Apple sneaks out a brand new version of the iPod touch

Apple sneaks out a brand new version of the iPod touch:
In a somewhat curious move, Apple discontinued its fourth-generation iPod touch early Thursday morning and replaced it with a new model. The updated entry-level iPod touch is almost exactly like the standard fifth-generation model, but it sheds the rear iSight camera. It is also only available with one color option (silver) whereas other iPod touch models come in five different colors. Apple's earlier fifth-generation models are available with either 32GB or 64GB of storage, but the new version ships with 16GB of internal storage. The new entry-level iPod touch costs $229 and is available for purchase immediately.

Apple attracted to manufacturer Pegatron’s willingness to ‘accept thinner profits’

Apple attracted to manufacturer Pegatron’s willingness to ‘accept thinner profits’:
While Foxconn has been slowly lessening its dependence on Apple by building its own branded tablets, it seems that Apple has been simultaneously lessening its dependence on Foxconn by shifting more production to Taiwanese company Pegatron. The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is looking to diversify its production partners because Foxconn has been increasingly difficult for Apple to control as it's grown into the world's largest contract manufacturing company. The Journal says that Pegatron is a natural alternative to Foxconn because it "has been willing to accept thinner profits as it courts Apple's business," which is certainly important to Apple at a time when its own margins are coming under considerable pressure. The Journal's sources expect Pegatron to "make the majority of iPad Minis sold this year, as well as the majority of the coming less-costly iPhone."

PayPal kills the cash register — and offers completely free payment processing for 2013

PayPal kills the cash register — and offers completely free payment processing for 2013:
PayPal’s killing the cash register and offering free credit, debit, check, and PayPal processing to qualifying U.S. businesses that adopt its PayPal Here solution — for the rest of 2013.
In other words, PayPal is all in.
PayPal Here, which offers a triangle dongle to compete with a certain rival’s Square, offers a mobile dongle that you can attach to smartphones or tablets to take payments on the go. But it’s also now a pre-integrated solution for existing point-of-sale machines from multiple vendors such as ERPLY, Leaf, Leapset, NCR Silver, ShopKeep, and Vend.

Source: PayPal

PayPal’s triangle

“The cash register has been a familiar sight for generations, but it’s time to replace it with a modern solution,” PayPal says.
While PayPal was late to this particular game, it has quickly added partners like Home Depot and Abercrombie & Fitch, and, after being available just in North America for some time, recently entered the UK. And the company absolutely crushes all other competitors — including Google, MasterCard, and Visa — in consumer awareness for its digital wallet services.
But the real juice in this latest program is the free payment processing for the rest of the year. That’s huge to merchants who are looking to squeeze a few extra percentage points of profit out of typically skinny retail margins. Payment processors can easily take one to three percent of a company’s gross sales, right off the top.
Merchants can also skip the cash register upgrade and simply go directly to an iPad solution with PayPal Here running as an app, in which case PayPal Here can connect wirelessly to a cash drawer and printer.

Filed under: Business, Enterprise, Gadgets, Mobile, Small Biz

Dennis Woodside confirms the Moto X and says Motorola is "relaunching its product line"

Dennis Woodside confirms the Moto X and says Motorola is "relaunching its product line": Yesterday, we saw Apple CEO Tim Cook drop some pretty solid news while speaking at the AllThingsD D11 conference, and today it's time for Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside to show that his company (which of course is technically part of Google) can also grab headlines. And, he has come out strong by both confirming the existence of the Motorola X Phone (not that we needed confirmation) and saying that the device will be made in the USA...

Apple may be developing an ultrabook challenger, is a 12.9-inch iPad Maxi in our future?

Apple may be developing an ultrabook challenger, is a 12.9-inch iPad Maxi in our future?: Korean news site ETNews is reporting that Apple is indeed working on a larger sized iPad...

Nokia loses number one spot in Finland to Samsung

Nokia loses number one spot in Finland to Samsung: For the first time, Nokia’s market share fell from the top spot in its home market of Finland, giving way...

iPad sales grew three times faster than the iPhone

iPad sales grew three times faster than the iPhone:

John Gruber noted this interesting snipping from Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends deck.

44: iPad has grown three times faster than iPhone did. This might be the most overlooked/underestimated fact about Apple today.

You can see the full deck below.

KPCB Internet Trends 2013 from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

Notebook supply chain sees trouble satisfying downstream demand in China

Notebook supply chain sees trouble satisfying downstream demand in China: As Lenovo's PC manufacturing joint venture in Hefei, eastern China is set to ship 10 million products in 2013, sources from the notebook supply chain are concerned that they may have trouble satisfying all the demand from major production sites in China.

Touchscreen notebooks to challenge 15% penetration rate in 2H13, says WitsView

Touchscreen notebooks to challenge 15% penetration rate in 2H13, says WitsView: The development of touchscreen notebooks is expected to heat up in the second half of 2013, which is likely to push up the penetration rate of the technology to 15%, according to research firm WitsView.

Taiwan market: Intel to cooperate with retail channels to show Haswell-based WiDi, touch control technologies

Taiwan market: Intel to cooperate with retail channels to show Haswell-based WiDi, touch control technologies: In order to promote its Haswell platform, Intel will cooperate with retail network operators in the Taiwan market to showcase Haswell-based Wireless Display (WiDi) and touch control-supporting technologies at major retail outlets starting the third quarter, according to industry sources, adding that this is part of Intel's marketing subsidization for Haswell.

Apple looks to make the iPhone more flexible

Apple looks to make the iPhone more flexible:
Flexible displays are set to become the next big thing in the mobile industry. Big name companies such as LG and Samsung are exploring the idea of making smartphones with bendable and unbreakable screens that could debut early next year. Now, a recently published patent application dug up by AppleInsider suggests that Apple is also exploring the idea of incorporating a flexible display into future iPhone models, however it would do so in a different way than competitors.

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Apple May Have To Go Back to Samsung

I cannot imagine how humiliating this has to be for Apple. Despite an ongoing lawsuit with Samsung that has led to ever increasing animosity between the two companies, Apple is said to be considering new contracts with Samsung to provide displays for its product lineup. According to Korean site ETNews.com (via AppleInsider), Apple is planning to resume purchasing LCDs from Samsung Display as the company is better equipped to keep up with high demand. Comments



via [H]ardOCP News/Article Feed http://www.hardocp.com/news/2013/05/29/apple_may_have_to_go_back_samsung/

Internet Trends report shows a surge in sharing, mobile overtaking PCs

Internet Trends report shows a surge in sharing, mobile overtaking PCs:

Mary Meeker's Internet Report is often considered a technology bellwether, and it's certainly living up to that reputation in the 2013 study. This year, the dominating trend is sharing: Meeker has noticed that many more of us are willing to publish our media and location data. People worldwide now share over 500 million photos a day through services like Facebook and Snapchat, while Dropcam, Soundcloud, YouTube and Waze are also growing quickly. Americans aren't leading the trend, however. An estimated 15 percent of US internet users frequently share content online, while the world average is 24 percent.

Other findings? If it wasn't evident before that mobile devices are taking over, it's quite clear now. The Internet Report shows tablet shipments overtaking PCs at the end of 2012; meanwhile, mobile internet traffic is quickly surpassing the desktop in countries like China and South Korea. Many companies are leaning heavily on mobile for their income, too. The full Internet Trends report is available after the break for additional insights, although it's currently bombarded by traffic -- have some patience if it doesn't load right away.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Wearables, Internet
Comments
Via: AllThingsD
Source: KPCB

Motorola's next flagship phone is called Moto X, will be built in former Nokia plant in Texas

Motorola's next flagship phone is called Moto X, will be built in former Nokia plant in Texas:

Outside of possible FCC filings, Motorola has largely been coy about just what its next major smartphone will be -- until now. The firm's Dennis Woodside just revealed at D11 that the new flagship will be called Moto X (previously rumored as the X Phone), and that it will be built in a Fort Worth, Texas factory that was once used to make Nokia phones. Woodside isn't giving away many details at this stage, although he teases that the smartphone will "know what you want to do before you do." Oh, and he has a Moto X in his pocket... not that he's about to show us anything just yet, of course. If you're curious about Woodside's actual quote, it's below:

"It'll be the first Motorola smartphone built in the United States. It'll be built in Texas -- we'll employ around 2,000 people. It's right outside of Fort Worth in a 500,000 square foot facility that was previously used to build Nokia phones."

Update: Woodside had two extra nuggets while on stage -- he mentioned that the Moto X will be "broadly distributed" across numerous carriers, a rarity for Motorola smartphones in recent years. Specifically, he noted: "The Moto X is going to be broadly distributed -- that's a first for Motorola in a number of years. The support of the carriers has been fantastic." In other words, this won't be a Nexus device, and you can count on some amount of skinning and bloatware to muddle things up. On the issue of battery life, Woodside said: "I'll save the details for later, but [the industry issue of] battery life is a huge problem. Motorola has some of the world's best engineers and systems designers who spend their lives on that problem. There are two processors in the device that creates a system that allows you to do such a thing." Two processors, you say? Fascinating!

Update 2: The Moto X should arrive in late summer. Also, a reminder: Motorola mentioned a shift toward stock Android coming later this year. While there isn't any guarantee that the Moto X will embrace that philosophy, it would be a fitting poster child.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
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Notebook vendors to defer shipments for 60 days, say Taiwan makers

Notebook vendors to defer shipments for 60 days, say Taiwan makers: Notebook vendors will wait till July before ramping up their orders in preparation for the back-to-school demand, a delay of about 60 days as compared to the usual practice in previous years, probably because the vendors are conservative about market demand or are waiting for sufficient supply of touch panels, according to sources with the Taiwan-based supply chain.

Worldwide tablet shipments to surpass portable PC shipments in 2013, total PC shipments in 2015, says IDC

Worldwide tablet shipments to surpass portable PC shipments in 2013, total PC shipments in 2015, says IDC: According to a new forecast from the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker, tablet shipments are expected to grow 58.7% on-year in 2013 reaching 229.3 million units, up from 144.5 million units in 2012. 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.

BlackBerry Q10 outselling the Galaxy S4, HTC One and iPhone 5 in France

BlackBerry Q10 outselling the Galaxy S4, HTC One and iPhone 5 in France:
There has been a lot of speculation about the success of BlackBerry's new BlackBerry 10 smartphones. Using a wide variety of methods, some analysts have claimed that sales of the new smartphones are going strong, while others say they are fairly weak. One thing that's clear, though, is that BlackBerry's newest devices seem to be hits in France. According to French wireless provider SFR, the BlackBerry Q10 is the best selling smartphone on its network. The handset is outselling the Galaxy S4, HTC One, Lumia 520 and even the iPhone 5. Furthermore, the BlackBerry Z10 is also outselling the iPhone 5, Sony Xperia Z and Galaxy S III. SFR has more than 21 million subscribers and is the second largest wireless provider in France. If similar trends are occurring on other networks, BlackBerry may finally have its first hit in quite some time.

Microsoft doubles Surface Pro storage to 256GB following user backlash

Microsoft doubles Surface Pro storage to 256GB following user backlash:
Microsoft has been accused of being misleading regarding the way it has advertised the internal storage in its Surface tablets. The 64GB Surface Pro model ships with only 23GB of useable space, while the 128GB model has just 83GB of available storage. Microsoft's bloated operating system contains a number of preloaded applications and programs that take up more than 40GB of space, and consumers are filling up their devices quicker than anticipated. It would appear the company is ready to address its critics, however.

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New details on redesigned next-gen iPad emerge

New details on redesigned next-gen iPad emerge:
It's never surprising when Apple decides to make new versions of its products lighter and thinner than earlier models but a new report from Digitimes suggests that the company could really outdo itself with the fifth-generation iPad. Digitimes' sources say that the next iPad will be between 25% and 33% lighter than the fourth-generation model and will go on sale starting in September. Given that the fourth-generation iPad weighed in at 652 grams, a 25% reduction in weight would mean that the fifth-generation model would weigh just 489 grams. The publication's sources also say that Apple will start production of the new completely redesigned tablet in July and that "LG Display, Samsung Display and Sharp are expected to be the suppliers of display panels" for the device.

Is Google’s greatest strength the freedom to fail?

Is Google’s greatest strength the freedom to fail?:
Google clearly has a number of strengths, but its greatest may be the freedom to fail. Google shares are up more than 28% so far in 2013 and the company's market capitalization recently topped $300 billion for the first time. Investors are bullish on Google's prospects for the future and perhaps one of the reasons is that Google has shown time and time again that it is willing to take big risks in an effort to drive innovation.

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Dell’s experimental ‘computer-on-a-stick’ shipping to developers in July

Dell’s experimental ‘computer-on-a-stick’ shipping to developers in July:
One of the most intriguing concepts for the future of the PC industry we've heard lately has been Dell's Project Ophelia, a USB thumb drive-sized "computer-on-a-stick" that can plug into any monitor's USB port to transform it into a makeshift computer capable of running multiple operating systems. PCWorld reports that an early version of Ophelia that will only run Android will ship out to developers starting in July and could ship out to consumers as soon as August. The first version of Ophelia "will have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities and is aimed at users who do most of their computing on the Web," says PCWorld, which means that monitors using Ophelia will be more like Chromebooks than traditional PCs.

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Consumer Reports: The Galaxy S4 is the world’s best smartphone

Consumer Reports: The Galaxy S4 is the world’s best smartphone:
Is Samsung's Galaxy S4 really "a precious stone glittering in the dark" or is it just an overrated slab of plastic with a nice display? Consumer Reports weighed in on this important controversy on Monday and declared that the Galaxy S4 really does live up to the hype and should now be considered the best smartphone in the world. Overall Consumer Reports found that "the S4 delivered top-notch performance in the most critical areas of our tests, including the camera," and was particularly impressed with the device's display that it said "is sensitive enough to use with gloves on — handy during cold weather." The publication also praised the device's multitasking capabilities and said that watching videos while checking email on the Galaxy S4 was a snap. Needless to say, Samsung will likely be pleased with such a high-profile endorsement, although the company would still likely sell record numbers of the Galaxy S4 even if Consumer Reports had panned the device.

Samsung, LG reportedly rush back to LCD TVs after OLED investments fizzle

Samsung, LG reportedly rush back to LCD TVs after OLED investments fizzle:
OLED television sets are supposed to be the wave of the future, but early OLED adopters LG and Samsung have found that the future can be very expensive. Bloomberg reports that LG and Samsung's big bets on OLEDs haven't panned out so far and the two companies "are now pivoting, with plans to boost output of LCD sets to maintain their dominance of the industry." The issue for both companies has been how to produce OLED TVs at a low enough cost where they become attractive to consumers. Given that LG's first OLED television released earlier this year costs around $10,000, it's safe to say that consumers are looking for much lower price points before they buy in. In the meantime, Bloomberg says that rival manufacturer Sony has the perfect opportunity to swoop in and grab market share while Samsung and LG retool their plans.

iPad shipments expected to decline for first time ever in Q2

iPad shipments expected to decline for first time ever in Q2:
Shipments of Apple's iPad line may soon see a year-over-year decline for the first time since Apple debuted the iPad in 2010. With Apple's cheaper iPad mini just 6 months old, demand for Apple's tablets is already taking a hit from increasingly competitive Android tablets, which now offer user vastly improved user experiences compared to the early days of the media tablet market. Apple is also being undercut on price by a number of 7-inch Android tablets and KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that as a result, combined shipments of Apple's iPad and iPad mini will decline by between 10% and 15% in Q2 2013. AppleInsider reports that Kuo sees Apple selling between 14 million and 15 million tablets to end users during the quarter, and he expects both sales and shipments to pick up in the third quarter once Apple launches its completely redesigned fifth-generation iPad.

Samsung to announce Galaxy S4 mini on June 20th

Samsung to announce Galaxy S4 mini on June 20th:
Samsung invited members of the press on Monday to an event on June 20th in London to showcase new Android and Windows products. The Wall Street Journal has confirmed with its sources that the rumored Galaxy S4 mini smartphone will debut at the event, alongside several other new products. The latest rumors suggest that the handset, which is expected to be a scaled-down version of Samsung's popular Galaxy S4 smartphone, will be equipped with a 4.3-inch qHD display, a 1.6GHz dual-core Exynos 5210 processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Samsung's TouchWiz interface. Earlier reports claimed the Galaxy S4 mini will be released in mid-July.

Windows 8 expected to take up 5-8% of global tablet shipments in 2013, say Taiwan makers

Windows 8 expected to take up 5-8% of global tablet shipments in 2013, say Taiwan makers: Possibly because Microsoft has lowered licensing rates for Windows 8 for use in tablets, many vendors are developing Windows 8 tablets for launch in the second half of 2013, and thus the operating system is expected to account for 5-8% of all tablets shipped globally in 2013, equivalent to a volume of 10-20 million units, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.

One quarter of all notebooks to ship with touchscreens by 2016, says IHS

One quarter of all notebooks to ship with touchscreens by 2016, says IHS: Driven by falling prices and a major initiative from Intel, shipments of touch-enabled mobile PCs are expected to enjoy rapid growth in 2013 and the coming years, rising to about 25% of all notebooks by 2016. Global shipments of touchscreen-equipped notebooks will rise to 78 million units in 2016, up from just 4.6 million in 2012, according to IHS.

Large-size TFT LCD panel shipments expected to drop 6% in 2013, says DisplaySearch

Large-size TFT LCD panel shipments expected to drop 6% in 2013, says DisplaySearch: Panel suppliers are being forced to reshape their large-size TFT LCD business plans in 2013 as market demand for various applications continues to change rapidly. TFT LCD panel suppliers expect to ship 710 million large-size (9-inch and above) panels worldwide in 2013, down 6% on year from 754 million in 2012, according to research firm DisplaySearch.

AUO aims at 20% market share for eTP touch panels for notebooks in 2013

AUO aims at 20% market share for eTP touch panels for notebooks in 2013: Taiwan-based AU Optronics (AUO) has extended production from TFT-LCD panels to touch panels based on an eTP process, and aims to reach a global market share of 20% for notebook touch panels in 2013, with eTP panels to be adopted by the five largest touchscreen notebook vendors, according to the company.

Global LCD monitor OEM shipments down 14% on year in 1Q13, says TPV

Global LCD monitor OEM shipments down 14% on year in 1Q13, says TPV: There were 33.1 million LCD monitors shipped globally on an OEM basis in the first quarter of 2013, decreasing 13.9% on year, largely due to the influence from tablet and smartphone sales, according to TPV Technology.

Lenovo 1Q13 net profit hikes 90% on year

Lenovo 1Q13 net profit hikes 90% on year: Lenovo on May 23 released its financial report for the first quarter of 2013, with net profit of US$127 million hiking 90% on year, according to the company.

Touch screen notebooks expected to see 50% increase in shipments in 3Q13

Touch screen notebooks expected to see 50% increase in shipments in 3Q13: Shipments of touch screen notebooks are expected to reach 7-7.5 million units in third-quarter 2013, up 50-60% on quarter, according to market observers.

Touchscreen notebooks to become focus of Lenovo for 2013

Touchscreen notebooks to become focus of Lenovo for 2013: As Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing has recently announced that the company is aiming to achieve shipments of 100 million IT products for 2013, sources from the upstream supply chain expect touchscreen notebooks to become the major focus of the company in the year.