Worldwide Mac Sales Hold Steady as PC Market Sees Shipments Decline 9.6% in Q1 2016

Amid a decline in worldwide PC shipments, Apple’s Mac sales have held steady, according to new PC shipping estimates from Gartner. During the first quarter of 2016, Apple shipped 4.6 million Macs worldwide and held 7.1 percent of the market, up from 4.56 million Mac shipments and 6.4 percent of the market during the first quarter of 2015.

While Apple only saw 1 percent worldwide growth, it fared better than the overall PC market, which saw total worldwide shipments of 64.8 million, a 9.6 percent decline from 71.7 million shipments in Q1 2015. Among other vendors, Lenovo and HP saw some of the biggest shipment drops with 12.5 million and 11.4 million shipments in 1Q 2016, down from 13.5 million and 12.5 million, respectively, in the year-ago quarter.

Gartner’s Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q16 (Thousands of Units)
With 7.1 percent of the market, Apple ranked as the number five worldwide vendor, coming in after Lenovo (19.3% share), HP (17.6% share), Dell (14.1% share), and ASUS (8.3% share). Other vendors, not ranked in the top five, accounted for 33.6 percent of the market.

The deterioration of local currencies against the U.S. dollar continued to play a major role in PC shipment declines. Our early results also show there was an inventory buildup from holiday sales in the fourth quarter of 2015,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner.

While Apple’s worldwide numbers were steady, Mac sales in the United States appear to have dipped slightly. According to Gartner’s data, Apple shipped 1.666 million PCs in the United States, for 12.7 percent of the market. That’s down from 1.672 million in the year-ago quarter, but market share is up from 11.8 percent.

Gartner’s Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q16 (Thousands of Units)
Dell, the number one vendor in the U.S., shipped 3.5 million PCs in Q1 2016 for 26.3 percent of the market, while HP shipped 3.1 million for 23.7 percent of the market. Lenovo saw the greatest growth with 1.9 million shipments and 14.5 percent of the market, while ASUS saw a decline in shipments from 770,000 in Q1 2015 to 667,000 in Q1 2016 for just 5.1 percent of the market.

In the overall U.S. PC market, shipments totaled 13.1 million in the first quarter of 2016, a decline of 6.6 percent compared to the year-ago quarter and the lowest shipment volume in the country in three years.

Apple’s U.S. Market Share Trend: 1Q06-1Q16 (Gartner)
IDC also released its shipment estimates today, and as is typical, its numbers are different than Gartner’s numbers, in part due to the difference in the way Windows-based tablets are counted by each firm. According to IDC, worldwide PC shipments totaled 60.6 million, for an overall decline of 11.5 percent.

While Gartner ranks Apple as number five vendor in worldwide PC shipments, IDC ranks Apple as number four with 4.5 million shipments and 7.4 percent of the market (a decline from 4.6 million shipments in Q1 2015), edging out ASUS’s 4.4 million shipments. As for U.S. shipments, IDC puts the total number at 13.625 million, an overall decline of 5.8 percent.

IDC’s U.S. shipment estimates are more favorable to Apple, suggesting PC shipments totaling 1.8 million and 13 percent market share for growth of 5.6 percent rather than the slight decline Gartner estimates. Like Gartner, IDC lists Dell (3.5m shipments), HP (3.5m shipments), Lenovo (1.9m shipments), and Apple (1.8m shipments) as the top four PC vendors in the United States, but IDC positions Acer Group (711,000 shipments) as the number five vendor while Gartner lists it as ASUS.

It’s important to note that data from Gartner and IDC is preliminary and that the numbers can shift, sometimes dramatically, while other times, the estimates are closer to the actual data. Last year, for example, Gartner estimated Apple’s Q1 2015 U.S. PC shipments to be 1.670 million, fairly close to the correct 1.672 million shipment number.

Tags: IDC, Gartner
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Google’s Voice Access goes live in beta form

Google quietly rolled out the beta version of its hands-free Voice Access service, allowing some lucky users to control their phones via speech alone. With Voice Access, users can say things like “go home,” “scroll down” or “open Chrome” to navigate their pocket computers. Voice Access also allows users to say numbers instead of naming apps, avoiding potential confusion over pronunciation. Applications to test out Voice Access are closed for now, but the beta suggests there will be a public rollout in the near future.

Google mentioned the beta in a blog post about its latest accessibility efforts, and noted that the service is intended for “people who have difficulty manipulating a touch screen due to paralysis, tremor, temporary injury or other reasons.” You can also use it to let off some steam by screaming orders at your phone for a while.

Source: Google

Google starts beta testing an app that lets you control a phone with your voice

As part of Google’s efforts to improve accessibility to their products, the company has launched a beta test of its Voice Access app for Android. It has been designed to allow owners of smartphones with disabilities to control them with their voice.

Google says:

We recently launched Voice Access Beta, an app that allows people who have difficulty manipulating a touch screen due to paralysis, tremor, temporary injury or other reasons to control their Android devices by voice. For example, you can say “open Chrome” or “go home” to navigate around the phone, or interact with the screen by saying “click next” or “scroll down.

If you want to get started with the Voice Access beta, you can do so at the link below:

Download the Voice Access Beta for Android

Gaming is a regular activity for most of you [poll follow-up]

In last week’s poll we asked How much time you spend gaming. Spending your time playing video games no longer requires having the best PC available, or even a console to play on, as anyone hooked on Angry Birds can tell you. With games more available than ever, we want to know how of your time is spent enjoying them.

Sliding into first place, is “I play at least an hour each day” with 27 percent of the vote. “I don’t play video games” skidded into second place with 26 percent of the vote. In third place with 24 percent of the vote was “I play a few hours each week”. Not too far behind was “I am constantly gaming” with 14 percent of the vote, and “I game on the weekend” picking up a solid 9 percent. So it’s pretty overwhelmingly obvious hat gaming is a part of most of your lives with 74 percent of you spending at least a little bit of time on games.

So is gaming an every day activity for you, or is it relegated out to the weekends? Be sure to leave us a comment and let us know how much time you spend on games!

Watch the HTC 10 unveiling right here

HTC plans to unveil its next flagship, reportedly dubbed the HTC 10, at an event that’ll be simulcast across New York, London, and Taipei.

It will be a “virtual” launch rather than a physical event, meaning you’ll be able to watch it all online. If you’re wondering what this device might feature as well as where and how you can stream its unveiling, Pocket-lint has explained everything you need to know, though be sure to check this HTC hub continually for the latest news, analysis, and reviews.

HTC 10: What will the phone feature?

HTC’s next high-end device is expected to feature a Snapdragon 820 processor, solid aluminium build, 5.2-inch Quad HD display, 12-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash and laser autofocus, and “the best BoomSound yet”. It’s thought to be called HTC 10, instead of HTC M10, effectively dropping the M/numerical naming convention HTC has maintained.

Pocket-lint’s round-up offers more detail about the yet-to-be announced phone, including every leak and rumour that has surfaced so far.

• READ: HTC 10: Release date, rumours and everything you need to know

HTC 10: When will HTC unveil the phone?

HTC sent out invites to an online-only launch for the HTC 10. The event will take place on 12 April at 1 pm (UK time).

See what we’re obsessed about on April 12 on https://t.co/NMJMew9UvA. #powerof10 pic.twitter.com/J3ZFCALvUx

— HTC (@htc) March 22, 2016

HTC 10: How can you watch the live-stream?

HTC will live-stream its HTC 10 event via htc.com. If possible, we will embed the actual video on this page come event day.

Get Ready. Tomorrow: You’ll see it. You’ll hear it. You’ll feel it. https://t.co/sbUcexsqcV #powerof10 pic.twitter.com/EEr7zl1RG5

— HTC (@htc) April 11, 2016

HTC 10: When will the phone be available?

HTC 10 is expected it to go up for pre-order within the next couple of weeks and could be on sale by the end of April.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet 2016 first drive: Comfortably cool

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet is the convertible car for those who want the exhilaration of wind in their hair, while remaining in comfort – a difficult combination to achieve.

While the S-Class already offers spa levels of comfort and enough tech crammed under the shell to impress Nasa, the Cabriolet aims to offer the same even with the roof down. Which makes this the first four-seat luxury drop-top since the Mercedes 112 left production in 1971.

However, priced from £110,000 (£135,000 for the AMG S 63; £192,000 for the 6-litre V12 AMG 65) Mercedes will be taking on competition from the likes of the £150,000 Bentley Continental GT Convertible and £97,000 BMW M6 Convertible. Can it live up to the hype? We took the S-Class 500 and the AMG S 63 4MATIC out to test what the range has to offer.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet preview: Design and build

The S-Class Coupé is already the pinnacle of comfort. So the design quality of the convertible Cabriolet model, which manages to maintain that without a top on, is something of a marvel.

Pocket-lint

The car appears sporty with a long nose and angular lines while remaining low and aerodynamically punchy. The black diamond radiator grille, chrome trim and bumper air intakes give an aggressive character to this sleek design. It’s sporty, with 19-inch alloys as standard, but also hefty enough to give the luxurious room you’d expect from inside. The car is wide, but not too wide to be driven comfortably in cities and on thinner roads.

The roof’s ease of use and speed are exactly as you’d expect from a car of this quality. Hold the lever and within 20-seconds it’s open, even while moving at up to speeds of 31mph. The soft-top comes in four colour options that can be offset against the car for a punchy finish.

But it’s how it works when shut that’s even more impressive. Close the roof and you’ll be amazed at the near silence. In typical Mercedes style this quiet level is second to none, indeed this soft top is quieter than plenty of hardtop cars on the road. That’s thanks to double-glazing, insulation materials and wind noise reduction through the body shell.

Pocket-lint

Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet preview: Performance and handling

When you’re in a car with a 4.6-litre V8 twin-turbo that weighs in at over 2-tonnes, you expect it to wobble about. The S Class Cabriolet, somehow, manages to straddle the line between comfort and precision.

Don’t expect the rigid feedback of a sports car, but when pushed into Sport mode this car can be a lot of fun. Pop it into Comfort mode and the air suspension system will angle the car into corners to leave you upright and comfortable, absorbing bumps along the way.

The S 500 was quick enough to over-take when needed, or to get away at a set of lights swiftly. There was a little lag at the lower end as the 9-speed automatic gearbox worked out that we wanted speed, upon flooring it. But once it kicks in there is a wonderful burble and a push back into the seat as the heft of the car flies forward from 0-62mph in 4.6-seconds.

The Mercedes-AMG S 63 uses a 5461cc V8 engine with 7-speed sports transmission and sports exhaust that picks up quickly and propels the car from 0-62mph in just 3.9-seconds. The sports suspension is harder for more responsive cornering but the comfort of the ride isn’t lost. The V8 engine is enhanced with that tuned exhaust that’ll have you driving with the top down even in the rain. Just to enjoy the noise.

Both of these models have plenty of power and excellent handling. Getting used to the width of the car took us a little while but with myriad sensors and a good seated perspective it didn’t take too long to adjust.

Pocket-lint

Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet preview: Infotainment and smart driving

Inside the car the option of Nappa leather, as-standard ambient lighting and brushed metallic finishes are all impressive. But the S-Class Cabriolet sports some of Mercedes’ top tech too.

For a convertible that’s primarily about the intelligent climate control system to keep your temperature spot-on. There are heated seats and armrests plus what Merc calls “Airscarf” – which blows warm air onto your neck – plus put down the roof and the heaters will maintain the temperature you had set. This seems to mean pushing the blowers to full whack if it was hot and easing off for cool, but the auto adapt part sure does kick in.

Turn on the massage seats and the comfort levels reach better than home standard – well, assuming you don’t have ace massage chairs at home, of course. Then when you come to throwing the car about a bit the automatically adjusting side supports will keep you in place.

Driving assist features, as standard in the AMG S 63, allow the car to steer, brake and accelerate. While hands need to stay on the wheel to avoid alarms, the car essentially drives itself – presuming the corners aren’t too sharp. The optional LED High Beam Assist Plus lighting means that the car can intelligently maintain high beam while blocking out sections where it detects cars, so to avoiding dazzling other road users.

Pocket-lint

The front panels inside the car consist of two 12.3-inch TFT displays. These digitally display the speed and even navigation in the driver’s screen while also displaying more on the main screen in the centre console. The heads-up display offers yet another point of data access for the driver too.

These all mean the passenger can flit about the menus, using the touch-sensitive central controller, while the driver still has navigation in at least one screen. Plus it makes for an ideal way to display the optional 360-degree camera system. Not that we used it much thanks to smart parking, meaning the car can park itself.

There’s also NFC, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for pretty much every connection option that’ll keep your smartphone and the car talking.

First Impressions

For those who want everything, without compromise, the S-Class Cabriolet nails it – but at an inevitably high price. Not only do you get ridiculous levels of comfort and smart tech but you also have power, handling and the option to go top-down.

Sure, for at least a £13,000 saving you could snap up a BMW M6 Convertible with a similarly rapid 0-62mph time of 4.3-seconds – but you compromise a little on luxury. Or there’s the option of spending an extra £40,000-odd to get the Bentley Continental GTC, but you lose a little performance with 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds.

If you have a fat wallet then the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet really packs a punch for the price and should have the competition worried. The question, really, remains whether it will pull die-hard Bentley and BMW fans over to its new wheels or not. Because it’s hard to ignore the luxury and capability of this new Merc.

Periscope’s next major feature is Snapchat-like live doodling

Periscope is testing a feature with beta users that takes from two of its main competitors: live, hand-drawn doodling.

According to The Next Web, the Twitter-owned broadcasting app has begun letting beta testers try a feature that allows them to draw doodles on top of live-streamed video, and the company has just confirmed to Tech Radar that this beta feature will launch in a few weeks for everyone.

The feature is actually called Sketching, and from what we can tell, it lets broadcasters paint in a variety of different colours and even includes an eyedropper tool they can use to select any on-screen colour. We can see broadcasters using this message to write quick messages, as the doodles will disappear after a couple seconds in order to clear the frame.

Sounds similar to Snapchat, right?

Snapchat has long offered its users the ability to doodle on top of photos and videos, and then they’re able to broadcast snaps to followers via Snapchat’s Story feature. Facebook recently launched a similar broadcasting tool as well. The social network has been pushing its “Live” video as of late, and it introduced new Live features – including hand-drawn doodling – while doing so.

Live-streaming became a major thing in 2015 after apps like Periscope and Meerkat and Snapchat exploded in popularity, and Facebook has begun trying to catch up to them in 2016 by adding a dedicated Live tab to its mobile app. It also beefed up Live with Periscope’s reactions, commenting setup, map, and more. You can read all about Facebook Live from here.

So, at this point, it looks like all these live-streaming apps just keep adopting popular features from each other.

TNW’s Matt Navarra demonstrated Periscope’s Sketching feature in a video published to Twitter:

LIVE on #Periscope: Testing the new doodle feature on Periscope’s beta app https://t.co/LxMsBqeluS

— Matt Navarra ⭐️ (@MattNavarra) April 11, 2016

Prepare for your entrepreneurial future with the Startup School 2016 Bundle

Starting a business requires you to be at your best, with an ever-expanding range of skills and a strong sense of the next steps and trends in your chosen industry.

The Startup School 2016 Bundle is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to run their own business, providing the tools to turn your entrepreneurial idea into a successful, full-fledged enterprise with the momentum for prosperous longevity. For a limited time, the bundle is on offer at a highly appealing 97 per cent off on Pocket-lint Deals.

Covering every aspect of the startup world, these 10 hands-on courses will give you a strong foundation in business, marketing and beyond for your new business. You’ll develop a core set of skills to prepare yourself for every challenge you’ll encounter along the way. Get started down the path to entrepreneurial excellence with courses ranging from SEO to growth hacking, Google AdWords to outsourcing, attracting investors.

Along the Startup School 2016 Bundle’s 60+ hours of instruction you’ll learn the essentials for success. Break down the mystery of the complex and often confusing world of SEO, while mastering the multi-faceted necessity of marketing, crucial to the success of your business.

You’ll understand how to attract and retain customers, and win over investors using the newest techniques, as you you’ll learn from the success of others and develop strategies to take your success to the next level.

Courses include:

Beginner to Advanced SEO Course for Startups, Businesses and Bloggers
Growth Hacking with Digital Marketing (Masterclass Series)
New Business Ideas: Create Your $1,000,000 Business This Week
Step-by-Step Startup Business Guide: The Modern Entrepreneur
The Complete Google AdWords Course: Beginner to Advanced
10 Step Startup: The Complete Entrepreneurship Course
1-Day MVP 2.0 – Go from Idea to MVP
Master Outsourcing – Get the Best Price and Save Time
Create the Business You Want with ‘Twelve Steps to Traction’
Gmail, IFTTT and Virtual Assistant – The Ultimate Productivity Trio

Prepare for your future as an entrepreneur today with the Startup School 2016 Bundle for just £33.86 ($49) from Pocket-lint Deals.

‘Don’t Starve: Shipwrecked’ lands on your PS4 this spring

If you’re thoroughly hooked on Don’t Starve but don’t want to retreat to your PC to play Shipwrecked, we have good news. Klei and Capybara have announced that Shipwrecked will be available on the PlayStation 4 sometime this spring. There’s no mention of any big changes for this console release (we wouldn’t expect any), but that’s fine — the real emphasis here is on adapting Don’t Starve’s quirky survival gameplay to a world full of tropical islands and horrible sea monsters. And if you need to get your fix on the road, be patient. Klei’s Corey Rollins says his studio is “looking in to” the possibility of a PlayStation Vita port for Shipwrecked, so you might have a portable option in the future.

Source: PlayStation Blog

‘Ghost in the Shell’ VR movie won’t reach your phone

We have bad news if you were hoping to live out your anime dreams and watch a Ghost in the Shell VR movie on your phone: it’s not going to happen. Production IG has revealed that Virtual Reality Diver will only be shown in 31 internet cafés across the Kanto region (Tokyo, Yokohama and nearby areas) this May. Reportedly, it just became too big and ambitious to offer as a mobile app. That’s somewhat understandable given its 15-minute length (a 360-degree clip that long is going to chew up a lot of space), but it’s bound to be frustrating if you were hoping to return to the classic series on a mobile VR headset.

Thankfully, you won’t necessarily have to leave home to check this out. Production IG is promising that Virtual Reality Diver will reach PlayStation VR, giving you at least one way to watch in your living room. The only real concern is whether or not it’ll be readily available outside of its home country — if not, you’ll either have to jump through hoops or book a trip to Japan.

Via: Crunchyroll

Source: AnimeAnime.jp (translated), Ghost in the Shell