Samsung & Google Introduce GALAXY Nexus

World’s First Smartphone to Feature Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and a HD Super AMOLED Display

Kuala Lumpur, January 13, 2012 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a leading mobile device provider, and Google, today announced the introduction of GALAXY Nexus™ to the Malaysian market. GALAXY Nexus™ is the world’s first smartphone running Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest release of the Android platform. GALAXY Nexus features a 4.65” HD Super AMOLED display technology at 720p resolution and a 1.2GHz dual core processor.

“Samsung and Google have collaborated closely to accelerate the mobile experience for consumers. We are pleased to deliver the most advanced Android smartphone experience with the introduction of GALAXY Nexus. Samsung will continue to move forward with Android to provide the most compelling consumer experience in the mobile world,” said Kwon Jae Hoon, Managing Director Samsung Malaysia Electronics.“Ice Cream Sandwich demonstrates the ability of the Android platform to deliver continuous innovation with one release that works on phones and tablets and everything in between. Features like Android Beam and Face Unlock show the ground-breaking work our team is doing, and GALAXY Nexus showcases the power behind Ice Cream Sandwich,” said Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of Mobile for Google.

The first smartphone to feature Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich

Ice Cream Sandwich brings an entirely new look and feel to Android. It has a redesigned user interface with improved multi-tasking, notifications, Wi-Fi hotspot capability, and a full web browsing experience for users. GALAXY Nexus features software navigation buttons which is a first for Android smartphones. The lock screen, home screen and phone app, are some of a long list of features that have been rethought and redesigned to make Android simple, beautiful, and useful.

Ice Cream Sandwich features a new People app, which allows users to browse profiles of friends, family, and coworkers, see their photos in high-resolution and check their latest status updates from Google+ and other social networks. GALAXY Nexus also features a redesigned camera which introduces panorama mode, 1080p video capture, zero-shutter lag, and effects like silly faces and background replacement.

GALAXY Nexus is connected to cloud, keeping emails, contacts and all other data synced across devices. Users have access to more than 300,000 apps and games from Android Market™.

Ice Cream Sandwich introduces amazing innovations such as Face Unlock which uses facial recognition to unlock the phone. Using NFC technology, Android Beam allows users to quickly share web pages, apps, and YouTube™ videos with friends by simply tapping phones together. Users can create fun effects while shooting video or video chatting with Google Talk™.

Google Experience

GALAXY Nexus is designed to provide a “pure Google,” experience, and with it, users will be the first to receive software upgrades and new applications as they become available.
It also features a number of Google Mobile services, including: Android Market™, Gmail™, Google Maps™ 5.0 with 3D maps and turn-by-turn navigation, Google Earth™, Movie Studio, YouTube™, syncing with Google Calendar™, and a redesigned Google+ app.

Best-in-class hardware meets the most advanced software

GALAXY Nexus is the first smartphone to feature a 4.65’’ display with a market-leading resolution of 720p (1280x720), ensuring enjoyment of GALAXY Nexus’ immersive entertainment capabilities and fast web browsing in superior clarity.Succeeding the original Contour Display of Nexus S, GALAXY Nexus comes with a rounded shape that fits perfectly within your palm or to your face for phone calls. Hyper-skin backing on the battery cover improves the ergonomic feel of the device and makes the phone slip-resistant. At just 8.94mm thick, with a minimal 4.29mm bezel, GALAXY Nexus provides superb portability alongside an expansive screen.
GALAXY Nexus also features an ultra-fast 1.2GHz dual core processor, providing superior power and speed, ensuring users can take full advantage of GALAXY Nexus’ enhanced multitasking capabilities with ease, or enjoy the large, vivid display to its full capacity with high-definition gaming or video streaming. LTE or HSPA+ connectivity combined with a dual core processor delivers high-speed web browsing which ensures users always have the web at their fingertips, wherever they are.

GALAXY Nexus will be available at Samsung Elite Partners (SEP), Celcom and Digi from 13th January, 2012 onwards.

Product Specifications

Network	HSPA+ 21Mbps/HSUPA 5.76Mbps 850/900/1700/1900/2100 EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900
Processor	1.2 GHz dual core processor
Display	4.65” 1280 x 720 HD Super AMOLED
OS	Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich
Camera	Main(Rear) : 5MP AF with LED Flash Sub (Front) : 1.3MP
Video	Codec : MPEG4/H.263/H.264 Playback : 1080p@30fps Recording : 1080p Full HD Video@30fps
Audio	Codec : MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ 3.5mm Ear Jack
GoogleTM Mobile Services	Android Market™, Gmail™, Google Earth™, YouTube™, Movie Studio Google Maps™ 5.0 with 3D maps and turn-by-turn navigation Syncing with Google Calendar™, Google+ app
Connectivity	Bluetooth® technology v 3.0 USB 2.0 Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n NFC
Sensor	Accelerometer, Compass, Gyro, Light, Proximity, Barometer
Memory	1GB(RAM) + 16GB Internal memory
Size	135.5 x 67.94 x 8.94mm, 135g
Battery	Standard battery, Li-on 1,750mAh
Price and Availability	RM2,099, 13th January 2012

* All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012 Cures Ten out of Ten Malware-Infected Systems in Independent Testing

PETALING JAYA, January 13, 2012 - Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012 has received the highest grade possible – Advanced+ – in independent testing of how well an infected system is treated, conducted by the respected research laboratory AV-Comparatives in November 2011. The testing entailed analysis of the ability of antivirus-class products of different manufacturers – after having been installed on an already infected operating system – to delete the respective malicious code. Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012 successfully located and deleted all the malicious programs used separately in the testing.

The testing involved infecting an unprotected system running the Windows XP operating system with a single malicious program, the AV software then being installed on the system, followed by a full scan being performed. This process was repeated ten times for each AV, each time with a different widespread malicious program. The research laboratory’s specialists followed the recommendations of each AV program to the letter and, as necessary, rebooted the system or used the rescue disk (if such a disk came bundled with the AV). After each full scan the system was analyzed and assessed in detail, and the results were collated to form the overall awarded marks for each AV. In this analysis particular attention was paid to, among other things, the remaining presence of individual malicious components not deleted by the AV and able to cause system failure.

The results show that Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2012 fully deleted all ten malicious programs and all their components. In nine of the ten instances no actions were required on behalf of the user; regarding the tenth, this was a Trojan program that fully blocked the system, and it was successfully deleted using the rescue disk. Of particular significance in this testing was the fact that it tested the ability of the AV to reverse changes made to the Windows registry. Without this ability being tested in addition to simply deleting Trojans, the latter may still cause loss of operability of the operating system. Noteworthy is the fact that only three out of the 18 tested AV programs were able to defeat the particular Trojan that amended the registry.

Commenting on the test results, Oleg Ishanov, Head of Infrastructure Development and Deputy Director of Anti-Malware Research at Kaspersky Lab, said: “Restoring an infected system is rightly considered to be one of the toughest tasks an anti-virus program has to deal with. In many cases not only does the malicious code need to be deleted, but also the altered system components need restoring. AV-Comparatives’ independent testing has once again shown how Kaspersky Lab products not only effectively prevent computers from becoming infected, but are also perfectly capable of fully curing already infected systems back to good health.”

IBM Breaks US Patent Record, Tops Patent List for 19th Consecutive Year

IBM inventors received more than 6,000 patents in 2011

ARMONK, NY, 13 January 2012 – IBM (NYSE: IBM) has announced that it set a new US patent record in 2011, marking the 19th consecutive year that the company has led the annual list of patent recipients. IBM inventors earned a record 6,180 US patents in 2011, more than quadrupling Hewlett-Packard’s issuances and exceeding by six times those of Oracle/Sun.

More than 8,000 IBMers residing in 46 different US states and 36 countries are responsible for the company's record-breaking 2011 patent tally. IBM inventors who reside outside the US contributed to more than 26% of the company's 2011 patents.

2011 US Patent Leaders*

1 IBM 6,180
2 Samsung 4,894
3 Canon 2,821
4 Panasonic 2,559
5 Toshiba 2,483
6 Microsoft 2,311
7 Sony 2,286
8 Seiko Epson 1,533
9 Hon Hai 1,514
10 Hitachi 1,465

* Data provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services
The more than 6,000 patents IBMers received in 2011 represent a range of inventions that enable new innovations and add significant value to the company's products, services, including smarter solutions for retail, banking, healthcare, transportation and other industries. These patented inventions also span a wide range of computing technologies poised to support a new generation of more cognitive, intelligent and insight-driven systems, processes and infrastructures for smarter commerce, shopping, medicine, transportation, and more.

“IBM's commitment to invention and scientific exploration is unmatched in any industry and the results of this dedication to enabling innovation is evidenced in our nearly two decades of US patent leadership,” said Ken King, general manager, Intellectual Property and vice president, Research Business Development, IBM. “The inventions we patent each year deliver significant value to IBM, our clients and partners and demonstrate a measurable return on our approximately $6 billion annual investment in research and development.”

IBM's record-breaking 2011 patent output features many interesting and important inventions, such as:

US Patent #8,019,992: Method for granting user privileges in electronic commerce security domains – This patented invention helps IBM WebSphere Commerce software customers reduce administration and resource costs by providing a flexible authentication and authorization mechanism across multiple online stores. The capability enables shoppers and administrators to have access to individual online stores or seamlessly access multiple online stores managed by the same company. It also is a key feature in enabling multiple companies to run on a single instance of WebSphere Commerce. Patent #8,019,992 was issued to IBM inventors Victor Chan, Darshanand Khusial, Lev Mirlas and Wesley Philip.

US Patent #8,037,000: Systems and methods for automated interpretation of analytic procedures – This invention describes a method for dynamically constructing natural language explanations of analytic results using templates defined by domain experts. Patent #8,037,000 was issued to IBM inventors Robert Delmonico, Tamir Klinger, Bonnie Ray, Padmanabhan Santhanam and Clay Williams.

US Patent #8,005,773: System and method for cortical simulation – This patented invention describes a method for developing a computerized brain simulation system that can mimic the cognitive systems and function of the cortex of the brain. IBM has fabricated working prototypes of experimental computer chips designed to emulate the brain’s abilities for perception, action and cognition. Patent #8,005,773 was issued to IBM inventors Dharmendra Modha and Rajagopal Ananthanarayanan.

US Patent #7,882,219: Deploying analytic functions – This patented invention empowers users to design and implement highly-sophisticated, streaming analytics on massive disparate data sources. The advanced algorithm described in patent #7,882,219 enables IBM Tivoli Network Performance Manager software to efficiently perform sophisticated analytics in near real-time. Patent #7,882,219 was issued to IBM inventors Alexander Pikovsky, David Pennell, Robert McKeown and Colin Putney.

Fortinet Threat Landscape Research Finds Surprising Comeback in Lethic Spam Botnet

Report Also Discloses New Android Malware Hitting Phone Bills to the Tune of RM70 (€18)

MALAYSIA, 13 January 2012 ― Fortinet – a world leader in high-performance network security – today released its December research findings, which show Lethic botnet communication as one of the most prevalent botnet traffic observed in new locations.

Lethic was initially discovered in 2008 and was primarily used to distribute pharmaceutical spam. At one point, the botnet was alleged to be responsible for 8 to 10% of the spam generated worldwide. In early 2010, the botnet was severely disabled when Neustar employees contacted a number of Internet Service Providers in an attempt to disable the botnet’s command and control servers. While that cooperative effort succeeded in significantly reducing the botnet’s spam output, the owners managed to secure control of the botnet again by February. And by April, it had sputtered back to life and was again sending roughly two billion spam emails a day, about 1.5% share of the overall spam market.

“Lethic is a botnet that uses encryption when infected computers communicate to the command and control. In addition, Lethic uses its infected hosts (bots) as proxies, tasking them with reconnaissance missions to discover new spam routes,” said Derek Manky, senior security strategist at Fortinet. “The dynamic approach used by this botnet has allowed it to survive over the years, despite takedown attempts. There are many different ways a botnet can be designed, and for total takedown, there must be a clear understanding of the anatomy of the botnet in question. Even after a seemingly successful takedown such as Lethic, new variants often crop up allowing the botnet to grow again from a new seed.”

Foncy Android Malware Debuts in France

A new Android Trojan named Foncy, which was recently uncovered by Kaspersky’s Denis Maslennikov and subsequently dissected by Fortinet’s European-based labs, was developed and is currently spreading in France. This particular Trojan is a dialer, meaning it sends SMS messages to short numbers without a user’s consent.

“Unsuspecting end-users have installed the malicious application on their mobile device, believing it to be the legitimate plan tracking application SuiConFo (SUIvi CONsommation FOrfait, French for ‘Track Your Plan’),” said Axelle Apvrille, senior mobile anti-virus researcher at Fortinet. “When a user installs the malware on their device, a SuiCoFo icon appears in the device’s launch menu. When the icon is pressed, the application displays an error message that reads: ‘ERROR: Android version is not compatible,’ while in the background, the Trojan surreptitiously sends four SMS messages to a list of short numbers. Those numbers can end up costing the user up to RM70 (€18.00).”

If a user thinks they might be infected, FortiGuard Labs suggests they immediately check their bill, report any anomaly they find and uninstall the suspicious application. A legitimate version of the SuiConFo application can be downloaded from a developer named Alou, on the Android market.

Maersk Line and Ericsson bring mobile connectivity to the oceans

The oceans are the last “white spot” for mobile communication industry to connect. The world’s largest shipping company, Maersk Line, has appointed Ericsson to address this by introducing end-to-end systems integration and deployment of mobile and satellite communication to its entire vessel fleet.

The Maersk Line fleet comprises more than 500 container vessels. Over the next two years, Maersk Line will outfit 400 of these vessels with Ericsson antennas and GSM base stations, with upgrades to be made to the remaining vessels soon after. As part of the agreement, Ericsson will provide seven years of global managed services support, including 24/7 network monitoring and onboard maintenance services in a large number of ports across all major regions.

“We’re proud to be able to connect Maersk Line’s fleet with our technology. We believe in a Networked Society, where connectivity will only be the starting point for new ways of innovating, collaborating and socializing. The result will be automated and simplified processes, higher productivity, real-time information allowing quicker, more informed decision making and problem solving,” said Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of Ericsson.

For the shipping industry, mobile communication provides the opportunity to employ new and efficient ways of addressing fleet management, managing delivery times, improving interaction with vessels, enabling proactive issue resolution and prompt information sharing with customers and even improving energy efficiency.

Until now, Maersk Line’s high-tech modern container ships have been equipped with satellite connectivity primarily intended to support communication for vital shipboard functions. Ericsson’s integrated maritime mobile and very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT) satellite solution will bring extended connectivity to the entire fleet, allowing for new ways of communicating and contributing to efficiency, reliability and cost reduction. It also paves the way for immediate access to remote expertise, resulting in extended access to information and, in turn, improved efficiency in the vessels’ daily operations.

“We’re quite pleased to be the first fleet to be connected with mobile communication technology. We believe it would provide us good opportunities to run our fleet more efficiently.” said Søren Toft, Vice President Maersk Line Operations.

NICE EXECUTIVE COACH UNVEILS THE FIRST “TOUCH TABLET” ON-BOARD INFOTAINMENT IN MALAYSIA

KUALA LUMPUR, JAN. 12 -- Bluesignage Sdn Bhd, a leading bus infotainment solutions provider, has today unveiled its latest state-of-the-art on-board infotainment system known as BlueICETM to value add to the emerging demand of on-the-go passengers travelling in buses and executive coaches.

Locally developed by Bluesignage, an MSC status company incubating at Technology Park Malaysia, the revolutionary on-board PC tablet information system is the first of its kind in Malaysia. The company spent more than 12 months to develop the system following an investment of RM1.2 million in research and development (R&D) efforts. The system was launched today by the President and Chief Executive Officer of Technology Park Malaysia, Dato’ Haji Mohd Azman Haji Shahidin.‘Touch Tablet’ 1st in Malaysia! BlueICE On-Board Infotainment System

Nice Executive Coach, a member of Konsortium Transnasional Berhad (KTB), is the first public transportation company to install the state-of-the-art infotainment system. By the end of first quarter this year, a total of 45 Nice Executive Coaches will be installed with BlueICE on-board infotainment system and subsequently to include additional 150 Plusliner and Transnasional coaches.

A seven inch Android powered touch screen tablet is mounted at every seat back allowing the passenger to watch movies, listen to music, play games, browse the Internet, reading news and more while travelling.
The luxurious Nice Executive Coach

“Inspired by the Android tablet computing technology, we saw a revolutionary opportunity to fast forward the entire on-board infotainment industry for public transport vehicles in Malaysia and the region.” said Mr. Por Yew Guan, Managing Director of Bluesignage Sdn Bhd, the MSC status company that responsible in implementing the whole project.

“We are the first to provide personalized entertainment to our passengers six years ago and today we again setting the industry benchmark to be the first in providing ‘touch tablet’ on-board infotainment to our passengers” said YM Tengku Hasmadi Tengku Hashim, Executive Director of Konsortium Transnasional Berhad (KTB).

He added, “Besides that, the system is equipped with GPS tracking function allowing our passenger to locate their current location similar to the in-flight system, in addition to on-board shopping and customer feedback module to improve our customer relationship management that would enhance brand experience by our passengers.”

All coaches are connected to a mobile broadband and wifi technology while travelling on the highways and this adds tremendous flexibility and capability to allow the technical team to perform remote content updates, monitoring and maintenance of the system on-board.

100 Gigabit Ethernet Industry Milestone Achieved; Brocade Delivers 100TH Blade

Renowned International Research Institute, CERN, Advances Particle Physics Research Using Brocade 100 Gigabit Ethernet Solution

SAN JOSE, Calif. and GENEVA – Jan 12, 2012 – From initial customer shipments of 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) in June 2011, Brocade established itself as a leading provider of carrier-grade 100 GbE routing solutions for service providers and enterprises worldwide.

In November 2011 the Company delivered its 100TH two-port blade to the European particle physics laboratory, CERN, one of the world’s largest centers for scientific studies, as a critical component to accelerate its research.

Exponential bandwidth growth and the need for faster connectivity has forced network operators to carefully plan for future capacity requirement. This growth affects virtually all networks, including the public Internet where bandwidth is doubling every 18 to 24 months.

CERN’s demanding environment exceeds 15 petabytes or 15 million gigabytes of data traffic per year. To put this number in perspective, 15 petabytes is equivalent to approximately 200 years of continuously running HD-quality video. Similar to other organizations with high volumes of variable traffic flows and continued bandwidth growth requirements in the coming years, it was necessary for CERN to select a cost-effective solution with dense 10 and 100 GbE routing capabilities today as well as the ability to deliver massive scalability for anticipated bandwidth spikes in the future.

Many of the world’s top service providers and premier research institutes have surpassed the performance requirements that 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) can deliver via their high throughput networks and applications. This growing demand and requirement for greater bandwidth is clear. According to estimates by Infonetics Research, between 2010 and 2015, 100 Gigabit port sales are expected to have a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 214 percent compared to 58 percent for 10 Gigabit connectivity.

“We first selected the Brocade MLXe routers one year ago because it was a perfect fit for our stringent networking requirements in the near-and-long term (we test products to destruction); now that we are ready for 100 GbE, it was a simple line card addition to multiply our network performance,” said Jean-Michel Jouanigot, Communication Systems Group Leader, IT Department, at CERN. “I do not see our appetite for data waning in the future, so with the addition of the Brocade MLXe with 100 GbE in our environment, I am confident we have a blueprint for success.”

Service provider and high performance computing (HPC) environments must continually evaluate their networking requirements to manage a surge in Internet traffic due to expanding broadband penetration, bandwidth-intensive multimedia and research applications, and mobile application growth worldwide.

Delivering up to four times the 100 GbE wire-speed density and nine times the system capacity of competing routers, the Brocade MLXe router helps ensure greater simplicity with significantly less infrastructure and operational overhead, by supporting 32 wire-speed 100 GbE ports and a total switching capacity of 15.36 Terabits in a single chassis.

“Gigabit Ethernet connectivity is still going strong in the enterprise LAN, but within performance-driven environments the CAGR is at a negative growth rate,” said Zeus Kerravala, principal at ZK Research. “While some organizations will continue to grow incrementally by link aggregating multiple ports of 10 GbE, there is a growing group of ultra high performance research institutes and service providers that will need to jump immediately to 100 GbE to remain competitive. Since these organizations’ bandwidth requirements are increasing exponentially, the use of a 100 GbE terabit trunk router will provide substantial scalability for future needs.”

To help reduce operational expenditures and promote service provider expansion, the 2-port 100 GbE blades cost just a fraction of competitive offerings and offer the widest range of supported CFP optics. When installed in the Brocade MLXe routers, the Brocade 100 GbE blades enable service providers to deploy the industry’s first Terabit-per-second trunk, which utilizes multiple ports in a single logical link for greater bandwidth and reduced management up to capacities of 1.6 Terabits.

In addition to CERN, Brocade has had successful 100 GbE deployments with large Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), content delivery network (CDN) providers, and research organizations, such as the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX), Limelight Networks and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).

Most Searched Travel Destinations For 2011 On Yahoo! Malaysia

MALAYSIA, 12 JANUARY, 2012 – Want to know the most popular travel searches for 2011 in Malaysia? The Yahoo! Search editorial team deep dived into the search logs to reveal the most popular travel spot that Malaysians checked online on Yahoo! before they embarked on a travel destination of their choice.

“Malaysia has some great travel spots that lure both Malaysians and international travelers. It has an ideal combination of islands, highlands and rain forests that provide great get-away destinations for travel-seekers. Yahoo! Search Trends consolidated the overall searches for travel for the entire year of 2011 and found that the top spot for travel was the Island of Tioman which was the most searched in Yahoo! Malaysia, followed by Langkawi and the Cameron Highlands,” said Zul Rejab, Editorial Manager, Search Content Analysis.

Here are the Top 10 travel destination searches on Yahoo! Malaysia for 2011:
1. Pulau Tioman: This small island in the state of Pahang is 32 km off the coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Its coral reefs, dense forests, and sparse population have made Tioman an increasingly popular getaway from the usual getaway destinations.

2. Pulau Langkawi: Located 30 km off the northern coast of Peninsular Malaysia, this island is part of an archipelago of 104 islands. Langkawi's main attractions include numerous beaches, duty-free shopping, and a steep cable car ride.

3. Cameron Highlands: Covering an area of over 700 square km, the Cameron Highlands in northern Malaysia are a famous weekend retreat for Malaysians. Its quaint townships, tea and agricultural farms, and chalets offer an experience vastly different from city life.

4. Pulau Redang: One of the largest islands off Malaysia's eastern coast, the island is part of an archipelago rich in marine life like sea turtles. A marine park was established around Redang, aimed at protecting these animals and other species.

5. Pulau Pangkor: Pulau Pangkor, off the coast of Perak state, is only 8 square km in size. However, it is bustling because of its fishing and aquaculture industries.

6. Pulau Perhentian: The Perhentian Islands off northeastern Malaysia are a draw because of their beaches and marine life. The whole area is protected, so only non-disruptive activities like sunbathing, swimming, and snorkeling or scuba-diving are allowed there.

7. Genting: The Genting Highlands Resort, an hour's drive from the capital Kuala Lumpur, feature six hotels, a cable car system, theme parks, and a convention centre, among others.

8. Pulau Kapas: Kapas, an island 6 kilometers off the coast of Terengganu, is best visited between April and October when the monsoon rains aren't in season and the waters are calm. The island is known for its snorkeling and beach activities.

9. Port Dickson: This popular tourist destination in the state of Negeri Sembilan attracts those who love beaches, seafood, and yachting. It is on mainland Malaysia, so is accessible by bus and car from Kuala Lumpur and other cities.

10. Penang: An island and state at the same time, Penang is home to a highly diverse population, resulting to a rich history, culture, and cuisine. Its numerous beaches, parks, and other attractions welcome hordes of tourists year-round.

Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments in Fourth Quarter of 2011 Declined 1.4 Percent; Year-End Shipments Increased 0.5 Percent

Healthy Professional PC and Emerging Market Growth Couldn’t Compensate for Weak Holiday Consumer PC Demand

KUALA LUMPUR, January 12, 2012 — After two quarters of positive growth, worldwide PC shipments totaled 92.2 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011, a 1.4 percent decline from the fourth quarter of 2010, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. These figures were in line with Gartner’s earlier forecast of a 1 percent decline for the fourth quarter of 2011.

“Continuously low consumer PC demand resulted in weak holiday PC shipments,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. “While economic uncertainty in Western Europe had an effect on consumer PC shipments, expectations of a healthier economic outlook in North America could not stimulate consumer PC demand in that region. The healthy professional PC market as well as growth in emerging markets could not compensate for the weaknesses in mature markets, with overall growth still negative.”


Hard-disk drive (HDD) shortages triggered by the October 2011 floods in Thailand had a limited impact on fourth-quarter PC shipments and prices. However, Gartner analysts said a major impact will be felt, and this is expected to materialize in the first half of 2012, and potentially continue throughout 2012. These shortages will temporarily lower PC shipment growth during 2012.

“Ultrabooks were quietly introduced into the market during the 4Q11 holiday season,” Ms. Kitagawa said. “Ultrabooks didn’t seem to draw consumers’ attention. Consumers had very little understanding and awareness of ultrabooks, and only a small group of consumers was willing to pay the price premium for such models. However, as has been seen this week at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) show, 2012 is a big debut stage for ultrabooks.”

HP retained its No. 1 position in the fourth quarter of 2011, despite a shipment decline of 16.2 percent year over year (see Table 1). While the company’s new CEO, Meg Whitman, cleared up some confusion surrounding its PC business, its 4Q11 results were affected by the noise around this issue. HP also had to battle against aggressive pricing from competitors and deal with weak consumer PC demand in the holiday season.

Table 1
Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 4Q11 (Units)

Company	4Q11 Shipments	4Q11 Market Share (%)	4Q10 Shipments	4Q10 Market Share (%)	4Q11-4Q10 Growth (%)
HP	14,712,266	16.0	17,554,181	18.8	-16.2
Lenovo	12,931,136	14.0	10,516,772	11.3	23.0
Dell	11,633,880	12.6	10,796,317	11.6	7.8
Acer Group	9,823,214	10.7	12,043,606	12.9	-18.4
Asus	6,243,118	6.8	5,180,913	5.5	20.5
Others	36,827,666	40.0	37,358,786	40.0	-1.4
Total	92,171,280	100.0	93,450,575	100.0	-1.4

Note: Data includes desk-based PCs, mobile PCs, including mini-notebooks but not media tablets such as the iPad.

Source: Gartner (January 2012)

Lenovo experienced the strongest growth among the top five vendors, as its PC shipments grew 23 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, and it further cemented its place as the No. 2 vendor in global PC shipments. The company’s growth was attributed to its aggressive pricing in both the professional and consumer markets.

Dell had a good quarter with shipment growth in most regions. While the consumer market remained a weak point, Dell enjoyed stable growth in the professional sector, driven by upgrades to Windows 7. Asia/Pacific continued to be the major growth market for Dell, as it achieved 30 percent growth in the region. Asus stayed in the No. 5 position despite generally weak consumer sales. Asus’s shift from mini-notebooks to regular notebooks was successful, as close to 80 percent of Asus mobile PCs shipments were regular notebooks in the fourth quarter of 2011.

In the U.S., PC shipments totaled 17.9 million units, a 5.9 percent decline compared with the same quarter last year (see Table 2). U.S. holiday sales were not all that exciting for PC vendors. As expected, consumers’ attention was diverted toward other product categories, especially smartphones and media tablets. All-in-one (AIO) desktop PCs drew consumers’ attention during the holiday season. The main attractions were large screen sizes and high-definition viewing capability.

HP maintained the No. 1 position in the U.S. PC market in the fourth quarter of 2011, but Dell gained ground as HP lost substantial market share in the quarter. Apple enjoyed the strongest growth among the top five vendors. Lenovo’s U.S. PC shipments grew 40 percent year-over-year, but its shipment volume was not enough to squeeze into the top five ranking (it was in the sixth position).

Table 2
Preliminary United States PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 4Q11 (Units)

Company	4Q11 Shipments	4Q11 Market Share (%)	4Q10 Shipments	4Q10 Market Share (%)	4Q11-4Q10 Growth (%)
HP	4,137,833	23.1	5,598,619	29.4	-26.1
Dell	4,020,549	22.4	4,210,000	22.1	-4.5
Apple	2,074,800	11.6	1,718,400	9.0	20.7
Toshiba	1,925,100	10.7	1,968,091	10.3	-2.2
Acer Group	1,756,838	9.8	1,982,477	10.4	-11.4
Others	4,014,644	22.4	3,583,418	18.8	12.0
Total	17,929,764	100.0	19,061,005	100.0	-5.9

Note: Data includes desk-based PCs, mobile PCs, including mini-notebooks but not media tablets such as the iPad.

Source: Gartner (January 2012)

PC shipments in EMEA totaled 28.9 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011, a 9.6 percent decline from the same period in 2010. The EMEA PC market experienced its fourth consecutive quarter of decline, resulting in year-end 2011 shipments decreasing 7.2 percent from 2010. Western Europe saw weak consumer growth, as an uneasy economic environment squeezed consumer spending on PCs.

In Asia/Pacific, PC shipments reached 30.4 million units, an 8.5 percent increase from the fourth quarter of 2010. The market performance was below Gartner’s anticipated growth of 10.6 percent. The preliminary findings show weaker shipment growth in China, India and Thailand.

The PC market in Latin America grew 11.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, as shipments reached 9.3 million units. Because whitebox PC vendors make up a large portion of Latin America’s PC market, last quarter Gartner expected Thailand’s HDD shortage to moderately affect growth in Latin America in the near term. Thus far, anecdotal evidence indicates that many local vendors had quickly ordered sufficient inventory to exit the fourth quarter unaffected.

PC shipments in Japan declined 2.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, as shipments totaled 3.9 million units. This was better than Gartner’s earlier projection of an 8 percent decline. The professional market showed a high double-digit decline, while the consumer market saw mid-single-digit growth.

For the year, worldwide PC shipments totaled 352.8 million units in 2011, a 0.5 percent increase from 2010 (see Table 3). A weak consumer PC market, particularly in mature markets, was a major contributor to this stagnation, despite good growth in the professional market. Emerging markets grew steadily, driven by low initial PC penetration.

Among the top five PC vendors, Lenovo took over the No. 2 spot from Dell. Lenovo continued to gain market share via aggressive pricing and acquisitions, namely of NEC and Medion. Asus climbed from sixth to fifth, replacing Toshiba.

Table 3
Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2011 (Units)

Company	2011 Shipments	2011 Market Share (%)	2010 Shipments	2010 Market Share (%)	2011-2010 Growth (%)
HP	60,554,726	17.2	62,741,274	17.9	-3.5
Lenovo	45,703,863	13.0	38,180,444	10.9	19.7
Dell	42,864,759	12.1	42,119,272	12.0	1.8
Acer Group	39,415,381	11.2	48,758,542	13.9	-19.2
ASUS	20,768,465	5.9	18,902,723	5.4	9.9
Others	143,499,792	40.7	140,198,078	40.0	2.4
Total	352,806,984	100.0	350,900,332	100.0	0.5

Note: Data includes desk-based PCs, mobile PCs, including mini-notebooks but not media tablets such as the iPad.

Source: Gartner (January 2012)

These results are preliminary. Final statistics will be available soon to clients of Gartner's PC Quarterly Statistics Worldwide by Region program. This program offers a comprehensive and timely picture of the worldwide PC market, allowing product planning, distribution, marketing and sales organizations to keep abreast of key issues and their future implications around the globe. Additional research can be found on Gartner's Computing Hardware section on Gartner's web site at http://www.gartner.com/it/products/research/asset_129157_2395.jsp.