The move is meant to make it easier for customers to tell Samsung‘s laptops apart, but it could ultimately end up being just as confusing. While the renaming of the ATIV Smart PC and the ATIV Smart PC Pro to the ATIV Tab 5 and the ATIV Tab 7, respectively, isn’t too much to think about, The Series 5 510 and the Series 3 370 will both now share the name ATIV Book 4. And while Samsung’s all-in-one laptops will be rebranded as ATIV One laptops, devices that weren’t previously branded Smart PC or all-in-one PC are now branded ATIV Book devices with a corresponding number.

The confusion continues ast the numbers will be shifting from previous brand names. For example, the Series 7 Chronos will now be the ATIV Book 8, the Series 3 300 will be the ATIV Book 2, and the Series 5 Chronos will – you know what? Just have a look below at the renaming chart Samsung has provided. And make sure to keep it handy in case you find yourself in the market for a Samsung laptop.

“Samsung has been the fastest growing PC brand for the past three years, in part because of our commitment to developing solutions that meet and exceed the ever-evolving needs of our customers,” said Mike Abary, SVP of product marketing at Samsung Electronics America. “Our expanded ATIV brand and the introduction of solutions like SideSync create the necessary synergy between our mobile and PC lines to create real ease of use for consumers. These synergies enable us to maintain our momentum and continue to offer our customers innovations that enhance the way they live and work.”

In a report from The Register, a source close to Microsoft says that the company is blaming PC makers for the lackluster Windows 8 sales that the company has seen thus far. Microsoft says its hardware partners are not following the “clear and specific guidance” it gave on how Windows 8 hardware should look and operate, specifically the touchscreen input that it wanted in every machine.

PC makers are reportedly objecting to Microsoft’s accusations saying that its “guidance” would have led to expensive PCs that nobody would understand or want. It would have led them to the situation that Microsoft is in now with its Surface RT tablet – a lot of expensive product rotting on shelves. The manufacturers also blame the rise of cheap alternatives, like Android tablets, and a marketing campaign that didn’t properly explain Windows RT. In fact, the latter is the very reason that Samsung won’t be bringing its Windows RT tablet to the U.S.

All of this reeks a little of deja vu as Microsoft has occasionally been at odds with its hardware partners over the decisions it makes. The most recent was its secret development of the Surface tablet that was a complete surprise to hardware partners.

It’s not like any of this is going to suddenly destroy the long standing relationship between Microsoft and OEMs though. Both realize that they need the other to survive. The PC is still a popular piece of hardware even if global shipments are falling. Maybe what’s best is that both parties temper their expectations and aggressively market to its strongest allies – the power user, enterprise and education.

So, what is Microsoft going to do in response to sluggish Windows 8 sales? The Register’s source says the company will be rebooting the launch of Windows 8 alongside the launch of the Surface Pro tablet on February 9. It’s not known what form this “reboot” will take, but it could very well tie into the rumored Windows Blue launch scheduled for 2013.

It will be interesting to see how much of this pans out in the coming year. A reboot of Windows 8 this soon after the launch might be seen as a sign of Microsoft’s admittance that Windows 8 was a “disaster,” but it could also be the best thing to happen to the struggling operating system.

Gartner’s research shows a 4.9% decline in PC shipments in the fourth quarter of 2012 when compared to the same quarter in 2011. The firm went even further than IDC, all but stating that this is a harbinger of the predicted post-PC era.

“Tablets have dramatically changed the device landscape for PCs, not so much by ‘cannibalizing’ PC sales, but by causing PC users to shift consumption to tablets rather than replacing older PCs,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. “Whereas as once we imagined a world in which individual users would have both a PC and a tablet as personal devices, we increasingly suspect that most individuals will shift consumption activity to a personal tablet, and perform creative and administrative tasks on a shared PC. There will be some individuals who retain both, but we believe they will be exception and not the norm. Therefore, we hypothesize that buyers will not replace secondary PCs in the household, instead allowing them to age out and shifting consumption to a tablet.”

Much like the IDC report, Gartner shows that the launch of Windows 8 did not re-energize the PC market the way Microsoft may have hoped. Also, HP is once again leading PC shipments worldwide, with Lenovo following close behind.

“The PC market continues to face many headwinds. The launch of Windows 8 had no impact on PC demand, especially as ultramobile products were both limited in supply, as well as being priced too high,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. “The holiday season mostly saw retailers clearing Windows 7 notebook inventory or driving volume of low-end notebooks. Furthermore, the increasing choice of tablets at decreasing price points no doubt became a favorite Christmas present ahead of PCs.”

“Although the third quarter was focused on the clearing of Windows 7 inventory, preliminary research indicates the clearance did not significantly boost the uptake of Windows 8 systems in Q4,” said Jay Chou, senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. “Lost in the shuffle to promote a touch-centric PC, vendors have not forcefully stressed other features that promote a more secure, reliable and efficient user experience. As Windows 8 matures, and other corresponding variables such as Ultrabook pricing continue to drop, hopefully the PC market can see a reset in both messaging and demand in 2013.”

The U.S. market in particular took a big hit, dropping 7% compared to holiday 2011. IDC blames the drop on the failure of imagination manufacturers had towards what a good Windows 8 experience would be. However, this could simply be the beginning of the post-PC world that Apple and Microsoft are predicting.

“Consumers expected all sorts of cool PCs with tablet and touch capabilities,” said David Daoud, research director at IDC U.S. Quarterly PC Tracker. “Instead, they mostly saw traditional PCs that feature a new OS (Windows 8 ) optimized for touch and tablet with applications and hardware that are not yet able to fully utilize these capabilities. Despite a generally weak performance, some leading brands managed do to well relative to the market. HP, Lenovo, Asus, and Samsung were among the top performers, taking advantage of some consumer interest in Windows 8, and a push to build up their presence ahead of 2013.”

Despite its recent write-downs and accusations of accounting fraud at Autonomy before its acquisition, HP continues to rank highest on IDC worldwide PC shipment rankings. HP seized on this bit of good news, highlighting the fact that the IDC rankings include the workstation segment rather than just the consumer market. From HP:

IDC announced today that HP maintained the No. 1 position in PC shipments worldwide and in the United States. The IDC analysis also includes the very important workstation segment and therefore represents the most comprehensive analysis of the entire PC market.

We believe HP’s position as the market share leader demonstrates our ongoing commitment to deliver superior PC products and experiences across customer segments.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg is reporting that even HP CEO Meg Whitman knows it will take half a decade to pull the company up from its current downward trajectory.

Samsung announced the Series 7 and Series 5 AIO PCs on Tuesday. The PCs have been designed with Windows 8 in mind and feature 10-point touchscreens to take advantage of the new UI. The computers are expected to launch in late October alongside Windows 8. They are expected to cost anywhere between $750 to $1,700.

The Series 5 PCs will feature 21-inch screens, 500 GB hard drives and an Intel Core i3 processor. The graphics will be handled by Intel’s integrated HD graphics 4000 GPU. The Series 5 PCs will be on the lower end of the price spectrum.

The Series 7 PCs will feature a 23 or 27-inch screen. The 23-inch PC will feature an Intel Core i5 CPU and an Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU. The 27-inch PC will feature an Intel Core i7 and an AMD Radeon HD 7850M GPU. The latter will the better choice for gamers looking for an AIO gaming PC, but it will be higher on the price scale.

Both the Series 5 and Series 7 PCs will feature resolutions set at 1920×1080. They will also feature Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, three USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports and a 3-in-1 multicard slot. The computers also feature hand gesture recognition that the computer can interpret from up to three feet away.

Samsung intends for these AIO PCs to be placed in the kitchen. The hand gestures will make them especially useful for those who can’t touch sensitive components due to wet hands. But in all reality, these new AIO PCs can be used in just about any situation. They’re slim enough to fit just about anywhere and they’re powerful enough for most, if not all, of your basic computing needs. Of course, we’ll have to see how they perform before anybody makes a final verdict.

[h/t: Slashgear]

Love GameFly but wish that their PC catalog was a lot better than it actually is? Well now GameFly has annouced that it is expanding its partnership with 2K Games to deliver more PC games to GameFly via it’s Unlimited PC Play. Games like BioShock, Civilization IV, and X-Com: Enforcer are among the new titles available for free downloading and playing on multiple PCs for GameFly subscribers.

“GameFly’s Unlimited PC Play is a great way to reach new fans with some of the best games in our catalog,” said Sarah Anderson, senior vice president of marketing at 2K Games. “With our upcoming releases of BioShock Infinite, Civilization V: Gods & Kings and XCOM: Enemy Unknown on the horizon, we’re taking this opportunity to introduce or re-introduce fans to these beloved franchises.”

“We’re excited that 2K Games has partnered with GameFly, giving our members access to games in their top franchises to play for free in the Unlimited PC Play,” said Sean Spector, GameFly co-founder and SVP of Business Development and Content. “We’re working hard to continue adding major publishers and chart-topping games to our library.”

The new 2K Games titles are available for immediate download on your PC

The software is currently in beta form and works on all major browsers. I unfortunately, or fortunately depending on who you ask, do not have Time Warner Cable so I can’t personally verify the quality of the app.

The original report on PC World, however, seems to indicate that the web app works well and has good video quality. Unfortunately, like with any streaming service, users can only watch live television at their home where the cable connection is hooked up. There are about 200 channels to choose from but the all too important Viacom channels, Comedy Central and MTV, are absent.

The app essentially works like a cable set top box does. It allows for HD programming, recording, setting favorites, etc. It also features search, parental controls and search functions.

It’s a good move on Time Warner’s part, but will people really choose this over other options like Boxee? It’s good to see cable companies embrace the Internet, but they still make it too hard and obnoxious for users to access the content they want to watch.

No wonder the cable companies like Time Warner are pushing for cable encryption rules so that we have even less choice when it comes to entertainment.

Have any of you, the readers, checked out Time Warner Cable’s new online streaming app? How is it? Let us know.

In a statement, the company said it has completed its evaluation of strategic alternatives for its Personal Systems Group (PSG), and has decided that the unit will remain part of the company.

“HP objectively evaluated the strategic, financial and operational impact of spinning off PSG. It’s clear after our analysis that keeping PSG within HP is right for customers and partners, right for shareholders, and right for employees,” said President and CEO Meg Whitman. “HP is committed to PSG, and together we are stronger.”

Whitman was appointed to her position last month, replacing Leo Apotheker after just a year in the role.

The company says the strategic review involved “subject matter experts from across the businesses and functions,” and that “data-driven evaluation revealed the depth of the integration that has occurred across key operations such as supply chain, IT and procurement.”

The evaluation, HP says, also detailed the significant extent to which the PSG unit contributes to the company’s portfolio and overall brand value.

Yeah, I can see that.

HP added that the cost of recreating these things in a standalone company outweighed the benefits of separation.

“As part of HP, PSG will continue to give customers and partners the advantages of product innovation and global scale across the industry’s broadest portfolio of PCs, workstations and more,” said Todd Bradley, EVP of HP’s Personal Systems Group. “We intend to make the leading PC business in the world even better.”

Last year’s revenues for PSG totaled $40.7 billion.

Lanci, a former employee at Texas Instruments, went to Acer when they acquired the TravelMate laptop business from TI in 1997.  He became president of the company in 2005, and was named CEO in 2008.

Acer has recently overtaken Dell as the 2nd largest maker of PCs, but has hit a rough patch as of late.  According to Bloomberg:

The resignation comes less than a week after the company lowered its sales forecast, which led to a four-day, 18 percent rout of the stock. Analysts at 10 brokerages including Daiwa Securities Group Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) have lowered their investment ratings on Acer since March 25, citing concerns about earnings.

Lanci’s resignation passed a Board of Directors today, as they explain that they held different views about the direction the company was taking.  From the press release:

On the company’s future development, Lanci held different views from a majority of the board members, and could not reach a consensus following several months’ of dialog. They placed different levels of importance on scale, growth, customer value creation, brand position enhancement, and on resource allocation and methods of implementation.

While the company assures that this change will not affect business as usual, interim CEO J.T. Wang expresses that the company will be moving into the mobile device market.  “Acer needs a period of time for adjustment,” he says.

“In his role as President and CEO, Lanci has contributed significantly toward Acer’s growth. The company expresses its true appreciation for Lanci’s efforts and wishes him all the best in his future endeavors,” said Wang

FaceTime has become a popular selling point of Apple’s iPhone, and the iPad 2 is expected to accommodate it as well. 

"The new MacBook Pro brings next generation dual and quad Core processors, high performance graphics, Thunderbolt technology and FaceTime HD to the great design loved by our pro customers," said Apple SVP of Worldwide Product Marketing Philip Schiller. "Thunderbolt is a revolutionary new I/O technology that delivers an amazing 10 gigabits per second and can support every important I/O standard which is ideal for the new MacBook Pro."

Apple says in its announcement, "MacBook Pro is the first computer on the market to include the groundbreaking Thunderbolt I/O technology. Developed by Intel with collaboration from Apple, Thunderbolt enables expandability never before possible on a notebook computer. Featuring two bi-directional channels with transfer speeds up to an amazing 10Gbps each, Thunderbolt delivers PCI Express directly to external high performance peripherals such as RAID arrays, and can support FireWire and USB consumer devices and Gigabit Ethernet networks via adapters. Thunderbolt also supports DisplayPort for high resolution displays and works with existing adapters for HDMI, DVI and VGA displays. Freely available for implementation on systems, cables and devices, Thunderbolt technology is expected to be widely adopted as a new standard for high performance I/O."

"With Apple’s innovative FaceTime video calling software, the new camera allows high definition video calls between all new MacBook Pro models and supports standard resolution calls with other Intel-based Macs, iPhone 4 and the current generation iPod touch," the company says. "FaceTime is included with all new MacBook Pro models and is available for other Intel-based Macs from the Mac App Store for 99 cents. The MacBook Pro lineup continues to feature its gorgeous aluminum unibody enclosure, glass Multi-Touch trackpad, LED-backlit widescreen display, illuminated full-size keyboard and 7-hour battery."

There is a 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro model, as well as a 15-inch and a 17-inch model. The 13-inch version is available in a 2.3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 and 320GB hard drive version for $1,199, as well as a 2.7 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 and 500GB hard drive version for $1,499. The 15-inch MacBook Pro is available in a 2.0 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6490M and 500GB hard drive version for $1,799 and a 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6750M and 750GB hard drive version for $2,199. The new 17-inch Apple MacBook Pro comes in just one version –  2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6750M and 750GB hard drive, and is priced at $2,499.

Apple has an event scheduled for March 2nd, where it will almost certainly unveil the iPad 2. Stay tuned for that. Meanwhile, the iPad continues to dominate tablet shipments.