February 3, 2010
Touch set to take off on laptops and netbooks
ZD Net
John Morris writes about touchscreen technology in the PC space.
“Touchscreens aren’t new to PCs, but until recently they’ve been relegated to pricey convertible tablets for business, and to a lesser extent to slates–tablets without keyboards–used in niche markets (though I hear Apple is hoping to change that with some new device). Thanks to touchscreen smartphones, however, consumers have become accustomed to touch interfaces. And with the arrival of Windows 7, which has support for touch baked-in, more PC companies are starting to release touchscreen laptops, and even netbooks, for the masses.”
December chip sales reach 2007 levels
The Register
Timothy Prickett Morgan writes about global chip sales.
“The Semiconductor Industry Association, a trade group representing the interests of US-based chip and fab equipment makers, said yesterday that worldwide chip sales in 2009 ended on a slight – and expected – down note. However, it said conditions in December were considerably better than a year ago when the bottom was falling out of the global economy. SIA says that 2010 is ‘well positioned for growth,’ but it did not hazard a guess as yet where global semi sales would end up for the year.”
HP bids to boost sales with 0% financing (again)
The Register
Timothy Prickett Morgan writes about HP’s zero per cent financing offer for North American businesses.
“HP’s Financial Services arm is offering two zero per cent financing deals in the United States and Canada. The first deal is a zero per cent lease on various IT gear with a $1 purchase option at the end of the lease. Basically, HP is allowing SMB customers to buy gear now, divide the cost by 12, and pay for it over the course of a year (plus one dollar) while using HP’s money for free.”