Predict the PC market in 2006

During 2005, the computer hardware sector always followed the market, with the index increasing by only one third compared to the rest of the regions. This is in stark contrast to the trend at the end of last year, when investors proved particularly optimistic about the demand for PCs.

Winning market share

According to Megan Graham-Hackett, researcher of PC firms, the growth rate will be steadily decreasing, from 15% this year to 9% in 2006. This decline has many causes, dualism Weakness is due to the need to buy a new PC almost just stalling. Consumers are now more focused and interested in hi-tech (gadgets) devices, laptops and mobile phones, while money bags are limited.

Narrow input will force computer manufacturers to handle many new tricks. In addition to expanding into new markets, increasing the competitiveness of products, they also need to participate in a fierce battle to win market share. Paradoxically, the lower the price, the greater the market share of a firm, the higher the risk of them losing money.

Go find the medicine to treat the injury

Understand that this pressure is inevitable, if not more and more stressful, hardware businesses are struggling, seeking other channels of profitability to compensate. Where do they look? Still services, servers and storage devices.

More specifically, hardware companies are digging into features such as automation, "self-diagnosis and healing" of computers, as well as functions that are performed only after a keystroke.

For big giants like Sun, HP and IBM, their main production portfolio in 2006 will be the server. The general trend is that companies will release smart servers, able to detect some common errors or problems, which can automatically fix those problems.

This feature "Self-treatment" name has been developed by the hardware industry in the last few years. Sun has introduced several "super server" models, integrating self-treatment and HP and IBM are not outdone. In fact, all three giants are pursuing the same market.

In parallel with the race in that high-end segment, the hardware industry has always focused on faster, cheaper and more compact devices.

The small size issue has an extremely important meaning for businesses when building data centers, especially when they have to rent offices with exorbitant prices. That is the reason why people expect and expect a lot of blade servers - ultra-thin servers, and in this district, IBM is the dominant name. The biggest difficulty is to always balance the miniature size with the constantly increasing processing efficiency, but the heat output is still small. Solving this problem will remain the leading task of firms in 2006.

Kill or isolate?

After completing the first step in a global outreach campaign, acquiring IBM's PC division, Lenovo is looking for ways to build a truly different computer brand. And this difference, in its hope, does not stop at cost.

Be aware that with the characteristics of a "mature" industry like computers, businesses can only compete with each other on price. But Lenovo still discovered a rare loophole to bypass: they just announced a line of computers capable of attacking the virus with just a press of a button.

Whether the Lenovo computer can kill the real virus, but most likely, it will isolate the unstable virus from other parts of the computer. That means that when you are attacked by a virus, at least your computer is not so much as turning into a scrap of iron or a zombie (zombie) today. If Lenovo can successfully develop this feature, this will be a very interesting invention.

"Simple is gold"

At this point, please open the brackets a bit more about the phrase "one-click". You wonder why firms must emphasize, re-emphasize this feature so much? Please, this is a general strategy that both Lenovo, Dell, HP and all PC vendors are pursuing. Not only novice computer users need shortcuts to access frequently used functions, but even ordinary users also want to save time and save effort?

A few years ago, several computer firms that integrated into hotkeys allowed quick Internet access. What is the principle behind it? They are trying to make the computer look like a TV, just plug in, turn it on and that's it. Why is TV so attractive and popular? Because it's simple to use. Does that simple cause users to be bored? No, but quite the opposite.

Once users are positively impressed with the product, they will be more interested in buying or upgrading equipment, which means that the business opportunities will also increase. The maxim that all whispering firms are now "Simple is gold".

Open your own path

A worth mentioning case here is Logitech. After a time of nailing names with computer mice and keyboards, Logitech has actively expanded its product portfolio to consumer electronics. The company has launched a mini speaker set exclusively for iPod, remote control for all electronic devices in the home, gaming mouse, Internet camera . All aim to "entertain the family". .

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