iPad eating into notebook sales

Apple's iPad is likely cannibalising notebook sales, says Katy Huberty, a Morgan Stanley analyst, reports eWeek.

That would dovetail statements by other analysts, who have blamed a drop in sales of lower-cost notebooks on the best-selling tablet PC.

“We expect tablets to continue to pressure PCs as more vendors release products [such as the Dell Streak and Samsung Tab] and Apple expands its iPad distribution,” reads Huberty's research notes.

After a healthy run in the second quarter, the Middle Eastern PC market could be in for an indifferent second half brought on by the sanctions against Iran, according to Gulf News.

"The big question mark in the minds of retailers is the trade between UAE and Iran," says Omar Shihab, research manager for PCs and systems at IDC Middle East and Africa.

"If the UAE brings sanctions into effect, re-exports of PCs from the UAE, which stand at around 35%, are going to take a big hit."

Dell is preparing to expand its laptop line-up, and while it has not exactly issued any press release, a leak has revealed that two Studio XPS mobile computers will soon grace the market with high-end specifications, writes Softpedia.

The Intel Calpella platform is the one that lies at the base of the configurations of the upcoming laptops, the Studio XPS 15 and 17.

The report responsible for this revelation managed to spell out more or less the entire specification sets for both machines.