There might be an increase in laptop sales in Q2- The Notebook Company

The Notebook Company, one of South Africa’s leading retailers of notebooks and accessories, believes there might be an increase in the sale of laptops during the second quarter due to the fact that there will be a “full range of  laptops entering the market, running Windows 8 – which might just create a slight increase in sales”.

This is according to Christopher Riley, MD of The Notebook Company, who said his company is expecting a 20% increase in laptop sales during the second quarter.

“It’s very possible that people were holding back on purchases, not really knowing what to buy before Windows 8 had worked its way into the market – and shown what its performance rating is. Additionally, it is also branded laptop ranges that are entering the market, running Windows 8.  If people were holding onto their Windows 7 machines to see what the market was going to do– to see if Windows 8 got bad reviews or not – they might now be inclined to jump in and go for a new laptop with Windows 8 

“In Fact,” said Riley, “we were, until recently, advising clients to hold any purchases – and to stick to their Windows 7 platform – to see what would happen with Windows 8, so that they could make an informed decision.”

Google’s Android tablets set to overtake Apple iPad says The Notebook Company

The tablet market is arguably one of the most fiercely competitive marketplaces in the world, with a number of the world’s biggest companies fighting for market share. But, while Apple iPad has been the clear leader since the tablet market started in full force in 2010, its lead is about to be eclipsed by Google’s Android devices.

This is according to Christopher Riley, CEO of Pretoria-based notebook and accessories retailer, The Notebook Company – and one of South Africa’s leading sellers of Apple iPads.

“We are seeing some pretty distinct market shifts and Apple’s heydays as the hands-down leader in the tablet market seem numbered,” said Riley.

IDC has already reported that shipments of tablets running Google’s Android operating system will surpass Apple this year for the first time. “There are a growing variety of smaller and cheaper Android-driven tablets from Google to Amazon.com, which are really becoming increasingly popular with consumers.  It’s not just the tablet market where Apple seems to be losing traction,” said Riley.  “Samsung, arguably Apple’s biggest rival, is coming to market with a slew of tech-savvy and funky  tablet and iPhone solutions, which are starting to take a bite of Apple’s market.”
Samsung’s fourth generation of its flagship Galaxy is about to hit the market and it is this range of smartphones that knocked Apple off its pedestal as the world’s number one supplier for part of last year.
“There is a lot of market anticipation for the new Samsung Galaxy,” said Riley, “and we could very likely see more inroads this year.”

While Apple might be facing more competition, Riley said he still believes that iPad sales will be the main contributor to The Notebook Company’s total revenue for the year. “For the past two years Apple iPad sales have been our main sales line.

" This is changing and, therefore, we are also offering a wide range of Android devices. We are also suggesting big name brands  when clients are looking at Android devices. We have offered low-end no-name tablets before, but we always warn clients that it is a case of ‘you get what you pay for’” 

In the meanwhile, the shine seems to be coming off Apple, with its share price being the first to show this – losing more than one-third of its value since hitting a high last September.

Microsoft’s Surface tablet will lift the level of competition in the local tablet market – but will it sell much?

Microsoft’s long-awaited – and much-touted – Surface tablet is due to hit South Africa’s shores within the next few months and, while it is expected to lift the already high level of competition in the tablet market, sales are unlikely to be huge, said Christopher Riley, the founder of Pretoria-based notebook and accessories retailer, The Notebook Company, one of the biggest sellers of the Apple iPad.

Riley said Apple is currently facing elevated competition from Android-driven tablet devices – which are generally cheaper than the iPad – as well as from an invigorated Samsung, whose tablet sales have risen meteorically in recent months.

“Apple’s share of the global marketplace has fallen from 51,7% to 43%, while Samsung’s has doubled from 7,3% to 15%. The arrival of Microsoft’s tablet in South Africa isn’t going to make a huge impact. Microsoft has lost too much traction over the last three years and the entrance of the long-awaited Surface is just that – it is long-awaited. It is late – and Microsoft has arguably lost its chance to become a core player in the tablet market.

“It is being touted as a great tablet from a price/performance perspective. Of course, time will tell. But I don’t believe they will be big sellers locally.”

Commenting further, Riley said that while Apple iPad sales still account for the lion’s share of the company’s revenue, sales have dropped in recent months as other tablets become more popular, including the Samsung devices.

The  Microsoft Surface will be available in both Windows 8 Pro and Windows 8 RT (run time) versions.

Vat Calculation Problems

Hopefully www.notebook.co.za/apps/vat will help you with your VAT201 Form

Samsung takes a chunk out of Apple – The Notebook Company

Apple, the incumbent “king of the tablet”, is under threat from Samsung as it saw its slice of the worldwide tablet pie falling from 51,7% to 43,6%, while Samsung’s spurred upwards from 7,3% to 15%.

It might not yet be time to worry, but, according to Christopher Riley, the CEO of Pretoria-based notebook and accessories retailer, The Notebook Company – and one of the largest sellers of Apple iPads -  Apple’s heydays in the iPad market “might well be over”.

“They are certainly not down and out, buy there is certainly increased completion of late, including a big jump in popularity by Samsung – and an increase in competition from Android-based tablets.

“The importance of recent sales statistics – as gleaned from MIRROR NEWS – show that Samsung’s market share has effectively doubled, while Apples has declined. These are the facts on the table right now. It also seems certain that Samsung will further increase its market share as the year progresses.”

Sales of Samsung Galaxy tablets made the 7.9 million mark in the last quarter of 2012, compared with just 2.2 million in the entire 2011 – according to research firm IDC.

“There is a strong move upwards,” said Riley. “even though Apple is still the best selling tablet, with a comparative sales figure of 22.9 million.”

Additionally, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 smartphone outsold the iPhone for the first time over the Christmas season, reporting a total of 18 million sales compared to Apple’s 16.2 million.

“All around, Apple is facing more competition,” said Riley.

He added that he is also noticing a “definite swing” towards more sales of Samsung and Android-driven tablets. 

“Apple’s iPads are still our top seller. But we are seeing increased interest in other tablets, something that started during the latter part of last year.”

Acer and Lenovo sales doing well at The Notebook Company …end users look for more ‘bang for buck’

As the consumer continues to battle with over indebtedness, price/performance is becoming a bigger issue, with end users looking far more closely at specifications to ensure that they do not pay too much by “buying features they will not use”.

This is according to Christopher Riley, CEO of Pretoria-based laptop and accessories retailer, The Notebook Company –and one of the biggest suppliers of Apple iPads.

“End users are really doing their homework and they are not ‘over-buying’ as much as they used to in the past. Users traditionally have the habit of buying laptops, and technology, that they will never completely utilize. People generally buy laptops, from a spec point of view, that they will never fully utilize. They might use 60% of the specs and features, meaning, in effect, that they are actually overpaying. But during the first quarter of this year, we have seen a definite trend where users are becoming far more discerning. They are looking more closely at the specs and features of their purchases, looking at it from a stricter ‘what features do I really need’ scenario.”

Riley said that while the sale of Apple iPads had currently dropped “around 40%”for the first quarter of the year, there had been a surge in the sale of Acer and Lenovo laptops.

“Looking at the semi professional market we have sold a lot of Acer laptops. Spec and price is the main reason because users seem to think they are getting good bang for their buck. When it comes to the graphics and gaming market, Lenovo seems to have the edge on other products right now – also from a features and price/performance perspective.

“It will be interesting to see if Apple iPad sales increase in the second quarter of the year. We were predicting a drop in sales for the first quarter, but it looks like sales are going to drop by as much as 40% - which is far higher than we thought. One of the reasons for this drop could be that the iPad market is slightly saturated and that people are still recovering from overspending over the festive season. Additionally, Apple has introduced so many new products and models to the market over the past six months that it may have caused a certain amount of confusion – and it also might have cannibalized overall Apple sales as users who might have bought iPads have opted for other products.

“But, despite this,” said Riley, “we are expecting a pick-up in iPad sales during the second and third quarters; but I don’t think it will achieve the heights we reached in 2011 and 2012.”

Notebook sales struggle as the economy splutters – but sales stability may return later in the year

Apple, the incumbent “king of the tablet”, is under threat from Samsung as it saw its slice of the worldwide tablet pie falling from 51,7% to 43,6%, while Samsung’s spurred upwards from 7,3% to 15%.

It might not yet be time to worry, but, according to Christopher Riley, the CEO of Pretoria-based notebook and accessories retailer, The Notebook Company – and one of the largest sellers of Apple iPads -  Apple’s heydays in the iPad market “might well be over”.

“They are certainly not down and out, buy there is certainly increased completion of late, including a big jump in popularity by Samsung – and an increase in competition from Android-based tablets.

“The importance of recent sales statistics – as gleaned from MIRROR NEWS – show that Samsung’s market share has effectively doubled, while Apples has declined. These are the facts on the table right now. It also seems certain that Samsung will further increase its market share as the year progresses.”

Sales of Samsung Galaxy tablets made the 7.9 million mark in the last quarter of 2012, compared with just 2.2 million in the entire 2011 – according to research firm IDC.

“There is a strong move upwards,” said Riley. “even though Apple is still the best selling tablet, with a comparative sales figure of 22.9 million.”

Additionally, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 smartphone outsold the iPhone for the first time over the Christmas season, reporting a total of 18 million sales compared to Apple’s 16.2 million.

“All around, Apple is facing more competition,” said Riley.

He added that he is also noticing a “definite swing” towards more sales of Samsung and Android-driven tablets. 

“Apple’s iPads are still our top seller. But we are seeing increased interest in other tablets, something that started during the latter part of last year.”