Nexus 7 and Android Convertibles Drive Massive Asus Profit 232
rtfa-troll writes "The collapse of the PC market has had much discussion on Slashdot with a common opinion that, now that Apple is the largest personal computer manufacturer, a loss of sales combined with Apple's iPad will completely eliminate most of them. Now Asustek's most recent results show that there may be a way out for those that can move away from their standard markets. Concentrating on Android tablet devices, the Google Nexus 7, with a help from ASUS transformer tablets has driven the company to massive $230 million profits. Asus gross revenue also climbed 9 percent to around $3.8 billion. We have discussed related issues recently: Where companies like HTC have lost their focus on open Android devices and suffered from devastating collapses, ASUS has managed to differentiate it's tablets by providing the most open tablet experience possible via with Google's Nexus program and branding."
ASUS makes darned fine tablets. (Score:5, Informative)
I adore my TF101. It was killer gear when I bought it last summer and it still is. It gets used by somebody in the house every single day without fail, usually for hours. My grandson (4) takes pictures and videos with it when he's done playing Minecraft and I watch some of them when I have time. My youngest (6) uses it to video chat me up on oovoo. I take it on trips to watch mpeg4's on the plane and Netflix in the hotel. I use it for documentation on the fly, training materials and reference works. I've used it to elevator pitch and present 1080p slideshows in conference rooms. With it and Citrix, various remote desktop apps and the like I can use it to do anything a PC or server can do.
I'm in the biz so I have a house full of IT gear. 4 tablets, 6 servers, a dozen PCs, and more "smart" devices than anybody needs. These outnumber the humans at least 5 to one. The only tech thing that sees more use in my house than this ASUS tablet is the Comcast router that delivers the Internet to all the rest.
The only problem I have with this device is fighting for control of it. Money well spent.
At $200 for the 16GB Nexus 7 tablet from ASUS, there is a good chance there will be more than one of these under my tree on Christmas morning.
Don't call me an Apple hater. My review of the iPads I received on launch day is right there in my /. journal and none could call it anything but "effusive". But Apple's cathedral isn't for me when I can get stuff like this and the Nexus 10 instead.
Recommended.
Re:Gross revenue? (Score:5, Informative)
Openness? I do not think so (Score:4, Informative)
I am an android user. Used to have a LG-P500, and then got a Galaxy note. My brother owns a Note Tablet(10")
I am a big supported of android, but I do not think the platform is really open.
For example, I recently bought a camera. I went to the merchant site, got it shipped to somebody in USA, and he will bring it to India.
However, if I want to do the same with Nexus 10, I cannot. Google simply says, sorry, devices not enabled in google play in your country.
So I would have to request the person in US to use their credit card to buy, if I want this device.
Software openness and app ecosystem is good, but I somehow do not like the way Google is selling this stuff.
Why not let it be like consumer electronics with multiple points of sale. Heck, google could sell it to anybody in the world, with that person bearing shipping charges.
I can do that with amazon, why not google
And guess what, rumour has it that these devices won't even be launched in India officially(just like the original Nexus were never launched here).
Largest personal computer manufacture? (Score:5, Informative)
I have to question the original post statement,
now that Apple is the largest personal computer manufacturer
I can only assume you are referring to market capitalization, and not actual computers sold.
As far as computers sold, it would be (third quarter 2012):
Worldwide:
Lenovo Group Ltd., 13.8 million shipped worldwide, 15.7 percent share
Hewlett-Packard Co., 13.6 million shipped, 15.5 percent
Dell Inc., 9.2 million, 10.5 percent
Acer Group, 8.6 million, 9.9 percent
AsusTek Computer Inc., 6.4 million, 7.3 percent
Others, 36.0 million, 41.1 percent.
Total: 87.5 million
United States:
Hewlett-Packard Co., 4.1 million shipped in U.S., 27.0 percent share
Dell Inc., 3.3 million, 21.4 percent
Apple Inc., 2.1 million, 13.6 percent
Lenovo Group Ltd., 1.4 million, 8.9 percent
Acer Group, 989,725, 6.5 percent.
Toshiba, 989,600, 6.5 percent
Others, 2.5 million, 16.2 percent.
Total: 15.3 million
Source: Gartner
"As PC sales collapse" (Score:5, Informative)
All aboard the hyperbole bus!
Still 87.5 million PCs [engadget.com] ( desktops and laptops ) shipped worldwide in Q3 2012. Yes, MILLIONS.
Some vendors saw a decline of 10% year-on-year. Painful, but that's not a collapse.
In comparison in Q3 2012 Apple shipped 17 million iPads.
So can we please stop saying that tablets have destroyed the PC market?