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Contents Dell Adds Liquid Cooling to Premium Gaming Series| Analysts: Toni Duboise, John Spindler | Desktop Computers | Announcement Summary
Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Current Analysis takes a slightly positive stance on Dell’s incorporation of liquid cooling technology. It represents an revolutionary step in Dell’s strategy for appealing to gamers and other desktop enthusiasts. Dell’s boring, staid reputation has been an obstacle in the race to appeal to gamers, and Dell has attempted to address this reputation with first-to-market (or at least cutting-edge) technology wins, as well as distinctive-looking chassis. Dell’s nVidia dual-GPU graphics solution on an Intel system was one example of the former and Dell’s chassis hand painted by Mike Lavallee an example of the latter. • Vendor Importance: Moderate. This did not generate the same attention as last year’s hand painted Dell gaming system, but was one of the most prominently positioned Dell products this year. • Market Impact: Low. Boutique vendors have long had liquid cooling options, so this evens things up for Dell, rather than providing a key differentiator. Sony Ericsson Plays the Walkman in the Low-end with the W200| Analyst: Brad Akyuz | Mobile Devices | Client Access | Announcement Summary January 11, 2007 – At CES 2007, Sony Ericsson unveiled the newest member of its Walkman phone lineup, the W200. The Sony Ericsson W200 is a compact bar-style phone featuring the Walkman-powered music player, which can play MP3 and AAC files; users can launch the player with a dedicated button. The phone also houses a VGA camera with 4x zoom and a built-in FM radio. Available in two color schemes (white/orange and black/orange), the W200 will commercially debut in Q2 2007 in select global regions. The company did not announce the device’s pricing. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Slightly positive on the new Sony Ericsson low-end Walkman phone, because it is the first low-end device promising above-average multimedia functionality. However, Sony Ericsson’s decision to stretch the Walkman logo down to the low-end game could adversely impact the elite image of the Walkman brand. Sony Ericsson already has an affordable Walkman phone (the W300i) in the market that has a mid-tier phone spec list but a low-end price tag. • Vendor Importance: Moderate to high to Sony Ericsson, because the low-end W200 can help the vendor boost its market share. Sony Ericsson has done a terrific marketing job with its existing Walkman lineup and enjoyed healthy margins on its expensive high-end Walkman phones, but margins correlate little with market share. The feature-packed W200 Walkman phone has the potential to boost Sony Ericsson’s market share with significant sales volumes in emerging GSM markets. • Market Impact: Low on the U.S. consumer handsets market, because U.S. consumers can already get a Walkman-powered Sony Ericsson phone with even better capabilities for less than $20 with a new contract. The phone could make a bigger impact in the U.S. prepaid handset market, which lacks feature phones with rich multimedia capabilities. Its enhanced music functionality and built-in camera would make the W200 one of the strongest prepaid device offerings in the market. Sony Seeks Living Room Entry with New Innovative PCs| Analysts: Toni Duboise, John Spindler | Desktop Computers | Announcement Summary
Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Current Analysis takes a positive stance on Sony’s wow-factor bifurcated approach to the full-function, svelte-chassis digital home PC market. Based on price points alone, the $1,600 TP1 stands a better chance of gaining traction with consumers than the $3,300 XL3 or the previous XL1 and XL2 editions. These new models are differentiated in much more than just their feeds and speeds, though. The XL3 is aimed at early adopters and emphasizes cutting-edge technology, while the TP1’s soft, curved styling unmistakably appeals to women either directly or via the WAF (wife approval factor). The XL3 is noteworthy for being the first PC from a mainstream vendor to directly target the set-top box market, and its feature set aims it at discriminating buyers who prefer a full-featured digital home PC. The TP1, on the other hand, focuses on an innovative design that will appeal to consumers’ interest in form over function. In both cases, Sony is aiming for an up-market target, hoping to find new niches. • Vendor Importance: High. Sony has essentially exited from the low-margin conventional desktop PC knife fight earlier this year, but is obviously angling for a strong presence in the emerging convergent device marketplace. • Market Impact: Low. Both models are specialty PCs aimed at savvy and affluent early adopters; Current Analysis retail sell-through data show that in December 2006, desktops priced $1,300 and over accounted for only 2% of unit sales. However, the TP1’s attention-getting, un-PC appearance has the potential to spark interest from those unfamiliar with the concept of a living room computer. HP Launches First Touchscreen All-in-One PC| Analysts: Toni Duboise, John Spindler | Desktop Computers | Announcement Summary
Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: While Current Analysis takes a positive stance on the ability of the TouchSmart IQ770 to bolster HP’s reputation, the new system will not just compete in a new niche market, but will actually need to create this new niche market all on its own. It is a unique product that does not squarely compete with anything else, even other all-in-one PCs. Will it be able to create a new market? The odds are always against such breaking of new ground, but the IQ770’s host of innovative, practical functions gives it a fighting chance. While the $1,799 price tag is higher than the vast majority of today’s PCs, it is more competitively priced than one would expect, given all of its features. • Vendor Importance: High. This major initiative of HP’s boasts a tour-de-force of design effort. Innovative products are often innovative only in particular areas, and half-baked in others, but this is not the case with the IQ770. • Market Impact: High. With the backing of major partner Microsoft, a broad section of the population will be exposed to the IQ770, so its innovative features will get a fair hearing in the consumer marketplace. That alone is likely to spawn imitators. If the IQ770 is a success, it will have industry-wide repercussions and will show that consumers can be convinced to spend more on a PC if it provides comprehensive functionality that goes beyond improved feeds and speeds. Sony’s VAIO SZ, N and C Series Refreshed at CES| Analysts: Hans Casto, Sam Bhavnani | Notebook Computers | Announcement Summary January 11, 2007 – At CES 2007, Sony unveiled replacements for its VAIO C100, N100 and SZ300 models, which have been outfitted with the new Microsoft Vista operating system and have undergone slight product name changes. The first series, the C100, will now be named C200 and will continue to act as Sony’s mid-range 13-inch widescreen offering. The high-end version of Sony’s 13-inch form factor will continue to be the VAIO SZ series, with new SKUs in the SZ400 series replacing SZ300 models. Finally, the budget-minded VAIO series, the N100, will shift to the N200 with the addition of the Vista operating system. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Current Analysis takes a positive stance on the release of Sony’s new revised C200, N200 and SZ400 model lines. During the past couple of years, Sony has continued to carry ASPs beyond that of other notebook manufacturers within the retail channel. As a result, it has seen its overall share of the retail market decline as manufacturers that offer lower-priced products and high levels of promotions gained an increasing share in U.S. retail. Despite this, Sony made a positive move with the release of the N100 series in the fourth quarter of 2006. This new model, acting as the VAIO FS replacement and offering “home” styling, entered the market as a price-competitive alternative to HP’s and Toshiba’s 15-inch widescreen models, which sell in high volumes and at very low ASPs. Sony accomplished this through premium product placement in holiday advertising as well as ASPs that represented a new low for the VAIO brand. • Vendor Importance: High. These models, which are competing in the important 15W and 13W form factor segments, will likely represent a substantial portion of Sony’s overall sales in 2007. • Market Impact: High. The more compelling value proposition offered by the lower-priced VAIO N200 series will appeal those who are both image- and price-conscious and should allow Sony to better compete against lower-cost offerings. BigBand Proves It Can Sing an Emmy-winning Tune| Analyst: Ron Westfall | Broadband Infrastructure - Global | Client Access | Announcement Summary January 10, 2007 – BigBand Networks announced that it was named co-winner of an Emmy award with Time Warner Cable and several other companies as part of the National Television Academy’s Technology and Engineering Awards. BigBand Networks, Time Warner and their co-winners received the award for technology contributions to Time Warner Cable’s ‘Start Over’ digital television feature in the category of “Outstanding Innovation and Achievement in Advanced Media Technology for the Best Use of On-Demand Technology Over Private Networks.” Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Positive on BigBand’s scooping a technology Emmy award along with Time Warner Cable from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) as the award demonstrates that IP-based video applications in areas such as time-shifted television (TV) will play an increasingly significant role in how TV programming is packaged and how consumer viewing patterns continue to evolve. • Vendor Importance: Moderate to BigBand as touting the co-win of the Emmy award yields BigBand another sales and marketing banner as well as demonstrating how the company’s BMR platform is meeting the strategic needs of carrier customers such as Time Warner Cable and provide additional marketing momentum for the company’s pending IPO. • Market Impact: Low to moderate on the overall broadband multimedia infrastructure realm as BigBand and Time Warner Cable were already working together before co-winning the Emmy award, and thus rivals will not need to adapt specific product development and sales and marketing responses to this particular announcement. Nokia Slims Down the Nseries Lineup with the N76| Analysts: Brad Akyuz, Avi Greengart | Mobile Devices | Client Access | Announcement Summary January 8, 2007 – At CES 2007, Nokia released its first thin clamshell Nseries phone running on the Symbian S60 platform. Measuring only 13.7 mm in depth, the new N76 is equipped with a 2.4-inch QVGA main display, a 2MP camera, an MP3 player, Bluetooth, FM radio, external memory support (microSD – up to 2GB), and dedicated media control buttons on the outer cover. The UMTS Nokia N76 will be commercially available in Q1 2007 with an unsubsidized price tag of EUR 390 ($510). Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Slightly positive on the new N76, the thinnest clamshell phone launched to date by Nokia. The Symbian-powered phone packs rich multimedia features in an extremely sleek and stylish metal chassis measuring less than 14mm. Its music functionality is particularly good. However, as important as the N76 will be to Nokia’s business in Europe and parts of Asia, it means little to U.S. consumers because, with a high price point and without a GSM 850 MHz radio, it will not receive a carrier commitment. • Vendor Importance: High to Nokia, because the vendor has been harshly criticized for its ignorance of consumer demand towards thin clamshell form factors, and the N76 is a late but differentiated response. Ironically, however, the N76 is not intended for the U.S. market, where the vendor struggles the most. • Market Impact: Moderate on the global smartphone market, because the N76, similar to most other Nseries devices, is not revolutionary like Apple’s iPhone, nor is it positioned to compete against business-oriented devices. The N76 is another in Nokia’s line of phones classified as “smart” due to the nature of the platform (Symbian S60) it runs on; it will have a bigger impact on the high-end feature phone market. Europeans have been waiting for a full-featured RAZR clone with the word “Nokia” on the case and a traditional 12-key numeric keypad; Nokia will sell a lot of them.. Acer Offers Choice of Blu-ray or HD-DVD on New Notebooks| Analysts: Hans Casto, Sam Bhavnani | Notebook Computers | Announcement Summary January 10, 2007 – Acer has expanded both its Aspire and TravelMate lines to include support for both types of next-generation, high-definition media formats: Blu-ray and HD-DVD. These new models include the addition of an HD-DVD-equipped model to the 20.1-inch widescreen Aspire 9800 series; the TravelMate 8200 series is receiving three new models, of which two feature Blu-ray optical drives and the third offers a more pedestrian dual-layer DVD-burning drive. The new Acer models are currently available for purchase from e-commerce channel partners like PCMall.com and Newegg.com. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Current Analysis takes a slightly positive stance on the release of new Blu-ray and HD-DVD notebooks in Acer’s Aspire and TravelMate lines. Acer, in offering both HD-DVD and Blu-ray optical drives on these latest products, is placing itself at a significant advantage against single-format manufacturers like Toshiba, Sony, Dell and Fujitsu. But, Acer is arriving late to the game in terms of its Blu-ray adoption, and in addition, its competitiveness against largest rival Sony is not strong. • Vendor Importance: High. Acer is showing its flexibility through its product lines by offering a strong range of processors, and now, optical drive choices. • Market Impact: Low. Acer’s overall market share still remains small compared to the largest manufacturers, and further, Blu-ray and HD-DVD models are unlikely to gain share points for any manufacturer. Epson Introduces the Fax-enabled Stylus CX7000F to U.S. Market| Analyst: Matthew Bendert | Printing and Supplies | Announcement Summary
Analytical Summary • Vendor Importance: High. The CX7000F is Epson’s second fax-enabled inkjet AIO in the U.S market and bridges a gap between consumer and business printers in the manufacturer’s lineup. • Market Impact: Moderate. The CX7000F is a good step for Epson in expanding its lineup, but the inclusion of an ADF and a bigger paper capacity are essential business components that would help this model compete with products from Brother, HP and Lexmark for small business inkjet fax consumers. Ricoh Announces New Enterprise MFP Models| Analysts: Philip J. Grote, Neville Khambatta | Printing and Supplies | Announcement Summary January 9, 2007 – Ricoh has announced two new monochrome MFP models for high-end businesses. The Aficio MP 3500 and MP 4500 models are available in configurations ranging from standalone copier models to full MFPs featuring fax, scan, print and document management software. These models have print speeds of 35 and 45 ppm, respectively, and are equipped with Ricoh’s latest security features including data encryption, LDAP authentication and Copy Prevention Control. Pricing starts at $9,000 for the MP 3500 and $11,000 for the MP 4500. These models will be available shortly from Ricoh authorized dealer Analytical Summary • Vendor Importance: Moderate. Ricoh is updating its enterprise lineup to remain competitive. • Market Impact:Moderate. These models just offer standard upgrades over the previous generation, and competitors have already made similar adjustments to their offerings. Alvarion Gets Proactive on WiMAX Devices with Accton| Analyst: Peter Jarich | Wireless Infrastructure | Announcement Summary January 8, 2007 – Alvarion and Accton Technology announced the formation of Accton Wireless Broadband (AWB). AWB, based in Taiwan, will develop mass-market mobile WiMAX consumer electronics offerings and will sell its devices to Alvarion as part of the vendor’s 4Motion WiMAX solution. Initially, AWB will concentrate its efforts on producing PCMCIA cards, self-installable indoor CPE and outdoor residential gateways with an expected release date in Q2 2007. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Slightly positive on the formation of Accton Wireless Broadband (AWB). AWB gets Alvarion (and Alvarion’s customers) access to low-cost mobile WiMAX devices, leveraging Alvarion’s WiMAX expertise and Acton’s position as a consumer electronics provider. Yet, because WiMAX is an open standard, customers should just as easily benefit from devices delivered by other vendors. At the same time, Alvarion’s competitors should also benefit from AWB’s products…delivering limited competitive differentiation to Alvarion. • Vendor Importance: High to Alvarion because a complete WiMAX solution requires devices as well as network infrastructure. When the fixed-wireless market leader announced its 4Motion strategy, the company made it clear that it understood this. AWB, however, executes of the promise of 4Motion – IE, an end-to-end solution built from best-of-breed partners. Standards-based CPE should help on this front. A formal partnership, however, ensures access and ensures that Alvarion will have input into device features. • Market Impact: Moderate to the wireless infrastructure market. Access to devices from AWB clearly improves Alvarion’s WiMAX solution, making it a stronger WiMAX competitor. Yet, where competitors have access to AWB devices – as well as their own internal device R&D – they receive almost all of the same benefits. Where they can leverage AWB as well as their own internal device businesses, the result is a potentially better solution. Combined with the fact that Alvarion has yet to announce any mobile WiMAX deals, Alvarion is only marginally more threatening to competitors than previously. Sony Announces U.S. Availability of Flash Hard Drive VAIO| Analysts: Hans Casto, Sam Bhavnani | Notebook Computers | Client Access | Announcement Summary
Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Current Analysis takes a slightly positive stance on the release of a new flash-HD-based VAIO UX model. While the flash-based hard drive does offer advantages to the mobile user over a conventional notebook hard drive, the technology is still in its infancy. While the new UX390N is claimed to achieve a longer battery life and a speedier response from programs, it is unlikely that these advantages will compensate for the “real world” $500 premium charged for the UX390N over the UX280P, which is equipped with a conventional hard drive. However, the UX390N features the newest and most powerful version of the Core Solo processor, which places it at an advantage over competitors offering ultra-compact computing products. At the present time, Current Analysis believes that flash-based alternatives to a conventional 2.5-inch or 1.8-inch hard drive are simply too expensive to provide an effective cost/benefit ratio that will appeal to a large majority of notebook consumers. Despite this, there continues to be a select niche section of the market to which this type of device appeals. • Vendor Importance: Moderate. As a portable flagship offering, Sony’s UX390N ultra-portable notebook will do more to draw attention to the VAIO brand than it will to spur high-volume sales. • Market Impact: Low. Ultra-small computing devices continue to occupy a tiny subset of the overall notebook market. Samsung Brings New Monochrome Laser AIO to the U.S.| Analysts: Philip J. Grote, Neville Khambatta | Printing and Supplies | Client Access | Announcement Summary
Analytical Summary • Vendor Importance: Moderate. Samsung is updating an important part of its SOHO printer lineup. • Market Impact: Moderate. This new model does not offer any significant new capabilities over its old model and will not upset the market. Samsung’s Q1 UMPC Adds 32-GB Flash Memory Hard Drive| Analysts: Hans Casto, Sam Bhavnani | Notebook Computers | Client Access | Announcement Summary
Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Current Analysis takes a slightly negative stance on the release of the Q1P-SSD UMPC (Ultra Mobile Personal Computer). With the original Samsung Q1 in May 2006, the price point at which it was introduced in the notebook and portable computing market was extremely uncompetitive. At that time, ASPs for fully featured notebook computers in retail hovered around $970. (By the month of December 2006, ASPs had declined to $822.) At the model’s introduction, the Q1 was priced higher than the notebook ASP and also had a much weaker feature set, offering a Celeron processor and a short battery life for an ultra-portable. Moving ahead eight months, the release of the Q1P-SSD improves upon the weak specifications of the original Q1 with a more powerful processor and a better-performing hard drive. Unfortunately for the Q1P-SSD, these performance and specification improvements come along with a huge price jump—one that is likely to price the UMPC further away from the intended target segment for these types of devices. • Vendor Importance: Moderate. Since UMPCs currently serve as Samsung’s only computing offering in the U.S., the Q1P-SSD will act as its flagship model. • Market Impact: Low. UMPCs continue to occupy very limited retail space, and this is unlikely to change until price points become competitive with standard notebooks. Konica Minolta Releases Two New Magicolor Printers| Analysts: Philip J. Grote, Aric Blair | Printing and Supplies | Announcement Summary
Analytical Summary • Vendor Importance: High. These models are critical to Konica Minolta’s success in the color market and will be the cornerstone of the manufacturer’s lineup. • Market Impact: Moderate. The 5550 will simply take over for the 5450, but the 5570 represents a new threat to the competition. Epson Challenges B-size Segment with Stylus Photo 1400 Photo Printer| Analysts: Lissa Jordon, Matthew Bendert | Printing and Supplies | Announcement Summary
Analytical Summary • Vendor Importance: High. The Stylus Photo 1400 is Epson’s first 13”x19” photo printer launched since 2005 and, at $399, could help put the manufacturer back in the race in the B-size photo printer segment. • Market Impact: Moderate. HP still has the lowest-priced B-size photo printer on the market with the Photosmart Pro B8350 ($349), but Epson’s Stylus Photo 1400 could prove competitive given its built-in PictBridge compatibility and faster published 4”x6” print speeds in normal mode. HP Unveils Three New Consumer Scanners| Analysts: Philip J. Grote, Neville Khambatta | Printing and Supplies | Client Access | Announcement Summary
Analytical Summary • Vendor Importance: Moderate. This is a refresh of HP’s entire consumer scanner lineup, which is needed for the company to stay competitive with advances from Canon and Epson. • Market Impact: Moderate. These models should have been launched at the beginning of Q4 2006 for the best impact. The first quarter of the year is the time for business machines, and these photo scanners will not draw attention until later in 2007. Comcast and TiVo Debut New DVR Offering| Analyst: Bruce McGregor | Digital Home - U.S. | Announcement Summary January 8, 2007 – Comcast and TiVo showed off their new integrated DVR service at CES, which it began trialing in late 2006. The service combines TiVo DVR software with Comcast’s digital cable offering, including video-on-demand (VoD) and high definition (HD) programming, in a single set-top box. TiVo features incorporated in the new DVR service include the WishList search tool and Season Pass that records a whole season of a TV series without repeats. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Slightly positive on Comcast and TiVo’s unveiling their new DVR service, because the service integrates TiVo’s DVR software with Comcast’s cable offering that passes more than 47.2 million U.S. households. TiVo's loss of its DIRECTV partnership in 2006 created a large hole in the company's channel distribution, as DIRECTV at the end of Q3 2006 represented 63% of TiVo's subscriber base. • Vendor Importance: High to Comcast, because the cable company is starting to offer its digital cable customers an advanced DVR offering using TiVo’s software, offering a wide selection of video programming including more than 8,000 video-on-demand titles and HD programming. Comcast will be trying to get its new TiVo DVR service deployed quickly, using a self installation application for existing digital cable customers that already have a qualified set-top box with built-in DVR. • Market Impact: Moderate on Comcast’s rivals, including satellite TV providers DIRECTV and EchoStar, which need to be concerned about Comcast teaming up with TiVo to offer DVR services that match their offerings. It will take time for Comcast to market its new TiVo service to its 24.1 million cable subscribers effectively, but the strength of the TiVo brand could increase DVR sales. Cingular Unveils 3G/IMS-based Video Sharing| Analyst: Bill Ho | Wireless Services - U.S. | Client Access | Announcement Summary January 8, 2007 – Cingular became the first wireless carrier in the U.S. to demonstrate a service that allows wireless phone users to easily make a “live” video share call at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show. The service allows users to send a live video stream to a recipient during a voice call. Beginning with a normal phone call, customers can hit one button to add a live video stream, allowing the called party to see what the caller is seeing while they’re talking. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Slightly positive on Cingular’s announcement of a video sharing service because once rolled out, the service will be the first video sharing service in the U.S. and provide differentiation against other competitors. Still, the announcement is not a service launch but rather an event to draw attention to the carrier during the frenzy of the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show. • Vendor Importance: Very high to Cingular because the carrier is leveraging its IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) assets to produce a one of a kind (for now) mobile service that also takes advantage of its HSDPA investment. Moreover, the service has been talked up since mid-2006 with the hopes of a late 2006 launch and as such, the carrier needed to show that it can finally deliver on its talk. • Market Impact: Moderate on the wireless services market because although Cingular is demonstrating video sharing at CES, the launch date or even projected launch quarter has yet to be disclosed. However, competitors have not stated any plans or development of a similar service. Despite this, competitors can work out their own messaging to deflect Cingular’s service when it does launch. Samsung Gives Color Laser AIO an Official Kickoff| Analysts: Philip J. Grote, Neville Khambatta | Printing and Supplies | Announcement Summary
Analytical Summary • Vendor Importance: High. Samsung has entered the lucrative color laser AIO segment with a model at a competitive price point with an efficient form factor. • Market Impact: High. The CLX-3160FN will move to the forefront of the color laser AIO retail market and be a real threat to HP and its new models. Pharos Launches First GPS Phone| Analyst: Avi Greengart | Mobile Devices | Client Access | Announcement Summary January 7, 2007 – At Digital Experience, Pharos Science & Applications showed its first GPS-enabled smartphone. The GPS Phone offers a full-featured navigation experience, including a SiRFstar III chipset and preloaded map data, on a sleek Windows Mobile 5.0 smartphone. The GPS Phone features quad-band EDGE, WiFi, Bluetooth, a 2MP camera, and FM radio. The GPS Phone will be available in February 2007 at national retail outlets and online stores for $699.99. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Negative on Pharos’ GPS Phone, despite the fact that it is the first phone to integrate device-based GPS navigation fully in a single package. The package itself is quite nice, too: a half-inch thin slab with a 2.8” touch-screen, quad-band/EDGE/WiFi/Bluetooth radios, and Windows Mobile 5.0. However, it is expensive ($700), it will only be distributed at retail (which is not where most U.S. consumers buy their phones), and Pharos’ standalone GPS systems do not excel in out-of-the-box usability (the GPS user interface is not as intuitive as systems from TomTom; better documentation would go a long way). There is little reason to think that the GPS Phone will be any better. • Vendor Importance: High to Pharos’ mobile device business, because GPS navigation is beginning to feel the impact of converged handsets. Products like VZ Navigator – found on many Verizon Wireless phones, with per-use pricing available – are good enough for casual users of navigation. The standalone portable GPS device market is rapidly bifurcating into the high end (Garmin, Magellan, TomTom, and Pioneer) and a flood of inexpensive no-name Asian imports. Pharos is trying to fight both trends by becoming a handset vendor itself, and hopefully propelling the Pharos brand into the top tier. • Market Impact: Low on the smartphone market, because Pharos has such limited distribution in the cell phone channel, and GPS navigation phones from HTC and Nokia are on the way. Still, this is noteworthy because, until now, HP was the only vendor to offer GPS capabilities in a GSM handset without an additional Bluetooth gadget, and its smartphones also are not sold at Cingular’s retail stores and they do not include full navigation software capabilities in the box. Pharos is also promising new functionality down the road (forgive the pun) based on its integration of GPS tagging, connectivity, and imaging. And Nokia Makes Three…Sprint Names Its 3rd WiMAX Vendor| Analyst: Peter Jarich | Wireless Infrastructure | Announcement Summary January 5, 2007 – Nokia’s won the prized role of Sprint’s third WiMAX vendor. Announcing its WiMAX product plans last October, the deal is a major coup for the Finnish vendor. Yet, any slippage in Nokia’s development plan could create a high-profile disappointment. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Very positive on Nokia’s WiMAX win with Sprint Nextel. As with Motorola and Samsung, Nokia is the lucky recipient of a somewhat unorthodox deal – requiring marketing support as well as joint application and device development. More importantly, however, it heralds Nokia’s position as an early WiMAX heavyweight (strong enough to capture Sprint’s business) while teaming Sprint with a vendor who can deliver WiMAX network gear as well as consumer electronics kit. • Vendor Importance: Very high to Nokia because the vendor’s late entry into the WiMAX market (confirming network and device plans in October 2006) potentially robbed it of critical market mindshare. Work with Sprint – Nokia’s first announced WiMAX deal - not only grows the vendors 802.16 stature, it signals the value of Nokia’s infrastructure and device synergies while suggesting that the pending formation of Nokia Siemens Networks (and the recent delay in operations) should not discourage new deals…it didn’t for Sprint. • Market Impact: High to the wireless infrastructure market. Sprint Nextel is only one of many operators expected to launch mobile WiMAX services. Yet, as the first major operator to commit to the technology, all eyes are on its WiMAX deployment. To this end, a deal with Sprint Nextel magnifies the profile of any WiMAX vendor. For Nokia, a win at Sprint signals that the WIMAX latecomer needs to be considered a true competitor. For competitors – Alcatel-Lucent and Nortel, in particular – a loss at Sprint means they will need to redouble their efforts elsewhere in order to paint themselves as solid suppliers. Fuji Attempts to Jump on the SD Flash Memory Bandwagon| Analysts: Antoinette Marty, Shawny Chen | Digital Cameras | Client Access | Announcement Summary
A dual card slot is not the only differentiating feature of the F40fd, which boasts hardware-based face detection technology, 8.3 megapixels, ISO sensitivity up to 2000 and dual memory card slots for xD and SD flash memory. While the FinePix F40fd is the fourth model to join Fuji’s F-series and is also the fourth to feature face detection in the entire Fuji lineup. The F40fd will be available in March 2007 for $299.
• Current Perspective: Current Analysis takes a positive stance on Fuji’s dual xD and SD card slot digital cameras. Fuji’s move is more of a test within its digital camera business to capture second-time digital camera buyers who own an SD-compatible digital camera; therefore, the performance of these models is likely to impact Fuji’s decision regarding offering future dual-format digital cameras. The majority of digital cameras in U.S. retail utilize SD cards, as shown in the shelf share graph. SD-compatible digital cameras make up a large 76% slice, and although xD is second in share, it falls far behind, with only 15%. Toshiba 12-inch Convertible Tablet to be Announced at CES?| Analysts: Hans Casto, Sam Bhavnani | Notebook Computers | Client Access |
January 3, 2007 – Toshiba’s convertible tablet PC family, including the Portege M200 and Tecra M7 are soon to receive a third model, the Portege R400. The new model, while not yet formally announced by Toshiba, appears to feature a 12-inch widescreen similar to the Satellite U205 and added touchscreen capability. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: While unconfirmed by Toshiba directly, Current Analysis takes a positive stance on the release of a new Toshiba Portege R400 tablet PC. Toshiba as a manufacturer has faced a difficult time identifying itself within the overall notebook space. While it continues to ship high-volumes of notebooks and has begun moving away from the lowest-end of the notebook space (sub-$500), it has been unable to observe the type of growth seen by other manufacturers like HP. The definitive standout feature option on the R400 is the wireless docking of desktop peripherals. While its should be noted that Toshiba’s Portege line does not see much presence in the large retail sector, an innovations such as wireless docking should prove an excellent example of a way to differentiate the Toshiba brand. This combined with other aspects such as the addition of fingerprint and durability features to Satellite U200 line are positive differentiators for the Toshiba notebook brand as a whole. • Vendor Importance: High. A new, lightweight tablet PC with innovative features should push Toshiba’s brand further as an innovator. • Market Impact: Moderate. The Portege R400 is likely to be aimed at corporate and small business users, limiting its scope. However, its technology would appeal to the everyday consumer as well. Vista Incompatibility List Scares Off Printer Buyers| Analysts: Philip J. Grote, Neville Khambatta | Printing and Supplies | Client Access | Announcement Summary December 21 , 2007 – The launch of Microsoft’s new Vista operating system is creating waves in the computer market as businesses will need to upgrade both their hardware and their printers to meet the compatibility requirements of the new system. If businesses choose to use Vista, some of their current printers may not work properly, either locally or on the network, because of issues with software incompatibility. This could be costly, as it would force new printer purchases. Many printers are already certified but others are not, which can impact the purchasing decisions of SMBs looking for a hassle-free transition to the new OS. Analytical Summary • Current Perspective: Though usually forgotten by the general public, printers are just as much a part of a company’s IT infrastructure as computers and servers. They have integrated software and security settings and can act as a link to the world outside the corporate intranet. Any company that is thinking of upgrading to Vista needs to consider compatibility issues and to take into account the costs of any necessary hardware upgrades before deciding that it is the right choice for them. • Positive Industry Impacts: Printer drivers will be updated to meet the latest security and connectivity guidelines. Some companies will upgrade their printer hardware sooner than expected to coincide with adoption of Vista. •Negative Industry Impacts: Microsoft is dictating infrastructure properties to printer vendors and making it necessary to partner with them or risk being left behind as incompatible technology. U.S. Retail PCs Post Resilient 27% Growth for the First Half of Holiday 2006| Analyst: Toni Duboise | Notebook Computers | Client Access | Announcement Summary December 20, 2006 – U.S. retail PC sales have grown 27% annually for the first half of the holiday shopping season. Early holiday results were derived from Current Analysis’ retail sell-through tracking and reflect retail sell-out data falling between November 19 and December 9, 2006. December 9th marks the halfway point for the 2006 holiday shopping season, which runs from the week of Black Friday (November 24, 2006) through the end of the year. The notebook PC category continues to be the driving force behind consumer PC sales, with the mobile category posting a 58% annual growth rate for the first three weeks of holiday 2006, compared to the same time last year. In contrast, desktops posted a 6% annual unit sales decline compared to the sales volumes posted for the first three weeks of holiday 2005. Analytical Summary
Probably the most notable trend is the move to mobility, which has grown progressively and maintains a current share of 64% of all PCs sold in the U.S. retail market. The move-to-mobility trend is in its second year, with widespread adoption of wireless technologies and enhanced performance components as a catalyst for broader consumer penetration. • Vendor Importance: High. With a full fifth of annual sales generated during the holiday shopping season, this is a critical juncture for PC vendors. • Market Impact: High. The PC market’s robust growth during the first half of the holiday season helps dispel some of the fears associated with Microsoft’s delayed Vista launch and shows that the product category can still perform well despite the growing number of alternative electronic options available to consumers in today’s marketplace.
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January 11, 2007 – Dell announced a new edition to its flagship game-centric XPS lineup at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2007 this week, the liquid cooling equipped Dimension XPS 710 H2C. The Dimension XPS 710 H2C–the H2C refers to the liquid cooling feature—is available immediately from Dell for a $5,499 price tag. It is housed in the chassis that first debuted with the XPS 700, but has a new “Midnight Black” paint job. The apparently proprietary liquid cooling unit of the XPS 710 H2C uses a liquid radiator, a thermoelectric cooling module, and control circuitry. Liquid cooling technology removes heat from high-end computer and graphics processors more robustly than is possible with the mere air cooling used in traditional PC chassis. The Intel quad-core processor is factory-overclocked to 3.20 Gigahertz (up from 2.66 Gigahertz), and the hard drive runs at 10,000 revolutions-per-minute (up from the standard 7,200 rpm). 
January 11, 2007 – Earlier this week at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Sony unveiled a striking new small-form-factor computer, the VAIO TP1, as well as a third-generation Digital Living System, the VAIO XL3. Both are designed to complement a living room television, with the TP1’s white, circular chassis emphasizing styling, and the XL3 offering more functionality within its much-larger consumer electronics chassis. 
January 11, 2007 – Taking the all-in-one PC concept to a new level, HP introduced the first touchscreen all-in-one PC at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new HP TouchSmart IQ770 includes not only a 19-inch adjustable widescreen LCD display but also an integrated onscreen Webcam and printer platform located behind the screen where consumers can dock an HP photo printer. The all-in-one IQ770 runs Microsoft’s Windows Vista Home Premium operating system (OS), which – when released on January 30, 2007 – will encompass both Windows XP Media Center and Tablet applications, making the touchscreen functionality possible.
January 9, 2007 – Epson has announced the release of its fax-enabled Stylus CX7000F in U.S. retail. The CX7000F shares many features of Epson’s Stylus CX5000 and CX6000 with 27 ppm color and monochrome printing, 29-second 4”x6” photo prints, memory card slots, PictBridge compatibility and a 1200x2400 dpi flatbed scanner, and adds integrated fax capability, making it Epson’s second fax-enabled inkjet in the U.S. after the CX5800F. However, like the CX5800F, the CX7000F lacks an automatic document feeder (ADF). Epson expects this model to be available in U.S. retail in late January for $149.
January 9, 2007 – Sony has announced the addition of its first flash memory-based hard drive VAIO models in the U.S. market in 2007. The new model, the VAIO UX390N, features a 32-GB flash solid state hard drive in place of a conventional 1.8-inch magnetic hard drive. The UX390N has already been marketed in Japanese markets with upcoming availability in the Europe and the United States. The VAIO UX390N micro PC will begin selling in February of this year at a price of $2,500. 
January 9, 2007 – Samsung has announced the expanded availability of the SCX-4725FN AIO. This model appeared in Europe during December 2006 and will now make its way to U.S. resellers at the tail-end of Q1 2007. This model is a 4-in-1 monochrome laser AIO that features 24-ppm print and copy speeds. It will be replacing the SCX-4720FN and is expected to enter the U.S. at a price point of $299. 
January 9, 2007 – Samsung, following on its release of a 32-GB 1.8-inch notebook hard drive in March 2006, has found a use for this solid state, flash-memory based unit with its ultra-mobile PC, the Q1P-SSD. The new SSD (or solid state disk) takes the place of a conventional small-form-factor 1.8-inch hard drive while touting the ability to boot up 25% to 50% faster and write to the device 150 times faster than the conventional hard drive model. The Q1P-SSD is identical in specifications to the Q1P-UMPC but substitutes a 32-GB SSD drive in place of the Q1P’s conventional 60-GB hard drive. 
January 8, 2007 – Two new color laser printer models from Konica Minolta have been introduced at CES and have also been spotted in the e-commerce channel. The 27/31-ppm Magicolor 5550 and the 31/37-ppm 5570 have respective average street prices of $1,073 and $1,651. These two new printers, which are network-ready with gigabit Ethernet connection and include a PictBridge interface, will expand Konica Minolta’s lineup in the SMB segment. 
January 8, 2007 – For the first time since May 2005, Epson has introduced a new 13”x19” photo printer to the American printer market. The Stylus Photo 1400, announced at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, will be the successor to Epson’s six-year-old Stylus Color 1280 and will feature six-color printing using Epson’s Claria Ultra Hi-Definition ink set with individual ink cartridges. Additionally, the 1400 features automatic image correction, direct printing on CDs and DVDs, and PictBridge connectivity, and it produces borderless 4”x6” prints in 46 seconds and 8”x10” prints in 108 seconds. This model is expected to enter U.S. retail at $399. 
January 8, 2007 – HP is using CES to unveil three new photo scanners for the consumer market. Two of these scanners feature a technological breakthrough that gives users the ability to scan prints in six colors. This is achieved with the use of a second light source to capture more information than traditional three-color scanning. The HP ScanJet G3010, G4010 and G4050 range in price from $99 to $199 and will replace HP’s current consumer scanner models. These new models feature slide and transparency scanning and OCR software. Release dates have yet to be set for these models. 
January 8, 2007 – Samsung is using the CES show to officially launch its new color laser AIO model. Samsung has built the CLX-3160FN on the printer engine of its CLP-300 series of color laser printers. Samsung describes it as the world’s smallest and lightest color laser AIO. It is designed for SOHO and small workgroup environments with features such as scan-to-e-mail and scan-to-network. It also prints from and scans to a USB drive. This model entered the U.S. retail channel last month at a price point of $599.
January 4, 2007 – Broadening its appeal to repeat buyers, Fuji announced the FinePix F40fd, A800 and A610, the first Fuji compact models to offer dual slots for flash memory cards in both the xD and SD formats. Prior to this latest release, Fuji and Olympus cameras were compatible only with xD cards. However, the SD format, long utilized by Canon, Kodak and Nikon, is more popular.
Analytical Summary
Announcement Summary 
• Current Perspective: Current Analysis takes a highly positive stance on the double-digit unit growth posted by the PC category for the first half of the holiday 2006 season. The robust growth helps dispel some of the fears associated with Microsoft’s delayed Vista launch and shows that the product category can still perform well despite the growing number of alternative electronic options available to consumers in today’s marketplace. 
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