a laptop battery

In hard economic times, PCs have to keep evolving to deliver a quality experience at a more affordable price. Unfortunately, even as the prices continue to come down, many consumers simply have not been able to afford a new computer, which has led to a significant drop in this quarter's PC shipments.

Different computers have been affected differently. Desktop PCs got the worst of it, but the laptop industry has gained some ground. But even though laptop PCs have shown an increase in their shipments, the overall value of those units has gone down. But it doesn't matter if it's due to declining shipments or declining profits, the industry is having some serious problems.

With the market the way it is things are looking a little precarious for PCs. Businesses have to cut back on spending and individuals have to consider their personal budgets. What this has led to is a consumer base with the idea that their current computers are "good enough."

A couple years ago, that wouldn't have been a problem. In those days computer users were more than willing to keep buying the latest upgrades or gadgets. But with the economy the way it is, consumers have turned away from the higher end, more expensive computers, and have started seeking out more affordable models or new ways to make the old computers last.

There is, of course, still plenty of innovation in the industry. Intel recently announced the release of the Corei7 and Core i5 processors that will improve computer performance for high end applications like games and digital media machines. At the same time, these processors will be a lot more energy efficient than previous models.

Laptop and tablet PCs are also seeing a lot of innovation as manufacturers seek out ways to make the user experience more enjoyable. Touchscreens that allow users to have precise control over the objects on the monitor are being implemented in consumer model PCs. These multi-touch screens will make the experience more intuitive and more enjoyable for the average user.

Then, probably the biggest change coming to PCs is the release of Microsoft Windows 7. This new operating system is supposed to solve a lot of the problems created by its predecessor while offering native support for many of these new technologies.

The question is: will all these innovations increase the sales of PCs? No one can say for sure, but there are many reports that have fairly optimistic projections about the PC marketplace. That is because even if desktop PCs have trouble, the laptop and netbook markets will pick up the slack. Only time will tell if that will be enough.

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