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| Computing
& Networking |
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Requiem
For Desktop PCs As Laptops Dominate
By ROMMY IMAH
with additional reports from Reuters
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A recent
research report by iSuppli showed that laptops posted a milestone
in the third quarter of 2008, passing desktop PC sales for the
first time.
What this indicates is that the age of the desktop PC appears
to be over as its more portable cousin, the laptop, surges ahead
with consumers clamouring for light-weight computers in funky
designs for use at home, in cafes and on the train to work.
In fact, not a single desktop model was listed on the online
shopping portal Amazon.com's top 10 selling PC and hardware
few days before Christmas, at a time seven laptop models made
the list.
What this shows is that the era of desktop PCs dominating the
market is obviously getting over as wireless advances and lower
prices make laptops the preferred option for millions of PC
users around the world. |
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Reuters recently quoted
iSuppli analyst, Peter Lin as saying that “On both price and
performance, laptops are so competitive now; it's surprising they
weren't able to catch up with desktops even earlier. The ability to
surf the Internet wirelessly at public places, the need to be able
to take your office out with you when you travel, and an increasing
range of notebook computers have all led to lower desktop sales.”
With an entry level price of $300 (N45, 000) for some basic models,
laptops are expected to bolster their position in 2009. In fact renowned
data tracking firm, IDC, forecasted that laptops will take up about
55 percent of all computer shipments.
Many companies eagerly awaiting the era of the laptop are in Taiwan,
maker of about 80 percent of the world's laptop PCs. They include
the world's top two contract manufacturers, Quanta and Compal Electronics,
and two of the most aggressive laptop brands, Acer and Asustek.
While those firms have seen their market share rise, the world's top
two PC makers overall, Hewlett-Packard and Dell, have seen their share
shrink.
It is reported that other companies that produce parts such as motherboards
for bulky desktop PCs are already switching production to parts for
other electronic gadgets such as iPhones. |
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Before now, laptops
used to cost more than double that of a desktop with equivalent
processing power, advances in technology and economies of scale
have however, dragged prices down so much that little price
differentiation exists today for most consumers looking for
a daily use PC, analysts say.
Gartner's Tracy Tsai said “it's just evolutionary I suppose.
“Things have reached a point where the price difference
is no longer as pronounced as before for many consumers, and
the average person is more likely to choose the option that
offers him portability over the one that doesn't.”
To keep their growth coming, Acer, Asustek and others vying
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aim at the wide range of
computer buyers.
The runaway success of low-cost mini notebooks, initially derided
by many industry watchers but now one of the fastest growing categories,
could foreshadow a coming boom in products offering a wide range of
prices and functions.
IDC's Richard Shim observed that “There is incredible choice
in the notebook space now. You can get notebooks at every inch size
from 5-inch to 20-inch.”
For Alex Gruzen, Dell's manager for consumer products, the days when
his company could offer laptops in the same shades of grey are coming
to an end. Segmentation comes in both form and substance.
In the former, Asustek offers a bamboo-cased laptop for the environmentally
conscious. HP has tied up with designer Vivenne Tam to release the
“world's first digital clutch,” a notebook designed to
look like a woman's handbag.
On the more technical front, companies are offering an ever wider
range of specialized laptops in varying sizes, processing speeds,
wireless capabilities and prices. Battery life is also coming into
play, with HP recently announcing that one of its notebooks had broken
the 24-hour barrier.
Faster boot-up times and features such as touch-screens are also being
touted as companies try to convert former desktop users and build
new markets.
As portability becomes the norm, some are asking if there's any room
left for desktops in the brave new era of laptops.
Salesmen at Taipei's Kuanghwa computer market, one of the city's top
PC hang-outs, said hardcore computer game addicts may be one of the
few groups to keep buying desktops that offer greater processing power
for memory-intensive applications.
But not everyone believes the desktop, which was first introduced
in the 1970s, will soon be relegated to the junkyard of history. After
all, desktops can still offer substantial savings, especially for
those who are handy with a screwdriver.
“How can a
laptop compete with a desktop on price?” asked Gartner analyst
Lillian Tay.
“Especially in the emerging markets where price
is a consideration, laptops simply cannot compete on price with a
group of people who slap a motherboard, a hard drive and a few chips
together to get a desktop,” she said. |
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| Zinox
Partners Akwa Ibom State |
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E-Government is fast taking
a foothold in Nigeria. This was evident at the recent launch of
the Zinox/Akwa Ibom staff computer acquisition scheme in Uyo.
The scheme was designed for Civil Servants on the Akwa Ibom State
payroll to own Zinox branded Computers with repayment conveniently
spread over twelve to eighteen months.
In her opening remarks, the Head of Service of Akwa Ibom State,
Elder (Mrs) Grace Anwana acknowledged that the economy is now knowledge
driven and only those who are mentally developed stand a chance
to grow.
She said that it has become more imperative to deploy computers
in the running of Government business as efficiency has become essential
to quality service delivery. Elder Anwana stated that the government
is keen on keeping up to modern trends and to this end, the State
has entered into strategic partnership agreements with renowned
institutions such as Zinox Computers, the International Training
Center (under the ILO) in Turin-Italy and the University of Wisconsin
in the USA.
These partnerships are aimed at providing the State's workers with
the necessary tools as well as requisite training to perform at
their optimal level. She urged the civil servants in the State to
sign up to the scheme.
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On behalf of the State
government, she promised to bankroll the cost of training the
workers and also offered a space within the State secretariat
complex for training on computer appreciation.
She promised the loyalty and dedication of the state's entire
work force to the vision of the Obong Godswill Akpabio led government.
In his address, the Chairman of Zinox Computers Chief Leo Stan
Ekeh categorically declared that “we are now in the century
of freedom from the shackles of oppression, depression, poverty
and underdevelopment.”
According to him, the key to attaining this freedom is knowledge.
He said that knowledge is empowerment and empowerment is freedom
explaining that this is the century where the poor are in a
position to have a say in their affairs, as well as being in
a position to attain the highest levels of human endeavour.
The Zinox boss stated that Akwa Ibom is blessed with a visionary
leadership and a dedicated followership and expressed belief
that the State would soon become the benchmark for the assessment
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of other States.
Ekeh offered to partner the State in the deployment and activation
of Wimax infrastructure which would provide Internet service
to the whole of the State capital.
According to him, “besides being the primary source
of Internet connectivity in the State capital, it would also
be a source of revenue for the government as well as create
employment for the IT savvy youths of the State. He said that
with Wimax, the banks and the various institutions in the
capital would subscribe.
He used the forum to present the Zinox Classmate Notebook
which is the smallest size notebook in the Nigerian market.
The Zinox Classmate notebook is produced through a direct
partnership between Zinox Computers and Intel Corporation.
It is rated as the best notebook for scholars and students
due to its outstanding performance with an 8.9” screen,
1.6 GHz, 30GB storage, 512 MB RAM, 1.3 Mega Pixel Camera,
Wi-Fi Antenna, with a |
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choice of Win XP Starter
Edition or Linux as operating system and a 1 year comprehensive warranty.
Mrs. Vivian Abii, chief executive officer of Computerize Nigeria Project
explained that to benefit from the scheme, intending beneficiaries
must first of all be on the payroll of the Akwa Ibom State government.
The repayment is conveniently spread over twelve months to enable
the workers pay for the computers without taking chunks off their
salaries.
She urged the Civil Servants in the State to sign up to the scheme
as it is the government's way of empowering them and their families.
Present at the launch were the Deputy Governor of the State Engr.
Patrick Ekpotu who represented the Executive Governor, Obong Godswill
Akpabio, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mrs. Louisa Ukpe,
Commissioner for Women Affairs, and Mrs. Eunice Thomas, the State
NLC Leader, Comrade Unyime Usoro, among others. |
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| Anambra
State partners Microsoft For Igbo Language Software |
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Anambra State government, a South East State of Nigeria is
partnering the American Computer giant, Microsoft, to programme
Igbo language into computer software.
The State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, who disclosed this at the
first Ofala celebration of the traditional ruler of Igbo-ukwu,
Igwe Martin Eze, said this was part of efforts to promote
the use of Igbo language and increase computer literacy among
Ndigbo.
Governor Obi said Igbo language was not only compulsory in
all secondary schools in the state but also a major language
to be used in all social functions.
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| HP
New Netbook Can Run For 8 Hours |
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World's leading PC maker,
HP has announced a netbook PC that it said will be able to run
for up to a full business day on a single battery charge.
HP claims that by using a premium six-cell 'all day' battery
in conjunction with a power-sipping Intel Atom Processor, the
Mini 2140 should last for as long as eight hours before it needs
to be recharged, thereby topping other netbooks now in the market.
Aimed at business users, the 2140, which was displayed at the
International CES trade show in Las Vegas is the successor to
the 2133 Mini Note system that HP released last year. |
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three-cell battery, the 2140 should be able to run up to four hours
on a single charge, almost twice as long as the 2133's battery life
of two hours and 15 minutes, according to Kyle Thornton, HP's worldwide
product manager for business notebook PCs.
Thornton attributed the battery life boost to HP's switch from the
1.2-GHz Via C7-M processor used in the 2133 to the 1.6-GHz Atom
N270, as well as improvements in the 2140's ability to dissipate
heat. “We made a great improvement in the thermals,”
he said.
Netbooks have won fans by offering low prices and extreme portability.
But they have mostly failed to deliver on promises of better battery
life, despite using less-powerful components than regular notebook
PCs do.
According to reviewers, the most power-efficient netbooks, such
as Acer Inc's Aspire One model, can run for up to five hours and
15 minutes in real-world applications, with most others capable
of lasting between two and four hours.
Although HP's battery life claims are still untested, they could
be a powerful differentiator for the vendor if true. HP tops the
global market for notebook PCs but lags far behind in the rapidly
expanding netbook business, which currently is dominated by Taiwan-based
Acer and Asustek Computer Inc.
In the third quarter of 2008, HP was third in netbooks, with a 5.8%
market share, according to research firm DisplaySearch LLC. Meanwhile,
Acer and Asus held 38.3% and 30.3% of the market, respectively.
In addition to the 2133 Mini-Note, HP in October introduced a Mini
1000 netbook line for home users.
The 2133 has other drawbacks besides a short battery life. For instance,
that system has also been criticized by some reviewers for being
uncomfortably hot to touch while it's running. Thornton promised
that the temperature of the 2140's case will remain under 40 degrees
Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
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Recession
Would Inspire IT Growth
-Task Systems Boss |
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| Nigerians should
prepare for a recession if the fall in oil prices and the devaluation
of the Naira are to be properly interpreted. Both critical factors
forewarn the country that she is indeed on the threshold of recession.
Corporate persons must therefore, begin immediately to adopt strategies
that would ensure that the ongoing penetration in the IT sector
are not stalled because only an increased pace of digitalization
can guarantee enough productivity to pull the country out of the
woods.
These assertions were made recently by the Managing Director of
Task Systems Limited, Dave Ibelegbu, while discussing IT in a depressed
economy with some IT journalists.
Ibelegbu expressed the confidence that the recession would inspire
growth in the Information Technology sector because it would curb
under-utilization of available equipment, lay an emphasis on appropriate
technology and catalyze more creative and effective means of support.
He said that the norm today is for people to migrate to new and
higher levels of technology as soon as the manufacturers announce
new inventory. “Most times migration is not based on the needs
of the user thereby leading to under utilization.”
Ibelegbu expressed hope that with fewer funds to sustain unnecessary
migration, that users would be forced to look inwards and use what
they have maximally adding that companies would have to take support
more seriously to ensure that productivity objectives are met on
time.
The Task Systems boss opined that companies would have to depend
more on the experience and versatility of IT solutions companies
that have proven track records. He said that companies like Task
Systems Limited, which has been providing solutions consistently
and effectively to multinationals and blue chip companies for the
past 20 years, would remain key players in a depressed economy.
He said that in anticipation of the challenges to be thrown up by
the recession, Task has in the New Year expanded its work force
with an emphasis on engineering competencies. Ibelegbu revealed
his company has set up the Task Solutions Group, TSG, a strong technical
arm that is accredited by most Original Equipment Manufacturers,
OEMs to service their products in Nigeria.
The TSG runs a HP Support Centre, same for ACER, Toshiba, Zinox,
APC and Microsoft. He said that the TSG operates a carry-in support
centre in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Warri, Owerri, Enugu,
Kano, Ibadan, and Benin.
He further explained that in addition, Task has set up a national
helpdesk to manage the company's contact centre and ensure clients
issues are properly closed out. The Help Desk functions complement
the Software intervention, comprehensive and preventive maintenance
services, networking etc for major companies like Shell, SNEPCO,
ELF, Chevron, etc at all their locations in Nigeria.
Task has over 150 Engineers deployed on-site at these companies.
It will be recalled that Task Systems Limited is a Microsoft Preferred
Partner and a CISCO Premier Partner.
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