Analysts: 1 Billion PCs in use by end of 2008
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Blog: The next billion to come by 2015. Most new PCs will be used by first-time computer users in emerging nations, according to a new report released by Forrester Research.
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Microsoft's Windows Server 2008 is slated for widespread availability on March 1, after a gala launch on February 27. But when will it enter widespread usage? A major report released today seems to present an overly rosy picture.
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Expected to be fastest-moving operating system ever, analyst says.
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Can't get enough of 'em iSuppli, the tech market researcher, has raised its forecast for PC shipments this, following a surge in notebook sales in the first quarter. It now estimates that PC makers will ship 264 million units in 2007, up 11.2 per cent on 2006's 239 million units. Previously it pegged market growth for the year at 10.7 per cent.â¦
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(InfoWorld) - Forget the "7" code name, which was already out there, or the 2010 release date, which was also neither new nor -- based on Microsoft's lately abysmal record with hitting major release dates -- exactly set in stone. The most concrete news to come out of Microsoft's well-executed leak of a few sparse details about the next version of Windows is that it will continue to come in both 32- and 64-bit editions. That will cause many Windows users, primarily businesses, to sigh with relief. PC vendors and large software makers, who see more-powerful 64-bit PCs as key to driving demand for both hardware and software in an increasingly Web-centric world, are likely to have a very different reaction. Bits of the solution The number of bits determines how large the chunks of data a component of the PC can process, which determines how much data it can handle and ultimately howÂ  fast it can perform. For instance, '80s-era PCs with hybrid 8/16-bit architectures were limited to a maximum of 64KB of RAM. In contrast, a modern PC running a 32-bit version of Windows XP can utilize up to 4GB of RAM. Meanwhile, 64-bit versions of Windows XP and Vista can support up to 128GB of physical RAM and 16TB of almost-as-fast virtual memory. Combined, the two techniques can offer steep performance boosts for software ported from 32-bit to 64-bit. And they enable software such as database-driven or multimedia applicationsÂ  that were formerly infeasible on 32-bit PCs. Since 2004, 64-bit processors for desktop PCs have been available from Advanced Micro Devices and Intel. Microsoft followed, releasing 64-bit versions of XP and Windows Server 2003 in the middle of the following year. But while 64-bit server adoption roars along, the process has been much slower on the desktop side. 32-bit software and drivers can be buggy or demonstrate scant performance improvement in 64-bit environments. Those problems can arise even if users are simply moving from 32- to 64-bit editions of the same version of Windows, such as XP. When under-the-hood changes don't result in better performance, customers will be happy tweaking what they already have. For instance, during Microsoft's quarterly financial forecast last week, the company lowered its year-ahead forecast for Vista shipments vs. XP, from 85 percent/15 percent to 78 percent/22 percent. From 16 to 32, a smooth move The last time around, Microsoft was gentle in moving users from 16-bit to 32-bit, taking a decade to complete the transition. Starting with 1990's Windows 3.0 and finishing with 2000's Windows ME, Microsoft released five versions of Windows supporting both 16-bit and 32-bit. In comparison, Windows 7 will be only the third Windows version, after 64-bit XP's arrival in 2005, to sport dual 32/64-bit compatibility. Apple has a similar hybrid strategy. Its upcoming Mac OS X 10.5, a.k.a. "Leopard," is a true 64-bit environment that will ostensibly also offer full compatibility with 32-bit applications on, for instance, older PowerPC-based Mac hardware. Companies, especially those running esoteric or in-house-written applications, will be the happiest to hear that Windows 7 will still support 32-bit software, since it will allow them to avoid expensive rewrites if they decide to upgrade. It will also be welcomed by Microsoft salespeople, systems integrators, and value-added resellers, who will have more options to offer cost-conscious customers. PC makers and big independent software vendors who may have hoped that Microsoft would push customers harder to 64-bit will be the least happy. 64-bit enables developers to add features and let desktop applications run much faster. Those are much-needed differentiators, now that users are taking serious looks at software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications such as Google Office. Similarly, because SaaS applications' performance is more dependent upon the Web site's architecture and the user's broadband link, they don't require ultrapowerful PCs. That could remove the need for users to upgrade -- hurting the PC market, or so fear vendors.
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Look for eight or even 16 cores by the end of the decade, analysts say; there's no limit to the demand because of the huge performance boosts the technology brings.
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Microsoft Corp.  said on  Thursday that more than 200 million users will be using one of  its new products -- including its highly-anticipated Windows  Vista operating system, Office 2007 software suite and Exchange  server -- by the end of 2007.
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Anyone who's thinking of buying PC hardware in the next few months must keep an eye on the future.
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By Anne Krishnan, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.  Feb. 28--Lenovo might be planning 1,000 layoffs worldwide to cut costs in  the ultra-competitive PC market, according to newspaper and wire reports from  Asia.
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Think shredding a device is enough? Wrong. A determined expert can get data off of even a small piece of a chip. And, as an estimated 50 million or more PCs, notebooks and servers are disposed of each year. New portable storage devices, such as USB flash drives and portable music players, can store gigabytes of data and make it easier for a disgruntled insider to download and walk out the door with sensitive information. Handheld computing and communications devices such as Blackberries and PDAs, through email, can funnel sensitive data out of the organization, or let virus or other malware in.
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much more so than the average home PC user realizes. That notion, widely held in the tech industry, is borne out
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In late 2000, Union Bank of California concluded that it was time to refresh its desktop PCs every four years, based on findings from a PC Total Cost of Ownership Study. This meant that 200 PCs would have to be retired every month. Unfortunately, there was no strategy in place for the task, or even a designated person or department to manage the systems.
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By the end of the year, the computing giant plans to have its biggest headcount since 1991.
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Home-entertainment PCs, now dominant in Japan, to reach 30 percent of worldwide market by 2008.
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Business demand for PCs will result in higher than anticipated growth of the sector for the second half of the year. Analyst IDC has revised its predictions having witnessed strong commercial demand for PCs
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The number of personal computers worldwide is expected to double by 2010 to 1.3 billion machines, according to a report by analysts Forrester Research.
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(InfoWorld) - Lower prices and the improved performance of laptops will fuel continued growth in PC sales this year and next, despite concerns a recession could be on the horizon for the U.S., market analyst Gartner predicted Thursday. Worldwide PC shipments will grow 12.3 percent this year, dropping slightly to 11 percent growth in 2008, Gartner said. Emerging markets will drive desktop PC sales, which will also be boosted by the start of a new replacement cycle through the end of the year. Emerging markets will average 18.6 percent growth in unit sales, while mature markets will see 7 percent growth, Gartner said. The recent economic turbulence, caused in part by problems in the U.S. mortgage markets, should not affect PC shipments in the coming months. However, Gartner warned that PC vendors should closely look at their supply chain in case conditions change.