys Senior Analyst.
Half a billion PCs to ship in 2013 as tablet sales rocket [Canalys press release, June 11, 2013] – Tablet shipments to grow by 59% this year to reach 182.5 million units
Canalys’ latest forecasts for the PC market (desktops, notebooks and tablets) predict that 493.1 million units will ship in 2013, representing 7% year-on-year growth. The key driver behind this growth will be tablets, which will account for 37% of the market, up from a quarter in 2012. Looking ahead to 2017, Canalys expects that 713.8 million PCs will ship worldwide (a CAGR of 9.7%), with 64% being tablets and 25% notebooks.
Worldwide demand for tablets has gone from strength to strength, while that for desktops and notebooks has waned. In the first quarter of 2013, the desktop market fell 10.3% and the notebook market declined 13.1%. The size of the tablet market, however, more than doubled in Q1 2013, with a 106.1% increase in shipments to 41.9 million units. Shipments show no sign of slowing and Canalys forecasts that in 2013 tablet shipments will reach 182.5 million units, with global tablet shipments surpassing those of notebooks in the final quarter of the year.
The reception to Windows 8 has not reinvigorated demand for Microsoft-based PCs but there is a glimmer of hope for OEMs with Microsoft’s plan to release Windows 8.1 as a free upgrade. ‘Microsoft will continue to innovate. New versions will come and its OS release cycle will gain speed. But it must address some of the criticisms that have been directed at the OS’s user interface or it risks losing even more ground to iOS and Android in the PC space,’ said Tim Coulling, Senior Analyst at Canalys.
A plethora of PC vendors have now come to market with cheaper Android devices, notably Acer, Asus and HP, but these vendors are joining a crowded market. ‘Shipment numbers can be high but absolute margins on these products are expected to be small. Low-priced tablets will not be lucrative but it is necessary to compete or a vendor will simply lose relevance and scale. In fact, accessories, particularly cases, as well as the new generation of high-tech ‘appcessories’ will likely provide higher margins than the products themselves,’ said Pin-Chen Tang, Research Analyst. ‘This new influx of Android devices will provide a boost to the platform and
Canalysthereforeexpects Android to take a 45% share this year, behind Apple at 49%[this prediction failed already for Q2 results as was reported on Aug 1 by Canalys: ‘Android overtakes iOS with 53% market share in tablets‘]. The iPad mini is expected to continue selling well, becoming more significant in terms of the product mix and spawning a further increase in consumer demand for smaller tablets.’The great hope for Windows 8 was that it would unleash new PC form factors, combining the best of both PCs and tablets. But James Wang, an Analyst at Canalys, noted, ‘These convertible products have disappointed so far. Convertibles are too heavy in tablet form and too expensive when compared with clamshell products. Canalys therefore expects that, for at least the next 18 months, consumers will buy separate products, rather than compromise on a Windows 8 convertible or hybrid PC. Even for Android products, alternative form factors are not expected to grow rapidly due to the category being sandwiched between low-cost slates and more familiar Windows-based clamshell notebooks.’ Out of the 388.1 million mobile PCs (notebooks and tablets) that Canalys forecasts will ship in 2013, it estimates that less than 2% will be hybrids or convertibles.
Another ray of light for PC vendors is that PC sales to businesses are, and will continue to be, far stronger than those to consumers. This trend favors the likes of HP and Lenovo, though competition will increase as others shift resources toward the commercial channels to maximize their opportunity.
Canalys definitions
Appcessories: Products that connect to applications on smart devices (smart phones, tablets and notebook PCs).
Clamshell: A notebook with keyboard/second screen fixed with a one-directional hinge only enabling movement up to 180⁰.
Convertible: A notebook with keyboard/second screen that can be converted to a tablet form factor.
Slate: A tablet that is not designed by its manufacturer to be fixed to a keyboard accessory with a hinge.
Hybrid: A tablet that is designed by its manufacturer to be fixed to a keyboard accessory with a hinge.
About Canalys
Canalys is an independent analyst firm that strives to guide clients on the future of the technology industry and to think beyond the business models of the past. We deliver smart market insights to IT, channel and service provider professionals around the world. Our customer-driven analysis and consulting services empower businesses to make informed decisions and generate sales. We stake our reputation on the quality of our data, our innovative use of technology, and our high level of customer service.
EnfoDesk (Analysys International) from China says ‘For sure, as it is already happening against the iPad in China even at a nascent stage of the local tablet market’
Industry data: 2013Q2 Chinese Tablet PC market sales of 3.58 million, the rapid expansion of domestic [products], apple [products] decline significantly [enfodesk.com, Aug 14, 2013] as translated by Google and Bing, with manual edits:
According to Analysys think tank EnfoDesk latest monitoring data shows that in the second quarter of 2013 tablet PC sales in China reached 3,576,000 units, up 5.2% Q/Q growth.
According to Analysis think tank EnfoDesk in the last quarter of 2013 sales growth on the tablet PC market in China slowed down to only 5.2% Q/Q growth rate, mainly due to weak sales of Apple’s tablet computers, as its sales fell for the first time. And Samsung had eye-catching performance this quarter, after N5110 Galaxy Note 8 has been released, and sought after by the market, so the Samsung Tablet PC overall sales increased dramatically, pulling the overall market growth. Worth mentioning this quarter is that domestic brand tablet PCs, such as Teclast (台电) [see Teclast’s Tmall site in Chinese, or Pandawill’ Teclast global online site in English] and ONDA (昂达) [see ONDA’s global site in English] have gained more market share with their low prices, ultra high yield of price/performance, and best selling online channels.
Throughout the three major tablet platforms, iOS declined significantly, it will be difficult to stop its market share erosion trends; Windows was tepid, the release of Microsoft Surface and continuous price cuts did not enhance the Windows market activity; Android cut right through the market, by virtue of many manufacturers to compete, high performance models being abundant, covering all price points of consumer groups, and with product prices constantly being refreshed, quickly seized the tablet PC market. If Apple can not launch innovative tablet PC products in the near future, [the event of] Android surpassing iOS market share is around the corner.
Compare this to the situation in 2012:
- China market: Apple shares over 71% of 4Q12 consumer tablet sales, says Analysys [DIGITIMES, April 19, 2013]
Apple occupied 71.6% of consumer tablets sold in the China market during the fourth quarter of 2012, according to China-based Analysys International.
For business-use tablets alone, Eben had the largest market share at 41.9%, followed by Samsung Electronics with 21.0%, Asustek Computer with 6.6% and Lenovo with 4.5%, Analysys indicated.
Vendor
Market share
Apple
71.6%
Lenovo
10.2%
Eben
4.0%
Samsung
3.9%
Acer
2.3%
Asustek
1.5%
Teclast
1.0%
Source: Analysys, compiled by Digitimes, April 2013
- Analysys International: iPad Sales Share Fell in Q3, 2012 [Analysys International, published in English on May 17, 2013]
According to the Quarterly Survey of China’s Tablet PC Market 2012Q3, 2.60 million sets tablet PC have been sold in Chinese market in Q3, 2012. Apple occupied 71.4% market share with a slight drop, Lenovo ranked second, reaching 10.52% and Ereneben ranked third with its market share being 3.61% and Samsung ranked fourth, taking up 3.53% market share.
EnfoDesk, Analysys International finds that 4 factors require our attention concerning China’s tablet PC manufacturers’ market layout in Q3, 2012:
- Compared with last quarter, Apple’s market share dropped from 72.66% to 71.42%. New iPad marketing promotions were made mainly in Q2. In Q3, iPad 2and The New iPad were in normal sales.
- The sales volume of Lenovo tablet PC rose considerably with its market share being 10.52%. Such a growth is resulted from the issue of its new products S2107 and S2109 and promotions when new semester begins for students.
- Ereneben issued its new product T5 in Q3, which drives the overall sales volume, and the price of T4 came down slightly in some provinces, thus increasing the sales volume of Ereneben.
- Samsung tablet PC enjoyed relatively stable sales in Chinese market. The company doubled their efforts in the marketing of tablet PC Note series (7 inches or above versions). Its branding effects gradually brought about and increased its sales in the Chinese market.
Besides, the research on e-business tablet PC market conducted by EnfoDesk, Analysys International shows that Ereneben ranked first with market share being 41.07%. Samsung offered Galaxy Note 10.1 e-tablet PC to consolidate its positioning in e-business tablet PC market. Its market share was 19.66% of total e-tablet PC market. Lenovo’s Thinkpad was in normal sales, only occupied 3.89% market share.
…
Analysys International: iPad took up 73% of Tablet PC Market 2012Q2 [Analysis International, published in English on May 16, 2013]
According to the Quarterly Survey of Tablet Market in China 2012Q2, released by EnfoDesk, Analysys International, market share of Apple rose to 72.66% with a sequential growth rate rising by 20.06%. Top 2 was Lenovo that witness a drop of its market share (Its market share was 8.38%). Eben ranked third with its market share being 3.63% and the market share of Samsung came down to 3.59% with its sequential growth rate dropping by 7.69%.
EnfoDesk Analysys International believes that three aspects should be noticed concerning the market layout of tablet PC market in Q2, 2012.
First, the market share of Apple has risen from 65.21% in Q1 to 72.66% in Q2. New iPad came into the market in March; however, since no substantial improvement has been made on the new products, consumers would rather wait to buy in Q2. The price reduction of iPad 2 promoted the sales volume of Apple products, allowing its market share to grow.
Second, compared with Q1, market share of Lenovo shrank. On one hand, it was a dull season; on the other hand, it was caused by its internal policy. In September, Lenovo will launch its promotion of new products when new term begins in September (during the peak season) and the company would rather clean up stocks of its other products in Q2.
Finally, iOS tablet PC suffers less seasonal factors than Android tablet PC. Currently, Android tablet PC market is getting stabilized. Solely relying on traditional sales channel to educate consumers was too slow and manufacturers could carry out more promotions to increase brand influence and brand concentration, grab the market share of smuggled products and clarify market layout of Android tablet PC. In addition, other tablet PC manufactures except Apple should consider its own market position and offer its unique products, gradually getting rid of homogenization of Android tablet PC. Eben as a leader in business tablet PC market offers unique products and its market positioning is clear.
…
- Analysys International: 2.34 Million Tablet PCs Were Sold in China 2012Q2 [Analysis International, published in English on May 16, 2013]
According to the statistics recently released by Analysys International, 2.34 million tablet PCs were sold in China in Q2, 2012. The sequential growth rate has reached 7.8%.
Analysys International holds that sales growth of China’s tablet PC in Q2, 2012(The growth rate has reached 7.8%) is due to the following factors:
iPad directly triggered the market fluctuation. The price reduction of iPad forced the average price of tablet PC to go down. As a result, consumers with cash in hand developed their desire to buy and such a desire transformed into procurement, which allowed the sales volume to grow in the dull season.
EnfoDesk, Analysys International predicts that the future market layout will be even clearer. Android manufacturers and others will target middle and low-end consumers with an attempt to avoid direct competition with Apple. Even though the sales volume of Apple will increase, its market share will continue to shrink. The market share of Android manufacturers is expected to grow and the market concentration will increase. The smuggled products will face the question of survival and the market will get further standardized.
Research Definitions
Tablet PC is a portable mobile internet device accessible to the network. It has independent mobile OS and is able to expand its applications. The screen ranges from 5 to 11 inch. Touch screen or pen is served as a basic input device.
The Sales Volume is tablet PC manufacturers’ sale in China, including some overseas brands which are sold by a purchasing agency (OEM labeling products is regarded as the labeled brand. Some device manufacturers also sell some products to market abroad. This part of sales volume is not calculated in the said report).
Research Statement
The industrial analyses, provided by Analysys International, mainly reflect the current situation, trend, inflection point, commercial law and manufacturers’ situation. The figures and statistics are drawn by adopting a unique industrial analysis model combined with the research and study methods used by market, industry and manufactures. All the data are based on industrial macro and historical data, seasonal end-users’ and business information.
It is believed that data concluded from research into market and trade is within acceptable errors. It can reflect the trend and commercial laws accurately.
Results obtained by the means of professional research methods are for reference. The actual data can be obtained by checking on financial report issued by manufacturers.
About Analysys International
Analysys International is a leading advisor on the technology, media and telecom (TMT) industries in China. We provide data, information and advice to 50,000 clients worldwide representing 1,500 distinct organizations, deliver over 150 consulting engagements a year, and hold more than 20 events that draw in over 8,000 attendees. Our clients include executives from companies as technology vendors, vertical information technology users, as well as professionals from professional service companies, the investment community and government agencies. Our mission is simple and clear: we help our clients make better business decisions. For more information, please visit our website at http://english.analysys.com.cn.
About EnfoDesk
EnfoDesk is an industrial data base for subscription offered by Analysys International. It aims to help you perceive opportunities and risks in the Internet age with online database search, analyst interaction, market alarms and other functions. EnfoDesk can help you get information in time and know more about:
– The business mode and trend of the Internet and mobile web market
– The trend in policy towards the Internet and Internetized market
– The activities and preferences of Internet and mobile web users
– The potential clients and commercial opportunities
– The more valuable partners and cooperation mode
– The trend and effects of e-marketing
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