Category: Computers (Page 25 of 33)

      Apple Dominates the Premium PC Market

      July 24, 2009 /

      Apple performs well in the expensive computer market.For all the talk of Apple’s sliding market share, it seems the California computer manufacturer is doing something right. Very right. 91% Right. I’m not talking about iPods. I’m not talking about iPhones. I’m actually talking about computers. Yes, Apple dominates one specific portion of the PC market, a portion that they sell to almost exclusively.

      According to the NPD Group numbers for June of 2009, Apple sold 91% of computers to consumers spending over $1,000. Yes, you read that correctly. Nine out of every ten dollars spent on computers that cost over $1,000 went directly to Apple. While the company may not be performing as well as Windows-based PCs under $1,000, they’re absolutely gobbling up the market above that mark.

      Seems like there’s actually something behind Tim Cook’s constant “we don’t sell the most computers, we sell the best” message. Windows may still own 90% of the total market, but Apple is blowing them away in the high-end market.

      I would be interested to see whether or not this includes home-built machines. My guess would be no, and that might not be a large percentage, but it should at least be a significant percentage. When I think of spending more than a grand for a computer, it’s either to build a massive gaming rig, or to do serious media editing (the latter is a case where I would definitely buy a Mac, the former a PC).

      At any rate, it’s clear that Apple has something right. They’re performing like Microsoft in the premium computing market, which is nothing to scoff at. Stay tuned for the ensuing “Macs are still really f***ing expensive” ads.

      Apple, Computers, News

      Guys and Their Gadgets: The 2009 AskMen Great Male Survey

      July 23, 2009 /

      Some men (in black) with their favorite gadget.Every year, AskMen.com runs a special male-behavior study, polling more than 50,000 readers to get answers to one basic question: Who and what is “the modern man?” Some of the results are just as you (and a whole lot of women who will roll their eyes when they hear this) might expect. Yes, 69% of men polled have fantasized about a girlfriend’s friend and more than half of the pollsters (53%) prefer breasts in a C cup.

      As a gadget site, obviously the material we’re most interested in has to do with men and tech. As a gadget blogger I’m exposed to an inordinate number of tech savvy geeks who live in a universe of daily technolust. But what of today’s modern man? How do your everyday friends use technology?

      Let’s start with the easy questions, shall we? First off:

      Q. Which screen do you spend the most time in front of?
      75% – My computer monitor
      18% – My TV screen
      07% – My phone

      No big surprise here – I know I log enormous amounts of time in front of a computer screen and I would expect about the same from the general, 18-35 demographic I’d guess got polled.

      From here the stats get increasingly curmudgeonly. I’ll spare you a little commentary and list our next few entries as they appear. Continue reading »

      Audio, Computers, Video

      Finally, a USB 3.0 enabled….

      July 22, 2009 /

      USB 3.0… motherboard. So the chicken and egg race between USB 3.0 enabled devices and computers will come to an end with a USB 3.0 enabled motherboard. Asus plans to put 2 USB 3.0 ports on its new P6X58 Premium motherboard. And I say it’s about time. I don’t know about you but I’ve been hearing all the praises of USB 3.0 and how it’s going to be 10 times faster than 2.0 (which is pretty fast already) for what feels like years now.

      So Asus broke the seal for the computer manufacturers. Who will be first to build a USB 3.0 enabled device? My guess is an external drive manufacturer like Western Digital or Seagate but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long though.

      Xfastest Via OhGizmo!

      Computers

      Pimp Your Dorm Room: Desk Edition

      July 22, 2009 /

      As a budding college student, you’re going to spend massive amounts of time at your desk. I know, I know, we’re not supposed to talk about that. I’m supposed to tell you about all the parties, the booze, the great friends you’ll make, the beautiful women you’ll meet. Between all that, though, is the very real fact that either you or your parents are paying big sums of money for you to get an education. So why not get one in style?

      This edition of Pimp Your Dorm Room focuses on that haven of study (and perhaps the occasional video game), to help you create a space where you can get in, get your work done, and get on to the other parts of college there are to enjoy.

      Laptop
      Apple's new Macbook ProThis one word is probably the single most important word for your studies over the next four years. You need a laptop. Forget the desktop gaming days, or maybe you can have both, but at the very least you should invest in a good laptop. I would highly recommend the new Macbook Pro.

      Since lowering prices, Apple has made the Macbook Pro an affordable, entry-level machine that has enough power to last you a few years. The 13-inch model starts at $1199, but you can knock that down $100 with an education discount and even nab yourself a free iPod Touch. The operating system is robust, and OS X viruses are still few enough that you shouldn’t see too many problems in the near future. If this is your first Mac, you can even take a free course at a nearby Apple store to help you get acclimated. Simple features like the backlit keyboard and automatic screen dimming will come in particularly handy when your roommate wants to sleep and you need to get some things done.

      Option: Microsoft Office – Office is still the standard on most campuses, and the software with which most people are familiar for word processing, spreadsheet work, and creating presentations. Wait until you’re on campus, though, before buying. MS runs some pretty nice deals on certain campuses that could save you hundreds.

      Headphones
      able planet's NC1000CH noise-canceling headphones.Here’s an item I would again recommend for those times your roommate might be sleeping or someone’s hosting a loud party (one you’ll hopefully be a part of when you finish your work) and you need to finish a paper. Noise-canceling headphones are a godsend, allowing you to focus on your work without interruption and without annoying anyone else.

      We just ran a review on the able planet Clear Harmony NC1000CH headphones, which sport some of the best noise reduction (18dB!) in the industry. Granted, they aren’t as high profile as something like a Bose Quiet Comfort, but they’re easily as good, better if you run out of batteries. Tiger Direct has them for $249.99. Trust me, they’re worth every penny. The NC1000CH comes with a case so you can store your phones safely while you’re away. Continue reading »

      Computers, Digital Media, Guides, Reviews

      Apple Floats Through a Tough Quarter

      July 21, 2009 /

      Apple is shining bright.Apple’s giving the recession the finger as they coast through their fiscal Q3 with massive earnings. Everyone expected them to post big earnings from new iPhone sales, but most folks put Mac in a slump. In fact, a lot of analysts expected the company as a whole to be down on last year’s earnings. Instead, Apple blew past last year’s figures to post some relatively impressive numbers.

      One the whole, they’re up 13% over fiscal Q3 of last year. How’d they get there? Well, they sold 5.2 million iPhones this quarter, a solid 7 times what they sold in the same period last year. Overall you’re talking about a $1.23 billion net profit, compared to a meager $1.07 billion from last year.

      Even the Mac line, where analysts predicted Apple would be slowest (and ineed they were) is up 4% in sales numbers over last year. Revenues from Mac are down 8 percent though, as the company lowered prices in this quarter to shore up sales in the face of competitive advertising and falling educational sales.

      The company’s most impressive figure was their new iPhone/iPod touch installed base, which is sitting somewhere around 45 million. That’s a massive base for a wildly popular device, particularly in such a short period of time. And we can only expect that number to grow. Apple plans to have an iPhone in China within a year.

      The letdown of this story? No appearance from Jobs, who has yet to show up publicly since his return. Granted, this was a conference call earnings report, but still, it would be nice to…hear him?

      Source: Reuters

      Apple, Computers, iPhone, Music, News

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