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Gartner: HP Keeps Its PC Lead As European Market Drops 2.4%, Apple Cracks Top 5 In UK

Posted: 09 Aug 2012 03:13 AM PDT

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Tablets and smartphones may be gradually ushering us into a post-PC world, but for now the bigger machines continue to dominate the market. Figures out today from Gartner, focusing on PCs in Europe, note that shipments in the economically-troubled region declined by 2.4% to 13.6 million units in Q2, in a wider global market where growth was flat. Within that, HP kept its lead as the biggest PC maker, while Apple has managed to crack into the top-five PC makers in one market, the UK.

The wider trend seems to be that even in PCs, people are gravitating towards smaller machines. Gartner notes that desk-based units were down by 12.8 percent, but mobile PC shipments (laptops, netbooks) went up by 4%. Similarly, you can see the effects of consumerization at play here: the “professional” PC market is down by 5.3%, while consumer PCs saw a sliver of growth: 0.4%.

Europe accounts for about 16% of the global market for PCs (globally there were 87.5 million PCs shipped in the quarter). In the region, HP currently controls 20% of the market, down from 23 percent in Q2 a year ago. It shipped 2.8 million units, 13% less than last year, while Acer, Asus and Lenovo all grew their shares, with Asus posting the most impressive increase at 42%. HP retained the lead in all individual markets except for Germany, where it dropped to third and Acer now leads. (HP will be reporting quarterly earnings later in the month and that will give us a more accurate picture of what is going on.)

Gartner notes that Dell declined the most among the top-five vendors. It dropped down for third-largest to fourth-largest PC maker, with a share of 8.7 percent (1.2 million units, a decline of 13.6%).

Asus’s rise, Gartner notes, was down to the company offering a wide range of devices between mobile and desktop PCs, as well as Ultrabooks and tablets, “all of which are marketed at attractive prices,” according to Meike Escherich, principal analyst at Gartner. Dell’s decline is partly attributed to how it has largely started to pull away from PC maker to professional services supremo — although it seems to be doing that bang off trend, given the decline in the professional market. (In the UK market, its shift saw Dell lose some 40 percent share in consumer PCs, Gartner pointed out.)

Given that there will be a wave of new machines coming on the market with Windows 8 in the lead-up to the holiday season, if sales don’t pick up now, you may start to see some real bargains on the market. The knock-on effect will be tricky for Microsoft and Windows 8. As a result of the price cut on older machines, “challenges may arise in selling new products into the channel in the third quarter of 2012,” she noted.

As for how individual markets are performing, the rankings are largely a reshuffling of the European top-five, with one notable exception. In the UK, Apple and Toshiba are part of the mix, and Lenovo and Asus are not.

HP retained the top position in the UK, but Apple squeezed in at fifth position with 187 million units sold, for a 7.4% share of the market. Toshiba, meanwhile, saw a very healthy growth of 51.6% for a 0.4 share of the market (238 million units).

Still, the UK was “very weak” in Q2 with an overall decline of 7.6 percent, beating the European average and well below the state of the global market.

And with the move to smartphones and tablets particularly strong in the country — it was one of the first developed markets to have a majority-smartphone penetration among mobile users — PCs might continue to fare poorly even when economic conditions get better:

“The real worry for the UK PC market is whether it will ever return to solid growth,” writes Ranjit Atwal, a Gartner research director. “Windows 8 and Ultrabooks now look even more important. However, messages emerging from the PC supply chain remain inconsistent and largely uninspiring.” He notes that in the UK, the PC channel will be ”holding back on new shipment orders” until Q4 2012 to try to shore up demand.

The Top 5 iPhone Cases For The College-Bound

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 12:45 PM PDT

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There you are, full of gumption, standing next to a packed car. You’re off to college. You’re about to set off into the world to, as they say, make something of yourself. Armed with your trusty iPhone, you’ll likely reach your lofty goals. But an iPhone can be more than just a smartphone. With the right case, an iPhone can be a multifunctional tool, converging the power of the Internet with personalization more brilliant than the mating dance of a peacock.

Rocking a naked iPhone is a sign of confidence with a side of stupidity. One drop, and the phone will die. Thankfully, there are countless iPhone cases that will wrap the phone in protection while providing plenty of charm and character. As explained in the Legend of Zelda, it’s dangerous to go alone. Take one of these (iPhone cases).

Opena

Available in black and white, the $40 Opena is an iPhone case with slide-out bottle opener. It’s a bona fide crowd pleaser that will turn any chump into a lady-killer. As I wrote in 2011, cool kids are never without bottle openers and the Opena iPhone case sticks one on the backside of your iPhone.

Now, as an owner and occasional user of this case, I can profess that it’s worthy of your money. First off, the case itself is very durable and withstands nearly everything. It’s hard as nails. But more importantly, the bottle opener works very well. It’s a bit of a novelty, but it performs as advertised and even after likely hundreds of uses, the iPhone has survived despite the dock connector’s proximity to the beer bottle. The Opena is a must-have iPhone case.

Playa Case

The Playa Case comes from the makers of the Opena. The backside of the polycarbonate case sports a discreet storage compartment. The possibilities are nearly endless. Store your lunch card or computer lab’s access card in there. Slip in some notes.

Or use the case as it’s designed and store two condoms with your iPhone. For $35 the Playa case will protect your iPhone and your future: Don’t store condoms in your wallets, guys.

Speck SmartFlex Card


iPhone cases with card slots are pocket savers. Ditch the wallet and store your credit cards, IDs and access cards with your iPhone. However, there is a big downside: If you lose your phone, you essentially lose your entire life.

The SmartFlex case from Speck is my favorite. It’s durable, comes in a range of colors, and at $35, it doesn’t drain the beer fund. Or, for a few dollars more, Speak also sells the CandyShell case which also holds cards but offers a bit more protection.

Mophie Juice

The iPhone’s battery life sucks. It just does. There are plenty of ways to recharge the phone while on the go, but leave the battery charger at home and snag a Mophie Juice case.

Starting out at $80, these iPhone cases add a bit of heft to the sleek iPhone but they basically double the phone’s battery life. For $100 the Juice Pack Plus offers 25% more battery life, at $130, the Juice Pack Pro sports military-spec construction and even more battery.

Durable cases

College is a brutal environment. It’s best to protect your iPhone from the mayhem. There are several solid options available, too.

Lifeproof cases are the gold standard when it comes to durable iPhone cases. They’re a tad expensive, but they work. Since Lifeproof brags its cases can protect an iPhone from water, dirt, snow and shock, I’m sure it will protect against beer, mud, slushies and dropkicks as well.

G-Form makes several durable cases that are rather attractive as well. At $40 each, the X-Protect and Extreme Grid wrap the iPhone in the company’s shock absorbing material and provide extreme protection against droppage. Plus, they look pretty rad.

See all of our back to school coverage right here.

Conan O’Brien Breaks Down The Apple/Samsung Trial [VIDEO]

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 05:58 AM PDT

samapple


Apple and Samsung are currently entrenched in courtroom warfare. Apple alleges that Samsung stole some of iOS’s key functions. Samsung is saying nuh-huh. Here’s a video of a Samsung VP, released by Coco O’Brien’s web monkeys, that shows Samsung, the company’s products and its attitude are completely different from Apple’s.

Listen, Apple and Samsung’s legal battle can make some fun headlines, but it’s mostly just an interesting sideshow. It’s just two massive consumer electronic giants moaning over icon placement and retail strategy. Outside of Samsung and Apple’s boardrooms, only fanboys care about the outcome.

Apple has the right to defend what it feels it developed and patented. And likewise, Samsung has the duty to keep up with the Joneses, or if you will, the Jobses, and make sure its products can compete against the market leader.


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