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Internet Explorer is Killing Chrome in Browser Wars, But Also Losing - Huh?

Paul Lilly — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:14:50 +0000

Conflicting data makes it difficult to gauge the browser landscape.

Depending on which data collection service you trust the most, Microsoft's Internet Explorer is either wiping the floor with Google's Chrome browser, or getting spanked by the relative newcomer. Starting with the former, NetMarketShare has IE way out in the lead with a 55.81 percent share of the desktop browser market, virtually unchanged from last month and up a little more than a percentage point from a year ago.

In that same time frame, NetMarketShare's data shows Chrome on the decline, going from being the go-to browser 18.85 percent of the time to just 16.35 percent currently. Looking at the data set, you could conclude that Chrome peaked in 2012 and is now settling into a plateau. And forget about catching up to IE, Chrome still trails Firefox, which is in second place with a 20.3 percent share of the browser market.

Don't care for the story that's unfolding at NetMarketShare? Head on over to StatCounter and you'll read an entirely different view of the online landscape. StatCounter has Chrome out in the lead with a 41.43 percent share of the browser market, up a little more than 10 percent versus a year ago. IE, on the other hand, continues to slide, goiing from a 34.07 percent share of the browser market a year ago to 27.39 percent currently, which is still ahead of Firefox at 19.73 percent.

How can these two firms report such drastically different figures? It has to do with the way each one collects data. NetMarketShare collects data from browsers of site visitors to its on-demand network of HitsLink Analytics and SharePost Clients, giving it a pool of 40,000 websites around the world to work with. StatCounter, on the other hand, uses tracking code installed on more than 3 million sites globally.

That's all well and good, but what are YOU using to browse the web these days?

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Column: Post-PC Era Won't Stifle PCs

Tom Halfhill — Thu, 02 May 2013 00:01:59 +0000

"Post-PC era" objections

Supposedly, the wild popularity of smartphones, tablets, e-readers, smart TVs, and hand-held videogames has brought us the “post-PC era.” To hear some folks talk, PCs are not only in decline, but are almost as doomed as dinosaurs. For proof, they point to slipping PC sales and to troubled PC vendors like Hewlett-Packard.

Steve Job talks about the "post-PC era"

Maximum PC’s editors have objected to this verdict, and so do I. Furthermore, I disagree with the pessimists who fear that weaker demand for PCs will stifle the development of new PC processors and platform innovations. If you are a PC enthusiast—and you wouldn’t be reading this site if you weren’t—happy days are still ahead.

True, 10 years ago, I predicted that desktop PCs were destined to become tomorrow’s mainframes. By that I meant PCs would no longer be the most popular computing platform and would be regarded largely as business machines for tasks requiring more processing power than smaller devices can deliver. I didn’t say PCs would become extinct. After all, mainframes are still very important, although we often call them by different names (“enterprise servers,” “cloud computers,” “data-center systems,” “supercomputers,” etc).

Are we living in a "post PC era?" (photo credit: thedaringjourney.com)

It’s also true that PC sales aren’t climbing as they once did. But people are still buying more than 300 million PCs a year, and several developing countries still represent a healthy growth market. Frankly, sales would be better if Microsoft hadn’t buried Windows 8 under a baffling user interface. As for HP, its troubles run much deeper than lackluster PC sales.

The fact is that economics still favor big investments in PC processors. In 2012, people bought 750 million smartphones and tablets, but those processors accounted for only $6.2 billion in sales. Half as many PC processors reaped $31 billion. So although mobile devices are sexy, PC chips earn the big bucks.

Tom Halfhill was formerly a senior editor for Byte magazine and is now an analyst for Microprocessor Report.

Windows Phone Ad Pokes Fun at Samsung and Apple Feud

Paul Lilly — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:20:12 +0000

Nokia's Lumia 920 is a lover, not a fighter.

It does seem at times as though Apple and Samsung almost enjoy fighting with each other, doesn't it? A new ad promoting Nokia's Lumia 920 smartphone and the Windows Phone platform it runs on comes right out and says it, and then implores viewers, "Don't fight. Switch." The 1-minute ad spot does little to promote the Lumia 920's features or Windows Phone software, but you have to hand it to Microsoft for at least trying to get into the thick of things.

The setting for the ad is a wedding where everything seems to be going well, that is until a guy with a Galaxy phone blocks the view of someone with an iPhone who's attempting to snap a picture of the bride and groom.

"Excuse me. Would you mind moving your enormous phone?," the iPhone toting attendee asks in snarky tone. Verbal jabs are then tossed around like rice at the end of a wedding ceremony, only it never gets that far because eventually a massive scuffle breaks out between Samsung and Apple users. At one point, a guy rips open his shirt to reveal an Apple logo tattoo on his chest. While all this is going on, a pair of waitstaff record the shenanigans on their Lumia 920 phones.

They also appear to be the only two out of a crowd of about 100 toting Windows Phone devices, so kudos to Microsoft for keeping things accurate, even if unintentional.

Here's the ad:

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DisplayMate Shootout Compares Samsung Galaxy S4 to S III and iPhone 5

Paul Lilly — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:46:41 +0000

Samsung's Galaxy S4 brings a 5-inch Full HD PenTile OLED panel to a display fight.

DisplayMate Technologies president Dr. Raymond M. Soneira managed to sweet talk Samsung into giving him an early production unit of its upcoming Galaxy S4 smartphone to test and analyze for its Display Technology Shoot-Out article, the results of which are now live. In it, Dr. Soneira compares the Galaxy S4's upgraded 5-inch Full HD 1080p PenTile OLED display with that of that of its predecessor, the Galaxy S III, and Apple's iPhone 5. How did it fare?

"Impressively" to the point of being able to challenge the best LCD displays, according to Dr. Soneira. What he found most interesting, however, is the inclusion of a Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) display in a 5.5-inch or smaller screen (in this case, it's 5 inches), noting that it's the same resolution found on most large screen HDTVs.

"The Galaxy S4 continues the rapid and impressive improvement in OLED displays and technology. The first notable OLED smartphone, the Google Nexus One, came in decidedly last place in our 2010 Smartphone Display Shoot-Out. In a span of just three years OLED display technology is now challenging the performance of the best LCDs," Dr. Soneira said.

In addition to picture quality, which consistently fared well during Dr. Soneira's testing, he also noted a 20 percent improvement in power efficacy between the Galaxy S4 and S III despite a 25 percent increase in brightness. This is something that bodes well for the future of OLED displays.

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Survey: Teens Love iPhones, Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones

Paul Lilly — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:30:24 +0000

Piper Jaffray thinks it has teens figured out.

According to the results of Piper Jaffray's 25th bi-annual teen survey, Android is growing in popularity among today's teens, but the iPhone is still the most sought after smartphone. Almost half of those surveyed -- 48 percent -- already own an iPhone, up from 40 percent last fall, while nearly two-thirds -- 62 percent -- plan on purchasing an iPhone the next time they buy a handset.

That latter stat is virtually unchanged from Fall 2012, as is the inclination to buy Android, which jumped a percentage point to 23 percent in the latest survey.

Teens are just as infatuated with iOS in the tablet category. Out of the 51 percent who own a tablet, 68 percent wield an iPad, though that's down from 72 percent. Some 17 percent plan on buying a tablet in the next 6 months, and out of those, 68 percent say they'll either get a full size iPad or iPad mini.

The survey didn't just focus on mobile devices, but on a number of categories, including fashion, video games, social media, and more. It even looked at headphones and found that Beats by Dr. Dre is the most popular brand among teens, followed by Apple and then Skullcandy as the top three.

Check out the full survey (PDF) and let us know what you think.

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Rumor: Apple iPhone 5S to Come in Different Sizes

Paul Lilly — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:48:18 +0000

Different size iPhone models could attract a bigger audience.

There's no arguing that Apple's been mighty successful in telling its customers what they want. Up until the iPhone 5, that meant telling them they didn't need or want a smartphone display larger than 3.5 inches, so that's all that was offered. With the introduction of the iPhone, Apple finally conceded there's a desire for a bigger screen, and so it stretched the display to 4 inches while maintaining the same width. Now we're hearing that the next iPhone model will come in a variety of screen options.

Topeka analyst Brian White says iPhone 5S buyers may get to choose between two or even three display sizes, with Apple finally shoving aside the notion that one size fits all.

"We believe Apple is coming around to the fact that one size per iPhone release does not work for everyone, and offering consumers an option has the potential to expand the company's market share," White stated in a note to investors, according to CNET.

White didn't say what screen sizes might be offered, but two obvious choices are 3.5 inches and 4 inches. If Apple decided to introduce a third size, it's likely to be an even bigger model to compete with the 4.5-inch and larger Android devices on the market. It's unlikely Apple would venture into phablet territory, but offering an additional half-an-inch (or thereabouts) would appeal to customers who simply want something bigger than what's currently available in iOS land.

Would you consider an iPhone if it had a larger screen size?

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T-Mobile Finally Inks Deal to Sell iPhones. Launches 4G LTE Network

Paul Lilly — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:27:31 +0000

Today was a big day for T-Mobile.

Never say never. Nearly six years after the original iPhone launched, T-Mobile is finally allowed to join the iOS party. Talk about showing up fashionably late, though to be fair, only AT&T was allowed to sell the iPhone up until the beginning of 2011. Since then, however, T-Mobile remained the odd man out, as Verizon Wireless and Sprint both jumped on the bandwagon long before today. Be that as it may, T-Mobile got it done, but will customers dig the unsubsidized price model?

Unlike the other guys, where you can snag an iPhone 5 starting at $200 (16GB) with a two-year service agreement, T-Mobile's moving to contract-free plans. That means the absence of subsidized discounts, though you don't have to pay the full price all at once. Qualifying customers with T-Mobile's Simple Choice Plan can grab an iPhone 5 for $99.99 down and $20 per month for 24 months. When all is said and done, you will have paid $579.99 for the device.

Where T-Mobile hopes to win customers over is with its Simple Choice Plans.

"T-Mobile’s new Simple Choice Plan starts with a base rate of $50 per month for unlimited talk, text and Web with 500MB of 4G data. Consumers can add 2GB of 4G data for $10 per month per line or get unlimited 4G data for an additional $20 per month per line," T-Mobile explains. "Customers can add a second phone line for $30 per month, and each additional line is just $10 per month. There are no caps and no overages."

Speaking of 4G data, T-Mobile launched its 4G LTE service in seven major metropolitan areas today, including Baltimore; Houston; Kansas City; Las Vegas; Phoenix; San Jose, CA; and Washington, D.C.

The iPhone 5 will be available on T-Mobile starting April 12. You can pre-register now.

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No BS Podcast #197: All Rants Edition

The Maximum PC Staff — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:52:41 +0000

All of Gordon's epic rants from 2012!

"Could ya'll possibly make an 'all rant edition' podcast this year like there have been in previous years? I liked those episodes of all the rants from the past year cut up into one." – user steven4570

Catzilla has nothing on Gordzilla

Well, steven4570, be careful what you wish for because we listened and have unleashed hell's wrath…or at least Gordon's. Yes, that's right, we have assembled all of Gordon's rants from 2012 and have compiled them into one rant-fest that shall be known as Maximum PC's No BS Podcast episode #197. In this retrospective edition, Deputy Editor Gordon Mah Ung rages over such topics such as Star Wars, Apple, and consoles. The rants were plucked from episode #182 all the way up to episode #193. It is almost three hours long so if you've got a weak stomach for passionate hatred, you may want to listen in small doses!

If you have feedback for the show, please leave it in the comments. If you want to catch future episodes, you can:

Subscribe on iTunes

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Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com

Subscribe to our RSS feed

Leave us a voicemail at 877-404-1337 x1337

Thanks for listening!

-Maximum PC Staff

Android Tablet Shipments to Top iPad in 2013

Paul Lilly — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:32:53 +0000

It's only a matter of time before Android overtakes iOS in the tablet space.

The open source nature of Android is perhaps a double edged sword, depending on how you look at the situation. On one hand, fragmentation is a sometimes annoying byproduct of having so many different device makers putting their own spin on the operating system, which is why Android 2.3.x (Gingerbread) is still the most popular version of Android to date. On the other hand, it's the very reason why Android's market share is so much higher than Apple's iOS platform. The one exception is tablets, but given enough time, it's inevitable Android slates will outnumber the iPad.

According to the latest data by International Data Corporation (IDC), Android tablet shipments will outnumber the iPad by the end of 2013. This is primarily due to the popularity of sub 8-inch tablets, which are less expensive than slates measuring in the neighborhood of 10 inches.

"One in every two tablets shipped this quarter was below 8 inches in screen size. And in terms of shipments, we expect smaller tablets to continue growing in 2013 and beyond," said Jitesh Ubrani, Research Analyst for IDC's Tablet Tracker. "Vendors are moving quickly to compete in this space as consumers realize that these small devices are often more ideal than larger tablets for their daily consumption habits."

This demand is fueling Android's growth in the tablet sector. IDC expects Android tablets to peak at 48.8 percent market share in 2013, up from a previous forecast of 41.5 percent, while iOS (iPad) is expected to drop from 51 percent to 46 percent.

Looking longer term, IDC says that by the end of 2017 Android will account for 46 percent of all tablets, versus iOS at 43.5 percent. Windows (7.4 percent) and Windows RT (2.7 percent) will pick up the scraps.

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Mozilla Confirms They Won’t Develop Firefox For iOS Until Apple Allows Alternate Rendering Engines

Justin Kerr — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 19:53:53 +0000

Mozilla is intentionally ignoring Apple’s mobile platform.

iOS users have a ton of alternate browser choices these days, but only if you don’t mind using a severely gimped and re-skinned version of Safari. Google for example has chosen to port over a version of its highly successful Chrome browser, however unlike the situation on the desktops, iOS Chrome is significantly slower than Safari. Apple currently forces competitors to make use of its much slower UIWebView rendering engine, while the built in version of Safari has access to the significantly faster Nitro engine. This policy ensures competitors are unable to match Safari in the speed department, and Mozilla claims this is the primary reason why they currently have no intention of developing for the platform.

Mozilla vice president Mike Sullivan was on hand at this years SXSW, and confirmed that his company wasn’t interested in simply skinning an in-superior version of Safari. Sullivan stated clearly that Mozilla would only revisit iOS if they were given the opportunity to natively port the IonMonkey engine currently being used on other desktop and mobile platforms. Mozilla faces similar challenges on Windows RT, and given how stubborn both Apple and Microsoft can be, we aren’t surprised the company is pursuing its own mobile OS.

Will Apple ever open up their platform to proper competition? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Google Chrome Loses Market Share To Internet Explorer

Justin Kerr — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 02:23:05 +0000

Windows 8 may be struggling, but Internet Explorer is thriving.

For years Internet Explorer has been easy to pick on, but for once the Redmond based software giant is bucking the trend. Market share for Internet Explorer has reached an 18-month high, and it seems to have done so largely at the expense of Google Chrome. In February IE climbed 0.68 points to 55.82 percent. Chrome dropped 1.21 percent, and Firefox rocketed above 20 percent to settle at 16.27 and 20.12 percent respectively.

ARStechnica did an interesting analysis on what exactly this means for the browser market, and specifically Windows 8. The natural first instinct when looking at the numbers would be to attribute IE’s success to Microsoft’s newest version of Windows. Internet Explorer 10 and its new modern UI browser could reasonably explain away a bump in the numbers, however Windows 8 usage is at just 2.67 percent. This makes it bigger than any single version of Mac OSX, but still around half of Windows Vista.

Microsoft has stepped up its advertising budget for IE over the last several months, and perhaps we are finally seeing the results? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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iFixit Compiles Tablet Reparability List – Apple & Microsoft Duke it Out for Worst of the Worst

Justin Kerr — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 19:57:50 +0000

The best tablets on the market are also the worst to drop.

Here at Maximum PC we love to strip machines down and rebuild them just to see what makes it tick, but with modern gadgets that isn’t always easy. Screws have been replaced by glue, and the simple pleasures of popping the cover off to perform upgrades seems to be a lost art. iFixit has emerged as the Internet’s ultimate authority on gadget reparability, and its newly updated list of tablets puts both Microsoft and Apple fighting for the distinction as worlds least fixable tablet.

Microsoft edges out a victory as the worst of the worst, but only by a very narrow margin. The Surface Pro’s 1 out of 10 score in particular is a huge let down for many of our readers. Microsoft is hoping customers will choose a Surface over a conventional laptop, but then take away from us the ability to replace the battery, upgrade the Ram and SSD, or even clean out the fans. With a starting price of $899 it’s also a very expensive mistake should you accidentally drop it.

If reparability is important to you check out the Dell XP 10 for Windows 8, or the Amazon Kindle Fire. If you’re still keen on the Surface or an iPad, we would highly recommend taking out the extended warranty coverage offered by both companies. This covers accidental damage (minus a small deductible), but is really your only option if you don’t plan to jam it in a case made of thick bouncy rubber.

Best Tablets

Worst Tablets

(Image Credit = iFixit.com)

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The High Cost of Customization

Tom Halfhill — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 22:50:13 +0000

Every girl crazy about a sharp dressed...computer chip

Long ago, all men’s suits were handmade by tailors. Then mass production made off-the-rack garments more affordable, and now only the wealthy or fastidious buy fully tailored suits. A similar trend has transformed the semiconductor industry, making custom microprocessors a luxury only for well-heeled companies.

Crucial difference: Whereas custom suits are one-off designs, custom chips must be produced in large volumes to justify the high design costs and manufacturing-startup expenses. Apple’s A6 application processor in the iPhone 5 is a good example.

The A6 is no larger than a postage stamp, but it probably cost more than $500 million to get the first chip out the door. Yep, that’s half a billion dollars for a processor that beats a competing design from Samsung by about three months and will be obsolete in about two years. Yet, for Apple, it may be a good investment.

Here’s the breakdown. In 2008, to acquire more engineering expertise, Apple paid $278 million for PA Semi, a Silicon Valley startup. Apple didn’t want the company’s processors—just its design experience. Next, in 2010, Apple spent $120 million for Intrinsity, a startup specializing in high-speed circuit design.

Then, to design the ARM-compatible A6, Apple needed an architectural license from ARM, the British company that owns the architecture. The license probably cost at least $10 million. Finally, Apple had to design the chip, verify it, and pay for the mask sets and other fabrication-startup costs. That’s another $100 million or so.

Total: about $508 million. And that’s just for a few test chips. Apple outsources production to an independent foundry, incurring more expenses for the finished chips and for royalties to ARM.

Apple has the resources and sales to justify a custom-tailored processor. Most companies must be satisfied with off-the-rack chips—even if their fit isn’t quite perfect.

Samsung Hires Former U.K. Judge Who Slammed Apple

Paul Lilly — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 20:52:05 +0000

Something tells us Apple isn't real happy about this.

Last year, a U.K. judge did more than just side with Samsung in a case brought against it by Apple. Judge Robin Jacob also ordered Apple to post a statement on on the front page of its website, as well as in newspapers and magazines, saying that Samsung had not copied Apple's design patent. It basically boiled down to a public apology, and eventually Apple was ordered to pay Samsung's lawyer's fees on an indemnity basis. Apple would go on to win a huge damages award in the U.S., but what of the U.K. judge? He now works for Samsung.

It's true, according to Foss Patents, which points out that at one point, former Judge Robin Jacob noted a "lack of integrity" on Apple's part.

"For someone so concerned with 'integrity' it is utterly unusual to issue a high-profile and extreme ruling in favor of a particular party (Samsung in this case) only to be hired as an expert by that same party in another dispute," Foss Patents writes.

Jacob had actually retired a year prior to Apple and Samsung duking it out in U.K. court, but under Section 9 of the Senior Courts Act of 1981, ex-judges can be invited to sit on the bench. So it was with Jacob, who handled the Samsung v Apple suit that made so many headlines.

Now just a few months later, Samsung has hired Jacob as one of nine legal experts in a patent infringement case filed by Ericsson against Samsung. Under U.K. law, he's not doing any illegal, even if it does raise a few eyebrows.

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Gabe Newell: Apple Poses a Bigger Threat to Steam Box Than Microsoft

Paul Lilly — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:01:21 +0000

Valve's Newell believes Apple could roll over the console guys, if it really wanted to.

In this week's edition of "Gabe Newell Said What?," the co-founder and managing director of Valve waxed insightful on the hurdles set before the much anticipated Steam Box, the biggest of which might be trying to overcome Apple's presence in the living room. As you're likely aware, Newell once famously called the release of Windows 8 a "catastrophe for everyone in the PC space," and that it would cause top-tier OEMs to exit the market. That's part of the reason why Valve is forging ahead with a so-called Steam Box in the first place, but it's not Microsoft (or Sony) that poses the biggest threat.

According to Newell, who gave a speech to a class at the University of Texas' LBJ School of Public Affairs, if Apple decides to compete in the living room space, it could essentially steamroll the console guys and disrupt the entire PC ecosystem, let alone what plans Valve has for the Steam Box.

"The threat right now is that Apple has gained a huge amount of market share, and has a relatively obvious pathway towards entering the living room with their platform," Newell said. "I think that there's a scenario where we see sort of a dumbed down living room platform emerging — I think Apple rolls the console guys really easily. The question is can we make enough progress in the PC space to establish ourselves there, and also figure out better ways of addressing mobile before Apple takes over the living room?"

Newell notes that tapping into the PC is the key to fending off Apple. He envisions more and more living room devices that take advantage of the PC's ecosystem with bigger hard drives and varying form factors at attractive price points, but says if Apple gains a foothold first, it's going to be an uphill battle.

"We're happy to do it if nobody else will do it, mainly because everybody else will pile on, and people will have a lot of choices, but they'll have those characteristics. They'll say, 'Well, I could buy a console, which assumes I'll re-buy all my content, have a completely different video system, and, oh, I have a completely different group of friends, apparently. Or I can just extend everything I love about the PC and the internet into the living room,'" Newell said.

Source: PC Gamer via Polygon

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