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Reuters - Growing demand for phones running on Google's Android platform will help the smartphone market grow in 2011, boosting companies like HTC and Samsung Electronics who are betting on the platform.
Yahoo! News: Personal Technology »

PC World - Cold hard numbers now show that Apple's iPad is indeed cannibalizing the traditional PC market--and laptops in particular. BusinessWeek reported today that global laptop sales have collapsed, from pre-iPad double-digit growth rates to just 1 percent in the first quarter of 2011. As industry analysts cut PC sales forecasts even further, competition is going to be tougher for computer manufacturers. Yahoo! News: Personal Technology »

Intel Corp. has sent a strong message to Wall Street: Tablets may be transforming the computer industry, but there's still a lot of money left to be made in the huge market for traditional PCs. Despite all the hoopla around Apple Inc.'s iPad and an army of competitors, Intel reported Tuesday that its first-quarter net income jumped 29 percent as corporate demand for new PCs led to numerous orders for Intel chips. The results easily topped analysts' projections, as did Intel's second-quarter guidance. Its shares rose more than 4 percent in extended trading. The stock move reflects the belief of many investors that Intel has plenty of opportunities to plumb its core businesses for more profits as it adjusts to a shifting technology landscape. Intel, founded in 1968, is among the old guard of the computer industry. It's the world's biggest semiconductor company, with some 80 percent of the world's PCs running its processors. Newcomers are challenging its dominance in PCs with mobile gadgets including smartphones and tablet computers. But the latest numbers show that Intel has scale and some of the most sophisticated manufacturing technology in the world to beat back those pressures -- for now. Intel earned $3.16 billion, or 56 cents per share, in the first quarter, which was higher than the 46 cents per share that analysts polled by FactSet expected. A year ago, Intel earned $2.44 billion, or 43 cents per share. It brought in revenue of $12.8 billion, a 25 percent increase from $10.3 billion a year ago and higher than the $11.6 billion that analysts expected. The second-quarter revenue forecast of $12.3 billion to $13.3 billion was also higher than the $11.9 billion analysts were expecting. Intel shares rose 91 cents, or 4.5 percent, to $20.77 in extended trading. Strong corporate demand for PCs is helping Intel overcome a series of problems. It... newsfactor.com »

The rise of smartphones is leading to a profound shift in the semiconductor industry, as companies that focus on mobile chips have found themselves in computing's new sweet spot. Qualcomm Inc., whose chips are inside Apple Inc.'s iPhone and more than half of all new smartphones based on Google Inc.'s rival Android operating system, showed Wednesday how lucrative that position can be. The company reported after the market closed that its net income jumped 29 percent and revenue rose 46 percent in the latest quarter, easily surpassing Wall Street's targets. Stronger sales of its communications chips were key, as were higher licensing fees for Qualcomm's wireless technology. Qualcomm said it resolved the second of two previously disclosed disputes with licensees, and that the latest quarter included $401 million in revenue related to previous quarters as a result of those settlements. The company raised its guidance for the current quarter, and its shares rose $2.73, or 5 percent, to $58 in extended trading, after the results were reported. Qualcomm's net income was $999 million, or 59 cents per share, versus $774 million, or 46 cents per share, a year ago. Excluding items, the company would have earned 86 cents per share, better than the 80 cents per share that analysts polled by FactSet were expecting. Revenue rose 46 percent to $3.88 billion, ahead of the $3.62 billion analysts expected. For the current quarter, the company expects net income of 68 cents per share to 72 cents per share, excluding items. Analysts had predicted 69 cents per share. Qualcomm sees revenue of $3.35 billion to $3.65 billion, ahead of the $3.40 billion that analysts had been forecasting. The numbers indicate how small, Internet-connected gadgets are reshaping the computer market. Some analysts have expressed concerns about the ability of entrenched companies in the PC industry such as Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. to... newsfactor.com »

(Reuters) - Analysts remained confident of Netflix Inc's web streaming services growth model, despite a disappointing profit outlook that triggered a sharp fall in the company's stock price on Monday. Reuters: Internet News »

(Reuters) - Canada's largest software company Open Text Corp has strong prospects for growth partly due to its solid pipeline, analysts said, and raised their price target on the stock, a day after it posted a jump in quarterly profit. Reuters: Internet News »

AP - Yahoo Inc. CEO Carol Bartz found herself in a familiar position Wednesday: assuring stock market analysts that she will clean up a mess that has damaged the long-slumping Internet company's market value. Yahoo! News: Internet News »

Research In Motion has reported a 12 percent sales decline for the BlackBerry maker's latest business quarter, which ended in late May. RIM shipped approximately 13.2 million BlackBerry smartphones and 500,000 PlayBook tablets in the quarter, but this wasn't enough to reverse the sales slowdown the company first reported in April. In response, RIM said, it intends to streamline operations, implement job cuts, and focus on accelerating a new slate of products. Earlier this month, RIM said it would launch the PlayBook in 16 more markets worldwide. "We believe that with the new products scheduled for launch in the next few months and [by] realigning our cost structure, RIM will see strong profit growth in the latter part" of the company's current business year, said RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie on Thursday. Competitive Pressures Wall Street financial analysts advised clients Friday that RIM's problems shouldn't be interpreted as a reflection of the broader smartphone market, which has been enjoying robust growth. "We estimate smartphone units to grow 37 percent year over year in calendar year 2011 and tablets to grow 222 percent year over year," wrote Piper Jaffray analyst Andrew Murphy in an e-mail on Friday. For Apple, Piper Jaffray estimates iPhone sales to grow 66 percent year over year in 2011. Apple's iPad shipments are also expected "to grow 114 percent" -- although the comparison is limited "to a partial year of iPad sales in calendar year 2010," Murphy noted. The financial firm views RIM's current problems as the result of strong competition from iPhone and Android devices. "Both Apple and the smartphone market have seen accelerating growth in the past two quarters, while RIM has lagged the market, with a significant downturn in the second quarter," analysts Gene Munster and Andrew Murphy wrote in a new investor note. A Long-Term Decline As many industry analysts... newsfactor.com »

Research In Motion needs to modernize its organization by splitting the company into two standalone businesses: Blackberry Network and RIM Smart Devices, RBC analysts said Thursday. Though the move would not be without risk, "each business can pursue independent growth strategies and may unlock up to 75-100 percent more shareholder value," RBC analysts Mike Abramsky and Paul Treiber advised investors. RIM recently told the company's shareholders that it intends to launch seven smartphones running the BlackBerry 7 OS later this year. Thereafter, the BlackBerry maker will transition to the QNX mobile OS it acquired last year, which in theory would enable RIM to better compete with Apple's iOS and Google's Android platform. However, some investors are skeptical. "Recent mis-execution exposes RIM's challenges of switching platforms and transitioning to a consumer technology company," Abramsky and Treiber observed. "Splitting RIM's two distinct businesses -- BlackBerry [Network] and RIM Smart Devices -- may allow each to more quickly expand and innovate, would separate each business from different market forces, and could make each more attractive to potential acquirers," they wrote in an investor note. Risky Business Abramsky and Treiber admit that there would be risks involved in splitting up RIM at a time when the BlackBerry maker's overall market standing is highly vulnerable. On the other hand, the risks of sticking with the status quo could be even higher, RBC's analysts believe. As a standalone business, RIM's Blackberry Network would be able to target a 400 million unit multidevice market -- including phones and tablets running Android and Windows Phone 7 -- by offering "affordable, efficient, cross-platform mobile push messaging, social networking, cloud and business data services and software," Abramsky and Treiber wrote. Though RIM has strengths in devices, networking and hardware engineering, the mobile device market has shifted from hardware to software, and from network... newsfactor.com »

They are the new tastemakers of Web investing, the supposed seers of Bubble-Tech 2.0. And despite the stock market's recent craziness, they are almost as hot as some of the stocks they cover. Long after star analysts of the dot-com era self-destructed, a new generation of Wall Street researchers is grabbing attention -- and a lot of money. These Internet analysts are not as famous (or notorious) as Jack Grubman and Henry Blodget, who came to symbolize the conflicted research of the dot-com era. Nor are they as influential as Mary Meeker, the onetime Queen of the Net at Morgan Stanley, whose pronouncements captivated the investing public in the late 1990s. But not since those heady days of the Nasdaq stock market bubble has working as a technology analyst seemed so, well, sexy. Even as the economy wobbles again, there is money to be made in providing banking advice to big names like Facebook. And the great investment houses are sparring over specialists in Web search and social media, who are hired to tell the stories of these hot companies to investors. Such analysts have been jumping from one bank to another, chasing the highest offer. Today, some of these analysts are pulling down several million dollars a year -- figures that, not so long ago, would have been almost unthinkable. Even in Wall Street circles, some people wonder whether all of this is another sign that Internet mania is again spinning out of control. Add to this the recent turbulence in the financial markets -- - including big declines in technology stocks -- and you might conclude that some analysts yet again were telling investors to buy at exactly the wrong time. Gustavo G. Dolfino, president of a Wall Street recruitment firm, the WhiteRock Group, has conducted searches for about a dozen analyst positions so... newsfactor.com »

Research In Motion (RIM) has a lot riding on the success of its PlayBook tablet, given that it needs to regain its footing in the mobile market. But some analysts are projecting that the company's sales of the tablet will not reach targets. According to a story by Bloomberg news service, RIM has most likely shipped about 490,000 PlayBooks in the fiscal second quarter ending Aug. 31. That doesn't necessarily reflect sales to end-users, but shipments to distributors and retailers. That compares with 9.25 million iPads shipped by Apple in its fiscal third quarter ending June 25. 'Overplayed the PlayBook' Accordingly, some analysts reduced their estimates of PlayBook shipments for the full year to an average 2.2 million, compared with estimates of nearly 40 million for Apple and 7 million for Samsung. Some analysts are projecting sales as low as 1.5 million. The news service quoted Needham & Co. analyst Charlie Wolf as saying that RIM "overplayed the PlayBook" in terms of its sales outlook, which makes the company even more dependent on the next generation of BlackBerry smartphones. The PlayBook got off to a sluggish start, with a delayed launch and without capabilities for its own email or instant messaging. The Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM, once a dominant player in mobile phones for businesses, has seen its position in business and consumer markets steadily erode in the face of competition from Apple and Android devices. An August report by Gartner found that RIM's share of the worldwide smartphone market dropped to 12 percent in the second quarter of this year, compared with 19 percent last year, and the company had declined one position to sixth place in terms of mobile-device sales to end users. "Demand for RIM's devices in the second quarter," the report said, "was impaired by an aging portfolio and delays in shipping products." In... newsfactor.com »

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc, which revolutionized reading with its Kindle e-reader, is expected to unveil a tablet computer this week that analysts say will seriously challenge Apple's market dominating iPad. Reuters: Internet News »

Apple is reportedly reducing its fourth-quarter orders by 25 percent from the company's iPad parts suppliers based in Asia, according to a JP Morgan Chase investor note released Sunday. The cutback suggests that Apple will only take delivery of 13 million iPad 2 units in the seasonally strong final quarter of this year -- down from the investment firm's prior estimate of 17 million units. Market rumors cited Monday by Taiwan-based industry-trade publication DigiTimes suggest that iPad demand is slowing down and that Apple may be forced to cut the price of the iPad 2 as rivals introduce lower-priced models. For example, Amazon is expected to unveil a rival tablet in the $199 to $250 price range this week running a customized version of Google's Android mobile platform. However, the significance of Apple's iPad supply-chain adjustments remains unclear. Among other things, Apple may be moving to clear its iPad 2 inventories in advance of the launch of a new model early next year that is designed to fully leverage the capabilities of iOS 5. Following a recent trip to Asia, Piper Jaffray's analysts said Monday they remain confident in their iPad estimates of 10 million and 12 million for the final two quarters of calendar year 2011. "While we heard chatter of supply-chain order reductions, the absolute sell-in figures for second-half 2011 likely remain well above our estimates," Piper Jaffray analysts Gene Munster and Andrew Murphy wrote in an investor note released Monday. Analysts Maintain Prior iPad Estimates Piper Jaffray's analysts continue to expect Apple's full-year iPad sales to reach -- or even exceed -- 35.9 million units. "We are modeling for second-half 2011 iPad unit [shipments] of 22 million -- up 91 percent year over year from 11.5 million in the second half of calendar year 2010," Murphy said in an... newsfactor.com »

(Reuters) - Google Inc is likely to emerge as a "top mobile play," according to Wall Street analysts, with several raising their price targets on the stock, some by as much as 10 percent. Reuters: Internet News »

Revenue at Verizon Wireless rose 9.1 percent year-over-year to $17.7 billion in the third quarter, company officials said Friday. Growth was driven by Web and e-mail services, which increased 36 percent, to $3.7 billion. Verizon Wireless added more than 1.3 million total connections and customer churn was a market-leading low of 0.94 percent -- a 13 basis point improvement over the same quarter last year. At the end of September, Verizon had 107.7 million total connections -- a 6.5 percent year-over-year rise. Verizon sold 5.6 million smartphones, with smartphones representing 60 percent of the company's total postpaid phone sales. Still, Verizon executives noted that a significant number of Verizon customers had delayed their upgrade decisions during the quarter in expectation of the October launch of Apple's iPhone 4S. "We are geared up for an even better fourth quarter, with new smartphones, tablets and data devices coming to market," said Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam. The iPhone Boom Ahead Piper Jaffray expressed confidence last week that Apple's iPhone 4S had achieved the momentum to meet or exceed the financial firm's 25-million-unit global estimate for the fourth quarter. The investment firm's analysts Gene Munster and Andrew Murphy believe many Verizon subscribers have been waiting for the iPhone 4S. "Of those Verizon subscribers who do not have an iPhone but plan to buy an iPhone next, 74 percent were specifically waiting for the next iPhone," according to a recent Piper Jaffray survey. The investment firm's analysts are modeling for Verizon customers to buy 7.3 million iPhone models in the final calendar quarter of this year. "As far as the iPhone 4S goes, we're extremely pleased with our sales," Verizon CFO Francis Shammo said during a conference call with financial analysts Friday. "We ran out the first day," he reported, "and we continue to be in backlog from the first... newsfactor.com »

In an anonymous industrial park in Virginia, in an unassuming brick building, the CIA is following tweets -- up to 5 million a day. At the agency's Open Source Center, a team known affectionately as the "vengeful librarians" also pores over Facebook, newspapers, TV news channels, local radio stations, Internet chat rooms -- anything overseas that anyone can access and contribute to openly. From Arabic to Mandarin Chinese, from an angry tweet to a thoughtful blog, the analysts gather the information, often in native tongue. They cross-reference it with the local newspaper or a clandestinely intercepted phone conversation. From there, they build a picture sought by the highest levels at the White House, giving a real-time peek, for example, at the mood of a region after the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden or perhaps a prediction of which Mideast nation seems ripe for revolt. Yes, they saw the uprising in Egypt coming; they just didn't know exactly when revolution might hit, said the center's director, Doug Naquin. The center already had "predicted that social media in places like Egypt could be a game-changer and a threat to the regime," he said in a recent interview with The Associated Press at the center. CIA officials said it was the first such visit by a reporter the agency has ever granted. The CIA facility was set up in response to a recommendation by the 9/11 Commission, with its first priority to focus on counterterrorism and counterproliferation. But its several hundred analysts -- the actual number is classified -- track a broad range, from Chinese Internet access to the mood on the street in Pakistan. While most are based in Virginia, the analysts also are scattered throughout U.S. embassies worldwide to get a step closer to the pulse of their subjects. The most successful analysts, Naquin said,... newsfactor.com »

Digitimes reported Wednesday that Apple is likely to reduce its supply-chain orders for the components it uses to manufacture the latest versions of the iPhone and iPad. However, many industry observers have raised doubts about the accuracy of the report from the Taiwan-based electronics industry newspaper. Citing a report from the Chinese language Commercial Times, Digitimes said Apple may reduce component shipments by 10 percent to 15 percent in the current quarter because iPhone 4S sales have not met Apple's expectations. Sources at companies participating in Apple's supply chain also reportedly told Digitimes that the components-order slowdown was due in part to a shortage of key parts for the devices. The Digitimes article caused Apple's stock price to fall sharply on Wall Street after the opening bell on Wednesday, but some financial analysts called the unconfirmed rumors a "total joke." "We believe recent chatter around iPhone 4S production cuts is off base," said Piper Jaffray analysts Gene Munster and Andrew Murphy. Production Cut Unlikely Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook told investors that the iconic device maker expects the iPhone 4S to set an "all-time record" for handset unit sales in the fourth quarter of 2011. Industry analysts have generally agreed by forecasting iPhone 4S unit sales in the 26 million to 29.4 million range for the final three months of this year. Piper Jaffray's confidence in Apple's iPhone 4S stems in part from a recent telephone survey conducted by the firm. The availability of the iPhone 4S remains limited, the investment firm's analysts said after contacting 30 Apple retail stores in the United States on Monday. Munster and Murphy report that Apple's iPhone 4S was completely sold out at 57 percent of the retail outlets contacted by the investment firm. Moreover, of the 43 percent that did have some stock left, none... newsfactor.com »

(Reuters) - A pair of Monday morning notes on Research In Motion paint sharply contrasting views of the company that makes the BlackBerry. Reuters: Internet News »

As few as 12 different Chinese groups, largely backed or directed by the government there, commit the bulk of the China-based cyberattacks stealing critical data from U.S. companies and government agencies, according to U.S. cybersecurity analysts and experts. The aggressive but stealthy attacks, which have stolen billions of dollars in intellectual property and data, often carry distinct signatures allowing U.S. officials to link them to certain hacker teams. Analysts say the U.S. often gives the attackers unique names or numbers, and at times can tell where the hackers are and even who they may be. Sketched out by analysts who have worked with U.S. companies and the government on computer intrusions, the details illuminate recent claims by American intelligence officials about the escalating cyber threat emanating from China. And the widening expanse of targets, coupled with the expensive and sensitive technologies they are losing, is putting increased pressure on the U.S. to take a much harder stand against the communist giant. It is largely impossible for the U.S. to prosecute hackers in China, since it requires reciprocal agreements between the two countries, and it is always difficult to provide ironclad proof that the hacking came from specific people. Several analysts described the Chinese attacks, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigations and to protect the privacy of clients. China has routinely rejected allegations of cyberspying and says it also is a target. "Industry is already feeling that they are at war," said James Cartwright, a retired Marine general and former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A recognized expert on cyber issues, Cartwright has come out strongly in favor of increased U.S. efforts to hold China and other countries accountable for the cyberattacks that come from within their borders. "Right now we have the worst of worlds," said Cartwright. "If... newsfactor.com »

Google's free Chrome browser represents a hidden billion-dollar business for the search engine giant, according to a new investor note from Piper Jaffray. By prodding other browser makers to continually innovate, the firm's analysts say, Google's services are able to deliver even richer experiences to users. This is a major plus for the search engine giant, noted Piper Jaffray analysts Gene Munster, Douglas Clinton and Matthew Lebo in a Wednesday investor note. "Based on Google's recent search distribution deal with Mozilla for Firefox, we believe Chrome could be worth over $1 billion to Google," Piper Jaffray's analysts wrote. The investment firm's analysts believe Chrome began as -- and still remains -- a way for Google to push browser makers to introduce more advanced features. "However, given Chrome's success, we believe it could mark a way to keep search distribution costs from other browsers in check long-term," Munster, Clinton and Lebo added. Search Engine Maneuvers Under an agreement inked with Mozilla in the middle of last month, Google agreed to pay $900 million over the next three years to ensure that its search engine remains at the top of the list in Mozilla's Firefox browser. Among other things, the move potentially helps to limit the growth of Microsoft's rival search engine Bing even as Google helps to fund additional Firefox browser innovation that benefit the search engine giant's own Web-based services. "Where Bing may get its next big push is from the arrangement with Facebook, or if Yahoo and its new CEO become a major force again," said Net Applications Executive Vice President Vince Vizzaccaro. StatCounter reports that the Chrome (27.27 percent) and Firefox (25.27 percent) browser platforms collectively accounted for more than half of all browser users globally in December. By contrast, Microsoft's Internet Explorer accounted for a 38.65 percent share, according to the Dublin-based Web metrics... newsfactor.com »

(Reuters) - Shares of Google Inc fell 8 percent after the Internet giant posted a rare quarterly earnings miss and said money paid by marketers for its search ads decreased for the first time in two years. Reuters: Internet News »

Apple is worth $415 billion, putting it neck and neck with Exxon Mobil as the world's most valuable company. But by standard Wall Street measures, its stock is a bargain. There's a big discrepancy between Apple's earnings and its stock price, and it became even more glaring on Tuesday, when the company reported results for its latest quarter. The well-managed launch of the iPhone 4S and the ever growing popularity of Apple products around the world conspired to send earnings and sales zooming past analyst estimates. Apple's sales were $46.3 billion in the quarter that ended Dec. 31, up 73 percent from a year ago. That's more than twice the revenue of its old nemesis, Microsoft Corp. Net income grew 118 percent to $13.06 billion. That's more than Google Inc.'s revenue for the quarter. Investors cheered -- sort of. Apple's stock rose 6 percent Wednesday, hitting a new all-time high of $454.45. And analysts believe the stock should be trading higher, based on the earnings expected this year. Before the earnings report, 45 Wall Street analysts who follow the company believed, on average, that Apple should be worth about $556 per share. After the report, the analysts rushed to raise their estimates, some as high as $650. "This isn't supposed to be happening to a company of this size," said David Rolfe, chief investment officer at Wedgewood Partners Inc., manages a $150 million fund where Apple is the largest component. "In our collective investment experience, none of us have ever seen this before." There are two main reasons for the missing hundred-dollar bills in Apple's stock price. One is Apple's policy of hoarding the cash it makes, like a dragon resting on a pile of gold. It doesn't pay dividends or buy back stock like many companies do. The policy is all the more striking when you consider... newsfactor.com »

A major TV component manufacturer revealed that Apple contacted it about providing TV display components, Piper Jaffray analysts said in a note to investors Tuesday. "We continue to believe Apple is preparing to launch a television and is likely targeting a late calendar year 2012 launch," said analysts Gene Munster and Andrew Murphy. "But the timeline and scope of a revamped content solution is more uncertain." The comments are the latest indication that Apple intends to fulfill the late CEO Steve Jobs' vision of delivering a simple but elegant user interface for revolutionizing the mainstream TV market. App Developers Key Munster and Murphy believe that Apple's strong iOS developer community would likely jump at the chance to build apps for an Apple Television, and that millions of users of Apple products based on the iOS platform would be intrigued by an Apple TV offering. However, the launch of an entirely new platform is not without considerable risks. "If you lead a developer ecosystem then you have to keep feeding them and you also have a responsibility to take them to the Promised Land or at least ever higher patches," said Al Hilwa, director of applications development software at IDC. On the other hand, Apple may believe it is even more risky to cede the television market to rivals. "If Apple does not crack the TV or living room entertainment nut, then Microsoft, Google, Amazon or maybe even Facebook may get there before them," Hilwa said. Apple TV Options Apple could simply enable the Apple Television platform to manage a consumer's live TV service from within a unified interface much like TiVo does today. To avoid the high cost of market entry, however, Apple would need to rely on Multiple Services Operator partnerships. "While this would be the easiest and most likely option, it would also be the... newsfactor.com »

(Reuters) - Advanced Micro Devices' new chief executive's aggressive plans for the company's revival fell short of expectations as they offered no clear details, analysts said. Reuters: Internet News »

Apple CEO Tim Cook noted Monday that tablet sales are ramping quickly and predicted that the global tablet market would eventually surpass the PC market in size. "It is only a question of when," Cook told investors during a conference call. Piper Jaffray analysts Gene Munster and Douglas Clinton agree with Cook's assessment. Apple's iPad growth appears to be ramping at an accelerating rate of an estimated 156 percent in the quarter under way compared with 111 percent in the final quarter of 2011, they wrote in a Tuesday investor note. "We believe the unprecedented ramp of the iPad over the past year is evidence that the tablet market will be measurably larger than the PC market," Munster and Clinton told Apple's investors. Apple announced late Monday that the company had sold 3 million third-generation iPads since the new model's launch Friday -- including pre-orders. "We have increased confidence in our 176 million iPad unit estimate in calendar year 2015 compared to our 66 million unit estimate in calendar year 2012," Munster and Clinton said. A More Conservative Outlook IDC recently released more conservative estimates for global tablet sales through 2016, when the firm's analysts expect 198.2 million unit shipments overall. Vendors worldwide are forecast to ship 100.8 million Android-based tablets in 2016, compared with 94.7 million iOS-based tablet models from Apple. On the other hand, IDC's latest tablet forecast does not include any device estimates for products running Microsoft's coming Windows 8 operating system. Instead, Win 8 tablets will be classified as PCs in IDC's PC future tracker forecasts. "The short answer is Win 8 is not classified as a media tablet [OS] by IDC," said IDC Vice President Al Gillen in an e-mail. As the sole vendor shipping iOS tablet products, Apple will remain dominant in terms of... newsfactor.com »