Archive for the ‘Hardware’ Category

Third-quarter server sales figures are coming in this week and, not surprisingly, the numbers aren’t good.

IDC reports the worldwide market declining a painful 5.2 percent year-on-year, down to $12.6 billion – the biggest fall-off since 2002. Volume systems dropped 7.2 percent and midrange fell by 9.5 percent, although high-end systems grew by 4 percent.

It seems that the industry not only has to contend with a faltering economy but a more fundamental drop-off in the need for new hardware. Blame the usual suspects – virtualization, consolidation – for the latter trend, which would indicate that, even after the current downturn is spent, we’re never going to see hardware shipments like the 1990s again.

This leaves the major manufacturers in a difficult, but not impossible situation. IBM still held the top spot in Gartner’s view, its 30.3 percent market share just edging out Hewlett-Packard at 29.8 percent. Still, that represents a loss in server revenue for Big Blue of about $3.86 billion. Ouch.

So, what’s a hardware company to do? More than a decade ago, when I was covering the cable TV industry (I know, I’ve had a varied journalistic career. But hey, I go where the money is), the big threat was encroachment into the video distribution game by telecom and satellite providers. In response, the leading cable operators decided that turnabout was fair play, and they moved into broadband data, voice and professional business services. Some of them even offer wireless now.

The analogy for the business lesson they were employing actually came from about 100 years earlier – the old railroad days. It was noted that the railroad industry collapsed and many seemingly invincible companies went under as new, more efficient modes of transportation were developed. What the railroad magnates failed to ask themselves at the time was whether they were actually in the railroad business, or in the transportation business. If they had answered the latter, they would have shifted their resources to take advantage of the newer technologies. Cable operators decided they were telecommunications providers at heart, and have been at least marginally successful at transitioning into new forms of communication.

I suggest that just such a moment is approaching for the hardware industry. The question to IBM, HP, Dell and the rest is this: Are you in the server/storage business, or are you in the enterprise/data center business? In his most recent post on Intelligent Enterprise, David Linthicum wonders how IBM will balance its pursuit of a cloud strategy with its need to sell enterprise hardware and software. I’m sure IBM has its own answer, but mine is: It won’t.

If the company is smart, it will recognize that increased reliance on clouds and other service-oriented schemes will eat into its hardware revenues. And that’s OK, because at least the company is staking a claim on the future, rather than fighting a losing battle by clinging to the past.

And the beauty of it is, there will always be a need for hardware, and in the future, that demand will most likely come from the cloud providers that IBM and others are fostering now. Older technologies rarely go away forever. They just might not be as dominant as they once were.

After all, we have high-tech telecommunications today, but we also have railroads.

Read Art’s article, “Lean Times for Hardware” – http://www.itbusinessedge.com/blogs/dcc/?p=517&nr=inbound

Author: Arthur Cole
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Now, please remember that my definition of computer hardware is coming from a Non-Geek! You will not be getting lots and lots of strange words that seem to eminate from a UFO. Let me entertain you with the difference between computer software and computer hardware, as a non-geek understands it. So, anything that is not a computer program, that gives you what you can see or use on the screen, well, it’s the hardware.

Let me get more specific. Most computers already have programs loaded into it that “drive” the system. These programs allow you to use the internet, your e-mail, Facebook,etc. Each computer user loads what programs they want onto their computer, depending on their needs. These programs can be purchased or downloaded from the internet. Again, these programs are the software of the system.

Not to confuse you, but, if you go to a computer store and purchase a program, you will have a disc with information on it. This is the information that you install onto your computer, such as a publishing program. Although you have a disc that you hold in your hand, it is not the hardware.

Hardware are the pieces that are attached to the computer. Let’s start with the “mouse.” The mouse allows you to manuever the cursor on the screen. You can purchase a “mouse” in almost any color or shape. There is one that is connected to the computer and there is a wireless one, that gives you more freedom. There are optical “mice” that has a light on the bottom instead of the ball. If you use the computer a lot, you might want to try the “mouse” that has a large red ball on top, for easier tracking.

Next, the monitor is a piece of hardware. There are the old style monitors, that resemble older television sets. Then there are the newer models that have high definition and a flat screen. I have seen lime green monitors, bright pink ones and sleek sliver ones.

The actual computer is considered hardware. This box can either sit under the monitor, sideways beside the monitor, or even on the floor. Each model seems to become smaller and sleeker. No longer do the computers take up an entire room. Just a small box that can sit almost anywhere.

Well, of course, we can’t forget the printer. At one time, you had to purchase a separate printer, then a scanner and, a copier. But no more! There are multi-functional printers. They contain the printer that can print in color or the original black. Add to it the copier, the scanner and the fax. All in one system. We can even print our photographs now on laser printers.

Be aware that there are many other pieces of hardware that you can attach to your system. The items listed above are the basics that usually come with each new system. Enjoy your computer system from one non-geek to another.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about what is computer hardware [http://electronicsoftwaretoday.info/what-is-computer-hardware-understanding-computer-programs], please visit Electronic Software Today [http://electronicsoftwaretoday.info] for current articles and discussions.

Author: Wendy Pan
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Hardware for computers includes the computer itself, the monitor, keyboard, printer, mouse and speakers. There is also hardware inside the computer including the motherboard that holds the main processing chips that make up the central processing unit (CPU). The hardware processes the commands it receives from the software, and performs tasks or calculations.

There are basically four places to buy hardware for your computer. These are auctions, the Internet, local retailers and mail orders. The following is a condensed review of each of the above.

Auctions are the most popular sites for purchasing hardware for your computer. Low cost is the main factor that drives people to auctions. However, there are some things that you should be aware of. Unfortunately, on-line auctions are riddled with scams. As a matter of fact, it is the number one place for thefts and scams. You need to make sure that you know as much as you can about the seller so that you will not be buying stolen or copied, illegal goods. Online auction sites like e-bay or Yahoo are pretty reliable sites to go to if you are looking for safe auctions.

The Internet is a popular place to check out computer hardware sales, but you must be sure that when you buy hardware (or any purchase) over the Internet, the site offers some kind of security to prevent information about you from being stolen.

Your local computer store is one of the safest places you can go to buy hardware for your computer. Just make sure the store has knowledgeable salespeople. These days, good help is hard to find, and a sales representative may not have answers to your questions or give you false information. You must also inquire about “return policies” in case you buy defective parts.

Finally, mail ordering computer parts is somewhat safe if you follow a few common sense steps. Make sure that the mail order company has a valid phone number where you can speak with someone if you need to. Know the company’s return policy and verify the warranty on the products you are purchasing.

Computer Sales provides detailed information on Computer Sales, Online Computer Sales, Laptop Computer Sales, Computer Hardware Sales and more. Computer Sales is affiliated with Computer Projector Rentals.

Author: Ken Marlborough
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Hardware talk can be pretty boring, but it’s a necessary evil sometimes. For those of us who are kind of new to the world of computer hardware, a nice little mini lesson could come in handy to understand what a ROM and a RAM is. So in the best generic terms possible, we will run that down for you.

Your computer is basically made up of several components and to help you understand what each one does, how about be compare them to the human body? I know, this sounds weird, but if you bear with me, I think we can make this work on out for us.

First let’s start with the brain of the whole system; the processor. The processor, like the brain tells the rest of the system what to do. Without the processor, all the cool software and hardware you own is useless. The CPU or Central Processing Unit, is definitely the central part of your computer hardware body.

Next we have RAM, which stands for Random Access memory. These are the hands that carry out everything you have to do. Some would say that this is more like what you have learned, your physical memory. Indeed it could be called that, but the idea is that the more RAM you have the more processes you can have running at one time.

You CDROM, CDRW and DVDROM are all considered external drives. This is the cool coffee tray that came with your PC. You could consider this your feet. They will take you places your mind and hands can’t go and then away again. ROM stands for Read Only Memory, so it doesn’t reside on your hard drive.

Your hard drive is everything you have learned all stored in one spot for you to access whenever you need to. All kinds of functions are on this bad boy, from software you are aware of to “involuntary functions” you PC needs to continue to operate. These devices spin at different speed and can hold different amounts of information. How much information depends on the size of the hard drive. Obviously the larger the drive space, the more can be stored on it. This is a good thing to remember.

You power supply is exactly what the name says. This is what powers your computer. In some ways this is the heart of your system. It’s arteries are the power cables going throughout the inside of your tower providing lots and lots of power to your parts that need it. It powers all of your devices and keeps them running without bogging down. If your power supply stops working then your system is dead. A transplant will most likely be needed.

With any kind of luck, my simple explanation of the computer hardware will help you understand how your computer works. For the seriously technically minded, I apologize. For everyone else, well, let’s just keep this system between you and I, shall we?

Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on HP Laptop Deals which provides Deals and Reviews on HP Pavilion, HP G60+ and more.

Author: Zeeman Haus
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