Last year, Android/Linux began to gain traction in the tablet PC market. This year, even the white-box makers of tablets in China are cranking out 3 million tablets a month. Samsung, HTC, Amazon and the rest are producing more than that. IDC expects growth of tablet shipments of 40% but it could easily be 100%. At this rate, iPad is soon to lose its majority share of units shipped.
Digitimes – “The white-box makers are able to deliver a 10.1-inch model, which runs on Android 4.0 and has a display resolution of 1024 by 600 and 4GB built-in storage, at FOB prices of about US$100-110, indicated the sources.”
2012 is also the Year of the Small Cheap Computer. Why wait for Christmas to buy one? You can buy a PC for about the price of a monitor. At these prices, M$ will be unable to compete without cutting prices. Finally we have competition returning to retail shelves.
The Government of Malaysia has long used GNU/Linux internally. In their country, many consumers are unaware of GNU/Linux and replace FreeDOS on PCs with illegal copies of that other OS. A program is under way to persuade OEMs and retailers to use GNU/Linux on PCs instead.
Google translate of the news:“discussion begins with a presentation by Dr. Jeremy Malcolm in respect of the purpose and role to be played by FOMCA / Consumers International (CI) to provide awareness to consumers about the Open Software Development (Open Source Software) through Policy A2K (Access to Knowledge). In addition, it aims to promote the use of Ubuntu Linux to replace FreeDOS as now used by most computer suppliers in Malaysia. Normally, users who buy a new computer will replace FreeDOSS found in their own computers with pirated Windows software. Therefore, to curb the use of pirated software, then FOMCA plans a campaign to enlighten and educate Linux users to use more modern software, complete and current. Through this matter, the use of open source could be improved. To accomplish this, then FOMCA require collaboration from the Open Software community such as ABLE, OSCC and authorities such as Ministry.”
M$ recently boasted how it was making the Internet safe by grabbing servers and domains connected to botnets. It turns out they were a bull in a china shop breaking all kinds of legitimate sites and blocking the work of real security businesses. They abused the trust of others working in the IT-security business who shared information with M$.
IDC has just posted its Q1 report of PC shipments. Lenovo has grown dramatically but the overall shipments were 87million, up just 2.3% from the same quarter a year ago. US shipments were up just 1%. Let’s see M$ report that as a huge increase next week…
An interesting feature of the report is that Lenovo, despite its popularity globally, is still not in the “top 5″ in the US. Also US shipments are stuck at 19% of global shipments. It could be that Lenovo just has not the width of “channel” that the others have. In Canada, Lenovo is readily available. At the present annual rate of growth, Lenovo could displace HP as the top shipper of PCs within one year. What they lack in USA, they have “in spades” in China.
While IDC attributes lack of demand for PCs to shortages of hard drives, that’s demand at the level of the OEM, not the retailer. I have not seen retail prices rise or shelves empty due to demand exceeding supply. There’s more to this stagnation than hard drives and floods in Thailand. It’s real people loving small cheap computers. That market is growing 100% per annum. Displaysearch finds LCD monitors absolutely flat while all PCs, including tablets, rose 26%. IDC predicts growth of old-style PCs will resume in December… I am not so sure. 1-2.3% is not even a replacement rate. The installed base of old-style PCs, notebooks and boxes, is declining.
My observations and opinions about IT are based on 40 years of use in science and technology and lately, in education. I like IT that is fast, cost-effective and reliable. I do not care whether my solution is the same as yours. I like to think for myself.
My first use of GNU/Linux in 2001 was so remarkably better than what I had been using, I feel it is important work to share GNU/Linux with the world. I have been blessed by working in schools where students and school systems have benefited by good, modular software easily installed in most systems.
I have shown GNU/Linux to thousands of students and hundreds of teachers over the years and will continue in some way doing that until I die in spite of the opposition.
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