ConsumerIT - For Europe's High Volume PC Retailers, Distributors & Builders

Head of Apple retail, John Browett, is OUT, just 6 months after the former Dixons CEO was hand-picked by Tim Cook in a very publicised move involving a golden "Hello" of $55 million spread over 5 years.

The company gives no reason behind the ousting of Browett, but back in August the Wall Street Journal reported Browett introduced a "new staffing formula" to Apple Stores-- an unpopular strategy involving the slashing of hourly shifts and staff numbers.

According to IFO Apple Store, Browett felt the stores were "too bloated" with employees and was willing to create a "leaner" operation in the name of boosted profits. It's traditional retail thinking that made Browett a hit in his jobs at Tesco and Dixons Stores Group.

Acer delays its Windows RT tablet roll out from Q1 to Q2 2013 as it decides to take a close look at the competition instead-- or more specifically, see how the Microsoft Surface will fare on the market.

"Originally we had a very aggressive plan to come out very early next year," Acer President Jim Wong tells Reuters. "But because of Surface... we are much more cautious."

The recent Surface launch was met with mixed (if generally positive) reviews from analysts and the specialist press.

The Acer move is hardly unsurprising, considering the cynicism shown by the company when it comes to the Microsoft take on tablets. Back in August 2012, CEO J.T. Wang declared the Surface will be "negative for the worldwide ecosystem," before imploring to Microsoft to "think it over."

Plenty of other companies have Windows RT devices in the works, including initial Windows RT OEM partners Lenovo, Asus, Samsung and Dell.

Acer is still working on Windows RT devices-- but first it will "watch" how Surface will do. "How is RT accepted by customers, how Microsoft is aggressive on RT and on Surface, we don't know... We want to see," Wong concludes.

Go Acer Delays Windows RT Tablets After Microsoft Moves into Tablets (Reuters)

UK-based ARM reveals two processor cores for use in the smartphones, tablets and even servers of the near future-- the Cortex-A53 and Cortex A57.

Both carry the 64-bit ARMv8 architecture launched back in October 2011, and are compatible with 32-bit ARM applications.

ARM calls the A53 "the smallest" 64-bit chip yet, as well as the most power-efficient ARM application processor. Meanwhile the A57 is the "most advanced" applications processor from the company.

Like the earlier Cortex-A15 and Cortex-A7, vendors can link the two processors in what ARM calls big.LITTLE configuration-- with the weaker A53 handling most task before the A57 takes over heavy-duty workloads, in order to increase power efficiency.

The company already names AMD, Broadcom, Calxeda, HiSilicon, Samsung and STMicroelectronics as licensees of the new series, and expects the processor designs will appear in actual devices by around 2014.

Go ARM Launches Cortex-A50 Series

Asus bucks the negative trend in Q3 2012 with tablet shipments reaching 2.3 million units and profits growing by 43% Y-o-Y to reach $230m, the highest quarterly profit in 4 years.

Gross revenues total $3.8 billion with 9% Y-o-Y growth.

The company attributes the positive results to the popularity of the Nexus 7 tablet as well as its portfolio of convertible devices (such as the Transformer Prime) and notebooks.

When it comes to the future Asus projects Q4 2012 tablet shipments to reach 2.6m, bringing total 2012 shipments to around 6.3m. It also predicts growth will continue throughout 2013, with CEO Jerry Shen saying "I think 10 million [2013 tablet shipments] is a conservative target."

According to Gartner Asus is also the vendor seeing the most growth in Q3 2012 when it comes to PCs-- 11.8% Y-o-Y, an exception within a market going through a global -8.3% Y-o-Y decline.

Go Asustek Earnings Show Unexpected Strength (WSJ.com, subscription required)