In the UK the Windows XP PC replacement cycle appears to have run it's course in Q4 of 2014, so you could say both tablet's and PC's are in decline at the moment:
I found the Macbook Air can be a bit iffy, it struggles sometimes with pretty basic stuff like Office. Unless there is a problem with the one I used.
You must have been using an older one, or there was a problem with it. I have the 2014 model with the 1.4GHz i5 and 4GB RAM and of course SSD drive, and it handles everything perfectly.
Now i have no doubt that it would likely struggle if I was to attempt to play high end games, or heavy video editing, etc but it certainly copes with the likes of Office no problem and even runs games like Portal 2 with no lag.
Not sure I would call it a Netbook though, although I suppose the 11 inch one is quite small.
You must have been using an older one, or there was a problem with it. I have the 2014 model with the 1.4GHz i5 and 4GB RAM and of course SSD drive, and it handles everything perfectly.
Now i have no doubt that it would likely struggle if I was to attempt to play high end games, or heavy video editing, etc but it certainly copes with the likes of Office no problem and even runs games like Portal 2 with no lag.
Not sure I would call it a Netbook though, although I suppose the 11 inch one is quite small.
It is a new one, 2014, he got it from PC world.
It could be me not used to slower machines, I do not like machines that are slower than mine. i am used to Office coming up right away on my machine, not waiting until it decides to come up.
On my friends Mac, the one an only Mac of hers that is running office it is instant, but then it is a Imac
It is a netbook, what else would you call it? I suppose it could come under the Ultra label.
I do not like small screens anyway, prefer big ones
"Netbooks is a category of small, lightweight, legacy-free, and inexpensive computers that were introduced in 2007. "
I'm imagining 'legacy free' is historic debris as it looks weird. More so is the fact that we also know they were 'introduced in 2007 by Asus'. (ignoring the far older niche Libretto)
And where it says 'At the high end of the performance spectrum' it would make sense using '.......Netbook performance spectrum' . And personally,. I'm not even sure if 'Ultrabook' belongs in there, it being a trade marked term used to sell expensive netbooks.
The pre global adoption of the word is quite interesting , in that, if you look it was Psion who created the first netbook as the 'Psion Netbook' (they actually trademarked it) so should have pride of place in history.
Does big in the UK count in history?
A Macbook Air with it's full sized keyboard, 13.3 inch screen, etc is more equivalent to an Ultrabook, without actually being one.
You have that one the wrong way round, the Ultrabook was Intel's response in 2012 to the MacBook Air first introduced in 2008.
"The term "Ultrabook" is actually pure marketing, dreamt up by Intel for a new generation of portable PCs featuring its technology. The best way to think of an Ultrabook is a 13-inch MacBook Air that isn't made by Apple, a netbook that isn't underpowered or a laptop that's been on a crash diet."
So why would that explain an increase in PC sales?
Windows XP getting replaced by businesses is probably the main driver.
Also, I think you can get the best of both worlds with something like a modern macbook or windows ultrabook running on the latest more efficient processors and ssd for near instant startup.
The laptops are also getting much better displays which have been on tablets for a few years now.
If the next generation of processors allow the production of a full spec laptop computer with no moving parts at all then I expect the market to shift even more.
re - 'I don't class it as a Netbook unless it has an Atom Processor in it.'
Well, a couple of weeks back I noticed in Sainsburys that the majority of laptops (most being 15.6") were Bay Trail, the new Atom. (labelled as Celeron or Pentium in laptops but Atom in tablets).
I'd hazard a good guess most Sainsburys customers only need basic things from a PC laptop. So paying £300 or sub £300 for a laptop has become the norm there.
http://channeleye.co.uk/pc-sales-slip-back-into-the-doldrums/
With the XP business replacement cycle over, PC sales are now bombing too.
"Global PC sales have fallen steadily over the last three years, but Gartner are projecting a return to growth in 2016. Tablet users are giving up on the technology and are moving back to notebooks."
The vast majority of tablet users were/are leisure users who just supplement a Desktop/Laptop. As the tablet market went from zero to it's present position in just 5 years the early sales were bound to be high. It's just plateaued out now as people realise that nothing much changes from model to model these days..
Whilst computers are more functional I still prefer tablets. I have 2 iPads (mini, air) and I use them everyday. I only have basic needs I.e web browsing, online banking, shopping, reading emails, listening to music, watching videos, light gaming. All of which are served perfectly by a tablet. Tablets are also a lot more portable and can be left on so they are ready to go. When my laptop started sending out death calls I had a really hard time justifying the purchase of a new laptop. In the end I bought a MacBook Air, just to have on the rare occasions that I might need to do something that my tablets can't do.
I now use Surface Pro 3 for almost everything I do at home. I work as a software developer so I get enough of computers at work. I also tried smaller (8'') tablets, but I find them too fiddly. And for whatever else I got a new Dell XPS 13 with QHD touchscreen, because it's so little and pretty
Tablets sales are down?? I think the reality is that they've just levelled out now. So many people, both young and old have one nowadays. Owners may skip the next release and probably update the following year after that because the yearly revisions aren't that much of an upgrade.
I think tablets are definitely here to stay now. It's amazing how powerful they've become under the hood. I'm amazed at the versatility of these devices and they're so light and portable. I absolutely love mine.
Tablets sales are down?? I think the reality is that they've just levelled out now. So many people, both young and old have one nowadays. Owners may skip the next release and probably update the following year after that because the yearly revisions aren't that much of an upgrade.
Agree totally!! I had been steadily upgrading my iPad as new revisions came out - but there was noting in the last upgrade to make me want to change. Does not make the tablet any less useful!
Comments
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2015/02/11/xp_pc_mountain_pricing_stockpile_dell_lenovo/
You must have been using an older one, or there was a problem with it. I have the 2014 model with the 1.4GHz i5 and 4GB RAM and of course SSD drive, and it handles everything perfectly.
Now i have no doubt that it would likely struggle if I was to attempt to play high end games, or heavy video editing, etc but it certainly copes with the likes of Office no problem and even runs games like Portal 2 with no lag.
Not sure I would call it a Netbook though, although I suppose the 11 inch one is quite small.
That size netbook is likely what most people wanted, but unfortunately what Intel chose as starting size for $300 Ultrabook chipsets.
It is a new one, 2014, he got it from PC world.
It could be me not used to slower machines, I do not like machines that are slower than mine. i am used to Office coming up right away on my machine, not waiting until it decides to come up.
On my friends Mac, the one an only Mac of hers that is running office it is instant, but then it is a Imac
It is a netbook, what else would you call it? I suppose it could come under the Ultra label.
I do not like small screens anyway, prefer big ones
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netbook&oldid=646550234
"Netbooks is a category of small, lightweight, legacy-free, and inexpensive computers that were introduced in 2007. "
I'm imagining 'legacy free' is historic debris as it looks weird. More so is the fact that we also know they were 'introduced in 2007 by Asus'. (ignoring the far older niche Libretto)
And where it says 'At the high end of the performance spectrum' it would make sense using '.......Netbook performance spectrum' . And personally,. I'm not even sure if 'Ultrabook' belongs in there, it being a trade marked term used to sell expensive netbooks.
Does big in the UK count in history?
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Psion_netBook
I'm guessing StongArm was simply ARMv6 architectural, similar to ARM 11 used in some of the first Android tablets.
A Macbook Air with it's full sized keyboard, 13.3 inch screen, etc is more equivalent to an Ultrabook, without actually being one.
On mine, MS Word 2011 opens in about 3 seconds so not sure what is up with your friends one.
You have that one the wrong way round, the Ultrabook was Intel's response in 2012 to the MacBook Air first introduced in 2008.
"The term "Ultrabook" is actually pure marketing, dreamt up by Intel for a new generation of portable PCs featuring its technology. The best way to think of an Ultrabook is a 13-inch MacBook Air that isn't made by Apple, a netbook that isn't underpowered or a laptop that's been on a crash diet."
http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/laptops/best-ultrabook-18-top-thin-and-lights-1054355
Windows XP getting replaced by businesses is probably the main driver.
Also, I think you can get the best of both worlds with something like a modern macbook or windows ultrabook running on the latest more efficient processors and ssd for near instant startup.
The laptops are also getting much better displays which have been on tablets for a few years now.
If the next generation of processors allow the production of a full spec laptop computer with no moving parts at all then I expect the market to shift even more.
Well, a couple of weeks back I noticed in Sainsburys that the majority of laptops (most being 15.6") were Bay Trail, the new Atom. (labelled as Celeron or Pentium in laptops but Atom in tablets).
I'd hazard a good guess most Sainsburys customers only need basic things from a PC laptop. So paying £300 or sub £300 for a laptop has become the norm there.
With the XP business replacement cycle over, PC sales are now bombing too.
"Global PC sales have fallen steadily over the last three years, but Gartner are projecting a return to growth in 2016. Tablet users are giving up on the technology and are moving back to notebooks."
I think tablets are definitely here to stay now. It's amazing how powerful they've become under the hood. I'm amazed at the versatility of these devices and they're so light and portable. I absolutely love mine.