Computer Support Blog

In advance of Black Friday, the technical news was abuzz with one story that was interpreted a different way with every article that was written.  Right before Thanksgiving, industry analysts released the sales figures of personal computers in 2011.The news left many in the computer support world scratching their heads in confusion.  The sales reports acknowledge that HP continues to be the leader in PC sales . . . unless you consider tablet computers a PC.

Since then, pundits have written hundreds of articles on the sales projections and the nature of the PC.  In one corner, there is the perception that the tablet computer is a PC.  That perception greatly benefits Apple because with iPad tablet computer sales factored in, Apple would be the number one computer company by sales in the world.  Apple, naturally, wants to cash in on the prestige that comes from overtaking HP and becoming the world leader in the PC market.

HP, who had a disastrous tablet computer release in 2011, remained strong in sales of traditional personal computers.  HP has the element of public perception on its side in the argument.  Consumers bought tablet computers in 2011 largely as a companion for their PC, not a replacement.  Sales numbers have shown a slight decline in traditional PC computer sales over 2011, but many industry analysts attribute that to a PC sell-off in 2010 with the release of the Windows 7.  In other words, many consumers purchased their new PC last year; so many computer users do not need to buy a new computer this year.  Computer support and computer repair businesses seem to support this idea; they remain as busy as ever, solving computer problems on PCs purchased during last year’s sales spike.

The public perception for tablet computers remains that they are primarily for entertainment and personal use, not serious computing.  Tablet computers may have valuable business applications, like inventory control and presenting customers with product information, but they remain more expensive than most businesses want to invest for the technology.  As well, the tablet computer has not reached its full business potential because manufacturers have not developed the apps that meet the needs of many businesses.  As a result, consumers continue to use their PCs for serious work – business, education, and research – and their tablet computers for entertainment, like watching movies or reading digital books.

The argument over whether to include tablet computers or not is a moot point in many ways.  To many computer users, the debate just seems like big business trying to cook the books in their company’s favor.

Ironically, Apple needs the status of being the #1 computer manufacturer less than HP does.  For over a decade, Apple has built its advertising campaign around being original, buying Apple products in defiance of the Big Companies.  After years as the outsider, could Apple effectively rebrand with “Conformity is cool?”  Even Apple could not sell that.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

It will come as a surprise to no one that there has long been a strong connection between computers and comic books.  Since the early 1990s, artists have used  digitally-rendered, computer generated artwork to enhance their comic books.  A novelty at the time, computer artwork was used for backgrounds or conceptual points within a story.  Now, comic books and computers are intertwining in a different way through Cloud-based platforms and portable devices with extensive data storage.  Computers have become the display medium for comics through digital comic books.

Digital comic books are not new, though they have become more accessible to readers with recent advances in data storage capacity and Cloud-based storage.  Before data storage improvements, it was tough to get comic book readers to commit the hard drive space to the large files digital comic books occupied.   With Cloud technology and hard drives with greater data storage capacity, digital comics are coming into their own.

While Marvel Comics has had digital comics and a large computer support network for its users in place for years, DC Comics has been slower to adapt the technology.  With the reboot of DC Comics with their “New 52” strategy this year, DC Comics invested heavily in the digital comics market.  DC Comics sells digital comics on their “first look” nature.  New comics come out on Wednesdays and DC releases both the print and digital comic books on the same day.  Because most comic book shops do not open at 12:01 A.M. on Wednesday, digital comic readers may read the stories a few hours earlier than their friends.

As a business plan, digital comics are brilliant for both the manufacturer and the consumer.  For a limited investment in computer support personnel to transfer the printed images to a digital format, comic book publishers create a product with no materials cost.  Digital comic books replace the expense of publishing with vastly more affordable fees for data storage devices.

On the consumer end, digital comic books offer readers increased portability without risking their valuable collectible.  Collectors may keep the printed comic book in mint condition, but upload the digital comic book to enjoy the story.  Because of the Cloud-based distribution of digital comic books, readers need not have extensive data storage space to enjoy them.  Setting up the readers and apps may require some computer support to get the programs and subscriptions to run properly.

Despite the inherent benefits to the environment and the collectible value of comic books, digital comic books may not be doing a service to the medium.  The best graphic novels and comic books feature big artwork, sprawling panels that must breathe on the page.  That level of artistry is not represented well on a smartphone screen and the transitions between pages and panels may still be choppy on tablet computers.

Even so, the relationship between comic books and computers is now cemented and the future of comic books may well depend on the next technological leaps in portable electronics.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

When Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 2 dropped on DVD, a big part of the advertising campaign was that the fully-loaded version included an UltraViolet Digital Copy. UltraViolet uses the Cloud platform and with popular movies streaming from it, this is becoming many consumers’ first experience with the Cloud. While the idea of the Cloud may seem like a strong one, it has a number of risks to consumers.

The Cloud, as it pertains to media, is a form of online storage where companies produce material and give access to it to paying customers.  As a form of online storage, users have access to files without downloading or uploading them.  For those who buy the DVD and Blu-Rays that have UltraViolet copies, they access the online storage vault from UltraViolet when they want to watch their movie.  The file then streams from the online storage point in the Cloud to your computer, smartphone or other cloud-connected device.

The Cloud is banking on customers not wanting to use up hard drive space for digital copies of their media.  Companies using the Cloud see online storage as a way to prevent pirating.

Consumers have many reasons to be wary.  Because the online storage of the Cloud requires a connection, Internet security issues are a very real concern for users.  Threats to Internet security through viruses may be easier to control with the Cloud, but they are also easier to disseminate.  As soon as the Cloud-based version of a file is corrupted, every computer using that file may be infected.  To date, Internet security providers have neither illustrated such a problem nor a defense against it.  Users who are unsure of their own Internet security measures are wary of online storage like the Cloud.

The vendors using Cloud-based media are also are arguing that the Cloud-based media will not wear or scratch the way traditional DVDs, CDs and Blu-Ray discs do.  But Cloud-based vendors are neglecting the basic psychology of ownership.  For sure, an online storage vault is a convenient idea, but it leaves consumers without something physical to feel they own.  The Cloud-based online storage concept suffers the same defect as the MiniDisc in the area of the psychology of ownership; consumers pay more for something they do not see and cannot feel, making them feel like they overpaid.

Internet security issues aside, Cloud users have every reason to doubt the long-term viability of the scheme.  Technology changes fast, and paying more money for a service or company that may not exist in a few years makes consumers less likely to try new technologies.  The music store The Wall used to guarantee CDs with their sticker on them for life.  Those who still have CDs from The Wall now have a worthless guarantee.  Between the Internet security issues and the fact that online storage methods like the Cloud have not been tested in the long-term, users have every reason to remain wary of spending the extra money now.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

Tuesday, November 15 saw the addition of the Kindle Fire tablet computer to a marketplace that has been dominated by Apple’s iPad.  Apple popularized the tablet computer with the release of the iPad in 2010, despite the fact that Microsoft released the Microsoft Tablet PC almost eight years prior.  Since the release of the iPad, major manufacturers like Sony, Motorola, and Acer have produced tablet computers, though as of October 2011, Apple retained 67% of the world’s tablet market share based on sales.  The Kindle Fire is Amazon.com’s offering to the tablet computer market and for those who have been pleased with the Kindle, the Kindle Fire is likely to make a great upgrade.

The Kindle Fire is instantly inviting with a sticker price of $199, in comparison to the baseline iPad 2 at $499, making it an affordable option as the holiday season arrives.  The Kindle Fire is over a third of a pound lighter than the iPad 2 and that can make a difference as the key element for tablet computers is portability.  With changing weight restrictions on planes, even a quarter pound can make a difference.

Designed for the book-reading crowd that made the Kindle popular, the Kindle Fire offers a color screen and the ability to play music and movies as well as the Kindle-formatted digital books.  Side by side with other Kindle products, the Kindle Fire is visually a shocker; the full-color screen erupts with a vibrancy that is likely to make Kindle users want to upgrade from the standard Kindle.  The Kindle Fire reminds users of the first time they experienced the printing leap from dot matrix to color laser printing.  The transformation of media is vivid, though it is hard to imagine why scholarly young people for whom reading became cool on the Kindle would need the Kindle Fire if not to abandon that pursuit in favor of the movies, television shows and music videos that the Kindle Fire suddenly opens up to users.

The main advantage the iPad 2 has over the Kindle Fire is in the memory department.  The Kindle Fire has 8 GB of memory, of which only 6 GB is available for user content.  While that represents, according to Amazon, enough space for 80 apps plus six thousand books, it is only space for ten movies.  The saving grace for the Kindle Fire’s lighter storage capacity comes in the way the Kindle Fire uses it. Because Amazon content may be stored off-device with the Cloud technology, the Kindle Fire may become a valuable tool to access a library that is vastly larger than the tablet device itself.

In short, the Kindle Fire is prepared to transform the market Amazon popularized with the Kindle, usurping Apple’s app-based iPad with a media-focused tablet that encourages users to do more than just read.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com