Bandwidth Barn News & Discussion Board

For the first time since the dot-com bust of 2001, the PC market will see a contraction in unit shipments in 2009, according to a new report from research firm iSuppli.

The research firm blames falling IT spending and plunging desktop computer sales — shipments of which are likely to decline by 18.1 percent, or to 124.4 million units from 151.9 million units in 2008. Overall global PC shipments for 2009 are expected to decline by 4 percent, to 287.3 million units, from 299.2 million units in 2008.

“An annual decline in unit shipments is highly unusual in the PC market,” said Matthew Wilkins, a principal analyst with iSuppli.

“Even in weak years, PC unit shipments typically rise by single-digit percentages. The last decline — in 2001 — was a 5.1 decrease in unit shipments due to the extraordinary impact of the dot-com bust, which caused inflated IT spending levels from the previous years to collapse,” Wilkins continued.

iSuppli includes entry-level servers in its definition of PCs, and units shipped are expected to fall by 9.5 percent, from 7.7 million in 2008 to 6.9 million units in 2009.

However, notebook ships are expected to rise by 11.7 percent, to 155.97 million units — up from 139.6 million units in 2008. Netbook numbers, in particular, are expected to climb.

“Mobility is winning out in the PC market,” said Wilkins. “Businesses and consumers continue to embrace notebook PCs because of the benefits of mobility and the near-equal performance and feature set. This is cutting into desktop PC shipments.”

Tightened IT budgets, however, are “hitting desktop and server sales particularly hard,” he continued.

While 2009 numbers will ultimately be weak, compared to 2008, iSuppli expects an improvement in the third and fourth quarters. The firm expects second quarter 2009 PC shipments, which it is now correlating, to be just 0.1 percent above first quarter numbers. In the third quarter, however, shipments are expected to rise by 11 percent, and in the fourth quarter 8.9 percent.

In iSuppli’s global PC shipment forecasts going forward, 2009, with its -4.0 percent annual percentage growth (APG), completes the bottom of the slump. APG for 2010 is expected to be 4.7 percent, with 2011 crawling to 6.3 percent and 2012 to 7.0 percent.

http://www.eweekeurope.co.uk/news/pc-shipments-drop-for-first-time-since-dot-com-crash-1389

As the number of start-ups shutting down continues to grow, consumers are wary of investing their money and time on products and services that have the risk of being discontinued. So how does a start-up ensure customers that its product will live on if the company doesn’t?

Read full article:  http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2009/05/13/ensuring-a-product-lives-long-after-a-start-up-dies/

[ Johannesburg, 12 May 2009 ] - First National Bank (FNB) and MXit have teamed up to release a mobile banking solution geared towards more than 13 million youths. The bank’s customers will now be able to purchase MXit Moola for themselves and others, using cellphone banking.

“As the youth is becoming more aware of cellphone banking and the ease of using virtual credits, like Moola, we’ve focused our attention on the banking sector,” says MXit CEO and founder Herman Heunis.

Read full article:  ITWeb :FNB banks MXit

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[ Johannesburg, 11 May 2009 ] - Apart from communications there are a number of other cabinet ministers who will have some impact on the ICT sector as their departments either control large IT budgets or are responsible for formulating policy that does. These include Public Enterprises, Public Service and Administration, Science and Technologyand Trade and Industry…

Read full article:  ITWeb :Ministers who impact on the ICT sector

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After seeing the company he helped found, Recordant Inc., slide into bankruptcy, Marc Wallenstein has purchased its assets and plans to restart the company – but differently this time. Wallenstein, one of the first four employees and former vice president of sales at Recordant, a provider of sales analytics technology, said he purchased the company’s patents, software and trademarks at a bankruptcy auction last month for $1,000…

Read full article:  http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2009/05/11/when-bankruptcy-gives-a-start-up-new-life/?mod=rss_WSJBlog

…Martin says a good pitch starts with talking about the problem the company is trying to solve.

“I’m amazed by how many people start out talking about their product,” he says. “After you tell the problem, then tell me about your product, but only a little about it. Focus more on the benefit and less on the features.”

Next comes explaining why anyone should care. Is it a large market? Do you have a different approach than everyone else? Next, explain why you’re competitively better than anyone else…

Entrepreneurs learn the art of the 60-second pitch

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Taipei, May 9 (CNA) In a celebration of Mother’s Day and to help women become more self-reliant, the Cabinet-level National Youth Commission (NYC) opened a two-day Women Entrepreneurship Expo Saturday that Vice Premier Chiu Cheng-hsiung said will also benefit society and the country as a whole.

“Women entrepreneurship has become a new trend since gender equality has improved greatly in Taiwan. It not only helps women to stand on their own feet, but also benefits society and the country by creating jobs, ” Chiu said at the opening of the expo on the eve of Mother’s Day, which falls on the second Sunday of May each year.

Women entrepreneurship benefits society, country: vice premier – Taiwan News Online

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Can a company blunt its innovation edge if it listens to its customers too closely? Can its products become dull if they are tailored to match exactly what users say they want? These questions surfaced recently when Douglas Bowman, a top visual designer, left Google.

Should Design Be Held Back by a Tyranny of Data? – NYTimes.com

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MXit has launched Africa’s first instant messaging book in what it says is a bid to encourage literacy and a love of reading among youth. The book will cost a fraction of what readers would pay in “traditional” bookstores.

From today, MXit users will be able to download an entire book on the MXit network for just R13.50 – or 50 Moola per chapter.

Full story: http://www.it-online.co.za/content/view/906715/142/

Mark Shuttleworth’s Cape Town venture capital company, Here Be Dragons (HBD), is looking to make at least one more investment of between R10m and R25m in local, early stage businesses this year.

The focus will be companies with innovative ideas with the potential to expand internationally.

Here Be Dragons To Invest Up To R50m – 2009-05-06

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