Reuters sources predict shortage for unannounced iPad mini with Retina display

It’s little more than a rumor at this point, but stories of delays and shortages have been circulating for about as long as mentions of an iPad mini with Retina display. Reuters spent the morning adding a bit more fuel to that proverbial fire with its own band of anonymous sources. The “people who work in the company’s supply chain” confirmed that there have been issues bringing a higher res tablet to market — issues that may, in fact, impede Cupertino’s ability to capitalize on the ever-important holiday push.

The refreshed mini is still apparently set for an October release according to the aforementioned unnamed informants, but it “could be available in only limited quantities this year.” As to what’s actually causing said shortage, no can say for sure, though word is that Apple’s own certification process around power consumption may have thrown a wrench in the proceedings.

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Source: Reuters

HTC reportedly suffering One mini shortage due to casing problems

HTC reportedly suffering One Mini case shortage

HTC just can’t catch a break, it seems: Reuters claims that the company now faces a One mini shortage due to both “design difficulties” with the casing as well as other, unnamed factors. The site’s sources didn’t explain the shortfall in detail, although we likely can’t chalk it up to popularity. Analysts weren’t expecting HTC to ship more than 200,000 One minis per month, which suggests that any supply problems would hurt the firm’s bottom line. We’ve reached out to HTC for comment, and we’ll let you know if it can confirm or deny its manufacturing woes. In the meantime, we’d suggest buying the full-sized One if you can’t find its tiny counterpart in stores.

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Source: Reuters

AllThingsD: carriers indicate lower than usual iPhone 5s stock ahead of Friday’s launch

If last week’s announcement got you all worked up about a new Apple handset, you may have to wait a little while longer. AllThingsD reports that sources from multiple US carriers are showing “grotesquely” low inventory leading up to Friday’s iPhone 5s launch. It’s worth noting that stock numbers typically fall short of the demand (especially at the start), but it seems that this release may be even worse than years past. Of course, with a rainbow of other options hitting shelves on the same day, perhaps the high-end model isn’t demanding the same amount of attention this time around.

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Source: AllThingsD

There May Not Actually Be A Shortage Of STEM Workers At All

There May Not Actually Be A Shortage Of STEM Workers At All

It’s pretty common knowledge that the U.S. isn’t producing enough mathematicians, scientists and engineers to support demand in "STEM" fields. And reports come and go that other countries are facing similar shortages. But like all things that are definitely true, it’s actually pretty complicated to prove that the trend really exists. Robert N. Charette of IEEE Spectrum got suspicious and began combing data from the last six decades. His conclusion is that we actually have plenty of STEM workers, and the hype about a shortage may be doing more harm than good.

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Microsoft starts shipping Surface Pro again, says more coming to market ‘quickly’

Microsoft starts shipping

Microsoft’s trying to address the recent shortfall of Surface Pro models, and has vowed via its Surface Pro blog to get more into the market “as quickly as we can.” As such, it’s begun dispatching 64GB SKUs to Best Buy, Staples and its own Microsoft Store in the US, with Canada to follow in a few days. 128GB SKUs will ship “later this week” to retailers, according to Redmond, “with some units available by the end of the week.” All flavors of the tablet-cum-laptop disappeared from shelves shortly after they arrived in retail stores and online, both stateside and north of the border. The company said it’ll fulfill orders for customers who made a reservation first, but that your local retailer “should have (stock) soon,” too.

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Source: Microsoft Surface Blog

Microsoft sells out of 128GB Surface Pro models online and in some stores

Microsoft Surface Pro review wrap-up

If you were wondering how well the public would take to a Microsoft-made tablet costing $899 or more… quite well, at least from initial impressions. The 128GB Surface Pro has sold out at Microsoft’s US online store, and checks suggest a lack of stock at both the company’s retail stores as well as Best Buy and Staples. Canada is facing similar shortages at Best Buy and Future Shop. Not surprisingly, storage worries (since partly alleviated) have left the 64GB tablet as the only one in consistent supply, and we suspect that the 128GB model in Microsoft’s Canadian store won’t last for much longer. We’d be cautious before declaring the Surface Pro a runaway hit, however — there’s no word on how many units each store had, and Microsoft has refrained from reporting Surface sale numbers to date. Still, the early uptake is good news for Microsoft’s first foray into designing an x86 PC, and it shows that many early adopters aren’t hung up on the price.

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Via: SuperSite for Windows

Source: Microsoft Store, Best Buy, Staples

Hard drive shipments recover from floods in Thailand, expected to reach record high

Hard drive shipments recover from floods in Thailand, expected to reach record high

Last year’s floods in Thailand caused hard drive shortages after wreaking havoc on a number of electronics manufacturers, but new stats from IHS iSuppli indicate that the HDD market for PCs has fully recovered and is poised to hit an all time high. The firm expects 524 million units for internal use in PCs to ship this year, besting the previous record by 4.3 percent. What’s giving the recovery an added boost? According to the analytics group, the extra demand comes courtesy of Windows 8 and Ultrabooks. Unfortunately for deal hounds, the company noted in a report earlier this year that prices aren’t expected to dip below the pre-flood range until 2014. If IHS iSuppli projections hold true, total annual hard drive shipments could reach 575.1 million by 2016.

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Hard drive shipments recover from floods in Thailand, expected to reach record high originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 16:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bloomberg: iPhone 5 ‘Shortage’ a Result of New Ultra-Thin Display [Apple]

Despite five million units being sold in three days, Bloomberg is claiming that demand for the iPhone 5 has been outstripping supply because of a shortage of the ultra-thin display units used in the new phone. More »

RIPE NCC handing out its last block of IPv4 addresses, tries to fend off internet survivalism

Europe's RIPE NCC handing out its last block of IPv4 addresses, tries to fend off internet survivalism

In a world where IPv6 lives and IPv4 addresses are scarce, network providers must fight for survival… or at least, claim their IP blocks quickly. The RIPE NCC, the regional internet registry for Asia, Europe and the Middle East, warns that it’s down to assigning its last set of 16.8 million IPv4 addresses as of this weekend. That sounds like a lot, but we’d do well to remember that the registry churned through about 5.2 million addresses in just the past two weeks. What’s left won’t be around for long, folks. To cut back on the number of Mad Max-style battles for dwindling resources, RIPE NCC is rationing out IPv4 for local registries in 1,024-address chunks — and only to those who both have IPv6 assignments as well as proof of a need for IPv4. With just a bit more than half of the RIPE NCC’s customers currently on IPv6, that could still trigger a shortfall among networks that haven’t prepared for the internet protocol apocalypse. We’d advise that companies stock up on IPv6 supplies before launching the raiding parties.

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RIPE NCC handing out its last block of IPv4 addresses, tries to fend off internet survivalism originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Sep 2012 18:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Kindle Touch goes out of stock, sparks conspiracy theories

Amazon Kindle Touch goes out of stock, sparks conspiracy theories

We hope your heart wasn’t set on snagging a Kindle Touch before heading off to school this fall. Both the WiFi and 3G versions of the reader are no longer available as new devices from Amazon’s US pages — if you want one at all in the country, you’ll have to swing past a retail store or scour the virtual bargain bins for used models. Suffice it to say that the timing of this vanishing act is extremely convenient in light of Amazon’s special event next week, although just what it means is very much an unknown. Is there a light-up sequel on its way? A winnowing of the e-reader line to fewer models? Or just a quick inventory check? We’ll have a better answer on September 6th, but the out-of-stock notice is a not-so-friendly reminder that patience is a virtue.

Amazon Kindle Touch goes out of stock, sparks conspiracy theories originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2012 11:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAmazon (WiFi), (3G)  | Email this | Comments