PC shipments fall again, but vendors are probably OK with that

Sales of PCs have slumped in the US during the first quarter of 2022, but the news may not be entirely bad for manufacturers.

The latest figures from Canalys state that 19.5 million desktops, notebooks and workstation units were shipped in Q1 2022, down 14% compared to the same period in the previous year.

However revenues were up 40% as high-end devices increasingly dominated the market, particularly from business and enterprise customers looking to upgrade their tech stack. Sales of premium device such as Apple's M1-powered MacBook line looked to address the growing move towards hybrid working, as users turned to devices offering high-end features such as video conferencing and all-day battery life.

PC sales fall

Canalys found that Dell was once again the most successful manufacturer, seeing sales grow 7% compared to the previous year to take top spot for the third quarter in a row.

The company shipped 5.14 million units in total during the quarter for a 26% market share, ahead of HP in second (4.29 million units for 22% share), Lenovo (3.26 million units for 17%) and Apple (2.67 million units for 14% share).

HP and Lenovo both saw significant drops in sales compared to 2021, registering a 40% and 24% slump, respectively - however, Apple saw an 18% growth as users flocked to its M1 devices.

A collapse in Chromebook sales was a major part of the overall fall, with notebook shipments dropping 22% as education spending on new devices fell as students returned to a normal school schedule following the easing of the pandemic.

> Dell just released a formidable Mac Pro workstation rival - but you can’t buy it yet

> You'll no longer need to restart your Mac to install security updates

> Apple failed to fix my one biggest issue with the MacBook Air

“US PC shipments underwent a third consecutive quarter of decline as the relative strengths of end-user segments changed,” said Brian Lynch, Canalys Research Analyst.

“The consumer and education segments saw demand slow further due to market saturation and rising concerns about inflation, which peaked in March at 8.5%, the highest rate of twelve-month increase since 1981."

"Hybrid work has proved to be a key driver for commercial shipments as employees rely on their devices more than ever for productivity. Features to support hybrid workstyles, such as better audio/video capabilities and longer battery life, have become increasingly important, giving workers more reason to ask for device upgrades. Commercial demand is set to remain strong this year despite the macroeconomic pressure facing the PC industry and will help limit the overall expected shipment declines.”

Boost your computing power with the best mobile workstations around

Source: TechRadar

Apple and Meta Reportedly Discussed AI Partnership for iOS 18

Apple has held discussions with Meta about integrating the Facebook owner's AI model into iOS 18 as part of its Apple Intelligence feature set, according to a report over the weekend. Meta launched Llama 2, its large language model, in July 2023, and in April, the company released the latest versions of its AI models, called Llama 3 . The Wall Street Journal reports that the two longtime rivals have held talks about offering Meta's model as an additional option to OpenAI's ChatGPT. The paywalled report notes that the discussions haven't been finalized and could fall through. As part of Apple Intelligence, Apple has announced a partnership with OpenAI that will allow Siri to access ChatGPT directly in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia to provide better responses in relevant situations. Using ChatGPT will be optional, so users with concerns about the technology can abstain and still make use of Apple's own new AI features. Speaking at WWDC 2024, Apple's

Here Are the macOS Sequoia Features Intel Macs Won't Support

When Apple released macOS Monterey in 2021, some key features required a Mac with Apple silicon. The same scenario played out with macOS Ventura in 2022, and then again the following year with the release of macOS Sonoma. With macOS Sequoia set to arrive in the fall, which new features can Intel Mac owners expect to be unavailable to them this time around? Apple says that macOS Sequoia is compatible with the same Macs as macOS Sonoma, but Apple's fine print reveals that certain new features won't work on Intel machines. If you're still on an Intel Mac, here's what you won't have access to. Apple Intelligence Apple Intelligence , a deeply integrated, personalized AI feature set for Apple devices that uses cutting-edge generative artificial intelligence to enhance the user experience, won't be available on Intel Macs. Apple says the advanced features require its M1 chip or later, so if your Mac was released before November 2020, you're out of luck. T

iPhone 16 Pro Models to Adopt 'M14' Advanced Samsung OLED Panels for Improved Brightness and Lifespan

The upcoming iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be the first Apple smartphones to adopt Samsung's high performance "M14" OLED display panel, claims a new report coming out of South Korea. According to ETNews , Samsung's "M" series of OLED panels are made for flagship smartphones, while "14" refers to the number of high-performance materials used to produce them. "M14" is the first series of its kind, and the panel is said to have been developed to deliver superior brightness and longevity. Samsung has reportedly placed orders for the M14 materials and is preparing to mass produce the displays in the second half of the year for Apple's iPhone 16 Pro models. Google's Pixel 9 smartphone is the only other device that is expected to adopt the high-performance displays in 2024. A previous report out of China claimed that this year's ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ models will feature up to 1,200 nits of typical SDR brightness – a 20%

Apple Boosts A18 Chip Orders in Anticipation of High iPhone 16 Demand

Apple is said to have upped its order of next-generation chips from TSMC to between 90 million and 100 million units, following heightened demand expectations for its iPhone 16 series. Last year's initial chip order volume for the iPhone 15 series launch is believed to have been in the region of 80-90 million units, suggesting Apple is anticipating higher demand for its 2024 devices, according to Taiwanese outlet CTEE . The arrival of Apple Intelligence in iOS 18 is expected to boost initial sales of the devices. One of the reasons is that Apple Intelligence requires at least an iPhone 15 Pro to run, which means owners of last year's iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will miss out on Apple's new AI features unless they upgrade to an iPhone 15 Pro or plump for one of the iPhone 16 models. Last year, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus were equipped with the A16 Bionic chip – the same chip that was in the iPhone 14 Pro models – whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max f

Tech Talk

Search This Blog