Windows 8: the shelves and hybrid Intel for November?

According to some anonymous sources, the launch of Windows 8 should be around the month of November, when will emerge equipped with shelves of the new OS and an Intel chip.

CNet.com journalists are safe, a first range of Windows 8 tablet equipped with Intel processors will be on the market in November. According to one of the reliable sources of this writing, the time schedule for the launch of the Windows 8 stamped products is relatively tight. Microsoft wants to be the new OS on all fronts, with the support of Intel and AMD processors, as well as ARM chips, and this Office, but also tablets and laptops.

The prototype Intel Letexo, a ultrabook that turns into tablet...

This latter market, Intel would have ambitious plans. Namely offering a selection of at least twelve products with partners about Windows 8, including a good half of shelves x 86 operating a processor Atom platform Clover Trail (of the dual-core engraved in 32 nm). The other half would be hybrid products, namely touch laptop usable as of tablets.

Finally, CNet.com says that Intel is working hard on Bay Trail, the next Atom platform cache chip carved 22 nm (such as the Ivy Bridge) and which includes a smart 3 G / 4 G and a new graphical circuit. There is more than to wait for the formalization of these machines to see if the sources in question are right.

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Acer and Archos: war of prices on the shelves

Acer and Archos formalize the time their new tablet on the way to high-end segment...

On the one hand, Acer presents its Iconia Tab RM A200, 1200. We talked you at the beginning of months, and it is a "light" of the A500 version to be however the law in a migration to Android "Ice Cream Sandwich" as early as next month. Basically, the idea of Acer is to propose an interesting alternative to the G9 of Archos. Small recall of characteristics: a touch screen of 10.1 inches in 1280 x 800 pixels, a dual-core Tegra 2 processor from Nvidia 1 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 8 or 16 GB of expandable storage with the port for memory (up to 32 GB) microSDHC card memory, a USB Host port, a 3.5 mm jack plug, 3260 mAh batteryWiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, and GPS.

From the A500 (tested here), it loses so the dorsal APN 5 megapixels for offering only a front-end sensor 2 megapixel camera, the micro-HDMI disappears output also, but in return the Tablet loses a few grams (720 against 765) and is thinner (12.4 mm against 13.3 mm). Now known as the sale price of RM A200, this Iconia Tab 1200, which will begin to €329 8 GB version. But given the prices charged for the A500 in some merchants, this RM A200, 1200 should very quickly be found under the bar of €300.

In the face, Archos - always well positioned on the means of range, and the entry with its Arnova - pulls its Internet Tablet 70 (b). A Tablet whose selling price is set at €199. It is a 7 "model that runs on Android Honeycomb (3.2) with a CPU running at 1.2 GHz (probably an ARM Cortex A8 single-core). Archos therefore give the taste of the day its 70 shelf date of 2010 and had been launched under Android 2.2.

The hull metal is maintained in this "b" version, the capacitive screen passes to the 1024 x 600, the RAM is 512 MB and the storage capacity to 8 GB. All with access to the Market and presence of the media player from Archos. Side connectors, there is the presence of a mini-HDMI, a micro-SD slot and a 3.5 mm Jack. Without forgetting the VGA webcam. After the passage of G9 Turbo mode at 1.5 GHz, Archos is therefore also reinforces the shelves more accessible segment. Duels of between 200 and 300 tablets prepare for 2012, leaving the top-of-range €400/500 to Tegra 3 models and other new mobile processors very efficient.

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Will the manufacturers of PC stop the shelves?

While the market shelves is thriving on the eve of festivals, some pessimistic voices rise and believe that the traditional brands in the sector do not have the weapons to fight against sellers of contents ...

If one could accuse Apple of trying to create a need with his iPad, we must recognize that the market shelves has indeed taken, even pushing some manufacturers in the computing world history to evoke the era of post-PC. We will not go that far, even though the figures suggest a rapid adoption of the tablet format. So, all manufacturers are getting into, with diverse and varied strategies. But if we are to believe the opinion of some spécialistent, the market could grow to the detriment of big names in the PC.

Indeed, wholesalers middle just explain to DigiTimes that from 2012, Acer, Asus, Dell, or HP may begin to rethink their strategies on the market shelves to disengage gradually. A withdrawal could be very fast if the first results given by Windows 8 tablets are bad. Of course, they advance a few theories to explain these predictions.

One of them, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "The big computer manufacturers have no advantage in the competition on the market shelves. They can not necessarily play their expertise, do not benefit from their usual economies of scale and they can not rely on ecosystems of content as can Apple, Amazon or Barnes & Noble (...) The only chance they have to glean market share is Android to choose and try to offer products at more competitive prices. But they do not. In the end, all they could gather, they are crumbs. "

One way of looking at things different from that of those manufacturers who seek, instead, to design the best possible shelf of a technological point of view and rely on the OS they integrate to provide their customers with solutions to interesting the content. The ecosystem of applications already developed on Android and on which Microsoft put Windows 8 should satisfy users. Still, sources said, it will be very difficult for companies from around the PC to be a place alongside the Apple iPad Kindle and other Fire and Nook, tablets sold at very competitive prices and rely on content.

"In the future, the tablets will be offered in exchange for subscriptions to the content" believes knowing one of the respondents. "The enthusiasm for the tablets is currently down, which will accelerate once the technophiles will all be equipped. Therefore, all that remains for sale, it's a new way of consuming content "she concludes.

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That represents the market shelves next to that of PCs?

Tablets are often on the news. Since the advent of the iPad, manufacturers themselves are all launched this new Eldorado... Almost 18 months after the launch of the iPad, the results are ultimately quite mixed.
Apple is the overall leader of the bars with volumes reaching up to 30 parts by half million or 5 million tablets per month. A comparison, it is sold 1 million of Galaxy Tab in a month late 2010. This year, Acer hope past 2.5 or 3 million tablets is the best 250,000 tablets per month. Asus is doing very honourably with its EEE Pad Transformer which it flows approximately 500,000 units monthly.

Sales of laptops all brands combined exceed quarterly the case of the 40 million and forecasts expect about 50 million of machines for the last quarter. Grosso modo, 15 million laptops are therefore sold each month. It includes as 5 millions of iPad monthly are not negligible amount! Conversely, an annual production of less than 2.5 million Tablet weighs not much lourd…

This year, it should be sold more than 180 million laptop and around 65 million tablets (subject to the accuracy of the forecast), or a report in the order of 3 to 1. 3 To 1 ratio where Apple alone represents almost all of the "1"...

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