As competitors pop up, iPad keeps price advantage

The new iPad model hitting stores Friday comes with several improvements over the original version but the same price tag, hobbling efforts by rivals at breaking Apple Inc.'s hold on the emerging market for tablet computers.

Competitors such as Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. can't seem to match the iPad's starting price of $499. Tablets that are comparable to the iPad in features cost hundreds of dollars more, while cheaper tablets are inferior to the iPad in quality.

Usually, the early products in consumer electronics, such as the first Blu-ray players or digital cameras, are expensive. Competition then gradually brings prices down. With the iPad, the reverse is happening, spelling trouble for competitors.

It's rare for prices to start low and stay low, yet it looks as if that's exactly what Apple intended. Apple appears to have chosen, right from the start, to make less of a profit from its iPads than it does from iPods and iPhones. That's an odd move for a company that isn't known for cheap products.

Apple's profit margin on the $499 entry-level iPad model is about 25 per cent, according to an estimate by Toni Sacconaghi at Bernstein Research.

Image-conscious women post more pics on Facebook

Women who are obsessed with their looks tend to post more photographs and maintain larger networks on social networking sites such as Facebook, a new study has suggested.

The study, led by Michael Stefanone from the University of Buffalo, found that women who base their self-worth on their appearance take the help of social networking sites to feel good and gain attention.

Perhaps, they identify more strongly with their image and appearance than men, said the researchers.

"The results suggest persistent differences in the behaviour of men and women that result from a cultural focus on female image and appearance," Dr Stefanone was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

Dr Stefanone and his team -- Dr Derek Lackaff from the University of Texas and Dr Devan Rosen from the University of Hawaii -- examined specific online behaviour on social network sites.

They surveyed 311 volunteers and studied both how each participant used Facebook and what factors they base their self-esteem on.

Samsung eyes Nokia engineers to beef up bada operating system

Samsung Electronics Co appears to be looking to lure engineers from Nokia , as the Finnish firm plans to abandon its own Symbian platform in a bold move to revive its struggling smartphone business.

Nokia, the world's largest handset maker, said last month that it would replace Symbian with Microsoft's Windows Phone over the coming two years to challenge fast growing smartphone vendors such as Apple and Google's Android phones.

It said on Wednesday it would start talks with Finnish employees over its new strategy, which unions fear could cost more than 5,000 jobs in the Nordic country.

"If you are a Symbian developer unhappy about Nokia's recent announcements, and are hence looking for a new platform to showcase your talents, we say "Hello!" and "welcome to bada (operating system)," said a newsletter posted by a Samsung developer on the Internet and quoted in online media.

"If you're new to the bada development, or are moving your app from Symbian, we'd like to welcome you."

Samsung, the world's No.2 handset maker, confirmed the newsletter but said it was not an official company statement.

Samsung and LG in rare public battle about 3-D TV

South Korea's electronics giants are engaged in rare public mudslinging about whose 3-D television technology is better, as they battle for a greater share of a potentially huge global market.

Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, respectively the world's largest and second largest flat-screen TV makers, each claim their technology offers more vivid images and wider viewing angles.

The two firms, both driven by newly-appointed leaders, are striving to set the 3-D industry standard. Market researcher DisplaySearch forecasts that 3-D will account for 41 percent of all flat-screen shipments worldwide by 2014, compared to two percent last year.

LG champions a technology called film-patterned retarder (FPR), while Samsung uses so-called active shutter glass technology.

The two conglomerates rarely attack each other's products but a war of words began in January at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show.

Exchanges heated up last month when LG reportedly described Samsung's 3-D technology as a generation behind.

The following day, a Samsung Electronics press release said the difference between its product and that of its competitor was "one of night and day".

Indians plug into high-end gadgets

Indian consumers are lapping up high-end electronics, mobiles and durables like never before. Not afraid to shell out the moolah, consumers are going all out for top-of-the-line products available.

Leading the pack are smartphones, tablets, highdefinition televisions, frostfree refrigerators and split air-conditioners which have grown as much as 80% annually. So while sales of flatpanel televisions registered an 84% growth, split air-conditioners (AC) grew by 62% and smartphones grew by 40% last year.

Durable majors like LG , Samsung and Godrej are now drawing around 40% of their overall turnover from these premium products.

Even handset manufacturers like Nokia have upped their ante with a slew of launches in the high-end price range of Rs 15,000 and above to tap this market which grew 40% last year.

Industry players say today’s consumers are flexible on their budgets and with the increasing penetration of modern retail these products have got the desired push.

“Premium categories are leading the segments linked with early technology adoption and higher disposable incomes of Indians , which is helped by their propensity to spend,” said R Zutshi, deputy MD, Samsung India.

The Korean durable major clocked a growth of 90% in flat panel televisions in 2010 and is expecting 100% growth this year, driven by the growth in high-definition (HD), LED and the 3D segments. This year flat panel TVs are expected to double and touch the 5 million unit mark. HD televisions currently constitute 15-20 % to the overall sales of flat panel televisions.

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Expired Tablet: Mad rush to dispose of used iPads online

In a world where every latest electronic gadget has to prepare for a slow death after a newer version is launched, Apple's launch of its new iPad within a year of the original tablet is forcing even die-hard fans to dispose their older iPads online while first-time tablet buyers in India are waiting for iPad 2 to arrive later this week.

Apart from several sleek enhancements over its predecessor, the iPad 2 will come at the same price tag, forcing new tablet buyers to instead wait for it to arrive and not fall for the first Apple tablet. To make it worth the wait, the iPad 2 will be available in 27 countries within first two months of its launch, compared to the last Apple tablet, which shipped in around 10 country markets during first few months.

Soon after it was announced that the iPad 2 would go on sale in the US from March 11, 2011, there was a mad rush to dispose of used iPads online. A quick search on Craigslist.com and eBay.com reveals that sparingly used 16GB iPads can be had for as little as $200 to $300. At the iPad 2 launch, Apple CEO Steve Jobs also went so far as to suggest that we've moving towards a post-PC world. While not everyone agrees with that, there's no denying that Apple can be credited with the success of the current tablet form factor.

"Sales and enquiries for the iPad 1 have just vanished since the time iPad 2 was announced. I have not sold a single iPad 1 in the last two-three weeks - from the time the rumours for iPad-2 started growing stronger and its subsequent launch. Consumers wanting to buy the iPad have all postponed their decision and are now waiting for the new version of the gadget," said Babli Kripalani, owner of Bang Bang, a gadget store in the Kolkata's AC Market.

Operators in emerging markets making mobile internet services more affordable

Rusdi, an Indonesian office worker, has never had a home Internet connection. Since getting a Samsung smartphone, he now gets online every day and pays 2 cents a minute to carrier PT Indosat. “I need entertainment while waiting for my wife shopping,” said Rusdi, 26, who doesn’t have a family name.

“Mobile Internet is the only answer.” From Indonesia to Brazil, emerging market carriers are breaking Web services into more affordable, bite-sized pieces to hook clients like Rusdi on using the Internet on their phones. Carriers are offering unlimited surfing plans for a day or as little as a minute and dangling free access to Facebook and Twitter to lure customers, particularly younger people.

“It’s a teaser concept, with the idea that eventually users will upgrade,” said Marc Einstein, an analyst at Frost & Sullivan in Tokyo, who has advised carriers including NTT DoCoMo and Telstra. “Most of these countries have a very large youth market.” Unlike in the US and Europe, where most users sign up for contracts of a year or more and pay monthly for their Internet and voice services, the clients of emerging-market carriers are almost all prepay customers. Clients in those markets often don’t have the credit to qualify for contracts or prefer the flexibility of paying for communications services with the money they have available.

Indonesians With Smartphones Carriers in Asia and Latin America are figuring out ways to offer online access profitably without making it too expensive or producing unexpected charges. Competition among handset makers is also reducing the prices for phones that can access the Internet. Only about 2% of Indonesians have Internet connections at home, though 60% access the Web through Internet cafes and other alternatives, Einstein said.

Violent video games may help soldiers sleep better

A new study has suggested that regularly playing video games, involving combat and war, could help soldiers cope with nightmares and sleep better.

Jayne Gackenbach of Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, Canada, surveyed 98 military personnel without pre-diagnosed mental disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) online, and found that those who played games like Call of Duty experienced less aggression and harm when they dreamt of war.

Those who abstained from playing video games found their dreams were more violent, and filled with feelings of helplessness, reports New Scientist.

The soldiers were divided into two groups based on how often they played video games.

Those in the ‘high gaming’ group who played daily or several times a week tend to be drawn to more intense, immersive games like World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and Red Dead Redemption.