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IDC: tablet shipments drop 28 percent in Q1 2011
Whether you believe we're living in a post-PC world or not, there's no denying the overwhelming growth of tablets in the past few years. Just this March, IDC put out figures saying 2010 saw the sale of 18 million tablets, but despite the recent boom, the outfit's now reporting a 28 percent drop in tablet shipments in Q1 2011, bringing first quarter worldwide shipments to 7.2 million. IDC's latest report points to "slower consumer demand, overall economic conditions, and supply-chain constraint," but nonetheless estimates that total tablet sales will reach 53.5 million by year's end, up from IDC's original estimate of 50.4 million. Once again, Apple's come out on top of the slate game, with the iPad 2 leading the market, despite its own dip in shipments. E-readers have apparently also seen a decline in the first quarter, with shipments dipping to 3.3 million units. Despite a slow start to the year, however, IDC's optimistic about future sales, but you don't have to take our word for it -- full PR awaits you after the break.
Could Apple retake top spot among portable computer makers in 2012?
It's a difficult question for some analysts to answer. Is the iPad a new class of device or is it a version of an ultra-portable notebook? How you group the iPad makes a huge difference to those professionals trying to assess the impact of the iPad on the notebook computer market. If you group the iPad into the computer category, Apple could bump HP out of the top spot and become the world's largest notebook vendor. Apple is projected to ship 40 million tablets and 15 million MacBook notebooks in 2011. Combined, these two products produce a total shipment volume of 75 55 million units in the next few years. HP is expected to ship 50 million notebooks in 2011 and beyond, a number that is far less than Apple. The volume of iPad shipments is predicted to skyrocket to 60 million in 2012 and could firmly entrench Apple as the #1 PC maker globally. [Via Electronista]
Acer lowers forecast for tablet, notebook shipments, blames limping European economy
Acer had high hopes for 2011, but it looks like its expectations may have been a bit too optimistic. Today, the company issued revised forecasts for shipments of its tablet PCs, predicting to move between 2.5 and three million units by year's end -- down from the five to seven million it projected earlier. Acer chairman J.T. Wang expects current quarter notebook shipments to dip by ten percent from their Q1 levels, before stabilizing or slightly increasing during Q3. According to the new-look firm, these downward revisions are largely due to lagging economic growth in Europe, though its Asian and US markets "remain healthy." European inventories are expected to decrease to normal levels by the end of this month, which should allow the company's market share to rebound during the second half of this year. It's certainly not a dire outlook, but it's probably not the start new Corporate President Jim Wong was looking to get off to, either.
Xperia Play shipment to New Zealand stolen, Vodafone launch delayed (update: fake)
As if Sony Ericsson hasn't already had enough headaches with the Xperia Play. here comes Vodafone New Zealand with the announcement that its launch shipment of the gamer-friendly smartphone has been... stolen! We don't know how many Xperia Plays were in those crates, but it must take a pretty sophisticated operation to snatch up all of Voda's supply for an entire country. This slight hitch in transportation blatant lie follows an unexplained delay in shipments reaching the UK last month, and will compound shortages already caused by limited production capacity in Japan. Man, imagine how terrible this news might have been if the Play actually had any games worth playing. Update: It's all fake. Vodafone recently released some "security footage" of the "theft" in action, which only served to immediately incite outrage in viewers of the clip, and a Vodafone New Zealand spokesperson admitted to The Australian that the company made up the whole thing. For shame.
Apple gets its white iPhone 4 ducks in a row ahead of launch
Look, we all kinda, sorta know that Apple will finally admit it's springtime tomorrow and let the white iPhone 4 fly the nest. But in order to sell white iPhone 4s, you've got to ship them first, and one small Belgian retailer has just received its first batch of the mythical pale device and lined them up for some loving photography. Not only that, but they're even offering to sell you either the 16GB or 32GB over on their site (which, mind you, we can't vouch for!), though they can only ship within the Benelux region. One more pic after the break.
Qualcomm reports record quarterly revenues, boasts 100th Snapdragon device
Qualcomm's back again with yet another set of impressive numbers. For the second quarter of this fiscal year, the chip giant saw record earnings of $3.88 billion, up 46 percent from the same quarter in the previous year, and collected $999 million of sweet profit which is a 29 percent jump from last year. This is no doubt to do with the 70 percent increase in the MSM7000- and MSM8000-series Snapdragon shipments in this half of the fiscal year (compared to 2H 2010), and it should be noted that this quarter also saw the 100th Snapdragon-powered device announced by a Qualcomm client. Additionally, EVP Steve Mollenkopf reassured us that the recent events in Japan won't have any significant impact on upcoming shipments, so the 30 Snapdragon tablets in the pipeline should arrive as scheduled. Excerpts from the financial report can be found after the break.
Motorola Atrix 4G pegged for February 21st pre-order delivery
Current pre-orders appear to be looking at early March delivery, but AT&T has gone on record saying that folks that elected to pre-order the mighty Motorola Atrix 4G by the 17th will receive it on the 21st of February -- next Monday -- and if they chose to have their unit sent to a store, they'll be able to get it there on the 21st as well. The rest of us will need to check out the store on the 22nd and hope for the best. We've gotten confirmation from a tipster that his pre-order has shipped with a scheduled delivery on Monday, so it's looking like they're on time. Who's standing in line next Tuesday? [Thanks, Shaun C.]
Nissan backs off 2011 Leaf delivery promises, expects 'a few hundred' sold in February
Bad news for Leaf lovers. Back in December Nissan representative Tim Gallagher said "By the end of summer, our goal is to have everyone in their car." That would have meant 20,000-odd Leafs shipped before leaves start falling from trees, but now Nissan North America's Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing Brian Carolin thinks we won't even see that many until next year. "I think 20,000 will be too high," he said, referring to total deliveries for 2011. "You just have to make this launch absolutely perfect. It's not a numbers game." Indeed it isn't, it's an expectations game, and how much lower can they go?
Verizon iPhone now shipping to select customers: 'it begins'
While pre-orders have been halted for the interim, several readers that got their credit card information in on time have been sent an email from Verizon alerting to an CDMA iPhone shipment en route to their residence of choice. FedEx doesn't seem to be tracking any of the orders just yet, but we'll check back tomorrow to be sure. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: We've seen our first FedEx tracking screen and the estimated delivery date is February 7th, a whole 72 hours before everyone else gets it. Thanks, Richard!
Nissan hopes to fill Leaf orders by summer 2011, we wonder if things will ever be warm again
With Nissan's Leaf rolling into the driveways of a lucky few early birds we're already getting a better look into what the little thing can do. Now we're getting a better idea of when everyone else might get theirs. In a Mercury News story Nissan spokesman Tim Gallagher indicated that the company is working hard to fill those driveways, saying "By the end of summer, our goal is to have everyone in their car." That is, of course, just a goal, and we all know how these goals can go when it comes to delivering cars on time. But, it is at least more or less in line with the company's earlier goal of 25,000 cars shipped to here by the end of next year. Good news for those who have ordered? Yes, mostly, but it's also bad news for anyone who's thinking of signing up for one now: with Nissan's initial batch of orders filled it's anyone's guess when we'll be getting more.
Dell Venue Pro arriving before Christmas if you ordered by the 14th
Dell, you wouldn't toy with our emotions again, would you? The latest official update from the boys and girls in Round Rock says that if you managed to get an order for a Venue Pro in by the 14th of this month, you're golden for receiving it before Christmas -- which is a considerably friendlier estimate than before, when some folks were being told January 6th. If you've ordered since the 14th, the company advises that you "use the Estimated Delivery Date to understand when you will receive it." Meanwhile, if your Venue Pro has already managed to leave the warehouse, we recommend you use this opportunity to gloat in this post's comments and as many forums as you possibly can. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Sony ships 4.1 million PlayStation Move controllers to retailers (updated)
A little press release from none other than Sony informed us this morning that the company has shipped 4.1 million PlayStation Move controllers worldwide. Alas, that number has been widely misreported as the tally of direct end-user sales, which it most definitely is not. What Sony's letting us know is total wands that have left its warehouses on their way to retailers, a number that's one step removed from actual sales results. Still, if you simply must have something to compare against Microsoft's 2.5 million Kinect sales, there you have it. Update: Our brothers at Joystiq have reached out to Sony and confirmed that these numbers represent shipped units, not consumer sales. Here's Joystiq's exact wording on the (seemingly purposefully) confusing situation: A Sony representative explained that the 4.1 million actually represents Move units shipped to stores, adding "While we don't disclose our exact sell-through number, the key is that our retailers continue to ask for more Move units and are taking every unit we can supply them with based on their sales." Which, you know, would have been a cool thing to put in that press release, we think. Update 2: We've also confirmed with Sony that the sales numbers are in reference to retailers, not consumers, and learned that more than 75 percent of the sales in the US are bundles -- meaning new console sales or software groupings.
Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 starts shipping its outdated self around the world
We're not going to make any apologies. So long as Sony Ericsson continues to pretend like Android 2.x doesn't exist and keeps kicking out new devices running Android 1.6, we'll keep docking it points like the meanest of Russian judges. The 3-inch X8 is set to be Sony Ericsson's most affordable Android handset -- we were told it'll cost south of $300 unlocked -- to date, but then you get your money's worth with a 600MHz processing core and a 3.2 megapixel fixed focus camera. Oh, even better news is that the X8 will get updated to Android 2.1 "a little later" than SE's X10 line. If you want to avoid all this Android upgrade drama (and save a few more pennies), Sony Ericsson is also starting to ship out its no-frills Cedar candybar as well -- perfect if you just want your phone to act like a phone and little more.
Samsung Galaxy Tab on sale in UK on November 1, will be available from all major carriers
Need some hot new hardware to offset the onset of another miserly winter? Samsung wants the Galaxy Tab to be the thing that keeps you warm and fuzzy over the holidays and has just announced a November 1 launch date for its tablet in the United Kingdom. All major carriers are signed up to offer the Android 2.2 device and usual suspect Carphone Warehouse will also be dishing it out if you have the cash to snap one up. How much cash, you ask? That's the one important piece of information that Samsung is still leaving to hang in the air, proffering only the contention that it "will be available on a range of attractive price packages." Never mind, we'll just let our imaginations do the accounting.
Apple TV now shipping
Apple might still insist its TV box is just a hobby, but it's not messing around when it comes to shipping. Sticking to its original schedule, the MacBook maker has started sending out shipping notifications to the great and the good in the USA and Canada, with the earliest promised delivery being September 28. Those who've lightened their wallets by $99 can now look forward to a whole load of media streaming from the likes of Netflix, YouTube, and Flickr, though we might have paid the full price just for the sake of the integrated Rotten Tomatoes reviews. Do make sure to come back and tell us how awesome it is when you gets yours, won't ya? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Qualcomm: 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon devices to arrive at end of 2011, 1.2GHz in Q1
Bad news: Qualcomm's just informed us that while it's still on track to ship the juicy 1.5GHz dual-core QSD8672 Snapdragon in Q4 this year, the end-user devices aren't expected to hit the market until the end of 2011 -- potentially almost a whole year later than its previous "early next year" or "by Christmas" prediction. What a shame. On a slightly more positive beat, though, the lesser 1.2GHz dual-core MSM8x60 chipset should be heading towards consumers early next year. Alas, this won't change the fact that we'll still need something to fill the void until 2011 -- Windows Phone 7, we're looking at you.
First iPhone 4 units being delivered
Aw, suki suki now! Looks like we've got our first iPhone 4 delivery here in the US, a full 24 hours before the first batch is supposed to land. The best news isn't that throngs of pre-orderers are seeing their units "out for delivery" today, but that this Mac Rumors user was able to activate his unit already in seamless fashion. 'Course, we highly doubt it'll be so easy for everyone else crashing the servers tomorrow and Thursday, but there it is. So, anyone else seeing their iPhone 4 marked as "out for delivery?" Or better still, "in hand?" Give us a shout in comments below. [Thanks, Anonymous] Update: We've moved the FedEx image past the break, as one lucky Mac Rumors member already has his in hand. And so it begins. [Thanks, Adam] Update 2: A reader has sent us over the above picture of his own brand new iPhone 4, which has only just arrived. [Thanks, Mark!]
Track an iPad from Shenzhen to you
There's a fun post at Silicon Alley Insider today that traces an iPad's journey from China to the customer's home. By monitoring Twitter and tracking reports, Nick Saint has assembled an iPad's typical journey to the US. It starts at the infamous Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China. That's the "iPad nursery," if you will. From there, iPads destined for the USA fly to Anchorage, Alaska, a journey that Google Maps struggled with (38 days by car? Oh, it'd be much shorter by car). From there, the iPad that Nick was tracking went to Louisville, Kentucky, where it will remain (UPS shipping calls it "UPS Internal Activity") until it's set free on Saturday. Many TUAW readers wrote in to say they've received shipment notifications, so we can assume that your precious is somewhere along this route. In the meantime, why not install a package tracking app on your iPhone (you remember your iPhone, right)?
Don't panic over these iPad delivery exceptions
Lots of TUAW readers have written in today, worried about their iPad deliveries. Since they received shipment notices, many folks have been tracking their progress, and are now seeing messages like: UPS INTERNAL ACTIVITY. SHIPMENT IS HELD TO VERIFY COMMODITY DESCRIPTION WITH THE CUSTOMER FOR CORRECT CLASSIFICATION "Your package has experienced an exception" If you received one of these notices, you are not alone. Apple has taken similar measures in the past to make sure that deliveries do not arrive before the official release date. In fact, Boy Genius Report suggests that Apple is purposefully withholding clearance papers for the iPads to make sure that they are not delivered early. As anxious as these next few days of waiting will be, and as nerve-racking as it is when this is your iPad, I fully expect that 99.99% of the iPads scheduled for delivery on Saturday will be delivered on Saturday. We've also heard directly from someone who works "for a certain shipping company" who reports that they will have double the number of drivers out in their particular delivery area on Saturday, due to the increased traffic. I would expect that other areas would see similar increases. Nobody who works for a shipping company wants to have to go back to Apple and explain why they couldn't meet delivery needs. That being said, the same source does not expect exceptions to be made for areas without Saturday delivery, so you may have to wait until Monday for your iPad to be delivered. Don't panic -- we're sure UPS will do everything it can to get your iPad to you on time. If you're not sure about the delivery policy in your area, you may want to contact UPS to verify. Image via UPS.com. Please note, this man is not actually delivering an iPad. If you see him, do not try to wrest it from his hand.
Nook ship date slips to January 11th, supply chain managers weep
Hardware construction is a funny thing. Sometimes, regardless of the money you throw at something, you just can't get products to come together any quicker. Evidently that's the case with Barnes & Noble's Nook, which has seen its estimated ship date slip from today to sometime after the holidays, and now to January 11th. There's still a sliver of hope that you'll be able to snag one from a high-traffic retail location on December 7th, but unless you're planning on abandoning ship and helping the Kindle have its new best month ever, the realistic choices are pretty clear: a) pay Tickle Me Elmo-like prices on eBay or b) drop an IOU in a nicely wrapped box, preferably with a cute puppy. We suggest the latter. [Thanks, Dave and Wes] P.S. - We're also hearing that pre-orders (even those placed moments after it was announced) are also being pushed back, though hopefully they'll still be received before December 25th.
