High-tech gifts in low-tech packages
This holiday season, it seems high-brow concepts are better off making their commercial debut in low-tech gadgets.
"With the current economic situation, I think toys and gadgets which are too complicated, either as a concept, or to operate, will not fly," says Lawrence Cheung, principal consultant of the Hong Kong Productivity Council.
Looking forward to the new year, Hong Kong tech industry analyst and blogger Victor Cheung has his eyes set on an "All-in-One computer that features a multi-touch screen, like that of the HP Pavilion IQ series."
According to Cheung, "2009 will see the Tablet PC finally taking off, with more name-brand manufacturers joining the ranks of HP, Fujitsu, Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba and Kohjinsha.
"Expect to see them coming in all sizes and probably with a multi-touch feature by the end of the year. Don't be surprised to see a MacTablet as well."
As for the mobile-phone market, he adds: "iPhone should continue to rule with a new version before Thanksgiving 2009, with missing features such as Bluetooth A2DP and a changeable battery. A higher-res camera with video recording might be thrown in as well.
However, what makes or breaks it depends very much on how open Apple will be with other developers' apps."
