Channel Beat: HP Tops Surging U.S. PC Market

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IDC’s latest report is good news for the U.S. PC market, which saw a 4.7 percent year-over-year increase in fourth-quarter shipments.

HP holds onto the top market-share spot with just more than 30 percent, trailed by Dell and Apple. On the other hand, worldwide shipments for the quarter were down 2.4 percent from last year. Analysts say the boost in the American market is due to the slowing tablet market, and while the PC market may be stabilizing, it’s too soon to predict whether PC market levels will return to the high levels they experienced before the tablet era.

BlackBerry is denying reports that Samsung approached the company with a buyout offer this week, saying it has not engaged in acquisition discussions.

Reuters reported the alleged $7.5 million buyout Wednesday, which shot BlackBerry’s stock up more than 30 percent. That stock fell 13 percent after Blackberry denied the reports.

Partners say Samsung would benefit from BlackBerry’s range of data storage and security solutions, and the acquisition would be a huge opportunity for struggling BlackBerry.

Citrix introduced two new versions of the Workspace Pod, a converged solution with opportunity for channel partners.

The two pre-configured server boxes run the Citrix virtualization stack and deliver apps, desktops and data with low power consumption and a lower price tag. Channel partners can easily install the pre-integrated and pre-engineered Workspace Pods for customers. One version will integrate Citrix software with HP’s Moonshot platform, and both Workspace Pods will be available to the entire partner community in the second quarter.

PUBLISHED JAN. 16, 2015