winter has been here for some time.

learn how to deal with it is a must

底線是

電腦軟體被微軟壟斷

電腦硬體被幾家系統製造大廠壟斷

消費者忍受這些不穩定不方便的軟硬體已經很久了

The continued quest for connectivity in a multitude of devices has now been joined by an additional requirement, an insatiable appetite for speed.  802.11ac is a new Wi-Fi technology standard developed to provide Gigabit speeds. In-Stat (www.in-stat.com), forecasts that the impact of this new standard will be equally as fast, as it will push shipments of 802.11ac-enabled devices from 0 in 2011 to nearly 1 billion by 2015.

“The goal of 802.11ac is to provide data speeds much faster than 802.11n, with speeds of around 1Gbps,” says Frank Dickson, Vice President of Research. "The timing for 802.11ac approval is to have a draft standard created by 2011 and have the first 802.11ac products out by the end of 2012. The technology behind 802.11ac has not been finalized.  However, it will likely involve bonding four or even eight channels together and some tweaks to the modulation scheme.”

Some of the research findings include:

• Mobile devices with Wi-Fi will still dominate shipments.  In 2015, shipments of mobile phones with embedded Wi-Fi are projected to approach 800 million.

• By 2015, In-Stat projects that 100% of mobile hotspot shipments will be 802.11ac-enabled.

• E-readers Wi-Fi attach rates will increase from 3% in 2009 to 90% by 2015.

• In 2012, Wi-Fi automotive shipments will reach nearly 20 million.

購買可攜式運算裝置的消費者大多希望能隨時瀏覽網際網路、連結社群網站以及分享多媒體內容，這種不間斷的連線已經是今日數位生活不可或缺的。為此市場研究機構 In-Stat 預測，此趨勢意味著行動通訊業者將在成熟的手機市場取得更進一步的商機，同時也將為電子書閱讀器、平板裝置等新興無線產品提供連結功能。

In-Stat 預估，到2015年，平板裝置將會是所有具備蜂巢式通訊功能的可攜式與運算設備中，擁有最高 3G/4G 網路連結率的產品；屆時市面上將有78%的平板裝置配備 3G/4G 數據機。「新興的平板裝置市場是嵌入式 3G/4G 技術最有機會發展的一個應用領域；」In-Stat資深分析師Stephanie Ethier表示：「蜂巢式連結技術也將持續在電子書閱讀器應用領域找到出路，估計到2015年，全球有65%的電子書閱讀器都會配備嵌入式3G/4G數據機。」

這份最新的In-Stat研究報告，涵蓋了對非傳統性蜂巢式連結裝置的預測；除了平板裝置、電子書閱讀器，還包括可攜式導航設備(PND)與數位相框。該報告指出，在2010年，全球約有1,600萬台可攜式運算裝置配備3G/4G連結功能；而到了2015年，將有超過五成的平板裝置支援 LTE 連結功能。

以區域市場來看，In-State估計在亞洲市場有52%支援蜂巢式通訊技術的可攜式運算裝置，會是GSM設備；亞太區市場也會是3G/4G可攜式運算裝置出貨成長率最穩定的一個區域。

Despite the iPad 2 introduction lacking a lower price, analysts Thursday view the updated tablet as a ‘critical catalyst’ helping Apple maintain its lead in the tablet marketplace.
“We believe the iPad 2 introduction and the June iPhone refresh will serve as critical catalysts in the coming months,” Goldman Sachs analyst Bill Shope told investors. Although Goldman Sachs had assumed a lower selling price would also be unveiled, the analyst firm still believes Apple will maintain – or even grow – its current lead.

“We are maintaining our unit estimates due to our view that the iPad 2 will accelerate Apple’s competitive momentum in tablets,” Shope added.
Although 2011 will see a large number of rival devices looking to cash in on the movement toward tablet computing, one analyst believes the iPad 2 spells trouble. “This is a sad day for the crowd of competitors still struggling to home in on the first iPad’s price and performance,” Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner opined in an investor note. Apple is on track to control 75 percent to 85 percent of the 2011 tablet market, Reiner believes.
The rise of the tablet is seen in a lower estimate of consumer mobile PCs, such as low-cost netbooks. Research firm Gartner Thursday announced it expects year-over-year global PC shipments to increase 10.5 percent in 2011, down from a previous estimate of 15.9 percent growth.

The PC and laptop markets have more to fear than just consumers switching to tablets and smartphones: Small business owners are making the leap as well.
In a recent poll of more than 2,000 small business owners, Portfolio.com found that 37 percent of SMB owners have used a smartphone or a PDA in the past year, an increase of 10 percent over 2010. When asked about iPads and apps, 9 percent responded that they have used an iPad, and 31 percent responded that they used apps for business. Desktops, notebooks/netbooks, and laptop usage among SMB owners have all decreased compared to last year.
This isn't a big surprise, and Portfolio.com agrees: "It shouldn't be a shock to anyone that technology has dramatically changed the way entrepreneurs and company owners do business," said J. Jennings Moss, Portfolio.com's editor, in a press release. "What is a surprise is how quickly some tools we thought were indispensible, like laptops, are being cast aside for mobile devices and tablets."
EBN's own poll shows that around 60 percent of respondents believe that tablets are hurting PC sales. Only about a quarter, so far, say PCs sales aren't being affected.
The Portfolio.com findings also show how SMB owners are significantly increasing their usage and reliance on technology, especially the Internet as a critical business tool. Among the key findings:
• The Internet has become a more stalwart business tool for SMB owners, with 74 percent considering the Internet as one of their most valuable business tools, up from 65 percent the previous year.
• The majority of SMB owners (55 percent) are connected to their businesses online for eight or more hours a day.
• 70 percent of SMB owners responded that technology has greatly increased their companies' productivity and is helping their lives stay more organized.
• 71 percent said they research products for purchase online, while 58 percent look for business news online, versus 55 percent and 52 percent in 2010, respectively.
As a former small business of one (freelance writer) for four years, I can vouch for these statistics. All of my freelance colleagues use the Internet at least as much as the Portfolio.com data indicates. However, most of us are still using PCs and laptops for the bulk of our work. That could be because of our niche -- as writers, a full-size keyboard and screen are assets. However, I also know a lot of salespeople, and they use tablets and smartphones extensively. Mobility and access to information are key.
The SMB tablet/smartphone numbers aren't big yet, even though they show significant growth year-over-year. Here's what I think will be the tipping point: corporate users. When corporations start issuing tablets to employees instead of laptops, the gap will widen. I'm not sure when that will be and what needs to take place in terms of corporate IT, network considerations, equipment contracts and the like. But I do think the trend among SMBs is just the beginning.

The three-month average of worldwide sales of semiconductors was $25.26 billion in March 2011, a 2.5 percent increase from the prior month when sales were $24.65 billion, and an increase of 8.6 percent from March 2010 when sales were $23.27 billion, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).

It appears that the averaged sales figure for February has been revised downward from $25.19 billion.

Sales in the first quarter of 2011 reached $75.8 billion, an increase of 8.6 percent over last year's first quarter sales of $69.8 billion and a sequential increase of 0.4 percent over the prior quarter.

"At the close of the first quarter of this year we are very encouraged by the performance of the global and domestic semiconductor industry," said Brian Toohey, president of the Semiconductor Industry Association, in a statement.

The above numbers are based on a three-month average of the actual sales in the nominal month and the two preceding months. The SIA and the European Semiconductor Industry Association use an average to smooth out the monthly data that would otherwise show troughs at the beginning of the quarters and peaks at the end of the quarters.