Many professionals in the IT business think that we are now in the Post-PC Age. I firmly disagree. I will agree that there is a huge shift happening, but PCs are still the “center of gravity” in terms of true computing, whether for business or home. It’s just that more and more handheld devices are being made available to connect to the Internet, mostly for socializing and entertainment purposes. Just because we see masses of people on the streets playing with their iPhones and their iPads and tripping into fountains and driving like idiots does not mean that the desktop PC is dead.

The companies that are making money on smartphones and tablets try and promote this more “professional” scenario: The world is your office with no boundaries. You can be productive in coffee shops, on trains, in the streets!

Really??? Where is this happening? What I see is people using handhelds for socializing and playing games. The reason that sales of smartphones and tablets are skyrocketing is mostly for those 2 reasons alone. They are fashionable and fun and make everybody playing with them appear to be oh-so-busy. Sadly, these exciting new portable technologies appear to be making the majority of people using them even less productive, but let’s not go into that right now.

Back to the subject: When utilized correctly, these handheld devices are great extensions of the PC as a productivity tool. However, they actually require PCs to be in place for them to even work. PCs have a great deal more capability and are very much required tools in the workforce. Thus, handhelds will not be replacing the functions of a PC in the near future, as so many “experts” are sounding off about. We are not in a Post-PC Era, but more like a PC+ Era. People are not replacing their PCs with smartphones and tablets; they are buying those devices in addition to PCs.

Case in point: In August of 2011, Hewlett Packard’s then-CEO Léo Apotheker announced that the company was considering selling its huge PC business (see story and pie chart below). Apparently, he also thought that the PC business was dying out, but he paid dearly for it. Shareholders were furious at the idea of losing a mammoth money-maker and Léo was fired by the HP board several weeks after the announcement (although he did walk away with a $13 million severance package in his pocket – go figure).

From this vantage point, the PC business is alive and well. Sales of PC Desktop Workstations and Servers are not what they were 10 years ago, but they are still strong.

If this truly is the end of the PC Era, then professionals in these areas would be in big trouble: Engineering, Finance, Medical Imaging, Life Sciences, Earth Sciences, Photography, Video Editing, Music Production, Security and much, much more.

Study the 2 samples below for a moment:

This PC is used for Engineering.

This PC is used for Digital Photography.

Now, try to imagine producing the same results on the 10 inch toy that is alleged to be replacing them:

‘Nuff said.

Powerful yet affordable Desktop PCs, Workstations and Servers for business and home/home office use are custom-built at a local computer business near you. To find the best one, simply contact us by clicking HERE.

Part 1: Announcement on August 18th Has the PC World Abuzz

Last Thursday, HP’s CEO announced that they were looking at “options” for their Personal Systems Group (PSG). In effect, they are saying they want out of the PC business. Like IBM, HP seeks to grab more share of the enterprise services market, mainly servers and software.

Selling or spinning off the HP PSG ($40 billion?) is indeed a high stakes gamble, where that business unit accounts for about 30% of the company’s total revenue. Just the announcement itself may not have been the smartest thing to do: They don’t even have an interested or qualified buyer yet!!! Investors are furious. Some analysts believe that HP’s PC business is actually too big for any one company to swallow whole and will need to be broken up into smaller parts.

Names that have popped up immediately as potential buyers are Lenovo, Acer and Samsung. Another possibility is Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry also known as Foxconn, the world’s largest maker of electronic components. Where Foxconn is THE manufacturer of iPads and iPhones, Apple might not be too thrilled about that deal.

The PC business has for years seen increasingly shrinking growth and margins. Call it market maturity, call it companies unwilling to invest in newer technology due to the sagging economy or call it hand-held toys taking over. It could also be that the lifetime of a desktop is much greater now than 10 years ago due to greatly enhanced processing power and storage capabilities. For the average business office user, a dual core CPU and 320GB hard drive is still considered pretty much state-of-the-art and will last quite a while, so there hasn’t been a big rush to “refresh”.

There is a recent New York Times article out there titled “HP Wants to Exit PC Business as Tablets Have Made Desktops Archaic” – an indicator that many in the field believe that tablets (and smartphones) are taking over. There is another recent article in the Boy Genius Report that is titled “Tablets Are Fun, But They Can’t Replace PCs”.

Which of these “expert” opinions is closer to the truth? Only time will tell, but I tend to agree with the Boy Genius’s take on this one. Tablets do have functionality, but in the real business office world, PCs are still a much-needed tool. Maybe someday, tablets will replace a full-featured PC with dual-displays and full-sized keyboard. And maybe someday my hands will shrink to the size of a 9 year old…

The figures in the chart below are the results of a recent survey conducted by the private equity firm Robert W. Baird & Co.

Source: Robert W. Baird & Co. Based on 1114 Respondents

With HP’s PC business an uncertainty now, many IT Managers may think twice about what brand to invest in. Perhaps they should start to look at the regional or “local” PC makers, where PC sales and service account for closer to 100% of their total revenue?

Regional PC makers are dedicated to helping local consumers and small-to-medium businesses with the best IT hardware and software tools available.

Contact a Techbology Professional today if you need help finding the best PC companies in your area whose core business is helping you and/or your company with all of your IT needs.

True Zero Watt Usage in Standby Mode

With the simple press of a button, this advanced full-featured desktop goes into zero power consumption mode! Through brilliant engineering, simply hitting the “Green” button has the same effect as physically unplugging all connected peripherals (monitor, printer, speakers, modem, etc…)

Moneual Lab, maker of this great new product, calculates that if just 30% of PCs in the USA were upgraded to a Sonamu PC, the energy saved would be 50% of what a modern nuclear power plant produces in a year – about 6.75 Billion KWh.

This video still taken from CES 2011 tells the story well.

2 PCs in Standby Mode: the Sonamu PC (left) is consuming under a watt while the traditional PC is using close to 20 watts.

The most obvious major benefits of this new Green PC are:

• An average of 96% less power consumed than conventional PC in Standby Mode
• Significant increase in efficiency for Medium to Large Corporations and Government and Educational Institutions

Tested at Max Group’s labs with high-efficiency components from ASUS, Intel, Kingston and Western Digital, the Sonamu Green PC is fully customizable as a home PC or business desktop. We decided to use the Intel Core i3-2100 @ 3.10GHz because it represents a very high CPU value – Ranked #1 in Passmark Price/Performance tests on 4/28/2011

Tested Configuration:

• Intel Core i3-2100 @ 3.10GHz
• ASUS P8H61 Motherboard
• 8GB Kingston DDR3 1333MHZ RAM
• Western Digital 500GB SATA Caviar Green Hard Drive
• 24x SATA DVD-RW Drive
• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate options available)
• Shipping with an Automatic Green Mode, which by design enters the PC into power saving mode when idle, effectively powering off all PC peripherals for a 0 watts consumption rating.

For more information on how your business can benefit from this award-winning Green PC, contact a Techbology Professional today.

The folks at EVGA seem to be a bit nostalgic and want to see some of their oldest graphics cards, so here’s the deal:

If you are in possession of an older model EVGA NVIDIA-based graphics card, simply submit your photo entry and if yours is deemed the oldest model, you will win the newest: the GTX 590, valued at over $700!

The EVGA GeForce GTX 590 Classified is the world’s fastest DirectX 11 graphics card. Combining the power of two GTX 500 GPUs on a single card and a massive 3,072MB of GDDR5 memory, this one leaves the competition begging for mercy. Experience a whole new level of interactive gaming and combine up to three displays on a single card for the ultimate 3D gaming experience. With these features and more, the EVGA GeForce GTX 590 Classified does not just obliterate the competition, it completely annihilates it.

• Dual GTX 500 630MHz GPUs
• 3GB of GDDR5 Memory
• NVIDIA SLI® technology
• Resolution up to 5760×1080
• Engineered the GTX 590 to be the world’s quietest dual GPU product, with dual vapor chambers

Click here: http://www.evga.com/articles/00623/

For availability information on this and other great products from EVGA, contact a Techbology Professional today.

ASUS PA246Q Offers 3 Year Zero-Bright-Dot Warranty Direct to End Users

The PA246Q is perfect for Graphic Designers and Professional Photographers.

This display uses the P-IPS panel to provide an ultra-wide viewing angle and is optimized for color accuracy and Adobe RGB color space to deliver the most precise color reproduction. ASUS also boasts the most User-friendly P-IPS ProArt Series Professional Monitor in this one, with these features:

• P-IPS panel with 98% Adobe RGB coverage and 178° wide viewing angle
• QuickFit Function instantly boost design efficiency by providing real-size document, photo, and grid on screen
• Built-in USB hubs and 7-in-1 card reader for instant connection

The Latest Announcement from ASUS:
All ASUS PA246Q P-IPS Displays are now supported by the ASUS ZBD warranty policy. The Zero Bright Dot guarantee specifies that should an end user discover even one single bright dot within the product’s three year warranty period, ASUS will replace the unit to the end user at no additional charge. The PA246Q’s award winning quality is now matched by its superior service!

For availability information on this and other great products from ASUS, contact a Techbology Professional today.

One of the most important Information Technology events of the year kicks off on February 27 at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Fabulous Las Vegas. Aimed at the customized IT solutions channel, this year’s ISS 2011 event is themed “A Smarter Future Together”.

Unlike the wildly popular Consumer Electronics Show, this event is invitation-only and geared strictly toward IT professionals with the focus on Business Solutions. As Intel puts it: “We’re moving beyond ‘business as usual’ to offer you more opportunities than ever for targeted and meaningful interactions. The agenda is being built to maximize your valuable time away from the office. Less lectures, and more time spent on planning, strategy, and relationship building.”

We expect the biggest buzz will be about:

• Partnerships and how they benefit Resellers
• Data Center Technologies
• The Emerging Technology Trends based on feedback
• CPU Advancements – trend toward mobility
• CPU Advancements – What AMD needs to be afraid of
• Intel’s handling of Sandy Bridge situation

Agents from Max Group will be there, reinforcing our strategic relationships with Intel and top Partners such as Microsoft, ASUS, Supermicro, D-Link and more.

If you are attending ISS 2011 and are interested in a private meeting with Max Group Management about how a Partnership can strengthen your business, please contact us immediately.

There is currently a wave of fake Kingston memory products flooding the market. This includes internal system Memory Modules and Flash Memory products. Flash drives are the easiest to counterfeit and present the biggest threat to consumers.

Counterfeiting high tech products has been a problem for years and all major manufacturers have been affected to some degree. It is a major worldwide problem that is near impossible to eradicate, like illegal drugs.

The unwary buyer sees large capacity memory at very low cost and can’t resist checking it out. What is really happening is that the buyer is getting low capacity “hacked” memory for a high price. Counterfeiters have become very sophisticated, providing fake serial numbers and genuine-looking packaging.

eBay is by far the biggest online individual seller’s marketplace in the world, thus it is where you will find the most counterfeiting. Caveat emptor! There are plenty of legitimate companies that do business on eBay, but the number of thieves there and on other popular buy/sell websites is truly staggering.

How can you be sure that you are not getting ripped off? Do some homework! Check buyer backgrounds, product model numbers and even spelling. Better yet, buy from a reputable local dealer that makes his/her living on IT products and services. You will get 100% genuine IT products and also have made a friend in the business: A win-win situation.

If you have already bought and received a memory product from a questionable seller, one sure giveaway is this: ALL major memory manufacturers include software with Flash drives. If your drive came with no software, you have most likely become a victim.

Kingston has a Memory Verification tool where you can easily check your memory product and even win prizes for doing it.

Do you want to be sure that you are getting the good stuff, but overwhelmed by the enormity of sellers and just don’t want to deal with it? We can help. Max Group is a direct Kingston Distributor with a network of 1000s of dealers all over the Americas.

Contact us today and we will find a dealer in your local area that will have what you’re looking for.

If you are a Computer Dealer and not yet part of our network, please contact us for more information on how you can benefit from partnering with us.

The Biggest Change in CPU Structural Design since Pentium 4

This new Intel micro architecture was actually revealed a few days ahead of schedule earlier this month. That is almost unheard of in the high tech business. Ahead of schedule? That’s confidence.

A quick analysis of the codename: Sandy (silicon?) Bridge (to the next big thing?)

Many are calling the Sandy Bridge a paradigm shift in CPU design, meaning that the bar has been reset very high right here. There are many advanced changes made in this new architecture, way too many list here lest eyes start glazing over. What matters most is price/performance and where Sandy Bridge CPUs rate in that area.

Looking at the results provided by noted independent labs such as AnandTech and HardCoreWare (who all run similar tests), the Sandy Bridge family is proving a pretty big breakthrough. At mainstream price points there are no lame minor gains here.

In real-world applications, Sandy Bridge is killing set performance records by about 10% overall, 20% in some specific cases. Applications seeing huge gains include:

• Microsoft Office Suite
• AutoDesk 3ds Max 8
• Adobe Illustrator CS2
• Adobe Photoshop CS4
• WinZip 10.0
• 3D Rendering (Cinema 4D)
• Audio and Video Encoding (MP3, MP4, WMA and MPEG-4)
• Data Archiving and Encryption (7Zip, TrueCrypt)
• Of course….Games (Far Cry 2, Civilization V, Crysis)

You can see detailed test results at either of the above-mentioned lab sites. Another breakthrough with the Sandy Bridge is power consumption – very important in our ever “greening” world.

Conventionally, the more computing cores a CPU has, the more power it consumes. That is not necessarily a bad thing, because a CPU with more cores gets the job done quicker. Yet with Sandy Bridge, the results of Intel’s advances in power saving are the best ever seen.

When compared to its dual core cousin, the Sandy Bridge quad core performs 20-50% better (depending on application) while consuming scarcely more power!

In a nutshell: AMD has some work to do in 2011!!!

Interested in a custom-built Intel Sandy Bridge system using only the best quality components from Intel, ASUS, Gigabyte and Kingston to name a few?

Contact a Techbology Professional today and you’ll find out how easily your business can benefit from the best productivity tools available. If you are an IT Systems Designer and not yet part of our network, please contact us for more information on how you can benefit from partnering with us.

Despite Tough Economic Times, the Computer Industry is Alive and Well

2010 was a tough year all-around, but there were bright spots too:

Of course the big buzz is Cloud Computing where data center opportunities abound, but with issues of security & privacy and so forth, it’s still a bit cloudy…so we’ll see where it goes.

The server virtualization trend continues, as more and more companies consolidate older and costlier servers into fewer high performance, high density and high availability servers. Choosing custom built servers offers companies far better options than off-the-shelf units.

More corporate technology buyers are realizing that lower (upfront) cost big brand desktops don’t necessarily translate into lower operating costs over time; choosing high quality custom built “white-box” systems with local support has many times proven to be a wiser investment. And, as blogged previously, these customers plan on spending more with local VARs in 2011.

As for new technology products, there were some standouts this year in both hardware and software.

A couple of 2010’s Notables:

Over the past several years, CPU advancements have been mostly in clock speed and multi-core upgrades, but this year Intel’s Core i5 has broken that tradition. With the addition of Turbo Boost, Hyper-Threading and HD graphics, Intel has boosted performance while enhancing energy efficiency, enabling longer battery life in portables and improving thermodynamics.

A bit of a surprise in the software category is Microsoft’s Office 2010. Microsoft has been criticized in the past few years for its lack of innovation in new product releases. Google Docs, the lightweight web-based suite, has become more attractive and poses a huge threat. Even right now many would say that Office 2010 is just a minor upgrade from 2007. However, Microsoft hit a home run with incorporating Office Live, its cloud-based extension for Office 2010. Where Office Live surpasses Google Docs is that documents created in Office 2010 can be saved to an online account where colleagues can collaborate and access on any other PC. Also, documents can be created in the Office Live cloud and downloaded at a later time to any other PC running Office 2010. Thus, the combination of Office 2010 and Office Live provides for a very powerful and flexible productivity tool.

Contact a Techbology Professional to find out how your business can benefit from the best office productivity tools available.

As mentioned in previous blogs, 2011 looks to be a great year for IT Professionals and VARs.

Happy New Year from Techbology and Max Group!

If you are an IT Systems Designer and not yet part of our network, please contact us for more information on how you can benefit from partnering with us.

Among the First to Offer SmartAlign™ Technology

Seagate has just announced that its Barracuda® Green series of hard drives, the industry’s highest performance eco-friendly 3.5-inch drives, are now available in the Distribution Channel. Primarily designed for low-power PCs, Direct Attached Storage devices, NAS devices and Windows storage servers, these drives incorporate the new SmartAlign™ technology that allows for a hassle-free implementation of 4K technology.

4K technology, also known as Advanced Format, is the new standard being adopted by all major hard drive manufacturers. In summary, it is the transition from 512 bytes per sector to 4096 bytes. This is a milestone in hard drive technology, since the 512 byte-per-sector technology has been the standard for over 50 years!!

The major benefits of 4K technology are better utilization of disk surface area and enabling the integration of much stronger error correction algorithms to maintain data integrity at higher storage densities.

The Barracuda® Green series drives, available in 1TB, 1.5TB, and 2TB capacities, offer choices of SATA 3Gb/s and 6Gb/s performance and 32MB and 64MB cache versions. They also boast these green features:

• 70 percent or more of the materials used to build the drive can be recycled.
• All Barracuda Green drives use low halogen components to reduce the negative environmental impacts related to these substances.
• Designed and built to the highest environmental standards, with very low power consumption.

To find out where you can get this new generation of environmentally friendly hard drives, contact a Techbology Professional and we will point you in the right direction.

If you are an IT Systems Designer and not yet part of our network, please contact us for more information on how you can benefit from partnering with us.