idc

PC market limps along -- and that's better than expected

Despite a weak economy and constraints in hard-disk supplies, PC shipments scored a gain of 2.3 percent last quarter compared with a year ago, according to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker.

Though nothing to brag about, the results surpassed the firm's February forecast of a drop of almost 1 percent.

IDC had anticipated a down quarter due to the sluggish economy, competition from mobile devices, and uncertainty about the impact of Windows 8.

The limited supply of hard-disk drives had some bearing on the industry but not as much as anticipated. Supplies have been constrained since last … Read more

Windows PCs to decline as Android, Apple devices rise

The venerable Windows-Intel PC will see a sharp decline by 2016 while devices running Android and Apple's iOS are on the rise, market researcher IDC said today.

There will be a "dramatic shift" between 2011 and 2016, with the "once-dominant" Windows-Intel (aka, x86) PCs dropping from a market-dominating 35.9 percent share in 2011 to 25.1 percent in 2016," IDC said.

Mobile devices like Android phones and tablets and Apple iPhones and iPads will step into the void and begin to dominate. Android devices (using ARM chips) will grow from 29.4 percent … Read more

The state of 'Bring Your Own Device'

It's dangerous for those of us in the tech industry to naively take what we see playing out in our workplaces every day as a mirror of the wider world. High-tech workers are often more technically savvy and likely to be early adopters. High-tech employers are likewise more inclined to let employees use the tools of their choice. And high-tech companies as a group are, almost by definition, far closer to technology adoption's leading edge.

Which raises the question of whether all the personal gadgets from smartphones to tablets to laptops that appear to be an increasingly integral … Read more

iPad and Kindle Fire both strong in recent quarter, says IDC

Lest we forget, Apple still has some competition. Though IDC confirmed big shipment numbers for Apple, the market researcher said Amazon made a good showing too.

Global tablet shipments into "sales channels" rose by 56 percent on a sequential basis in the fourth calendar quarter of 2011 to 28.2 million units, according to IDC.

That represents a whopping 155 percent increase from the fourth quarter of 2010.

IDC tablet shipment highlights:

In 2011, tablet shipments reached 68.7 million. In 2012, shipments will be 106.1 million, up from 87.7 million in previous forecast. Apple shipped … Read more

Tech spending was strong in 2011, despite sluggish economy

Spending on technology around the world managed to rise last year, despite economic woes in Europe and a severe hard-drive shortage, research firm IDC said yesterday.

Overall, IT spending rose just 5 percent in 2011, but that proved to be a healthy gain in the face of worldwide challenges.

The 5 percent figure was calculated using constant currency, a method that does not take into account fluctuations in the exchange rate. In U.S. dollars, the picture was even rosier, with tech spending rising by almost 9 percent last year.

A surge in demand for smartphones, tablets, and software kicked … Read more

How a private cloud goes beyond virtualization management

At first blush, private clouds can look a lot like virtualization. But first looks can be deceiving. While it's certainly true that we see virtualization management products extended--for example, with self-service portals--in ways that make them look superficially like clouds, we're really talking about different categories of software.

There are two ways to think about these differences. The first is in terms of different mindsets and approaches to IT operations. The other is to consider specific features and capabilities.

Consider the "big picture" aspect first. Mary Johnston Turner, research vice president of enterprise system management software, … Read more

Will Windows 8 be irrelevant to regular PC users?

Will the average Windows PC user jump to Windows 8 next year or snub the new OS as a platform geared more for mobile devices?

Weighing in with a strong opinion on that question is research firm IDC, which recently unveiled a list of its top ten predictions for 2012. Key among them was one forecast eyeing doom and gloom for Windows 8, certainly in the desktop arena.

The next version of Windows will be Microsoft's first attempt to offer the same operating system for both PCs and mobile devices. IDC expects Windows 8 products to hit the market … Read more

Samsung outshines Apple in smartphone shipments, market share

Jumping past Apple, Samsung has become the new world leader in the smartphone arena, according to data released yesterday by IDC.

Among all smartphone manufacturers, Samsung earned the top spot with a record 23.6 million shipments for the third quarter, surpassing the 20 million mark for the first time in its history and showing a huge gain from the 7.3 million units shipped a year ago.

Record shipments helped Samsung score a global smartphone market share of 20 percent, a leap from just 8.8 percent in last year's third quarter. Samsung's strong lineup of Android … Read more

Facebook Ireland accused of creating 'shadow profiles' on users, nonusers

Facebook Ireland is under fire for allegedly creating "shadow profiles" on both users and nonusers alike.

The startling charges against the social-networking giant come from the Irish Data Protection Commissioner (IDC), which, Fox News reports today, is launching a "comprehensive" investigation against Facebook Ireland for extracting data from current users--without their consent or knowledge--and building "extensive profiles" on people who haven't even signed on for the service.

Names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, work information, and perhaps even more sensitive information such as sexual orientation, political affiliations, and religious beliefs are being collected and … Read more

HP facing pressure to keep PC unit inside--report

Hewlett-Packard is facing pressure to keep its PC business inside the company according to an Asia-based report.

Growing concern about the fate of HP's PC unit is pushing "channel operators" to switch their orders from HP to brands such as Dell, Acer, and Lenovo, according to a report in Digitimes, citing sources.

The report names Acer as a major beneficiary of the shift.

HP's Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) partners, including Quanta Computer, Inventec, Wistron, and Foxconn Electronics, will "regain...confidence" in HP if it decides not to spin off its PC business, the report … Read more