Martin Kovacs

The International Data Corporation (IDC) has also recorded a decline, stating that worldwide shipments totalled nearly 68 million units for the quarter, down 3.9 per cent year-on-year, which it however noted was about 3.2 per cent ahead of projections.

Mikako Kitagawa, Gartner principal analyst, noted that “two fundamental issues” have impacted results in the market, “the extension of the lifetime of the PC caused by the excess of consumer devices, and weak PC consumer demand in emerging markets”.

“According to our 2016 personal technology survey, the majority of consumers own, and use, at least three different types of devices in mature markets,” Kitagawa commented.

“Among these devices, the PC is not a high-priority device for the majority of consumers, so they do not feel the need to upgrade their PCs as often as they used to. Some may never decide to upgrade to a PC again.

“In emerging markets, PC penetration is low, but consumers are not keen to own PCs. Consumers in emerging markets primarily use smartphones or phablets for their computing needs, and they don’t find the need to use a PC as much as consumers in mature markets.”

Meanwhile, with the IDC results ahead of projections, the IDC states this reflects “competition among the market leaders and an effort to capitalise on market consolidation and future stabilisation”.

“We are very pleased to see some improvement in the market,” Loren Loverde, IDC vice president, Worldwide PC Trackers & Forecasting, stated.

“Industry efforts to update products to leverage new processors and operating systems, to deliver a better computing experience encompassing more mobile, secure and faster systems, and to accelerate PC replacements have been critical. These improvements are accumulating, and set the stage for a stronger market going forward.”

Gartner found that the top six vendors combined for a record high 78 per cent of shipments, with Lenovo continuing as the market leader, with HP nearly tied for top spot (Gartner notes that these rankings could change when final shipment results are published).

Lenovo has recorded six consecutive quarters of year-on-year shipment declines, while HP and Dell have recorded shipment growth since the 2016 second quarter, Gartner stated.

Lexar states that the reader provides for professional-level, high-speed transfer of RAW images and 4K video files.

“Given the rapid growth and widespread appeal of 4K video, we realised it was essential to create a reader for XQD 2.0 cards that provided professionals with a way to transfer great video and photo content without the wait time,” Micron Consumer Products Group marketing manager APAC Mathew Luu commented.

“The Lexar Professional XQD 2.0 USB 3.0 Reader supercharges post-production content transfer, no matter what you’re shooting.”

“In a slowing smartphone market where large vendors are experiencing growth saturation, emerging brands are disrupting existing brands’ long-standing business models to increase their share,”  Anshul Gupta, Gartner research director, commented.

“With such changing smartphone market dynamics, Chinese brands are emerging as the new top global brands.

“Two Chinese brands ranked within the top five worldwide smartphone vendors in the first quarter of 2015, and represented 11 per cent of the market. In the first quarter of 2016, there were three Chinese brands – Huawei, Oppo and Xiaomi – and they achieved 17 per cent of the market.”

Among the brands, Oppo had the best performance for the quarter, moving into the number four position, posting unit sales growth of 145 per cent, like Huawei and Xiaomi, seeing strong growth in China and taking share from players such as Lenovo, Samsung and Yulong.

Huawei registered strong smartphone demand in Europe, the Americas and Africa, with Xiaomi and Oppo seeing their smartphone sales in emerging Asia Pacific rise 20 per cent and 199 per cent, respectively.

In second place, Apple claimed a 14.8 per cent market share, down from 17.9 per cent year-on-year.

Rounding out the top five, Huawei captured an 8.3 per cent market share, up from 5.4 per cent year-on-year, Oppo claimed a 4.6 per cent share, up from 2 per cent, and Xiaomi claimed a 4.3 per cent share, down from 4.4 per cent.

Lenovo slipped out of the top five smartphone vendor ranking and top 10 mobile phone vendor market in the quarter.

“Lenovo had another challenging quarter with its worldwide smartphone sales declining 33 per cent,” Gupta commented. “Its smartphone sales fell by 75 per cent in Greater China, where it faced strong competition from local brands. Lenovo is also struggling to bring synergies with Motorola’s device business, managing lower costs and overheads of the two brands.”

In the smartphone operating system market, Android regained share over iOS and Windows, taking out an 84.1 per cent market share, up from 78.8 per cent year-on-year. iOS claimed a 14.8 per cent share, down from 17.9 per cent year-on-year, with Windows claiming a 0.7 per cent share, down from 2.5 per cent.

“As mature smartphone markets are reaching saturation, Google is pursuing new revenue growth opportunities by expanding the reach of its platforms in cars, wearables, connected homes, immersive experiences and more,” Roberta Cozza, Gartner research director, commented.

“Despite the Android platform’s advancements and its dominant market share, the challenges of profitability remain for a number of Android players. This will have an impact on the vendor landscape where new or more innovative business models will increasingly become key to succeed.”

Gupta additionally noted that the announced return to the smartphone and tablet markets by Nokia “will not be an easy mission”.

“In today’s market, it takes much more than a well-known brand to sell devices,” he commented. “Making good hardware won’t be an issue for Nokia, but users need a compelling reason to remain loyal to the same brand.

Meanwhile, the tablet market is down 16 per cent year-on-year, with 1.5 million units sold in the first half.

Apple iOS devices retained market leadership with a 48 per cent market share, while Android devices, with a 38 per cent market share (down 4 per cent), conceded market share to Windows-based devices, making up 14 per cent of the market (up 4 per cent) .

Telsyte believes Microsoft is now the third largest player after Apple and Samsung in the Australian tablet market.

“The tablet market has been impacted by larger-screen smartphones and buyers seeking greater functionality from their next tablet purchase,” Telsyte managing director Foad Fadaghi commented.

“Windows-based tablets and 2-in-1s will benefit from an upgrade cycle that started with the arrival of Windows 10 and is expected to continue into 2017.”

Amid the growth of the 2-in-1 segment, Telsyte expects competition will intensify between professional devices suitable for workplace applications, such as the Surface Pro 4 and iPad Pro, with the arrival of these devices forecast to help to boost sales in the second half to 1.8 million units.

NFC allows for compatible mobile devices or tablets to be paired with the TM-m30, with ePOS print allowing direct printing from any mobile device without the need to install or update drivers, available for iOS and Android.

“The new TM-m30 has been specifically designed for tablet POS applications, and fits perfectly into small and medium-sized retail and hospitality environments,” Craig Heckenberg, Epson Australia general manager, business division, commented.

“With its compact design, emphasis on connectivity and its simple-to-use Ethernet, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi interfaces, users can operate more efficiently and productively, safe in the knowledge that the TM-m30 can be integrated into virtually any operating environment.”

Available in both black and white, the TM-m30 can print receipts in multiple greyscales, with advanced graphic and barcode printing capabilities allowing for highly customised layouts of receipts, including logos and promotional messages.

Epson states the DM-D30 optional display “is developed to match the modern design of the TM-m30”, with an optional tablet stand also available.

– Sleek, compact and stylish design
– Flexible placement – place horizontally or vertically
– NFC and barcode pairing
– ePOS print allows direct printing from any mobile device without the need to install or update drivers
– Print speed of up to 200 mm/sec
– Paper width max 80 mm
– High-quality receipt printouts
– Prints 1D and 2D barcodes
– Drop-in paper loading
– Roll paper diameter 83 m
– Optional customer display (DM-D30) and optional tablet stand available
– Wall-mount kit available
– Paper saving functions
– Energy Star certified
– ePOS print SDK is available for iOS, Android, Windows CD or Windows mobile platforms

The module has been developed for smartphone wireless power chargers with a performance equivalent to wired chargers, LG Innotek states, with it being “compatible with diverse charger specifications”.

In terms of compatibility, LG Innotek states that it can be used on the majority of commercial smartphones that support wireless power chargers, following the standards of both the Wireless Power Consortium and AirFuel Alliance.

As well as wireless chargers used in the home or office, it can be used with those installed in vehicles, with LG Innotek noting the market, formed around homes and offices, will expand to automobiles and public places.

The reader sends data with Bluetooth low energy tech, while to make a payment, customers either hold their NFC-enabled card or device up to the reader, or insert their chip card.

“We know NFC is important to Australian businesses, both for providing fast and secure tap-and-go card payments and future-proofing for the next wave of payment innovation like Apple Pay and Android Pay,” Square Australian country manager Ben Pfisterer commented.

“We’re delivering it in the most accessible, affordable and mobile way, available anywhere in Australia.”

From today, the new reader, priced at $59, can be ordered from the Square website, with free shipping nationally.