Solid-state drives (SSD) got a huge push in the first quarter from greatly expanded usage in ultrathin/Ultrabook PCs as well as in PC tablets, where shipment volume to those sectors tripled within a year?s time in a mighty display of growth.
IDC now forecasts IT spending growth of 4.6% in constant currency for 2013, down from the previous forecast of 4.9% growth and a sharp deceleration from last year's growth of almost 6 percent.
Lacking a new product launch in March to help spur shipments, Apple's iPad saw a lower-than-predicted shipment total of 14.6 million units for the quarter, down from 19.5 million in 1Q13.
The survey revealed a clear focus on using social media to drive initiatives based on bidirectional feedback rather than just a one-way broadcast communication mechanism.
After a flat year in 2012, global purchasing of semiconductors by the world?s top electronic brands is set to return to growth in 2013, as Apple Incand Samsung Electronics contend to claim the title of biggest spender.
In a season when their sales should be rising sharply, suppliers of large-sized LCD panels instead are encountering weak demand growth in the third quarter, exacerbating the glut already plaguing the market.
Making a stellar debut, high-resolution LCD panels featuring resolutions of 300 pixels per inch (ppi) or more are appearing in media tablets for the first time this year, with shipments set to approach 13 million units.
With most of the top brands introducing new flagship models in the first half of 2013, smartphone buyers now have more choices than ever, a phenomenon that will contribute to an expected doubling in market shipments from 2012 to 2017.
