Now 4GB looks likely to displace 1GB as most popular USB capacity, as hopeful contender 2GB goes flat in market share.
Context recorded a “remarkable” increase in market share in 4GB and 8GB for USBs sold in Feb. ’08, says their research covering UK, France and Germany.
The share of 4GB went up to 27% in Feb. (compared to 17% in Jan., 12% last Nov.) narrowing the gap with 2GB (29% share in Feb. but stable the last five months).
8GB, with only 2% share last Nov., jumped to 8% in Feb. and 512MB plummeted from 6% in Nov. to only 0.3% in February.
Prices dropped by 29% from June 2007 (Euro 15.09 excl. tax) to February 2008 (Euro 10.70) (and by 30% if you look from Sept. 2007, at Euro 15.32.)
The ASP of 4GB USB memory dropped to Euro 13.84 in Feb. 2008, from Euro 21.50 (last Dec.) and Euro 30.45 (Sept. ’07). This trend (sinking prices) tracks in all major capacities, even 8GB, 16GB and 32GB.
USB in 2008: Year of Higher Capacities, Lower Prices
AMD CEO Promises Re-Structuring
Frustrated once more by Intel, CEO Hector Ruiz is forced to study AMD’s exit from businesses outside AMD’s core: microprocessors and graphics chips.
It’s ironic the company may have to cut the very escape routes they desire the most to retreat from a deadly-competitive universe ruled by the blue giant star, Intel.
While Intel wooed Apple, AMD chose to woo Dell, once a famously-exclusive Intel shop. When AMD stumbled in its counterattack to Intel’s new chip line, AMD’s most-prized customer dumped them hard, hard enough so the loss of a single customer gets blame for much of the shortfall. Intel, on the other hand, went on to sell Apple 4 million units a year.
AMD was viewed as gutsy but never as a real rival to Intel until it grabbed an upper hand in 2003 with 64-bit Opteron. AMD now has to again build up enough tech success to generate the finances needed to fuel an escape from the black hole of direct competition with giant Intel.
Go AMD’s Q1
WH Smith Avoids Us, Expands into Denmark
In entertainment, like-for-like sales were down 15%. Gross margin was lower Y-to-Y due to a competitive market, price declines and lower-margin game consoles.
WH Smith is also due to open 5 units at Copenhagen airport in partnership with the outlets’ current operator SSP. But Swann says this move is not a precursor for more international expansion.
Acer Bullish on Low Cost Laptops, Smartphones
Acer says its PC shipments will total 25m to 30m this year, up from about 20m.
President Gianfranco Lanci also forecasts a 40% annual rise in laptop shipments, and about 5m to 7m units will be those new low-cost Atom-based laptops Acer will launch at Computex in June… Hmmm, those two forecasts (up 5-10m in total units and up 5-7m from low-cost laptops) seem to share a common number.
Acer says revenue during Q2 will be slightly down from Q1…but wait until those low cost laptops hit total revenue per unit figures.
That may be why Acer hopes to launch its first smartphone at end of this year and build that category to 10% of revenue. "The worldwide smart phone market is estimated to grow by more than 30% by 2011," notes Lanci.
Go Acer’s Buys Into Smartphones
Microsoft: Making a Real Mesh of It
Live Mesh is the new “software-plus-services” platform from Microsoft to enable PCs and other devices to be aware of each other via internet, so individuals (and organizations) can manage & share their files and applications seamlessly on the web (across the world of devices).
Is this the power of cloud services we’ve been waiting for? Besides a whole list of potential security issues, we want to quote from Joe Wilcox at eWeek. "Live Mesh is Microsoft's attempt to turn OS and proprietary services platforms into hubs that replace the web. It's the most anti-Web 2.0 technology yet released by any company. Microsoft is building a services-based operating system that transcends and extends Windows and also the function of Web browsers. It's bold, brilliant and downright scary."
So what’s not to love about it?
Go Mesh
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