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

PC shipments in W. Europe total 13.6m units in Q2 2012-- a 2.4% Y-o-Y decline according to Gartner, as all markets record "weak overall" shipments despite a "slight uptake" in mobile PCs.

Mobile PCs are the only growing market segment in the region (4% Y-o-Y) as desktops decline further by -12.8% Y-o-Y. The professional PC market drops by -5.3% Y-o-Y while consumer PCs remain virtually flat (0.4% Y-o-Y growth).

The three biggest W. European countries see either declines or remain flat in Q2 2012. Gartner describes the UK PC market as "very weak" (shipments total 2.5m units and decline by -7.6% Y-o-Y), French shipments grow slightly (0.7% Y-o-Y to 2.5m units) and Germany goes through an "interim quarter" (shipments total 2.6m with a -6.5% Y-o-Y decline).

We all know the reason for the drop in shipments by now-- consumer PC spending remains stalled due to ongoing economic uncertainty. The wait for Windows 8 doesn't help much, either.

While Apple and Samsung continue dishing dirt at the patent trial of the century, Apple patent licensing director Boris Teksler reveals yet another interesting fact-- an "anti-cloning agreement" the company has with Microsoft.

The patent trial has Apple accusing Samsung of copying not only iPhone and iPad industrial design (a rectangular screen with rounded corners) but also the iOS UI.

But what is an "anti-cloning agreement"? The secretive Apple has a patent cross-license agreement with no other than Microsoft... only on the condition the 2 companies will never imitate each other's product designs. A copy of such an agreement between the 2 companies dating August 1997 is actually available online.

The patents in question cover design, form factor and also what Apple calls the "unique user experience."

A research note from Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore leaves very little to the imagination-- the title says "Dead-tree format is dying," and the inside shows the inevitable decline of all printer vendors over the last few years.

The research combines supplies and hardware revenues from major printer vendors (including Canon, Epson, HP, Xerox and Lexmark) over the last 10 quarters, showing dramatic declines in both unit shipments and revenues.

Results for Q2 2012 are "particularly weak as Canon, Epson, Lexmark and Xerox all missed expectations," Whitmore continues. Combined Q2 2012 supply and hardware revenues are down by -6% Y-o-Y according to the research note.

The bad news continues for all in the consumables business-- printer paper (A3 and A4) sales are also declining in the US, falling by -6% Y-o-Y in Q2 2012 to levels -20% below the 2006 historical peak.

The printing decline comes from both consumer and enterprise segments. Consumers feel better when cutting from printing (due to environmental concerns) while "from an enterprise standpoint, printing is increasingly a cost to be managed lower rather than area of spend or investment," according to Whitmore.

The analyst also attributes the decline in printing to the rise of low-cost connected devices such as tablets and smartphones. Simply put, people prefer to share content electronically instead of printing.

Vendors have already noticed the trend of decline in printers-- the biggest printer vendor, HP, consolidated its printer group with the Personal Computing Group as part of a cost-slashing effort. Meanwhile the likes of Xerox and Lexmark are trying to sell document workflow management services, rather than actual printing devices.

Go Dead-Tree Format's Demise is Slow, Steady (CNet)

Lenovo announces a replacement for the current Android-powered ThinkPad Tablet with the ThinkPad Tablet 2-- a Windows 8 device for both enterprise and consumer use.

It has a 10.1-inch 1366x768 IPS display handling both touch and stylus (via optional pen accessory) input and runs on Windows 8 Pro. Ports include full-size USB 2.0, mini-HDMI, combination mic/headphone jack and MicroSD, while connectivity comes through wifi and Bluetooth.

The front-facing 2MP camera is paired with a built-in mic array (designed for use with Skype or Lync) while the rear-facing 8MP camera has auto-focus and LED flash.

Lenovo offers a variety of optional features, including 3G/4G connectivity (with pay-as-you-go Lenovo Mobile Access), NFC, TPM security, SmartCard reader and a fingerprint reader.

The company also sells an optional keyboard and a dock with x3 USB ports, HDMI-out and ethernet jack.

Lenovo gives no launch date, but it should be available following the October 26 Windows 8 launch.

Go Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2