iPad Declines Yet Again Amid Worst Tablet Quarter Since 2012

The latest data from research firms IDC and Strategy Analytics reveals that iPad market share declined for the ninth consecutive quarter as the worldwide tablet market continues to slow. Apple now has between 22.1 and 25.9-percent market share among tablet vendors, down from between 24.3 and 27.2-percent in the year-ago quarter.

Apple reported iPad sales of 10.3 million during the March quarter earlier this week, compared to 12.62 million in the year-ago quarter. IDC and Strategy Analytics data shows Samsung trailing in second with 6 to 6.5 million tablets shipped, amounting to 14.0 to 15.2-percent market share during the first three months of 2016.

IDC data shows that Amazon experienced explosive 5421.7-percent year-over-year growth, with its market share rising from just 0.1-percent to 5.7-percent on the strength of new low-cost Fire tablets. The research firm noted that it did not count the Fire HD 6 in its Q1 2015 numbers. Strategy Analytics did not share Amazon data.

Lenovo and Huawei rounded out the top five in both datasets, with both vendors having shipped between 2.1 and 2.2 million tablets during the quarter. Their respective market shares ranged between 4.5-percent and 5.5-percent, amounting to only a slight variation between the IDC and Strategy Analytics data.

Global tablet shipments reached between 39.6 and 46.5 million during the quarter, which is the lowest total since the third quarter of 2012, according to Strategy Analytics. Nevertheless, IDC noted that convertible 2-in-1 tablets continue to experience growth, with quarterly shipments totaling 4.9 million.

“Microsoft arguably created the market for detachable tablets with the launch of their Surface line of products,” said Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers. “With the PC industry in decline, the detachable market stands to benefit as consumers and enterprises seek to replace their aging PCs with detachables.

Apple’s recent foray into this segment has garnered them an impressive lead in the short term, although continued long-term success may prove challenging as a higher entry price point staves off consumers and iOS has yet to prove its enterprise-readiness, leaving plenty of room for Microsoft and their hardware partners to reestablish themselves.”

IDC and Strategy Analytics shared smartphone and smartwatch data earlier this week.

Tags: Samsung, IDC, Amazon, Strategy Analytics, Huawei, Lenovo
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Volkswagen T-Prime GTE Concept preview: Prime cut SUV

Whoever is naming new VW concepts is going down an ever weirder rabbit hole. In the past couple of years we’ve had the T-Roc and the T-Cross Breeze — both from subsequent Geneva Show reveals — and now the T-Prime GTE Concept unveiled at the Beijing Show.

Despite sounding rather like something you might order for Sunday lunch, the T-Prime is a big SUV concept, which — although Volkswagen won’t admit this publically — previews the new Touareg, its largest SUV.

So what do we know? The T-Prime runs to about 5-metres long and is powered by a plug-in electric drivetrain with a smallish battery pack helping out a 2-litre petrol engine. These two pair to drive all four wheels — well, for the first 31 miles — with no exhaust emissions if the battery is fully charged.

Pocket-lint

It’s worth digging into the detail a little on the drivetrain, because post diesel-gate VW is making a head-long surge towards electrification. And looking at the specs here and comparing it to the (already available) Passat and Golf GTE, we reckon this is an entirely feasible powertrain, which you will be able to buy in the next Touareg.

The electric motor generates 134bhp, the petrol one 248bhp, and combined they’re good for a 0-60mph time of 6-seconds, a top-speed of 139mph and can get 87mpg on the European fuel economy testing cycle. It’s a similar setup to the one Volvo has just launched in its T8 XC90 — from which you can charge the battery from flat to full in 8-hours at home, or 2.5 hours from a higher-output (7.2Kw) public DC charger.

The T-Prime looks, well, just as you would expect a big Volkswagen to look. The means it’s generically handsome and easily identifiable as being from the German brand. Some will say it’s dull, but we’d call it smart — with the exception of the front grille, which features the new VW corporate face and the GTE-signature c-shapes in the lower bumper. It’s all a bit bright, shiny and in-your-face if you ask us — as though the T-Prime has just received an over-zealous bit of teeth whitening and is now permanently grinning to show its dental work off.

Pocket-lint

The body panels are (in the modern VW way) super-sharp in the lines which run along them. Thank VW’s 5-stamp sheet metal pressing technology which allows it to create more complex shapes and sharper creases than other makers. Note too, that the rear lamps appear to be involved in a game of Tetris. At least the Germans haven’t lost their sense of humour after all that diesel trouble.

Increasingly we feel like stuck records saying this, but it’s a reflection on where the car industry is heading, that it’s inside where things get really interesting. The T-Prime debuts Volkswagen’s new “curved interaction area”, which is another way of saying they’ve used a gently curved, 4K AMOLED screen right across the dash, merging together the auxiliary switch zone where you normally find the lights, the instrument cluster and the centre screen zone.

This interaction area (despitethe full name) looks great — we are particularly impressed to see VW ditch the “skueomorphic” and old-fashioned approach of digitally rendered dials, instead going for a flat design approach, with a pair of circular displays to show speed and energy usage.

The centre infotainment zone looks similar to what we first saw on the Budd-e concept at CES, with a reconfigurable tiled homescreen and 3D mapping. No mention of the gesture control from Budd-e though; perhaps because in our hands-on experience it didn’t work very well.

Pocket-lint

The T-Prime’s tech sits together nicely with the gloss black consoles, the drift-wood style trim and the white leather, creating a modern yet not austere cabin ambience. 

Likely to sit on the same platform as Audi’s Q7, the Bentley Bentayga and Porsche’s next Cayenne, if the T-Prime does truly preview the next Touareg then Volkswagen is heading in a quite obvious and entirely logical direction with the design, which if it looks similar to this we’re sure will be a hit with buyers.

Here’s hoping that the Concept’s infotainment system, tech setup, interior colour and trim modernity make the transition to the to-be-confirmed production car. Which we’d expect to see that at some point in 2017. And with 7-seats, which the current Touareg lacks.

Triby will be the first non-Amazon device to get Alexa

Amazon set up a $100 million fund last year to help developers integrate Alexa Voice Service (AVS), the tech in the Echo, into their third-party devices. The first of these to hit the market is the Triby, a portable voice-controlled hub built by Invoxia.

Triby follows simple verbal commands the same way the Echo does, as well as streams music and connects smart devices. Their similar purposes likely make Triby an obvious example of what a non-Amazon device can do with AVS.

But where the Echo is a static command hub, Triby is a battery-powered portable device users can tote around. While it’s slightly pricier at $200, Triby’s speakers and small magnet-backed frame make it a more versatile music player. Also, it has something else the Echo doesn’t: a display screen.

The screen is flanked by several buttons and a large speaker grille, making the Triby look more like a familiar old radio than the Echo’s sleek slate chic. This might be where Amazon’s Alexa fund and Alexa Skills Kit shines: powering devices for different demographics and making sure Alexa gets in as many homes as possible.

Source: Amazon

‘The Angry Birds Movie’ credits will unlock game content

Rovio has a lot riding on its new animated movie. Earlier this month, the Finnish company reported a €13 million ($14.8 million) operating loss for 2015, blaming “heavy investments” in future projects. The popularity of Angry Birds is waning, but a commercially succesful film could be its salvation. As such, it’s developed a new app called Angry Birds Action!, which rewards players for seeing the movie on opening weekend. Players that open the app during the end credits will be treated to an “exclusive movie clip” and a new area of the game to explore. The feature is triggered by an “inaudible digital watermark” that plays in the background.

Angry Birds Action! combines classic pinball and the trademark Angry Birds ‘pull, aim and fling’ gameplay mechanic. In each level, you’ll be guiding Red or one of his furry friends through a gauntlet of eggs, ice and wooden crates. The birds only have so much momentum, so it’s your job to collect all of the eggs using a limited number of swipes. It’s a high-production effort, but nothing that would change Rovio’s fortunes on its own.

To keep players engaged, Rovio is offering mini-games and AR extras that can only be unlocked in the real world. Each LEGO playset featuring the Angry Birds characters will, for instance, come with a QR “BirdCode” in the instruction manual that unlocks extra content. A similar “Whack-a-Pig” game and the ability to take “selfies” with Red can be unlocked by scanning a McDonald’s Happy Meal. Other retail partners include Walmart, Toys R Us and H&M. It’s a clear effort to keep Angry Birds fans — new, old and recently lapsed — thinking about the movie and Rovio’s apps.

If that doesn’t change people’s interest in the brand, it’s going to be another difficult, turbulent year for the Helsinki-based game developer.

Source: Rovio

UK government says BA plane strike probably wasn’t a drone

Reports of a drone hitting a plane at Heathrow Airport may have been inaccurate. Responding to MP questions in the House of Commons, transport secretary Patrick McLouglin said: “The incident which was reported on the 17th of April, it’s now thought that was not a drone incident.” British Airways flight B727 was approaching the London airstrip at 12:50pm from Geneva, with 132 passengers on board. The pilot reported an object striking the aircraft, which spiralled into reports of a UAV.

An investigation was launched by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, but as the Guardian reports, the case is now closed. “We made initial inquiries but there was insufficient information on what object was involved for us to take it further.” Last week, transport minister Robert Goodwill also downplayed the incident, claiming there was “no actual damage to the plane” and admitting “it may have been even a plastic bag.”

In the last 12 months, airports have reported a worrying number of drone incidents. None of them involved a collision with a plane, however, which is why the incident on April 17th has sparked such a lively debate. The Civil Aviation Authority, which sets out the rules for legal drone flights in the UK, has stressed: “It is totally unacceptable to fly drones close to airports and anyone flouting the rules face severe penalties, including imprisonment.” If you need a refresher, here’s our guide to UK drone laws.

Source: Guardian, parliamentlive.tv

HP’s new Chromebook 13 is a Pixel for everybody

Hewlett Packard is making another Chromebook. This one, dubbed the HP Chromebook 13, is a little different from its previous efforts, though. It’s the result of a design partnership with Google and it looks relatively premium. It features an anodized aluminum chassis, 13.3-inch QHD+ display running at 3,200 x 1800 resolution and a thickness of 12.9 mm. Beyond that, the new Chromebook comes with Bang and Olufsen-tuned speakers and weighs just under three pounds (2.86, to be exact) — depending on how you configure it.

HP says this is the first Chromebook to use a 6th-generation Intel Core M processor (as seen in Apple’s recently refreshed MacBook) and it’s available with up to 16GB of RAM. There’s also a USB-C docking setup for it that’ll let you hook the Chromebook 13 into multiple displays (ChromeOS supports three simultaneous displays), as well as full-size keyboards and other accessories. HP claims 11.5 hours on a charge of the 45 watt-hour battery and USB-C plays a role here as well, offering an option for fast charging.

The spec sheet suggests why Google might have been involved in the design process: this looks like a pared down version of the company’s Pixel, the ultra-high end Chromebook that many love, but few can afford. This high-end (for a Chromebook, at least) machine is clearly targeted at professionals, with pre-orders starting today at $499. That’s a lot cheaper than the Pixel, even if, especially at entry level, it’s quite a bit less powerful. Shipments are expected to start next month. We’ll have more on this interesting sounding machine very soon, so stay tuned.

Aaron Souppouris contributed to this article.

Apple Watch Loses Market Share as Android Wear Grows in Popularity

The latest data from research firm Strategy Analytics reveals that Apple Watch sales totaled an estimated 2.2 million in the first quarter.

Apple Watch remains the most popular smartwatch, but its market share declined to 52.4-percent compared to 63-percent in the previous quarter.

Strategy Analytics cites increasing competition from Android Wear rivals such as LG and Motorola as one reason for the Apple Watch ceding market share:

“We estimate Apple Watch shipped 2.2 million units and captured 52 percent smartwatch marketshare worldwide in Q1 2016, dipping from 63 percent share in Q4 2015,” said Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics. “Samsung shipped 0.6 million smartwatches, capturing 14 percent marketshare worldwide for second position. Apple Watch and Samsung Gear models are expanding fast across dozens of countries, but competition from LG, Motorola and others is ramping up fast.”

Nevertheless, Apple still maintains a comfortable lead in the smartwatch market, with its wrist-worn sales outpacing all other competitors combined. Samsung trailed in second place with only 600,000 shipments, for instance, while all other vendors shipped a combined 1.4 million units in the quarter.

Global smartwatch shipments grew 223-percent annually to reach 4.2 million units in the first quarter of 2016, up from 1.3 million in the year-ago quarter, according to Strategy Analytics. Growth was driven by demand for Apple, Android Wear, and Tizen models across North America, Western Europe, and Asia.

Apple does not disclose Watch sales in its quarterly earning results, instead grouping the device under its Other Products category alongside iPods, Apple TVs, Beats Electronics, and accessories. Strategy Analytics estimates, however, place total Apple Watch sales at nearly 16 million since its April 2015 launch.

Strategy Analytics estimated that Apple Watch sales totaled 4 million during its launch quarter, allowing it to capture an impressive 75.5-percent market share, followed by estimated sales of 4.5 million in the third quarter. By the fourth quarter, encompassing the busy holiday shopping season, the firm said Apple Watch market share had dropped to 63-percent based on 5.1 million sales.

On April 24, the Apple Watch celebrated its one-year anniversary in the U.S. and other first wave launch countries. Many consumers are now anxiously anticipating the Apple Watch 2, which is expected to debut in the second half of 2016 and could feature a FaceTime camera, expanded Wi-Fi abilities, and cellular connectivity. New bands, finishes, and models are always a possibility as well.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 2
Tags: Samsung, Motorola, Strategy Analytics, LG, Android Wear
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
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Motorola all set to unveil the Moto G4 and G4 Plus in India on May 17

Motorola has sent out invites to the Indian media for an event on May 17, where the vendor will unveil the Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Plus.

Earlier rumors suggested that the phones will make their debut on June 9, but it looks like that isn’t the case. As for what’s on offer with the Moto G4, leaked renders reveal a home button with a fingerprint scanner at the front, along with an oblong camera setup at the back. With just over two weeks to go, we don’t have to wait long to find out all about Motorola’s 2016 budget phones.

Pick your side of the civil war in Marvel Puzzle Quest

D3 Go and Marvel have announced an event for Marvel Puzzle Quest based on the upcoming film Captain America: Civil War. As well as providing new content for those who enjoy the game to tackle, this event also helps the companies market the new film, making it a win-win for everyone.

During this event, you’ll be able to choose either Team Captain or Team Iron Man and battle through missions taking on the opposing force. Making your way through available scenarios will eventually put you up against a special boss version of either Captain America or Iron Man, depending on which team you selected.

To mark the event, Winter Soldier will be available in the game starting today. The character will be required to complete all the nodes in the first run of the Civil War event. Download Marvel Puzzle Quest from the Play Store.

Samsung is working on a standalone untethered VR headset

At its annual developer conference, Samsung has announced that it is working on a standalone VR headset that offers positional tracking. The technology is already available on the HTC Vive or the Oculus Rift, but Samsung is looking to do one better by offering a headset that’s untethered.

From Samsung’s head of R&D for software and services Injong Rhee:

We’re working on wireless and dedicated VR devices, not necessarily working [just with] our mobile phones. You’re going to see a lot of our products coming on the market in the next few years with these capabilities.

Rhee said that the vendor is also working on hand and gesture tracking, with the eventual goal being a Star Trek-style “holodeck:”

You enter a holodeck, you’re actually in a virtual world, interacting with all the virtual objects as if you’re living there. That’s the kind of reality we’re trying to create on these virtual-reality headsets.

The executive mentioned that any finished product is still a few years off, but if Samsung manages to come up with a wireless headset will full positional tracking by then, it will be a major win for the vendor. Also, it’s not known how Samsung’s foray in this segment will affect its partnership with Oculus, which provides the hardware for the Gear VR.