Apple's iPad Cuts Into PC Sales

Apple's iPad and other tablets continue to cut into Windows based PC sales. With its touch interface, high resolution 1024 x 768 screen at 132 pixels per inch (ppi), WIFI capabilities, connectivity options and feather weight, the iPad has made a dramatic impact in market sales.

According to research group IDC, U.S. PC sales fell 4.8 percent in the 4th quarter of 2010 to 20 million units, while researchers at Gartner cite a 6.6 percent drop in sales, to 19.1 million units.

In addition to the overall popularity of tablets and integration into the business environment, most models run Apple iOS, developed originally for the iPhone, or Google Android on ARM processors. This represents a threat to Microsoft and Intel's long-standing dominance of the personal computing market.

At last week's Consumer Electronics Show, Microsoft announced plans to develop a version of Windows that will be compatible with ARM's tablet chips. The timing is slated after the release of Windows 8, which is over a year away.

Microsoft Evangelist Brilliantly Slams Google’s Decision To Drop H.264 Support

A lot has been written about Google’s decision to no longer support H.264 HTML5 video playback in Chrome, and we haven’t seen the end of opinions about it (here’s MG’s take).