Market researcher Gartner said the PC market in Western Europe declined 19 percent in the second quarter of 2011, but Apple was the only top five vendor to show growth.

PC shipments in Western Europe came to 12.7 million units in the second quarter of 2011, down 18.9 percent from the same period in 2010, according to research note from Gartner today. Meanwhile, Apple managed to eke out a modest 0.5 percent growth, Gartner said.

"The PC market in Western Europe suffered from weak demand in both the professional and consumer sectors, a market which also … Read more

Making tablets with a very-high-resolution display in large volumes is posing a challenge for Apple, according to analysts and an Asia-based report.

Two analysts contacted by CNET today said that they don't expect a new version of the iPad, dubbed the iPad 3, until next year because of high-resolution display supply constraints. And a report today from Digitimes made similar claims.

"We have heard that panel makers have had trouble manufacturing panels at efficient yields with the resolutions that Apple is requesting," said Richard Shim, an analyst at DisplaySearch. "There's even been discussion of lowering the resolution to get better yields."

A 9.7-inch tablet display with 2,048x1,536 resolution "has been under development for some time," Rhoda Alexander, an analyst at IHS iSuppli, said in reply to an e-mail query. Alexander said iSuppli has built its projections on a 2012 introduction of an iPad with this kind of very high-resolution display. Apple's iPad 2, announced back in March, has a 9.7-inch display with a resolution of 1,024x768. … Read more

This week, a Dell executive threw cold water on an already-lukewarm Android tablet market in the U.S., and his comments echo recent sniping by Nvidia's CEO about the launch of the Motorola Xoom.

Though Apple has sold 25 million iPads to date--many of those in the U.S.--Android tablet makers like Motorola and Samsung are selling a fraction of that. Motorola said it has shipped 250,000 Xoom tablets. Samsung has fared a bit better, with just under 1 million out the door in the first quarter, according to DisplaySearch.

Samsung's relatively robust number includes a … Read more

Dell will launch its highly anticipated 10-inch tablet in the Chinese market first, based on a emerging belief that the U.S. market isn't mature enough for a successful Android launch, Dell executives told CNET today.

Dell's Streak 10 Pro (see specifications below) will launch in China this summer and in the U.S. market probably sometime next year, John Thode, a Dell vice president and manager of Dell's mobility business, told CNET. The U.S. market simply doesn't offer a viable 10-inch tablet strategy for Dell, he said.

"This is not an either-or for … Read more

Dell tomorrow plans to announce what the company is positioning as the successor to its ultrathin Adamo line.

The 0.97-inch thick XPS 15z can be configured with Intel "Sandy Bridge" Core i5 (2.9GHz) and Core i7 (3.4GHz) processors, a 15.6-inch 1920-by-1080 resolution display (300-nit), and a 750GB 7200RPM hard disk drive.

Constructed from anodized aluminum, it will also be offered with Nvidia GT 525M graphics, two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI and Mini DisplayPort ports, a slot-load optical drive, a "spill resistant" back-lit keyboard, Ethernet port, media card reader, and a 1.3MP Webcam with dual array microphones.

As a bonus, the 15z qualifies for the free Xbox 360 4GB console promotional offer. Orders can arrive the next day with Dell's "fast ship" option, the company said.

As CNET reported earlier, the 15z is expected to start at $999 with Windows 7 Home Premium.

The Dell Adamo was discontinued in February. Launched in March 2009, it competed with Apple's MacBook Air. … Read more

Dell has released some revealing multimedia as it prepares to announce a new 15.6-inch ultrathin laptop later this month.

As CNET reported earlier, the new ultrathin will be the first in a line of laptops designed in the spirit of the company's discontinued Adamo brand.

And with a 15.6-inch screen size, it will be the thinnest in this class of laptops, claimed sources familiar with the product.

Built around the the latest Intel "Sandy Bridge" Core i5 and Core i7 processors, the ultrathin will have a high-resolution display, be crafted from special materials, and come … Read more

Dell will introduce a sleek new laptop in the coming weeks--the first in a line designed in the spirit of the company's erstwhile Adamo brand, according to sources close to Dell.

The new line will debut at 15.6 inches and be the thinnest in this class of laptops, according to the sources. Dell's initial model will pack the latest Intel "Sandy Bridge" Core i5 and Core i7 processors, have a high-resolution display, and be crafted from special materials--all for less than $1,000.

Though branding was not specified, the line will be positioned as a "prosumer" product that has plenty of performance for business users but also "style and beauty" for consumers, according to the sources.

The elegantly designed Dell Adamo, an ultrathin laptop that was discontinued earlier in the year, was criticized in some quarters for underwhelming performance--criticism that Apple's original MacBook Air also received.

Dell's new line, however, will be both thin and fast.… Read more

A couple of prominent chief executives were shown the door recently because of their take on the tablet market. But the executive boards doing the firing should be careful what they wish for.

This week Acer's CEO, Gianfranco Lanci, was let go because, among other reasons, he believed Acer wasn't responding quickly enough to the tablet phenomenon. And earlier this year the CEO of Advanced Micro Devices resigned because, conversely, he was too unenthusiastic about the tablet market.

"This market is about growth," Richard Shim, an analyst at market researcher DisplaySearch, said in a phone interview, … Read more

After a few last gasps at deep discounts, the Dell Adamo line and brand name will be discontinued, CNET has learned.

First revealed--with much fanfare--at CES in 2009, the Adamo was a worthy competitor to Apple's groundbreaking laptop. Like the Air, it had an aluminum casing, was eye-catchingly thin (at 0.65 inches), used solid-state drives long before they came into wider use, and packed ultra-power-efficient Intel Core 2 Duo processors.

But the Adamo, like the earlier MacBook Air models, was pricey, starting at around $2,000, when it was launched in March 2009. That so-called luxury laptop surcharge … Read more