Microsoft Orders Up to 5 Million Surface Tablets for 2012

Shipping figures are in line with Google and Amazon's Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire tablets.

Microsoft is instilling enough confidence into its Surface tablet that it has commenced a "large volume production" of the device, which may see up to 5 million units being shipped during the fourth quarter.

According to component supplier sources in Asia, the Wall Street Journal said Microsoft will build between 3 million and 5 million Surface tablets before 2013 arrives.

Sources suggest that Microsoft's figures are in line with both Amazon and Google for their Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 tablets, respectively...

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Lenovo knocks HP from top of global PC market: Gartner

SAN FRANCISCO/HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's Lenovo Group Ltd edged out Silicon Valley icon Hewlett-Packard Co to become the world's No. 1 PC maker in the third quarter, according to data released by research house Gartner on Wednesday.

A rival to Gartner, IDC, still ranks HP in the lead - but by less than half a percentage point - in terms of PC shipments worldwide. Both studies reinforce HP's struggles against rivals as new chief executive Meg Whitman tries to overhaul the stalled 73-year-old company.

Worldwide shipments of personal computers fell over 8 percent in the third quarter to 87.5 million, the steepest decline since 2001, Gartner analysts said.

PC demand growth has crumbled over the past year as more consumers flock to ultra-portable and increasingly powerful tablets and smartphones for basic computing.

"It's quite a tough year for PC makers because (Microsoft's) Windows 8 is not launched yet and some consumers are waiting for that. Cannibalisation of tablet PCs is also another factor," said Eve Jung, an analyst with Nomura Securities in Taipei.

Both sets of data show that Lenovo, Taiwan's Acer and other Asian PC makers are taking share away from U.S. competitors HP and Dell, which held on to the No. 3 spot in the quarter.

Lenovo, which has a market value of $8.2 billion, said it believed there was room for continued growth in the sector...

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Philippines Supreme Court restrains government from enforcing new cyber law

IDG News Service - The Supreme Court in the Philippines has temporarily restrained the government from enforcing a new controversial cyber law, in response to petitions from civil rights and journalists groups in the country.

In a temporary restraining order (TRO), the court on Tuesday enjoined the government from implementing or enforcing the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, which makes online libel a cybercrime with the prospect of being punished twice for one act, allows the authorities to take down a website alleged of violating the cyber law without judicial review, and also provides for collection of real-time traffic data without a warrant or judicial order, according to its critics.

By punishing libel as a cybercrime simply because it is committed through a computer system, the clear intent of the provision of the Act is to single out Internet users in their chosen medium of expression, according to one of the 15 petitions before the Supreme Court.

The court has ordered that the respondents including the office of the country's solicitor general comment on the case within 10 days. The oral arguments for the case have been set for Jan. 15.

The new Act, also known as the Republic Act No. 10175, was signed into law by the country's president Benigno S. Aquino III last month, and took effect from Oct. 3...

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Foxconn Workers Strike Over iPhone 5 Quality Demands

A labor rights group said Friday that workers on the iPhone 5 production line at Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory went on strike earlier this week amidst overly burdensome quality control demands for Apple's new smartphone.

Approximately 3,000-4,000 workers went on strike on Monday, prompting a "widespread work stoppage on the factory floor," China Labor Watch said in a statement.

"According to workers, multiple iPhone 5 production lines from various factory buildings were in a state of paralysis for the entire day," China Labor Watch said.

Most of the workers, the group said, worked in onsite quality control (OQC). China Labor Watch said Foxconn and Apple imposed "strict quality demands" on workers regarding indentation standards and not allowing the frame and back cover of the phone to be scratched.

Furthermore, Foxconn did not allow workers to take a vacation day on Monday, which was China's National Day...

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Microsoft's 'big gamble' with Windows 8 won't pay off in the enterprise, says Gartner

Computerworld - Microsoft is taking a "big gamble" with its new Windows 8, one that will see the operating system peak at just 20% to 25% of corporate PCs, Gartner analysts said today.

"Microsoft is taking a big gamble over the next few months with Windows and Office, the two products responsible for most of its revenue and profit," the research firm said in a statement Tuesday. "[But] it is a risk that Microsoft must take to stay relevant in a world where mobile devices with new modern experiences are becoming the norm."

Windows 8 is set to launch at retail Oct. 26, one month from today.

The reasons cited by analysts Michael Silver and Steve Kleynhans will be familiar to followers of Windows 8's development: The two disparate user interfaces (UIs) of the OS, its tablet- and touch-first philosophy, its possible rejection by IT administrators as too much like Windows 7 on one hand, too different on the other...

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HP Intros New Lineup of Windows 8 Consumer PCs

Hp has revealed a new set of desktops and laptops featuring Windows 8.

Gearing up for a big launch in October, HP is now teasing new desktops and laptops that will come packed with Microsoft's blocky "Modern UI" new operating system. Not to disappoint, there's seemingly something for everyone in this batch of hardware, ranging from thin and light "Sleekbooks" to the armor-plated high-performance desktop perfect for PC gamers.

Here's a quick breakdown of each without all the PR hoopla:

HP Pavilion Sleekbook 14 and Pavilion Sleekbook 15
* Start at $499.99 and $559.99, respectively and ships in NA on Oct. 26
* 14-inch and 15.5-inch HD displays
* Up to 1 TB of storage
* A full array of ports including HDMI, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0
* Pavilion Sleekbook 15 includes a numeric keypad
* HP TrueVision HD Webcams and HP MyRoom for video calling, sharing photos and more in a private virtual room
* Dolby Advanced Audio
* Optional discreet Nvidia graphics
* HP CoolSense for a cooler PC
* HP ProtectSmart to help prevent file loss in case of a bump
* Pavilion Sleekbook 14 is powered by AMD Accelerated Processors
* Pavilion Sleekbook 15 is powered by Intel processors and features Intel Hyper-Threading technology

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Microsoft prepares developers for Windows Phone 8 SDK launch

IDG News Service - Microsoft started accepting on Wednesday requests for access to the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 Developer Preview program, the company said in a blog post.

To apply, developers can go to the Microsoft Connect site, and the deadline is Sept. 17 at 5 pm PDT. Developers that are accepted will hear from Microsoft soon after the deadline has passed to get instructions on how to download the Windows Phone 8 SDK and get support.

The objective of the program is to let developers of the most popular apps start optimizing them for Windows Phone 8, and therefore it expects the majority of published developers "in this situation to qualify for access," according to the blog post.

Getting developers on board will be key if Windows Phone 8 is to become a success, and limiting access risks alienating developers that are not included in the preview program.

Not all Windows Phone 8 features have been announced yet and the SDK includes comprehensive emulators that give some of that away. Keeping them under wraps will however help generate more excitement, which in the end will help both Microsoft and developers, according to the blog post...

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