PC prices will stay low this year, Intel says

hp stream 11 3qtr view

Capable, lightweight laptops are available these days for less than $200, and those prices are likely to stick around or even fall slightly this year, Intel says.
PC shipments are expected stabilize this year, and average prices for desktops and laptops may decline a little, said Brian Krzanich, Intel’s CEO, during a conference call Thursday to discuss the company’s earnings.
Thin-and-light laptops are delivering more bang for the buck than in previous years, and well-built, fully functional Chrome OS and Windows laptops are available for $199 or less, Krzanich said.
But new innovations are also coming to PCs, and those may command a premium, he said.
For example, HP’s Sprout desktop allows scanned 3D images to be manipulated on a digital canvas called the Touch Mat. The $1,899 PC has Intel’s depth-sensing RealSense camera to capture the 3D pictures.
“The innovation and options in the PC market have never been stronger,” Krzanich said.
PC shipments should be flat or down only slightly in 2015, Krzanich said. They declined in 2014, but at a slower rate than in previous years. In 2013 shipments declined bymore than 10 percent.
“It played out exactly as we forecast,” he said.
Intel has benefitted from the stabilization. On Thursday it reported fourth-quarter revenue of $14.7 billion, up 6 percent from a year earlier and in line with analyst estimates.

Not all roses

intel broadwell u die shot Intel
A die shot of Intel's Broadwell-U chip.
But last year wasn’t the easiest for Intel, with chip delays hurting its revenue. After some manufacturing issues, Intel released new chips last week based on the Broadwell microarchitecture, which are now shipping in some laptops. But Broadwell will have a shorter-than-expected life in laptops and may not even reach many desktops.

Intel is already promoting Broadwell’s successor, Skylake, which will introduce wireless technologies that can replace cables for charging laptops and for connecting to monitors, printers and external storage. Skylake will be in PCs in the second half this year.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to buy the perfect PC gaming laptop

Image
Desktop diehards and the Reddit build-it crowd might scoff at the very concept of a portable PC gaming machine, but the gulf between gaming desktops and gaming laptops has narrowed considerably over the years. Today’s laptops can play modern games at 1080p and higher with few to no compromises in graphics settings. And that's not bad. Sure, traditional desktop PCs offer more expansion options and easier upgrade paths, and can be significantly cheaper for the performance you get. But there's no denying the appeal of a single, self-contained gaming machine that you can move from the living room to the dining room to even the back porch. You just need to pick your gaming laptop wisely. Your decisions will key into a series of component choices, so let's dig into them, one by one. GPU: Your 3D graphics engine NVIDIA A gaming laptop's number one component should always be the GPU, such as Nvidia's new GeForce GTX 980M. Modern games are all about 3D graphic
Read more

Second-gen Chromecast tipped with faster Wi-Fi, Spotify support, and more

Image
Two new Nexus phones aren’t the only items expected at Google’s press event on September 29. Google’s also gearing up to introduce a second-generation Chromecast, according to 9to5Google. The new streaming device is expected to come in a round shape loaded with improved Wi-Fi, a new feature called Fast Play, support for audio systems, and feed integration with the device’s main screen. That’s about where the details end, however, as specifics are in short supply. The current Chromecast uses 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, so it sounds like the next version will support the newer 802.11 ac Wi-Fi, but that’s just speculation at this point. The Fast Play feature apparently means the next Chromecast will connect faster than the original version when you “cast” something from your mobile device. As for the feeds, there’s no word on what this is. 9to5Google figures it means you’ll be able to integrate social media feeds when the Chromecast flips to its idle backdrop mode. Backdrop
Read more

Bloatware: Why computer makers fill your PC with junk, and how to get rid of it

Image
Bloatware, crapware, shovelware: No matter what you call it, the junk that PC makers dump onto new PCs is nothing short of a mess. The situation was thrust into the spotlight last week when it was revealed that several Lenovo PCs were preloaded with “Superfish” adware that actively left users vulnerable to attack. The software compromised secure HTTPS web connections in a quest to inject ads on the sites you visit... and make Lenovo a few nickels. There’s no doubt about it: Even though the root vulnerability came from Superfish, Lenovo messed up. Hard . This shouldn’t have happened, period. But Lenovo didn’t toss its users to the wolves out of malice—instead, the Superfish debacle is a natural extension of the entire bloatware epidemic. Why do hardware vendors knowingly stuff new PCs with junk that makes your experience worse? And what can you do about it? Let’s dig in. Dolla dolla bills y’all Bloatware exists because we’re all cheap bastards, and rightfully so.
Read more