PC makers losing interest in tablets, hope Ultrabooks will improve margins

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 72
    I didn't think the competition would give up until Apple releases an iPad with a Retina Display; something they can do at a lower cost and better power efficiency than the competition.



    There is some good tablet HW out there for a great price. Asus's Transformer Prime is such an example but it is being launched with Honeycomb which is its achilles heal. Maybe when it gets ICS soooooon things will change but I think Android is flawed at the core so I don't expect that to change.



    Anything HP expects to do with opening up WebOS seems too little too late, and unless Amazon can make a real competitor to the iPad with solid HW and good OS experience their Kindle isn't going to be much more than a profitless budget tablet.
  • Reply 42 of 72
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by paxman View Post


    OFF TOPIC - but just want to comment on the fact that this and the previous thread have reached 40 posts and the discussion is civil and hasn't degenerated into and endless stream sarkiness.

    Can anyone spot why?



    (Assuming sarkiness means snarky-ness): sarcastic, impertinent, or irreverent in tone or manner



    Refer to posts: 4, 19, 26, 34, 40, 42.



  • Reply 43 of 72
    gqbgqb Posts: 1,934member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by willb2064 View Post


    Unless all enterprise software starts to run on non-Windows machines, and somehow manage to scale themselves down to work on tablet/phone size screens (impossible IMO), Windows desktops will be around long after 2016.



    I think its dangerously short-sighted to assume that the current state of bloatware will determine the future of enterprise computing.

    Already bulky customer relationship software such as the Siebel is going the way of Cloud solutions such as Salesforce.com.

    95% of Spreadsheet and Word processing work can easily be done on lighter weight alternatives to Excel and Word (although they will be needed by the sliver of high-end users of both for a while.)

    Same for database development, but even moreso. 1% need to dev tools, 99% just need a web or lightweight application interface to the business logic.



    Don't confuse the legacy needs of the small percentage of users with deep needs with the much lighter requirements of the 99%, which will easily be serviceable by iPads and Airs (and their imitators) if not now, then quite soon.



    The future is here. Embrace it.
  • Reply 44 of 72
    gqbgqb Posts: 1,934member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by umrk_lab View Post


    There is another mystery about PC laptops, which I can observe everyday in my company : my colleagues walking in corridors hold them horizontally, like a pizza box (and not, say, under one arm). Do they fear that holding them vertically would break something into Windows fragile machinery ?



    Nah, its just that they know that closing them will mean a nightmare of restarting/reconnecting when they get to the meeting room.

    Seriously.
  • Reply 45 of 72
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gmcalpin View Post


    Your post has a little too much hyperbole for my taste, but I do think Windows 8/Metro tablets are going to be a real contender where Android has (thus far) failed to become much of one.



    I think we've only really seen evidence that PC makers are losing interest in Android tablets. And they never really had any interest in Windows <7 tablets.



    exactly, Windows OS 8 on Tablet format ought to be really interesting. I don't believe that it is a bad thing at all to get competition and it is high time Microsoft competed with IOS Tablet.



    Apple has a closed system, won't allow software from outside sources to be installed, a not easy to understand file structure. many people will like a tablet which is more like a full PC and more open.
  • Reply 46 of 72
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mitchelljd View Post


    many people will like a tablet which is more like a full PC and more open.



    and not a "nightmare of restarting/reconnecting when they get to the meeting room." ?
  • Reply 47 of 72
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AHrubik View Post


    I'm going to label this the most premature article of the decade. Windows 8 is being developed for tablets and computers. I think all the Windows OEMs will be gearing up for tablets for or after the Windows 8 launch.



    Windows 8 - too little, too late. It even rhymes.
  • Reply 48 of 72
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by paxman View Post


    OFF TOPIC - but just want to comment on the fact that this and the previous thread have reached 40 posts and the discussion is civil and hasn't degenerated into and endless stream sarkiness.

    Can anyone spot why?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    Because the usual suspects haven't yet posted in this thread?



    Notice that there is not a single poster whose name ends in a "z" (or a "joe" or a "skater").
  • Reply 49 of 72
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bullhead View Post


    Dear <insert clone computer maker here>,



    Thanks for all those fat checks. I realize you have next to nothing left in your pocket after cutting me the check, but think of all the new sales you will get with <insert windows version here> in the future. Keep racing to the bottom, that is your ticket! I don't mind of course because i know you will keep sending me those fat checks for the pleasure of using <insert windows version here>. In the upcoming <insert windows version here> you will have the ability to differentiate your cloner computers by changing the background color! Keep up the good work



    Thanks.

    Microsoft



    Best post ever.
  • Reply 50 of 72
    I think what we can take away from this is that consumers will pay a little more for a product with perceived quality. It was not difficult for Apple to convince consumers to pay hundreds more for a fully realized, largely uncompromised product like the iPad instead of settling for a deeply flawed netbook.



    Deciding between a $250 netbook that is a pain in the derriere to use or a $500 iPad that is a pleasure to use, it's no contest. And considering most of us would love to have a well-designed laptop that is light and generally smartly thought out, that Apple has managed to deliver such a device for about $1,000, gives them yet another winner.



    While there always was a concern about Apple not offering the same access to software that is possible via a PC, no one ever claimed that the Mac was inferior to the competition either in terms of how well the hardware works or how decent the OS has been. The knock against Apple has always been price relative to specs, i.e. bang for the buck. That's really not a factor any longer. Competitors can't deliver a comparable product to the iPad for significantly less money any more than they have been able to do that in response to the Air. And with the Apple coming with a decent collection of software basically included in the price, competitors simply don't know how to respond.



    There isn't a bad product in Apple's arsenal and that's huge because if you deliver a good experience with any one of those, it helps sell the rest. A satisfied iPhone owner can end up owning other Apple products when, perhaps, Apple wasn't even in the picture prior to that iPhone purchase.



    I would love to see some legitimate competition between assorted brands because that competition would lead to better deals for the consumer. Yet as we're seeing with the embarrassing bumbling that is happening outside of Apple, other companies simply don't get it. Consumers do not appreciate being used as testers, basically sacrificing a good experience to help companies refine their products. People want products that just work and Apple, while not getting absolutely everything right, come much closer to delivering that than the competition. You buy an Apple and usually don't regret it. Buy some other product and it's a frustrating adventure that rarely ends well. It really shouldn't be like this and yet it is.
  • Reply 51 of 72
    thomprthompr Posts: 1,521member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iVlad View Post


    The reason why Apple makes so much money is because iPad is tied into Apple's eco-system of iTunes, App Store and Apple's software products. This allows Apple to directly tie profit from its eco-system into profit from iPads. Samsung does not get any kind of income from Android, they package their hardware and send it off, never gaining any profit in the future.



    That is NOT why iPads are so profitable. They are profitable from day one, because Apple has leveraged its enormous quantities of scale in the supply and manufacturing chain to secure very low prices across very large volumes. It literally costs Apple a lot less to make a tablet than it does everyone else.



    Anything added by iTunes purchases is gravy, but Apple still reports it separately. There is no confusion here.



    Thompson
  • Reply 52 of 72
    Holy Cow! Until a solid competitor emerges, Apple will continue to charge a premium for their tablets. Let's hope somebody is up for the challenge! At least Amazon is setting a good example, albeit with a different sized screen.
  • Reply 53 of 72
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    Notice that there is not a single poster whose name ends in a "z" (or a "joe" or a "skater").



    They all must still be napping due to a World of Warcraft marathon session that lasted till the wee hours of the morning.
  • Reply 54 of 72
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rob55 View Post


    Not trying to defend Windows here, but I think the reaction is a throwback to Windows XP's inability to come out of hibernation. I myself, marveled at my 1st Mac's ability to do what no other Windows machine was ever able to do, come back reliably from sleep mode. It wasn't until recently that Windows machines started to be able to do this with Win 7. But even that isn't always reliable. So, those users are still afraid that sleep mode, even on Win 7, will be like it always was, unreliable.



    Thats one on the things that made me buy a Mac. None of the Windows machine (win XP and Vista at the time) that I ever had was able to recover from sleep mode. I was pretty amaze to see how well and fast Mac's recovered from sleep.
  • Reply 55 of 72
    tundraboytundraboy Posts: 1,884member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Most notebook makers have now turned away from the low-end netbook market, where margins are razor thin.



    And the Windows ultrabook market will not have razor thin margins as well?
  • Reply 56 of 72
    tundraboytundraboy Posts: 1,884member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iVlad View Post


    Because Samsung makes more profit from notebooks then tablets. Tablets are very expensive to make comparing to a notebook. The reason why Apple makes so much money is because iPad is tied into Apple's eco-system of iTunes, App Store and Apple's software products. This allows Apple to directly tie profit from its eco-system into profit from iPads. Samsung does not get any kind of income from Android, they package their hardware and send it off, never gaining any profit in the future.



    What Apple needs so badly is its own network so that the AT&Ts and Verizons of the world can't put a gun to their head when full-on mobile/cloud computing finally arrives. No we're not there yet.
  • Reply 57 of 72
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tundraboy View Post


    What Apple needs so badly is its own network so that the AT&Ts and Verizons of the world can't put a gun to their head when full-on mobile/cloud computing finally arrives. No we're not there yet.



    1) Apple let the internet providers do the heavy investments necessary for the 4G



    2) Apple allows, through a modified SIM card, the Apple mobile devices to choose the less expansive network (depending on location). MVNO principle



    3) Internet providers shares fall down



    4) Apple buys for almost nothing, country by country, the more efficient network provider
  • Reply 58 of 72
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jmgregory1 View Post


    I would argue that Apple hasn't sewn up the high-end laptop market, but rather has convinced people that a product like the mba is a better value than a cheap netbook or even a cheap laptop. For that matter, it's already been shown to offer better specs at lower prices than the competition - something that seems to escape those that offer up that Apple only sells overpriced products. As far as the iPad goes - again, it's not a high end market or high end product...it IS the market. The Fire is, for now, the low-end sort of alternative, although given the reviews coming in, they too may suffer the same fate the other manufacturers have with pad competitors.



    I agree with the rest of your comments - typical tech market trying to sell people on what is, not what can be. It takes a company like Apple to push us to think different.



    Mmmm. I think of $1000 plus laptops, apple has like 92% of the market...may be wrong on that, but thought I read it over a year ago. If I'm correct that's a larger market share than iPads. Hmmmmmmm.
  • Reply 59 of 72
    The iPad was first and it set the bar too high, competition cannot catch up so they lose interest.



    Is this a different case with the MBA?
  • Reply 60 of 72
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    Notice that there is not a single poster whose name ends in a "z" (or a "joe" or a "skater").



    They're starting a little further back in the alphabet today... "x". (with absolutely no reference to the person posting above me)
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