tech:

taffy

Thailand’s PC Market Bounces Back

[Techtaffy Newsdesk]

Thailand’s PC market bounced back strongly in the first quarter of 2012 after last year’s flood crisis to post a sequential growth of 47% and 10% year-on-year (YoY), says IDC. A much faster recovery from HDD shortages and lean inventory levels in channels allowed vendors to ship aggressively this quarter. This is despite weakness in overall buying sentiments caused by local gloomy economic and political situations.

“Although lean inventory levels in channels and the recovery of HDD supply allowed vendors to be aggressive this quarter, consumer demand did not mirror vendors’ bullish sentiments. In fact, consumer sentiments were weak throughout the quarter, with the Commart IT show in March recording below-par turnout,” said Jarit Sidhu, Associate Market Analyst for Client Devices Research at IDC Thailand.

“Enterprises remained cautious about spending this quarter. SMBs were an exception and this segment invested in healthy post-recovery buying. On the public sector side, the government has placed post-flood recovery as its primary objective and put several public sector projects on hold. Overall, the softness in enterprise and public sector spending kept the commercial segment suppressed this quarter,” Continues Jarit.

Thailand’s PC market in 2012 is expected to grow by 13.5% with higher PC adoption forecasted for all vertical segments. The consumer market will be driven by the expansion of broadband coverage and new technologies/sub form factors, which will continue to attract demand. The commercial market, on the other hand, will benefit from a higher level of technology adoption across all organizations, regardless of size or vertical.

[Image Courtesy: Thailand Tourism]

Just in

Apple sued in a landmark iPhone monopoly lawsuit — CNN

The US Justice Department and more than a dozen states filed a blockbuster antitrust lawsuit against Apple on Thursday, accusing the giant company of illegally monopolizing the smartphone market, writes Brian Fung, Hannah Rabinowitz and Evan Perez.

Google is bringing satellite messaging to Android 15 — The Verge

Google’s second developer preview for Android 15 has arrived, bringing long-awaited support for satellite connectivity alongside several improvements to contactless payments, multi-language recognition, volume consistency, and interaction with PDFs via apps, writes Jess Weatherbed. 

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman is paid more than the heads of Meta, Pinterest, and Snap — combined — QZ

Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman has been blasted by Redditors and in media reports over his recently-revealed, super-sized pay package of $193 million in 2023, writes Laura Bratton. 

British AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman joins Microsoft — BBC

Microsoft has announced British Artificial Intelligence pioneer Mustafa Suleyman will lead its newly-formed division, Microsoft AI, according to the BBC report. 

UnitedHealth Group has paid more than $2 billion to providers following cyberattack — CNBC

UnitedHealth Group said Monday that it’s paid out more than $2 billion to help health-care providers who have been affected by the cyberattack on subsidiary Change Healthcare, writes Ashley Capoot.