MacBook Air rules thin-and-light laptop market, says NPD

The MacBook Air all by its lonesome has captured the majority of the total thin-and-light laptop market, according to data from NPD.

The MBA grabbed 56 percent of U.S. thin-and-light laptop sales in the first five months of the year, Stephen Baker, an analyst at the NPD Group, told CNET.

The remainder, 44 percent, was captured by ultrabooks from various PC makers.

Related story

• CNET's 2013 MacBook Air review

If reviews of the 2013 MacBook Air -- announced this month -- are any indication of future sales, the situation could become even more lopsided this year.

CNET Reviews had a lot of good things to say about the new MBA.

"Intel fourth-gen [Haswell] CPUs help the updated MacBook Air achieve amazing battery life. The multitouch trackpad is still the industry's best, and even better, the 13-inch MacBook Air now starts at $100 less than the previous model," CNET Reviews said.

Regardless, the Windows laptop camp is hardly standing still. When speaking at the company's Build conference this week, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer claimed that new Windows 8/8.1 hybrids with touch screens obviate the need for both a tablet and a laptop.

Microsoft expects a crush of thin-and-light "2-in-1" hybrid designs to hit the market in the coming months.

Apple believes the touch experience is best left to its iPad. And so far a lot of consumers seem to agree.

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Despite Windows 8.1, PC market prospects aren't pretty

Windows 8.1 may fix Microsoft's dot-zero release but it may not fix the PC market.

After Citi Research revised its PC market growth forecast down to negative 10 percent growth earlier in the month, market researcher IDC chimed in on Friday with a less-than-upbeat snapshot for May.

"May results reflect deteriorating conditions rather than improvement and the market will probably fall short of projections," said Loren Loverde, an IDC analyst in a statement, referring to May regional PC shipments.

"The results for May are behind pace for achieving the projected [second quarter 2013] growth rate," Loverde added.

Currently IDC expects total annual growth of negative 7.8 percent for 2013.

And IDC appears to be preparing itself for possible future growth revisions. While saying on the one hand that it expects an "improvement" in the second half, in the same sentence IDC states that the "market will likely remain cautious about the second half of 2013."

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• More PC woes: AMD tanks, Windows 8 misfires in Europe

Earlier this month, Citi Research cut its 2013 PC year-to-year growth to negative 10 percent from negative 4 percent growth, according to a note to investors.

"The Citi global technology team is revising down its 2013 PC growth estimate to -10% y/y (from -4%) based on further sub-seasonal demand" in the first quarter and slowing notebook production, the note said.

Citi also included a zinger about Windows 8.1 and Intel's new Haswell chip.

Despite investor optimism on a resumption of year-to-year growth in the second half of 2013, "we do not expect [PC] units to grow" due to a "softening in PC end-demand" and "muted benefit from Haswell and Windows Blue [Windows 8.1]."

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Windows 8.1 vs. Apple: Twofer or tablet?

Will new Windows 8.1 hybrids finally expose the iPad for what it really is, a mere tablet?

That's what Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer suggested this week.

When speaking at the company's Build Conference on Wednesday, he described in colorful -- and maybe just a tad exaggerated -- terms how tablets don't measure up to laptops (or even pencil and paper).

Enter the "2-in-1," as Microsoft likes to call hybrids. During his keynote presentation, Ballmer brandished the Lenovo ThinkPad Helix as an example of a 2-in-1 he has used.

The Helix can be a pure tablet or can snap into a dedicated keyboard and become a full-fledged laptop, replete with a mainstream Core i5 processor and a 1,920x1,080 resolution 11.6-inch display.

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• Microsoft's pitch for hybrids: Tablets alone don't cut it

That was essentially Ballmer's pitch at Build. The salient advantage Windows 8.1 devices have over Apple tablets is that you need only one hybrid, not two separate devices.

And Ballmer knows that a lot more Helix-like 2-in-1 devices are on the way, packing Intel's battery-life friendly Haswell and Bay Trail processors.

That's all good except that Apple's iPad 5 is coming too. The 2,048x1,536 pixel-density, 9.7-inch tablet is expected to be lighter/thinner and more powerful, sporting iOS 7 and next-gen Apple A7 silicon.

And there's a booming market for third-party keyboards that turn the iPad into a quasi-laptop.

Then there's the next-gen iPad Mini, which will likely be even more popular.

Not to mention the very-well-received 2013 MacBook Air, which no single Windows ultrabook even comes close to in sales.

Is Ballmer right? Will 2-in-1 devices running Windows 8.1 steer consumers away from the next iPad? Maybe even get them to jettison their MacBooks?

Hmm...I think we had this discussion last year when Windows 8 launched.

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Android 4.3 allegedly caught on Google Play Galaxy S4

Google's next version of Android may have taken its latest bow courtesy of a batch of leaked screenshots.

Images obtained and posted by Sammobile purport to reveal an early Android 4.3 build running on the Google Play Edition Galaxy S4. The screenshots clearly display the Android version number as 4.3, while the model number of GT-i9505G refers to Google's new "pure" version of the Galaxy S4.

Another screenshot shows that Google is apparently sticking with the Jelly Bean moniker for Android 4.3.

This isn't the first time Android 4.3 has surfaced in the wild. In May, photos found on the xdadevelopers forum allegedly showed a Nexus 4 phone equipped with the next Android OS update.

So when should Android users expect a dose of 4.3?

Earlier rumors claimed Google might announce the latest update at its I/O conference on May 15. But the conference came and went without any such unveiling. The latest reports from several Android blog sites now say Android 4.3 could pop up in July.

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Five-deal Friday: Dirt-cheap earphones, Blu-ray, projector, and more!

After a week pockmarked with unfortunately timed sellouts, I want to send you into your weekend with enough deals to make your wallet beg for mercy.

1. The cheapest Blu-ray player ever.
We've been rewatching "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy around these parts, and I just upgraded from the DVDs I'd purchased years ago to the Blu-ray editions. No. Contest. If you want the best picture and sound, by a mile, there's still nothing better.

For a limited time, and while supplies last, Newegg has the refurbished Magnavox MBP5320 Blu-ray player with Wi-Fi for $19.99 shipped. That's after redeeming a $20 mail-in rebate (which comes in the form of a prepaid debit card). Reviews are mixed, to be sure, and although this has a 90-day warranty, it cannot be returned for a refund. But, oh, that price!

The player has built-in Wi-Fi and can stream Netflix, Vudu, and YouTube.

2. Dirt-cheap earbuds in your choice of colors.

Six bucks and change for surprisingly decent sound -- in your choice of colors.

(Credit: Amazon)

If you're looking for an earphone upgrade, or maybe just a spare set or two, Amazon has thePanasonic ErgoFit RPHJE120 in-ear headphones for around $6.30, with free shipping for Prime subscribers or if you pad your cart to at least $25.

I say "around" because the prices vary slightly depending on which color you choose: black, blue, green, red, pink, etc. (The pink ones are actually just $4.74.)

How good could such cheap 'buds really be? Check the user reviews: They average 4.4 stars from over 5,000 buyers. And CNET rated the ErgoFits four stars, noting that they "actually sound decent." For six bucks and change, how can you go wrong?

3. Turn any room in a home theater.

Here's a product I totally dig: the Optoma GT200 LED projector, which Woot has for $159.99(plus $5 for shipping). It's built for projecting video from iPhones and iPods -- just dock one and tap Play -- but also has HDMI and VGA inputs for connecting nearly any other source. And it has built-in speakers, so it's perfect for bedrooms and other smallish spaces.

CNET hasn't reviewed the GT200, but some 40 Amazon customers rated it four stars -- and that was after paying at least $250. I reviewed its less-bright predecessor and really liked it. This model is even better.

4. Small touch-screen laptop, even smaller price.
If you want to "enjoy" Windows 8 the way Microsoft intended, you need a touch screen -- but that usually means big (or at least bigger) bucks.

Today only, and while supplies last, 1SaleADay has the refurbished Asus VivoBook 11.6-inch laptop for $319.99 shipped. That's among the lowest prices I've even seen for a system like this.

The VivoBook has an Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and an 11.6-inch multitouch screen. And it weighs a mere 3.1 pounds, which borders on Ultrabook-class portability. Just be prepared for a long wait: 1SaleADay notes that it could take 10-14 business days for the machine to ship (not arrive).

5. Let's lose weight together -- and make money.

This isn't so much a deal as it a chance to make a few bucks while dropping a few pounds. Remember DietBet? It's the site where you join friends and strangers in a simple wager to see who can lose four percent of their body weight in 28 days.

I did this a few months back and really enjoyed it. The winnings were insignificant -- lots of my "competitors" also won, so we all split the pot -- but the bet motivated me enough to lose the required weight. This time around, I'm just looking to hit a personal goal. Join me!

The buy-in is $35, and the bet kicks off Monday, July 1 -- meaning you've got a day or two to indulge yourself before the official weigh-in. Cupcakes all around!

Bonus deal: Yes, even after five sweet deals, a bonus. Can you feel the love? Anyway, my favorite freebies are the ones you make yourself. In case you missed it yesterday, check out mysix free DIY smartphone stands, which tap your inner MacGyver in service of propping up your screen for handy hands-free viewing.

Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers.

Curious about what exactly The Cheapskate does and how it works? Read our FAQ.

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For Microsoft, it's Haswell that ends well

Throughout their history, Intel and the x86 architecture for which it is known have played a pivotal role in the platform war between Apple and Microsoft.

IBM's decision to use Intel chips for the original IBM PC led to Microsoft supporting that landmark computer, and Windows grew on the back of backward compatibility with DOS apps that ran on those chips. Years before Windows RT, which runs on ARM processors, Microsoft tried to move beyond Intel by supporting other processors with Windows NT, but those versions were discontinued.

Apple, meanwhile, couldn't take advantage of many apps that required x86 processors (especially games). A partnership with Motorola and IBM to create a credible rival to Intel with PowerPC collapsed even after it took jabs at the Pentium's heat output. Advantage: Microsoft

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In 2006, following its struggles to get a PowerPC G5 into its laptops, Apple finally switched to processors from Intel, which had now gotten power-efficiency religion. The switch brought an interesting side benefit. Macs could now dual-boot into Windows -- or even run it simultaneously with OS X using software from VMWare and Parallels -- even though it required the purchase of a full Windows license. Still, the move accelerated the Mac's growth despite the difficult transition, putting it on a path to creating the ultrathin MacBook Air that spawned the ultrabook push. Advantage: Apple

More recently, faced with increasing competitive pressure from ARM, Intel has become even more fanatical about extending its processors' power efficiency. This has been dramatically proven by its latest Haswell processors found inside the new MacBook Air. In the 13-inch model, battery life has been extended from seven hours to 12 hours (some tests have found it to last longer), finally enabling a longstanding industry holy grail of all-day battery life in a sleek form factor.

But while Apple clearly gains from these improvements, Microsoft and its partners may gain even more, at least on a relative basis, The promise of 10-plus hours on a screen of 10-plus inches enables an ultrathin notebook, tablet, or mutation running Windows to rival the running times of today's tablets while retaining backward compatibility. These PC industry stakeholders have been betting big that the PC can adapt to cover the range of usage scenarios that Apple's MacBook and iPad lines do, but in a single device. In other words, Haswell could enable something with the battery life of Surface RT with the power and -- more importantly -- backward compatibility of the Surface Pro.

It's not a complete victory for Microsoft. Just as such a combination would put more competitive pressure on Apple and Android tablets, it would put more pressure on ARM-based Windows RT devices, at least in the short term, Again, though, competitive tablets rely far more on the differentiation of ARM chips than Microsoft and other PC companies do.

Indeed, Windows RT will never take off until there is a critical mass of touch-centric apps. These won't be built until developers can latch onto the huge sales volumes of Windows 8 and its Intel-targeted successors.

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Samsung Freeform 5 now available on U.S. Cellular

Available for $69.99 with a two-year contract, or $99.99 prepaid, the keyboard-sporting Samsung Freeform 5 is now available on U.S. Cellular.

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Similar to its predecessor, the device features a 2.4-inch QVGA display and a 1,000mAh battery (which has a reported talk time of up to six hours).

There are some minor differences, however. Specifically, it now has a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera (compared to the Freeform 4's 2-megapixel shooter), and design changes include a slightly tweaked keyboard layout, more space between the buttons, and a new coat of blue paint.

When I took a look at the Freeform 4 last year, my main issue was the fact that it took poor photos and the keyboard felt a little cramped. So while I'll withhold judgement until I get my hands on this iteration, I'd have to say these changes hold some positive potential.

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Smartphone market share consolidates at top, study shows

The smartphone market leaders are more entrenched, and that's bad news for the underlings, based on a new study from ComScore.

ComScore's latest MobiLens report had no shifts in status among the major phone manufacturers and mobile operating systems in the three months ended in May, but the top two in both fields gained share while the bottom three all lost ground.

Apple ranked as the top phone maker with 39.2 percent of U.S. smartphone subscribers, up 0.3 percentage point from the prior quarter, followed by Samsung with 23 percent market share, up 1.7 points.

But HTC , Motorola, and LG, which rounded out the top five, and all lost share.

(Credit: ComScore)

As they have for more than two years, the top operating systems all held their rankings. Google's Android and Apple's iOS remained No. 1 and 2, respectively, with both rising. Blackberry, Microsoft and Symbian systems all declined.

(Credit: ComScore)

Blackberry's rate of decline wasn't as sharp as it had been in previous ComScore reports, but that's little relief on a day the company's shares plunged 27 percent after a bleak quarterly report.

Overall, more and more Americans are choosing smartphones as their mobile option. In the latest three-month period, 141 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones, which is 59 percent mobile market penetration.

During the period of the latest study, the Blackberry Z10 launched a month before Samsungrolled out its Galaxy S4, and the HTC One also debuted.

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Android 4.1 Update Now Seeding To Sony Xperia Ion Users

A post on the Xperia blog states that the update (6.2.B.0.211) is now rolling out for the Xperia Ion. AndroidOS.in says that the update is available in India as well. Sony's Xperia Ion had been launched in the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012, and initially ran Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). The smartphone later received the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update.

Sony so far hasn't made available the official changelog, but you can surely expect the usual Android 4.1 enhancements to grace the device. These can include new features such as Google's Project Butter (performance improvement), Google Now, and Improved notifications. Camera enhancements, along with improvements to media applications can also be expected.

- See more at: http://www.techtree.com/content/news/4049/android-41-update-seeding-sony-xperia-ion-users.html#sthash.9jDCqVbr.dpuf

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[Update] Intel Haswell Processor Series Launched in India

Update (June 28): Intel has launched its fourth generation Core processors, called Haswell, in India. Intel has stated that it will release Ultrabooks powered by Haswell for approximately Rs 30K in the country, and has also said that it will provide Core i7 4770 and Core i7 4770K chips, for Rs 20K.

---

Previously on June 3: Its new fourth generation Intel core processors wasn't a secret and the company had begun publicity in a rather unique way. Intel, on its newsroom had earlier stated that the new platform would be announced in approximately 3,337,200,000,000,000 nanoseconds. Now, it seems that the time limit set by Intel would come to an end on June 4, the day on which its 4th gen Core processors, termed "Haswell" are going to be showcased at the Computex 2013. Intel claims the USP of Haswell processors for laptop/slate PCs is the platform's "extraordinarily long battery life". The new series of processors are slated to be 20 times more power efficient than previous generation Intel Sandy Bridge processors. However, the exact battery life would be known only after testing a device (especially a mobile device) driven by Intel's Haswell.

Intel's latest Haswell is structured around the 22nm 3D Tri Gate transistor which was previously used by Intel's previous Ivy Bridge range. Haswell has got an integrated power management system which clubs various voltage regulators into one controller, said to dynamically regulate voltage, and thereby let the CPU cool faster, when a core is idle or turned off. Even the graphics processing is said to have been improved this time around. A PCPro benchmark test found that the integrated graphics showed a near 58% performance enhancement in comparison to an Ivy Bridge competitor. PcPro also states that the 4th-gen Core i7-4440K could record 38fps (frames per second) videos in comparison to a Core i7-3770K that recorded 24fps.

It would also be interesting to note how desktop sales fare, with Windows 8 and driven by Intel Haswell. When desktop PCs with Intel Haswell are taken into consideration, Taiwanese brand Asus has announced desktop computers called G10 and M51 running on the latest Intel Haswell 4th generation Core processors. Asus has also announced that it would launch ET270 and ET2311 All-In-One PCs running the latest Intel processor.

- See more at: http://www.techtree.com/content/news/3836/intel-processor-haswell-computex-2013.html#sthash.nb7bNrz4.dpuf

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T-Mobile to make bold moves July 10

T-Mobile issued invitations today for a media event in New York City on July 10.

Exactly what the carrier has in store for the shindig remains a mystery, but T-Mobile promises that it will deliver its "boldest moves yet." It all begins at 11:30 a.m. PT.

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Of course, a flashy new handset (or handsets) is a big possibility, with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Z as the most likely star. Remember that last week, CNET's Roger Cheng reported that T-Mobile had confirmedthat the Xperia Z would go on sale "in the coming weeks."

The Xperia Z, which made its debut at CESback in January, has a waterproof design and brings respectable features like a a 5-inch 1080p high-definition "Reality Display" with a mobile Bravia engine, a 13-megapixel camera, a "Stamina" mode to stretch out the battery life, and support for T-Mobile HSPA+ and 4G LTE networks. Still, it's unlikely that T-Mobile would refer to just one new phone, especially a handset that's six months old, as its boldest move.

Indeed, T-Mobile already made a few bold moves this year, like switching completely to no-contract service plans, activating an LTE network, and adding the iPhone 5 to its lineup. Perhaps, then, we'll hear more about the first two initiatives as currently, T-Mobile lags far behind its national carrier rivals in switching on LTE markets.

With T-Mobile's event, the second week of July is shaping up to be a big week for tech in New York. Nokia has already scheduled a "Zoom" event for the next day, July 11, which we expect will center on a new high-end smartphone camera.

Whatever happens, though, CNET will be there. Maybe Carly is coming back?

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Windows 8.1 Beta Is Out, Sports Start button

Bangalore: Microsoft released the Beta version of its next operating system Windows 8.1 at the company's annual developer conference in San Francisco on Wednesday. The new version gets back the popular “Start” button and host of new features in an attempt to attract both users and developers, reports FirstPost.

The updated OS is primary aimed at soothing the traditional computer users who felt the “Metro” style based UI of Windows 8 was a turn off for those who used traditional desktops and laptops without touch enabled commands. Windows 8.1 is designed keeping adaptability as the top priority since in this version users can configure their lock screens, customize windows and tiles and, ideally, use the new Windows on whatever device they choose.

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iOS 7 allows iPhone and iPad control with head movements?

The idea of controlling an iPhone or iPad with a gesture may not be too farfetched. According to9to5Mac, Apple is said to have included a head movement feature in its latest iOS 7 beta version.

With a simple quick jerk of the head to the left or right, users could be able to get to the home page, select apps, or control the device's volume.

The feature is apparently an accessibility option, which means it would have to be turned on by the user. Typically accessibility options are for people with disabilities who are hearing, vision, or physically impaired. It appears the feature can also be customized for each individual user.

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For iOS 7, Apple said it dramatically redesigned the look and feel of the user interface. Everything has been revamped, the company said, including icons, buttons, and color schemes. The screen is said to take on a 3D appearance and will have a swipe feature at the bottom of the device for quick access to brightness, volume, airplane mode, Bluetooth, do not disturb, and flashlight.

An initial beta of iOS 7 was released to developers a couple of weeks ago and asecond beta was released on Monday. The software requires developers to sign a privacy agreement, but that hasn't stopped numerous developers and some blogs from posting extensive hands-on previews of the new OS.

For the head movement feature, 9to5Mac said there are still many kinks to work out for the option to be efficient. It's unclear if the rumored feature will eventually end up in the final version of iOS 7.

Apple has not provided an exact date for the final iOS 7 release, short of this fall, when the company is also expected to introduce its next iPhone.

CNET has contacted Apple for comment and will update this report when we learn more.

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