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iSuppli: Smaller iPad to Boost 7-inch Market

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The smaller iPad will "turbocharge" the 7-inch tablet market IHS iSuppli reports, pushing the device category to nearly 100% growth as shipments reach 34 million in 2012 and 67m in 2013.

According to the analyst 2011 7-inch tablet shipments total 17m.

7inch forecast

“Just as Apple has dominated the market for 9.7-inch tablets the company is poised to rule the market for 7-inch products, driving rapid growth of the segment in 2012 and 2013,” iSuppli remarks. "Apple will successfully position the smaller iPad as a device that will be attractive and easy to adopt for both new and returning customers. This will spur rapid sales growth and provide tough competition for other companies contending in this size range.”

Through an Apple entry the 7-inch category will also gain bigger tablet market share-- from 24% in 2011 to 28% in 2012 and 33% in 2013.

Android tablet vendors (such as Google) have found a competitive niche with the 7-inch category. A smaller iPad will demand a move towards more exotic form factors, namely 8-inch. iSuppli also predicts Windows 8 and RT will find a home in devices with 10-inch-and-larger displays.

Go Smaller iPad to Contribute to Doubling of 7-inch Tablet Market

What Women Want: "Floral Kiss" PCs?

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Fujitsu believes it knows what women want (at least when it comes to PCs) with "Floral Kiss"-- a Windows 8 laptop aimed at "female users," complete with special app selection.

Floral Kiss"In recent years, with women accounting for nearly half of PC purchases, the Floral Kiss project was born from the desire of Fujitsu's female employees to create a PC that women would find appealing," the Floral Kiss press release says.

Indeed.

What can makes a laptop-- that most utilitarian of hardware-- more appealing to female customers? According to Fujitsu, the answer includes a flip latch users can easily open, even long fingernails! Surely not even the likes of Apple's Johnny Ive ever thought of such a detail, no?

Further hardware details include a "pearl-like" accent on the power button, a floral design on the outtake/intake vents, "exquisite" gold rings around each key on a transparent keyboard and a Caps Lock key decorated with a diamond-cut stone "for a sophisticated look."

One cannot forget the colour selection-- "Elegant White," "Feminine Pink" and "Luxury Brown."

Fujitsu also (thinks it) knows what women want when it comes to software, since Floral Kiss laptops also includes digital scrapbook, diary and daily horoscope apps.

Yikes!

The Floral Kiss range launches in Japan from November 2012. Should it prove a success, expect other vendors to emulate the more feminine Fujitsu approach... or maybe not.

Go Fujitsu Announces "Floral Kiss" PCs for Women

Apple-Samsung: A Relationship in Crisis?

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Apple and Samsung are the definition of a "complicated" relationship. The two might be fierce mobile device rivals, but Apple depends on Samsung for most iPhone components. But is the relationship about to... shatter?

Apple SamsungAccording to the Korea Times Samsung plans to break the years-long business relationship, as insider sources claim Apple is "no longer a cash-generator."

“[Samsung is] unable to supply flat-screens to Apple with huge price discounts. Samsung has already cut our portion of shipments to Apple and next year we will stop shipping displays,” one unnamed "senior industry official" claims. Instead, Samsung panels will go to Amazon... and Samsung itself.

Reports of reduced Apple display shipments from Samsung have been around for a while. Back in August 2012 DigiTimes said Apple is reducing Samsung iPad panel shipments in favour of Sharp and LG Display. The DigiTimes report was further confirmed by DisplaySearch.

Comet Already on the Block?

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Back in November 2011 OpCapita bought Comet for "an aggregate consideration of £2." Now the Financial Times reports the turnaround specialist already considers a sale of the UK CE chain.

Comet"People familiar with the situation" say OpCapita recently received unsolicited approaches to buy Comet from UK and overseas retailers. No official OpCapita statement is yet available.

OpCapita not only acquired Comet for less than your morning cappuccino, but also received a dowry from former owners Kesa worth a tidy £50 million. Kesa also kept the liability of paying out the Comet Benefit Pension Scheme.

Comet stores in the UK total 240 (after the sale of 60 outlets), and OpCapita slashed staff numbers from 8500 to 7000.

Go OpCapita Considers Sale of Comet (FT.com)

Google Intros "New Samsung Chromebook"

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No, Google has still not given up on the Chromebook concept-- not when it reveals the "new Samsung Chromebook," a slim-and-light number aiming to attract customers not with power but with a low price.

new ChromebookThe cloud-powered laptop costs $250.

However the New Samsung Chromebook is a downgrade from the Series 5 550 launched back in June 2012-- it carries a Samsung Exynox dual-core ARM processor (essentially a smartphone processor), 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage (together with 100GB of online storage). On the other hand the 550 has an Intel Core processor and 4GB of RAM.

Further changes include a thinner and lighter (2cm, 1.1kg) design, an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 display, x2 USB ports and an HDMI port (instead of DisplayPort++).

What remains is Chrome OS, the cloud-based take on PC operating systems. Thanks to various updates, the OS now has improved offline capabilities and "seamless" integration with Android devices.

Will customers go for cheaper Chromebooks? Google will sell the laptop on the online Google Play store, as well as select retailers in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK.

Go Introducing the New Chromebook

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