pc

Steam's Big Picture aims to revitalize computer gaming on TV

Move over, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. Valve Software today revealed a new television-friendly version of its massive Steam digital video game distribution service.

Aptly named Big Picture, the new view transforms Steam into a more polished experience for the big screen. The optional redesigned interface represents a departure from the traditional Valve design used in the Steam application for Windows and Mac, instead falling in line with the easy-to-navigate layouts commonly seen in streaming media devices. … Read more

The Apple effect on your next 'PC'

The venerable laptop is under assault.

And leading the assault is Apple -- which has no qualms about cannibalizing a piece of its own MacBook laptop line with the iPad.

And Apple's tablets will get even harder to resist in October when it brings out a smaller tablet, probably priced well below $399.

The $199 Google Nexus 7 and the new Kindle Fire starting at $199 -- or $159 for the original Fire -- are making it even harder to fork over $699 for a new laptop.

At the risk of stating the obvious, consumers often opt for the … Read more

Worst third quarter 'in the history of PCs' on its way -- analyst

Forget, for a moment, that shares of tech stalwarts Apple and Google are trading as if investors are out of their minds. They may well be, but that doesn't mean the giddiness ought to extent to the rest of the tech world.

In fact, Citigroup semiconductor analyst Glen Yeung offered an outright buzz kill of a prediction about the third quarter in an interview broadcast on CNBC on Friday.

"We were looking into the supply chain over the course of August, and really everywhere you looked, PC data points are bad. What we're ultimately going to end … Read more

Apple's iPad overtaking PC sales in schools

As back to school kicks off in the U.S., new data claims that Apple's iPad is outpacing traditional PCs in sales to students and schools for the first time ever.

Charlie Wolf, an analyst at Needham & Company, wrote to investors today that the iPad is now "cannibalizing" PCs in sales to the K-12 market, according to Apple Insider.

"Clearly, a significant portion of iPad sales represented an expansion of the market," Wolf wrote, according to Apple Insider. "But in view of the fact that Mac sales held steady at around 520,000 … Read more

How the PC market is being reborn

BERLIN -- The personal computer industry has torn up the rulebook.

Intellectually, I knew it was happening, but it was only after three days of intensive technology immersion at the IFA consumer electronics show that the magnitude of today's changes in personal computing really hit me. Here's some of the evidence that jumped out at me while at the conference:

Risky new designs are commonplace as new ideas about portability and multitouch percolate through hardware engineering circles. PC makers are betting on novelties including detachable keyboards, touch screens, and laptop-tablet hybrids. Microsoft has transformed from a complacent laggard … Read more

Can you spot the Apple laptop?

The designers at Samsung and HP sure love Apple's laptop design philosophy, but the duo may want to take a step back next generation and innovate a little bit. CNET found several new computers from these companies that look just like an Apple MacBook Air. Can you tell which one is the real Apple product in the picture above?

Our more discerning readers might easily spot the differences between each of these devices, but Crave decided to make it a little more challenging by shrinking the pictures down a bit. Readers who participated in our guessing game on Facebook had a pretty easy time spotting the real Apple, but the pictures were also much larger. … Read more

Sony to exit PC-use optical drives, say reports

Sony will exit the business of making optical drives for PCs, another sign that traditional PC design is fading.

Japan-based Sony is getting out of the optical disk business as part of its restructuring effort, according to a Japanese-language report in the Asahi Shimbun.

A similar report appeared in Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun.

About 400 people, both domestic and overseas, will be offered early retirement, the reports said, adding that the move is coming in the wake of a $312 million net loss posted earlier this month.

Sony is aiming to close its Sony Opitarc optical disk division by March … Read more

Michael Dell says he is OK with the 'post-PC' era

Everything is copacetic in the post-PC era, according to Michael Dell.

Speaking at VMware 2012, Dell's founder and CEO cited the fact that 380 million PCs were sold last year, adding that "the post-PC era has been pretty good for PCs so far," according to a report at Citeworld.

And as is typical at many PC-centric events, the iPad -- despite its growing popularity as a client device -- and smartphones didn't garner much attention, Citeworld said.

That is, until poll results showed the rise of "post-PC" devices as the No. 1 trend in … Read more

Sony to debut Vaio hybrid tablet soon

Sony plans to debut a convertible Windows 8 tablet as soon as this week, a source tells CNET.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the same device that made an appearance today on the mobile news Web site Pocketnow, which published a series of images showing off a convertible tablet called the "Vaio Duo 11." … Read more