back to article Global notebook sales tank in recent months

Global notebook shipments took it on the chin in the third quarter of this year, with Acer, Asustek, and Toshiba seeing sales plunge by 15 to 25 per cent when compared to the previous quarter. One notebook vendor, however, bucked the trend, with sales of its notebooks climbing nearly 30 per cent during the same period. Care to …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Trollface

    "Wanna guess which one?"

    Microsoft? Surprised they didn't jump in to say that they've already sold MILLIONS of surfaces and the company are doing better than they expected, even before the release date! Because we are so not worried about the success of Windows 8.

  2. Mage Silver badge

    Apple

    They don't make notebooks. Wrong price bracket.

  3. Mad Chaz

    Windows 8? I somehow doupt anyone wanting a notebook is waiting for windows 8 to get it, quite the contrary. I wouldn't want to be stuck with that ...

    1. Darkimmortal
      Stop

      Hardware refreshes

      Plenty of minor improvements and fixes due for Windows 8, at least going by Sony's lineup.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Err

      Sorry to disappoint, but I am. At least to see if the surface is worth it over a notebook or to see if all the positive reviews or the negative comments hold up. Once I've seen this I'll make a Win 7/8 decision.

  4. Robert E A Harvey

    Wanna guess which one?

    Presumably the one that doesn't try and gouge you 900 quid for a x768 screen & usb2 ports.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bad Apple cultists

    They never learn even when reviewers tell them the iPhone 5 is just a rehashed iPhone 4. Those who buy Apple products do so for status. They want to be perceived as elitists.

    1. Dave 126 Silver badge

      Re: Bad Apple cultists

      This is the thread on an article about laptops. WTF have iPhones got to do with it?

      People generally use what works for them. And are generally happier in their lives than you, evidently.

      1. Boris S.

        Re: Bad Apple cultists

        Anyone who buys an Apple product is pretty clueless. It don't matter if it's a phone or PC or laptop.

        I love the way you state that Apple owners are happier in their lives. What dribble and baseless statement pulled from your orifice, as if you have any clue in the world if Apple customers are happier than non-apple customers.

        1. Mark 65

          Re: Bad Apple cultists

          @Boris: Or perhaps they want a *nix version that commercial software runs on - who'd have thunk it?

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Bad Apple cultists

            @Mark 65 - Mac OS isn't UNIX, Mac OS is Mach with BSD toolset. It's very much along the lines of calling Windows UNIX if it had cygwin or SFU installed.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Bad Apple cultists

              I thought OSX 10.8, 10.6 and 10.5 were Unix03 certified?

              http://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/brand3591.htm

        2. Dave 126 Silver badge

          Re: Bad Apple cultists

          Hi Boris

          Sorry you are having trouble with comprehension of simple sentences. I didn't state that "Apple owners are happier in their lives". I actually said "People [who] use what works for them... [are] generally happier in their lives". There is a difference, and that is why I used those words in that order.

          I am a CAD user, and I use a Windows PC. It works for me. A fan of computer games might feel similar. Someone one use uses Office apps and email might not have any feelings either way.

          However, if I were a musician, for example, I might find that a Mac works well for me, because it will have a FireWire chipset made by the correct OEM (either VIA or TI chips won't work with all external sound cards on a PC, can't remember which is which), the Mac itself isn't as loud as many PCs, and the CoreAudio part of OSX works- in Windows the Windows Sound Mapper keeps interfering with ASIO, which in any case is limited in terms of channels. And have you tried changing the default MIDI device in Windows 7? The applications they use will have been tested on a more limited combination of hardware components, and so bugs are more liekly to be squashed, all things being equal. Many other musicians use Macs, so any issues they encounter will probably have been encountered by others on similar hardware and software, and and a solution will probably be easier to find.

          So the result is, they spend more time recording music or knob twiddling (whatever they want to do) and less time hunting down obscure computer issues. It is on this basis that I assume they are 'happier in their lives'.

    2. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

      Re: Bad Apple cultists

      "Apple cultist?" How about people wanting an "ultrabook" with more than 1333x768? I don't care what you sell, if it isn't a MINIMUM of 1440x900 you can GTFO.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Bad Apple cultists

      Is that your professional medical opinion, or are you just wildly speculating out of your ass?

    4. Armando 123

      Re: Bad Apple cultists

      Yeah, never mind TCO, service after the sale, an OS that some prefer, lighter hardware that is (at worst) as reliable, ... for hardware that is often comparable on feature-to-feature comparisons for hardware from others.

      If that's stupidity, ...

  6. wim

    Linux laptops

    When linux laptops will be easily available they may impact the numbers.

    I am looking to buy a new laptop but been postponing it for about 2 years now because I would like to buy a linux laptop without having to pay for the MS software. Preferable a netbook to carry with me and if possible at about the same price (or cheaper) than a MS laptop. Asus have (had ?) one model of the eee pc that was certified for Ubuntu so my guess was that it would also work with debian since I am not liking the Ubuntu upgrade system (current laptop was found unable to upgrade maybe because of some symbolic links or whatever)

    My problem is that I left the "I have too much time on my hands so I ll research for a few days to find what I really want" state and that I am now am looking for something that will work. I don't think I have excessive demands.

    light enough to carry around, if possible HDMI output, linux, LAMP and that is about it. I live in Japan and buying from system76 will almost double the price in shipping so that is not really an alternative.

    1. Silverburn
      Linux

      Re: Linux laptops

      Linux might be the funky monkey as far as OS'es go, but with only 1% of the audience using it, you'd really need a strong offer to go into this vertical market (by providing a native linux build) and hopefully make a profit.

      The margins really are wafer thin at the best of times, and the additional overhead of building a 2nd channel into your production model purely for linux builds (and then there's the issue of which one to use) for only 1% of the market probably isn't that cost effective for all but the largest of vendors. You - as the customer - won't see any significant cost savings.

      1. Mark 65

        Re: Linux laptops

        Just my personal opinion, but after using Linux on and off for the last 6 years I think that what it needs is a benefactor to sponsor the porting of some major software onto it - Adobe creative suite or something - so that there is a major reason for people to switch. Wine and VMs is just too much of a pain in the arse. I'm sure the benefits of choice with window manager probably don't help the case for software vendors though - too many variables. It is getting more usable but the pace is slow.

    2. Hayden Clark Silver badge
      Happy

      Re: Linux laptops

      Eee PC? You can still get nice ones on eBay for £40-£60. Just got a trio of them for kids and myself, for less than a "netbook" or a fondleslab.

      Both are now big fans of TuxPaint! :-)

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Linux laptops

        Even the AAOs were going for £150 about 3/4 years ago, with Linpus Linux installed (sans MS tax). The big HD version (150GB).

        We will never see their likes again of cheap x86 machines, given MSs bullying OEMs into bundling their OS, and the need for associated huge specifications to run their OS.

  7. Flocke Kroes Silver badge

    The problems are segmentation and bundling

    If Acer, Asus or Toshiba thought that there were a few customers waiting for Windows 8, they would arrange a deal with Microsoft for a Windows 8 license to be included in the purchase price. Customers could buy a machine now with Windows 7 and upregrade for free later.

    I got my current laptop cheap because it could not run Vista. Windows 8 is a dissapointment because it does not promise to make several models of potential Linux machines a reasonable price. The thing that annoys me most about the laptop market is segmentation. To get the (cheap) features I want I have to buy something with expensive features that have no value to me.

    If this laptop breaks so badly today that I cannot fix it again, my best choice would be to put a π in a briefcase with a monitor, battery, hub and some USB peripherals. If I need a big CPU, I already use my desktop via secure shell. I will always be able to get spare parts for a π in a briefcase, and I will be able to upgrade piecemeal instead of having to buy a new LCD, battery and box just to upgrade the CPU.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: The problems are segmentation and bundling

      I've got a Rπ in just such a set up except its inside a gutted portable DVD player bought from a car boot sale for £1. It's ok and it's a little bit smaller than an original eee701 but I still prefer to just use my phone with a keyboard attached. (Though I do find I need remote X occasionally which Symbian doesn't do.)

      1. Dave 126 Silver badge

        Re: The problems are segmentation and bundling

        Hiya AC!

        Just wandering how you connected the portable DVD player's screen? Was it a model that had an external Video In socket, or did you find the internal screen connector was standard enough for you to bodge it to your needs?

        It sounds like a cute idea

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Pi netbook (was The problems are segmentation and bundling)

          It was simple enough, the internal wiring though the hinge up to the screen carries power, video and audio all in one flat multi-plug. It was s-video but it seems to be happy with the composite out from the pi just connected to both pins. Yes it was one with external composite and s-video jacks.

          As there is tons of space in the body, apart from half-a-laptop-battery I have two USB hubs, wi-fi, 3G modem and a USB audio adapter with a mic. I also stuck a tiny laptop webcam (from an HP I think) into the screen bezel for the kids to play on Cheese with which also happens to be USB. Power is managed by a gutted cheapy PSP backpack battery which puts out 5V-ish and also takes care of recharging. It really could do with a touch screen to finish it.

  8. Scott Mckenzie

    Odd

    People still rant and whinge and moan and slate Apple, but surprisingly their opinions count for nothing as the numbers keep on increasing.

    Personally, i wouldn't want anything less than 2880x1800 for my laptop, oh, hang on that really limits my choice....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      Re: Odd

      Personally I hate huge resolutions on a laptop screen, where you are straining to read normal characters, and pages need their font size put up to at least 150%.

      Look great on a nice big desktop monitor mind.

      What I would like in a business laptop is a proper old school 4:3 display.

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