November Sales Of Apple Desktops Sink; iMacs Badly Needs A Refresh

December 16, 2008
Dell all-in-one desktop is $300 cheaper than the similarly configured iMac, less a slightly slower processor

Dell all-in-one desktop is $300 cheaper than the similarly configured iMac, less a slightly slower processor

Apple witnessed a 38 percent drop in desktop units sales in the United States in November while rival Microsoft Windows PCs were down 15 percent, according to research firm NPD Group, which tracks retail sales including Apple’s own outlets.

However, Apple’s notebook sales were up 22 percent in November driven by the Cupertino, Calif.-company launch of new MacBooks, while Windows notebook sales rose 15 percent.

New quad-core iMacs could help reverse the precipitous decline of Apple desktops sales

If anything, these poor sale numbers spell a serious need for a refresh of Apple’s desktop lineup – maybe with quad-core Intel chips – which could come as early as next Month, at the MacWorld tradeshow in San Francisco, where Steve Jobs is still unconfirmed as a keynote speaker.

Apple all-in-one iMac line has remained pretty much unchanged for a year and a half, with a slight update last August, using faster processors and graphics options but with the same 20 and 24-inch aluminum widescreen designs.

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Posted by TechPulse 360

Amazon Disappoints With Black Friday Deals; Best Buy Still Best!

November 25, 2008
Nothing earth shattering at Amazon this year. No wonder online commerce is down!

Nothing earth shattering at Amazon this year. No wonder online commerce is down!

The world’s largest online retailer just released its Black Friday deals and they are… disappointing. Nothing really sticks out.

“Don’t spend Black Friday jostling for bargains and parking spots. Instead, visit Amazon.com for Black Friday specials and great deals all week long from the convenience (and comfort) of your keyboard,” argues Amazon ad.

So far, what surprises me most this holiday season is Best Buy, which seems to have the best (no pun intended) deals around, online or offline for electronics. Like on this 50″ Samsung 720p Flat-Panel Plasma HDTV for $800 or the Apple laptops

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Posted by TechPulse 360

Apple Cuts MacBooks Price At Best Buy To Boost Sales, You Can Save $200 Or More

November 24, 2008
Apple Store price for the 13.3-inch MacBook

Apple Store price for the 13.3-inch MacBook is $1,1412.17

I was looking at Best Buy’s sales pamphlet over the week-end – like every week-ends actually! – and realised I could save over $200 on the latest “uni-body” Apple 13.3-inch Macbook laptop or $100 on the white cheaper MacBook (now $899)!

Actually all Apple laptops are on sale at Best Buy except for the entry-level MacBook Air that is already sold out!

And that’s even if you add Best Buy’s $20 extra to ship the machine while Apple send it for free. But you can always go to the nearest store!

But even more amazing is that the largest U.S. retailer has not waited for Thanksgiving or “Black Friday” to post the promotion. It’s available right now.

Best Buy's price for the same MacBook!

Best Buy's price for the same MacBook is $200 less!

Knowing Apple, even Best Buy could not have done this with out the Cupertino, Calif., company blessing. Is Apple trying to beat its own lower sales expectation for this holiday season with these “hidden” price cuts?

However, at Apple’s brick-and-mortar and online stores, prices remain unchanged! But rumours say that Apple might match Best Buy’s prices.

In any case, my advice is to check out Best Buy before you shop for an Apple product!

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Posted by TechPulse 360

Apple Prevents New MacBook Users From Playing Movies On Old TVs, Projectors

November 20, 2008
Apple Macbook's mini Displayport blocks protected video content to be viewed on old TVs

Apple Macbook's mini Displayport blocks protected video content to be viewed on old TVs

That really sucks if you use a projector to watch protected iTunes video content stored on your new Macbook.

On its latest laptops, Apple used a modern video connector called Mini DisplayPort that checks if the attached displays can keep the video content protected and secure to prevent piracy/illegal copying. Of course, that’s the case for the latest digital flat screen TVs. But not for older TV sets, VGA monitors or projectors (rear or front).

This could become an even bigger problem when the next generations of Mac mini – probably to be launched early next year during the MacWorld conference – will also include the same DisplayPort connector. More so than Macbooks, Mac minis are used as set-top-box connected directly to a TV/projector.

In that case, you’d also have to upgrade your TV. That can’t be bad for the economy, right?!

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AMD Envisions Affordable Macbook Air With Netbook Chip; Will Outperform Intel’s Atom While More Expensive/Power Hungry And Larger

November 13, 2008

The first AMD netbook platform will ship early next year

The first AMD netbook platform will ship early next year

In a questions and answers session with the media, AMD executives confirmed that the company’s netbook offering was not in any away competing with Atom, Intel’s low power family of processors.

The Yukon (single core chip) and Congo (dual core) platforms will be at the higher end – in price and performance – of the netbook category targeting the 10″+ mini-notebooks.

“We will not go below that, like the MID [Mobile Internet Device] category… It’s designed to be in a Macbook Air type of laptop but much more affordable”, confirmed Randy Allen, AMD’s senior vice president for the Computing Solutions Group.

Unlike Intel with Atom, AMD will not design a chip to address the specific mini-notebook market but instead “tweak” its existing design to fit the lower power envelope needs of netbooks and keep the performance high. However, this strategy may have more drawbacks than advantages.

“The AMD-based netbooks will be bigger and more power hungry than Atom-based ones. And unlike Intel, AMD can’t sale that chip at $25 and hope to make money,” explains Insight64 analyst, Nathan Brookwood.

Beyond Yukon, AMD also announced its 2010 ultraportable notebook platform code named “Nile” that will feature the dual-core chip “Geneva” using DD3 memory technology. In 2011, AMD will come out with the “Ontario” processor with on-board graphics capabilities.

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Posted by TechPulse 360

Steve Jobs Feeling Good: Downturn May Toss Apple About But Opportunities Await Companies Willing To Invest

October 21, 2008
cash is king

Steve Jobs: cash is king

The global economic slowdown might soften Apple’s sales in coming months, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said Tuesday.

“We may get buffeted around on the waves a bit,” he predicted during a surprise appearance on Apple’s fourth-quarter earnings conference call, “But we’ll do fine.” That’s because opportunities await companies willing to invest in future products, which he suggested Apple would do with nearly $25 billion dollars in the bank.

During his online cameo, Jobs said he was optimistic about the company’s future, even as credit markets stall and consumer spending slumps.

Apple has a new line up of products with its newly redesigned MacBook notebooks and faster 3G iPhone, he said. Apple’s customers are “more likely to delay than switch,” he said.

Without a doubt, uncertainties exist, he said. Apple saw a slowdown in sales in September as the education market slowed and consumers held off purchases anticipating the new notebooks. In addition, “October has always been a bit of a foggy month for us,” he said. “Sales don’t really take off until November.”

But Apple has the “ability to invest our way through the downturn,” Jobs said. “I think this economic downturn may present some extraordinary opportunities for companies that have cash.”

Apple forecast first-quarter sales between $9 billion and $10 billion, less than the $10.57 billion Wall Street analysts had projected.

1 Comment | computers, news, wireless | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Mark Boslet

Apple’s New MacBooks Are Good News for Nvidia… Finally!

October 15, 2008

Finally some good news for Santa Clara, Calif., graphics chipmaker Nvidia. It was about time, after the bad chips fiasco, the miss financial targets, the layoffs and the rumours about a dying chipset business.

As reported yesterday here, Apple new Macbooks are using Nvidia’s GeForce 9400m chipsets, top to bottom, replacing Intel’s graphics chips that are just not up to the task.

For graphics analyst Jon Peddie of JPR, it’s all positive for Nvidia, and not necessarily a negative for Intel because “the Intel processor is still there and that’s where they make their money, not on low margin, low ASP IGPs (integrated graphic processors)”.

“The stories about them having bad chips can now be mitigated. Why did Apple use them if we there were issues? It also introduces Nvidia to the creative class of Apple users – between this and Adobe GPU acceleration – this helps Nvidia grow from gamers and CAD to creative professionals. Finally, it puts Nvidia back in the heart of the fastest growing PC market, notebooks as there had been a lot of discussion about them losing market share there”, adds Peddie.

And with regard to the bad chips fiasco, Nvidia still claims that they were of an older generation and that the new ones are not made that way anymore. It’s over then?

“You have to believe they are telling the truth, Apple wouldn’t have used them is there were problems and previous generation Apple computers are one of the brands that has the bad (old gen) Nvidia chips. Apple has a pretty good, to maybe great, QC and QA group, you can bet they went over all Nvidia’s manufacturing and test procedures with a fine tooth comb”, said Peddie.

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Posted by TechPulse 360

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