Maximum PC: Say goodbye to the netbook as you know it. In a couple of years, netbooks will virtually disappear from the market place, becoming the first true casualty of the tablet era. Even today there really isn't much of a market for netbooks, a category that was at the height of its popularity just three short years ago. In 2010, it seemed like OEMs were lining our inboxes with new netbooks announcements on a daily basis.
Maximum PC: It's probably a bit premature to celebrate the return of booming notebook sales, but at least for one quarter, laptop shipments have given vendors reason to be optimistic. Mobile PC shipments around the world climbed to 47.9 million units in the third quarter of 2013, up 6 percent sequentially. In better times, single-digit percentage gains wouldn't elicit excitement, but in this case, that 6 percent spike represents the largest sequential growth in two years.
Maximum PC: Unless you live a cave far removed from society (yet somehow have Internet access to read this), chances are high that either you or someone you know owns a smartphone. They're everywhere these days, and if you're in the market for a high-end device, you have more choices than ever. According to IHS iSuppli, it's this phenomenon of choices, fueled by top brands introducing new flagship models in the first half of 2013, that will contribute to an expected doubling of shipments from 2012 to 2017.
Maximum PC: Barring a sale price or a promotion, you're liklely to pay $200 for a Samsung Galaxy S4 handset, not including the overall cost of a two-year service agreement to qualify for subsidized pricing. Data fees notwithstanding, that's $29 less than the bill of materials (BOM). Manufacturing costs add another $8.50 per device, so on paper, Samsung is paying $237.50 for every Galaxy S4 device is builds.
I got mine for 206.00 and w/o contract, and with 20 bucks a month payment. I have an S3 right now, unlocked and rooted,pristine condition, hoping to get 400 for it on Amazon, comes with an Incepio; rubber and aluminum two-part case.
wha????