This week a patent application has been discovered to have been filed by Apple one week ago, this patent application seeking rights to a method for fusing glass. This glass fusion process is described by Apple to be working with several different kinds of products, this ranging from iPhones to iPad, iPods to televisions, and […]
As mobile computing continues to consume the PC’s lunch, a core part of that cannibalisation story is of course the growth in tablet ownership. Analyst Forrester has put out a new forecast for the global tablet market, which predicts tablet sales will continue their rocket-like growth trajectory in the coming years, with a projected compound annual growth rate of 25.6% between 2012 and 2017.
Forrester predicts tablets will exceed a worldwide installed base of 905 million in five years’ time, with annual projected sales of 381.23 million in 2017.
Back in 2010, the year Steve Jobs’ unboxed the first-gen iPad, the global installed base for slates was a mere 15 million+ showing the category has achieved what Forrester dubs “hyper-growth”. The analyst is forecasting more than 327 million tablets will be in use worldwide this year. (Apple’s category leading iPad achieved cumulative sales of more than 140 million as of Q2 2013.)
Tablets represent “the most successful branch” of today’s fragmented computer market, according to Forrester, both by penetration rates and diversity of competition within the category. In the future, it’s expecting tablets to power new types of “collaborative computing” behaviour — involving the use of multiple slates or “tablet-like devices” that support multi-user interaction.
Forrester is predicting that a healthy majority (60%) of online consumers in North America will own a tablet by 2017. In Europe this figure will be lower, at just under half (42%). While in the developing world it expects tablet penetration rates to remain under a quarter (25%) in aggregate by 2017, although it expects certain “wealthier Asian markets” — such as Singapore and South Korea — to feature tablets as established, “universal computing tools” by then.
Tablets at work
The report also delves into what people are using tablets for — vs traditional PCs and smartphones. Use of computing device type varies considerably by location and mobility status, with tablets being most commonly used at home, according to Forrester’s survey (76% of respondents reported using their slates here). The next most popular location for tablets was ‘at the work desk’, cited by 58% of respondents, underlining the important role tablets have carved out in the business space. A further 49% reported using tablets at ‘other room at work’.
“Business applicability shows the full potential of tablets,” notes Forrester in the report. “A comparison of where workers leverage PCs, tablets, and smartphones shows that while PCs rule the desk, tablets rival smartphones in terms of their mobility.”
Fragmentation
The report also notes that the tablet market is fragmenting across a variety of form factors, OSes, connectivity and accessories — something Forrester expects to continue, as it says “buyers don’t hold uniform preferences on tablet sizes”. In other words, it’s horses for courses where slates are concerned.
So, while “many” potential tablet buyers (61% of surveyed consumers) gravitate towards “traditional” tablets (i.e. those with screens between 8.9 to 10.1 inches), Forrester notes that smaller slates (7 to 7.9 inches) have a preference share of around 16%. And very large tablets (10.1 inches+) were of interest to a still relatively sizeable 11%. And a full 12% of surveyed consumers didn’t know which size slate to buy yet.
Turning to tablet OSes, Forrester said it expects Apple to maintain its tablet lead, with iOS and the iPad, but also predicts continued growth for Android, principally from Samsung and Amazon tablet hardware. It also envisages Microsoft Windows-based tablets gaining traction in future — but notes that the apps situation needs “great improvements” before that can happen.
“Forrester believes that Windows will find a foothold in the tablet market but that it will require great improvements in the ecosystem, specifically the number and quality of Modern UI apps, for this to happen,” the report notes.
Collaboration
Looking ahead, the analyst expects tablets to continue to encourage new types of collaborative computing. Possible scenarios include interaction on a TV-sized, single screen, multi-touch supporting tablet-like device — it cites Lenovo’s IdeaCenter Horizon and Microsoft’s PixelSense technology as examples of the kind of tech it’s thinking about here.
It also sees the rise in usage of multiple tablets linked together by collaborative apps, such as Labs’ MindMeld app.
“Using the MindMeld application, [tablet users in multiple, remote locations] join a collaborative workspace that updates in real time during the call. The MindMeld app “listens” to the conversation, surfacing themes and topics word-cloud style. It then leverages an anticipatory computing engine to find relevant content (say, from the Web) that it surfaces on those topics,” the report notes. “These pictures, videos, articles, and other content create a richer conversation as well as a record of the collaborative experience that should drive stronger, more effective, more data-supported collaboration.”
It also expected tablets to play a key role in the rise of smart connected devices such as health tracking kit and home automation devices — as “management console devices”.
All good things must come to an end, and what goes up must come down. This is the eternal law which cannot be broken, and as though it is a portent of things to come, Apple’s stock price has dropped from its dizzying heights some time after Tim Cook helmed the company, which could be said to be a “prophecy” of what is to come. IDC has just released its June quarter survey results for tablet shipments, and the data showed the iPad to be losing its market share to Android as well as a small number of Windows devices.
This would mean that IDC’s results are more or less consistent with Strategy Analytic’s survey which was released last week, where iPads were also touted to have its once mammoth market share chipped away by Android and Windows-powered tablets. Of course, one might have to take this survey results with a pinch of salt for two reasons – firstly, this is just a survey, so the variance might run quite a bit, and secondly, no concrete numbers from other vendors are available, as only Apple themselves are the ones to report unit and revenue numbers for tablets. The rest are just guesstimates at best. Do you think that Apple’s iPad is actually losing market share, or is it just a perception issue?
IDC Survey: iPad Continues To Lose Market Share original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Apple is investigating the death of a flight attendant who was electrocuted by answering an iPhone 5 that was charging, and now it’s taking a step to ease fears about potentially faulty USB power adapters. Though Cook and Co. don’t identify whether the plug involved in the deadly incident was from a third-party manufacturer, they explain that “recent reports have suggested that some counterfeit and third party adapters may not be designed properly and could result in safety issues.” With that in mind, the House that Jobs Built is instituting the USB Power Adapter Takeback Program, which will let folks pick up first-party iPad, iPhone and iPod plugs for $10 (instead of the usual $19) if they return their any of their current adapters. Don’t plan to stock up on the power-giving cubes though, as the deal is limited to one adapter for each device you own.
While the company does draw attention to concerns with chargers made by other manufacturers, it notes that “not all third party adapters have an issue.” If you’re interested in trading the accessory for some peace of mind, you’ll have to head to an Apple retail store or an authorized service provider between August 16th and October 18th.
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: Apple
Many shops that use Square readers still have to accept checks and gift cards, but they haven’t had an easy time reconciling those physical payments with the digital variety. Thankfully, updated versions of Square for Android and iOS should bring harmony by recording and tracking payments in virtually any format. The new release is particularly friendly to iPads serving as registers, giving them both cash management tools and support for printing receipts over Bluetooth. Storeowners whose sales still involve lots of paper or plastic will want to grab the latest Square apps through the source links.
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablets, Mobile
Via: The Next Web
Source: App Store, Google Play
This afternoon the folks at the IDC released quarterly worldwide shipment numbers for tablets, suggesting as they did so that a slump in the market this quarter may be due to Apple’s lack of a new iPad. And we got to thinking: it’s easy to relate the growth of the tablet industry over the past […]
This week we’re bound to see another massive collection of Apple device leaks, not least of all because we’re coming up on a period where it’s likely Apple will hold an event to release a new smartphone, smartphones, or tablet. Or even a couple of tablets if the rumor mill turns out to ring true. […]
Since it’s been over a quarter since Apple released their last iPad, IDC worldwide tablet shipment numbers have shown not just that Android tablets have been gaining popularity, but that the whole market has slipped significantly. With a near 10% (9.7% to be precise) in worldwide tablet shipments this 2Q of 2013 compared to the […]
Remember that ITC ban on the import, sale and distribution of some AT&T-compatible iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, iPad 3G and iPad 2 3G models Samsung won in June? The Obama administration has officially vetoed the ruling. A letter issued to Irving A. Williamson, Chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission ITC, explains that the decision considers the ban’s “effect on competitive conditions in the U.S. economy and the effect on U.S. consumers.” If you’ll recall, the case focused on patent 7,706,348 for encoding mobile communications, which Samsung claimed the aforementioned devices infringed upon. The administration notes that despite his decision on the ruling, Samsung will still be able to “pursue its rights through the courts” (i.e. monetary compensation, etc.). In a statement to All Things Digital, an Apple representative notes:
We applaud the Administration for standing up for innovation in this landmark case. Samsung was wrong to abuse the patent system in this way.
You can peruse the full four-page memo for yourself at the source link.
Update: Courtesy of 9to5Mac, here’s Samsung’s response:
We are disappointed that the U.S. Trade Representative has decided to set aside the exclusion order issued by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). The ITC’s decision correctly recognized that Samsung has been negotiating in good faith and that Apple remains unwilling to take a license.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Apple, Samsung
Source: United States Trade Representative, All Things Digital
The Obama government has overturned the rapidly approaching US sales ban on Apple’s iPhone 4 and iPad 2, stepping in at the final moment to deny Samsung seeing its rival’s phones and tablets pulled from shelves. The decision, revealed in a letter from US Trade Representative Ambassador Michael B.G. Froman at the Executive Office of […]
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