Much has been said about the supposed death of the PC. However, according to market research firm Gartner, the fall of total PC shipments is expected to slow considerably this year, with shipments significantly rebounding next year in 2015.
“2014 will be marked by a relative revival of the global PC market,” says Ranjit Atwal, who is Gartner’s research director. After falling 9.5 percent in 2013, the worldwide PC market is on track to shrink by only 2.9 percent this year. Though that may not sound like great news, when it comes to big wounds, the bleeding usually slows down before it comes to a complete stop. Plus, it gets better next year, Gartner says.
According to the company’s data, shipments will rise from roughly 308 million this year, to about 316 million next year. If that occurs, that would return annual PC shipments to a number that’s close to 2013 levels. That year, there were roughly 317 million shipments of PCs globally.
Part of the reason for this mini revival has to do with Microsoft’s decision to end support for Windows XP, an operating system that remains popular with PC users, despite the fact that it’s over a decade old.
“Business upgrades from Windows XP and the general business replacement cycle will lessen the downward trend, especially in Western Europe,” Atwal said. “This year, we anticipate nearly 60 million professional PC replacements in mature markets.”
We’ll just have to wait and see how the story plays out, and whether Gartner’s numbers will be on the money or not.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.