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  • The Paradox of Consumer Choice
    A few years ago I read a book called The Paradox of Choice: Why Less is More by Barry Schwartz. His anecdotes were insightful and pointed to truths about the amount of choice the free market has laid on us as consumers. Of course free markets and consumer choice should be good things, but there are certainly experiences I have had where the overwhelming sense of having too many options made it difficult to actually make a decision. I related to much of what the book was saying, particularly with the experience of picking out a DVD to watch from my massive collection. I recall staring at a wall of DVDs and having the most difficult time deciding what to watch. The decision-making process when faced with so many good choices was simply immobilizing.  
  • The Future of PC and Mobile Processors

    I've spent a lot of time with a number of hardware manufacturers recently, trying to get a glimpse into the next generation of processors and the ways in which they'll impact future gadgets and PCs. In all my meetings, one term has arisen time and again: SOC, or system-on-a-chip.

    Traditionally, chips have been created independently and then coupled together to provide multiple computing features. For example, a manufacturer would create a core processor like an Intel Centrino with a built-in Wi-Fi radio, and then attach that to a systems board, perhaps linking it together with a separate graphics co-processor, in order to deliver enhanced PC graphics. Another might take an ARM core processor and then add on additional features like extended graphics to enhance device functionality.

  • Apple's iPad: Live up the Hype? It Will....
    It was interesting to hear all the chatter after last week's iPad launch. Most reactions I heard from other analysts and media were lukewarm at best...which was what I expected. If you think about it, how can anything live up to the kind of hype leading up to this launch? But there was a lot missed in the media about the event and the product that I hope to share in order to maintain our perspective on not only the iPad but on Apple and their products.  
  • Innovation Abounds - CES 2010 Post Show Analysis

    This year's CES was very interesting. I had felt for the past few years that CES was sorely lacking in the innovation department. But this year it looks like things have changed in the technology industry. Technology companies have realized that to reach the consumer the pace of innovation needs to accelerate, and this year's CES was a start in that direction.  Several things stuck out that I'd like to highlight:  

Win 7: The Last Major Windows Release?

Written by Tim Bajarin Monday, 02 November 2009 21:17 Last Updated on Monday, 02 November 2009 21:26

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Believe it or not, I have been to the launch of every version of Microsoft Windows. Some have been spectacular, like the Windows 95 launch in Seattle that featured Jay Leno, and the launch of the first Windows in New York City, which offered something of gala-like atmosphere. The New York launch of Windows XP, on the other hand, occurred just after the September 11th attacks, and was, not surprisingly, comparatively subdued.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I flew to New York City two weeks ago to attend the Windows 7 launch. The event, it turns out, fell somewhere in the middle. It wasn't as flashy as the Leno event, but it was a lot more upbeat than the Windows XP launch. My colleagues at PCMag covered the event extensively, but I wanted to weigh on something that the media missed in the shuffle.

As you're likely aware, two major surprise factors have impacted the PC industry in the past two years. The first was introduction of the netbook in the fall of 2007. This new space has been a boon for the industry in terms of sales figures, but the devices' pricing has had a devastating effect on PC vendors. While netbooks aren't designed to meet all of the needs of a standard laptop, they're great for a number of users, and as such, have sold extremely well.

As a result, however, netbooks are changing consumer expectations about what a standard laptop should cost. The industry has responded by dropping the price of notebooks down by as much as 40 percent over the last 18 months. That means that vendors have to increase PC sales by 25-35 percent just to maintain their revenue levels from two years ago. Margins have also been reduced, and bottom lines and overall profitability have suffered as a result.

The second major factor that has impacted the industry is the recession. In October 2008, consumer began buying less, and the purchase of a new PC became a luxury. The worldwide demand for PCs shrunk by as much as 13 percent. Business users and consumers hunkered down and tried to squeeze as much as they could out of their current systems. Twenty-five million fewer PCs were sold in 2008 than in 2007.

With these factors in place, Windows 7 couldn't have arrived at a better time. Windows launches have always been important to both Microsoft and PC vendors, but this latest version of the OS offers the potential to increase the wavering demand for new systems and revitalize the declining PC market. As one executive from a major PC manufacturer put it, this time "Windows really matters."

At present, most market researchers foresee a 12 percent growth in the PC market, thanks to Windows 7. And while consumers will no doubt be the first to adopt the new operating system, Gartner Research predicts that 15 percent of enterprise users will be running Windows 7 next year. Considering that enterprise demand for PCs has declined 17 percent since Oct of 2008, this jump seems to indicate that business are loosening their purse strings.

So, Windows 7 does, in fact, matter. But for how long?

 Read the rest of the article @ PC Mag 

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