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IDC: Tablets to Beat PCs

18 September 2013 Marco Attard Market Trends - Stats

Tablet shipments should surpass PC shipments on Q4 2013 before surpassing PCs on an annual basis by end 2015, IDC reports in the Quarterly Smart Connected Device forecast.

The analyst predicts the overall connected device market (combining PC, tablets and smartphones) will grow by 27.8% in 2013, with shipments reaching 1.6 billion units. Tablets and smartphones predictably spur such growth, while IDC lowers 2013 PC outlook by 10%.

IDC Forecast

In terms of revenue smart connected devices will grow by 10.6% to $622.4bn in 2013-- but such growth will trickle to just 3.1% by 2017, a tapering forecast caused by the the growing impact of low-cost smartphones and white box tablets.

One Keyboard for All iDevices

18 September 2013 Marco Attard Accessories

Kanex proposes a means of typing on all Apple devices, be it iPads, iPhones or Macs-- the Multi-Sync, a full-size keyboard customers can share with one USB and up to 3 Bluetooth devices.

Looking fairly similar to an Apple wireless keyboard, the Multi-Sync features keys (specifically F1-4) allowing one to easily switch between connected devices. It also replaces the Fn button with an iDevice Home button, and shifts the search key to below the right-hand shift.

The Biggest BlackBerry Yet

18 September 2013 Marco Attard Mobile Phones

The company formerly known as RIM quietly launches the biggest BlackBerry handset yet-- the Z30, with a 5-inch 1280x720 295ppi Super AMOLED display.

Z30 It carries a dual-core 1.7GHz processor with quad-core graphics, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, a 2880mAh battery (one the company promises powers up to 25 hours of continuous "mixed use"), "Natural Sound" stereo speakers and wifi, Bluetooth and NFC connectivity.

The cameras are similar to those seen in the Z10, being 2MP front-facing and 8MP rear-facing with an f2.2 lens.

The Wooden Touchpad

18 September 2013 Marco Attard Accessories

Customers asking for more, ahem, "organic" accessories to go with their PCs might be interested in the Oreé Touch Slab, a Magic Trackpad-style touchpad made out of wood.

Made out of a single, hollow piece of "premium" wood filled with a capacitive sensor, the Touch Slab connects to Macs or Windows 7/8 PCs via Bluetooth. It provides a smooth surface and should be able to handle most (if not all) multitouch input gestures.

Nvidia Intros Tegra Note Platform

18 September 2013 Marco Attard Laptops, Tablets, eReaders

Nvidia reveals more details on its next step towards a complete tablet strategy-- Tegra Note, the Tegra 4-powered successor to the Project Kai low-cost tablet reference design.

First seen at Computex, Tegra Note promises to allow vendors to make Android tablets "packed with innovation and features" with a pricetag of $199. Such tablets would include a 7-inch 1280x800 IPS display, front-facing speakers, 16GB storage (expandable via microSD slot) and the Tegra 4 SoC packing a quad-core Cortex-A15 CPU, GeForce GPU, DirectStylus input technology and Chimera imaging architecture.