Samsung’s next big thing could be very big indeed if its engineers succeed in creating brain-controlled tablets. Technology Review reports that Samsung’s Emerging Technology Lab has teamed up with University of Texas electrical engineering professor Roozbeh Jafari to research “how to bring mind control to its mobile devices with the hope of developing ways for people with mobility impairments to connect to the world.” More →
Microsoft managed to emerge somewhat unscathed from the first quarter’s PC sales decline as it handily topped analysts’ fiscal third-quarter consensus and posted profits that grew 20% over the same period last year. The company’s stock climbed in after-hours trading as CFO Peter Klein, who is leaving the company at the end of the current fiscal year, made some intriguing comments about future products. For one thing, Klein suggested that earlier rumors about Microsoft bringing the Start button back in its Windows 8.1 update due later this year are accurate. The executive also hinted that Microsoft is prepping smaller Surface tablets that will launch later this year to combat Apple’s iPad mini and Amazon’s latest Kindle Fire lineup. More →
Apple reinvigorated the media tablet market when it launched the iPad in 2010, and it created a multi-billion dollar industry that most consumer electronics companies are still scrambling to grab a piece of. As rivals toyed with various tablet sizes in an effort to put some space between their offerings and the iPad, Apple once again managed to find a new sweet spot in 2012 with the iPad mini’s 8-inch display: According to China-based market research firm TrendForce, the iPad mini and new tablets with similar screen sizes will grow to control 11.9% of the tablet market in 2013.
Although Google’s Android platform has been wildly successful, the company’s efforts to make its own consumer electronics have often faltered. While we’ve heard a lot about anemic Chromebook sales recently, Enders Analysis strategy consultant Benedict Evans has done some detective work and found that sales of Google’s Nexus 10 tablet likely aren’t doing that much better. Essentially, Evans has extrapolated traffic data from the Google Play store to produce a rough estimate that there are currently just 680,000 Nexus 10 tablets in use, versus around 6.8 million Nexus 7 tablets currently in use. As Evans notes, this estimate means that Nexus 10 sales were bested by Microsoft’s Surface tablet, which has almost universally been regarded as a flop.
We’ve heard plenty of rumblings regarding Apple’s fifth-generation iPad, which was expected to be unveiled in the coming months. Reports have varied, but now a source with a solid track record when it comes to unannounced Apple products has thrown his hat into the ring. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Thursday told clients that the upcoming “iPad 5″ will not launch until this coming fall, contradicting earlier reports that pointed to an announcement as soon as this month. Ming-Chi also wrote that the new iPad will be 25% lighter and 15% thinner than the current full-size iPad, again supporting an earlier leak that pictured a completely redesigned iPad shell that adopts the iPad mini’s design identity. More →
More potential bad news for Apple investors on Wednesday: shipments of the iPad mini could drop by as much as 30% in the second quarter. According to unnamed supply chain sources speaking with Digitimes, Apple’s manufacturing partners will ship 20% to 30% fewer iPad minis this quarter than they did between January and March due to “lacking demand in the market.” According to the report, customers are waiting for the second-generation iPad mini with a Retina display to launch, and are therefore not interested in the first model, which was released just this past November. Digitimes states that Q2 iPad mini shipments are expected to fall to between 10 and 12 million units from about 15 million in the March quarter.
Despite negative reception and poor sales, Dell remains committed to Microsoft’s Windows RT operating system. The company has confirmed that it plans to release “future generations” of ARM-based tablets that will be lighter and faster than before, IDG News reported. Neil Hand, Dell’s vice president, acknowledged that adoption hasn’t lived up to expectation, although he believes the platform has a good chance to succeed once users become more familiar with the new tile-based interface. More →
A purported case designed to fit Apple’s fifth-generation iPad has been pictured, suggesting once again that a major redesign will be introduced when Apple takes the wraps off its new full-size iPad in the coming months. Following a leak this past January in which the rear shell from Apple’s upcoming full-size iPad was pictured, a number of subsequent reports have supported claims that Apple’s next iPad will take design cues from the iPad mini and scale them up to fit a 9.7-inch Retina display. Now, images of protective cases for Apple’s fifth-generation iPad obtained by Engadget, again suggest an all new design will debut on the “iPad 5.” Additional photos of the case follow below. More →
Details surrounding Samsung’s next-generation Galaxy Tab tablets may have just leaked, suggesting the company is planning a modest specification bump for its upcoming Galaxy Tab slates. Greek blog Techblog.gr reports that the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 are both set to debut in June or July, though neither device seems terribly exciting according to the rumored specs. The blog states that the larger of the two Galaxy Tab 3 slates will feature a 10.1-inch display with 1280 × 800 pixels, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, a 3-megapixel camera, a 7,000 mAh battery, optional LTE and Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. The smaller Galaxy Tab 3 will reportedly include similar specs but with an 8-inch display at the same resolution. The claims contradict a number of earlier reports, which suggested the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 would debut in September with Samsung’s eight-core Exynos processor and a full HD display.
Apple’s fifth-generation iPad may debut as soon as later this month, and it is expected to feature a significant design overhaul. With major internal and external changes reportedly in store, Apple’s next full-size iPad is said to be adopting the iPad mini’s design identity — and a recently leaked photo of what is claimed to be the new iPad’s rear shell reinforces those claims. But while the technology changes Apple introduced in the third-generation iPad resulted in a slightly thicker tablet compared to the iPad 2, the next iPad will reportedly be both thinner and lighter than its predecessor. More →
What a coincidence — on the same day market research firm IDC reported that the PC industry saw its worst-ever decline, The Wall Street Journal has leaned the Microsoft (MSFT) is working on a new tablet. In line with a number of earlier reports, and contrary to recent claims from Microsoft’s CFO, the world’s largest software company is currently developing a 7-inch Surface tablet as well as several other new Surface slates. More →
Photos of what is claimed to be the front glass and bezel assembly from Apple’s (AAPL) fifth-generation iPad leaked on Wednesday, reinforcing earlier reports of a major upcoming redesign. An image of the new iPad’s purported rear shell was published this past January, showing a redesigned case that closely resembles the iPad mini. Now, French blog Nowhereelse.fr has photos of what it claims to be the new iPad’s front bezel and glass display cover. While their authenticity is not guaranteed, the photos show a new thinner bezel that aligns with earlier reports suggesting the new iPad will have a smaller overall footprint while maintaining the same 9.7-inch display size. An additional photo of the purported fifth-generation iPad bezel follows below. More →
