 Wysłany: Pon 10:53, 09 Maj 2011 Temat postu: The rise of tablet computers |
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| The rise of tablet computers
The era ushered in last year by Apple's iPad has upended the personal computing world. Retailers and manufacturers Leather Briefcase think tablet sales will outpace laptop sales in the U.S. as early as next year.There was a time when Steve Mehta was on his laptop nonstop. Nowadays, he hardly touches it.The 43-year-old attorney uses his tablet computer to highlight legal briefs, take notes for court cases or flip though a digital version of the California probate code."The laptop is so limited," Mehta he said as he stood against the wall of a crammed Los Angeles subway car, watching an episode of "Modern Family" on his tablet. "But everything you want to do, this thing does." So long, laptop? Not quite. But in just over a year, the tablet era ushered in by Apple Inc.'s iPad has upended the personal computing world.Manufacturers believe sales of tablets will eclipse those of laptops in the U.S. by next year. Retailers are beginning to set aside more space for tablets, shrinking display room for other computers. Microsoft Corp., whose fortunes are still largely linked to the PC, saw its largest one-day stock drop in two years last week on declining software sales.As for netbooks, analysts say those downsized laptops are toast, as consumers opt for tablets instead."What the tablet did was completely cannibalize the netbook,Cell Jammer," said Michael Hurlston, a senior vice president at Broadcom Corp., the Irvine company that supplies microchips Leather Briefcase to many of the largest computer and tablet manufacturers, including Apple.Hurlston noted that sales of tablets were growing nearly three times as fast as those of laptops.Analysts predict that worldwide, manufacturers will sell 50 million tablets this year, up from 19 million in 2010. In 2012, that number is projected to hit 100 million.Laptop sales, with 230 million units expected this year, still dominate globally, but in the United States they are expected to be leapfrogged by tablets much the same way that laptops surpassed desktop PCs in the middle of last decade. In the U.S., where tablets have been a huge hit, PC sales fell 11% in the first quarter compared with a year earlier. It was the largest drop in nearly 10 years.At the Best Buy store in West Los Angeles, the amount of display space devoted to tablets has quadrupled in the last year from 4 to 16 feet, manager Rafael Barragan said. That's nearly three times as much shelf space as desktop PCs have there. Similar changes Leather Briefcase are being made across the company's more than 1,200 U.S. stores, where "Tablet Central" areas will be built starting this summer."There's definitely a huge swing to the tablet market," Barragan said. "Pretty soon everything is going to be touch-screen."Apple is one of the major beneficiaries of the tablet boom. Since introducing the iPad on April 5, 2010, the Cupertino, Calif., company has reported $12.4 billion in sales of the device. Topics related articles： Los arándanos protegidos en una colección única Robot Luggage Handler Highlights Futuristic Hotel Some of the Smartest Bets You Can Place |
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