ConsumerIT - For Europe's High Volume PC Retailers, Distributors & Builders

Best Buy exits the European market, selling its 50% stake in the Best Buy Europe joint venture back to UK retailer Carphone Warehouse for $775 million in cash and stocks.

According to the retailer Best Buy Europe revenues for fiscal 2014 (from 2500 small Carphone Warehouse stores in 8 European countries) are set to reach $5.5-5.6 billion, even if it will report Best Buy Europe results as "discontinued operations" from Q1 2014.

"Each international market is different and the sale of our European operations should not suggest any similar action in our other international businesses," CEO Hubert Joly remarks before confirming the retailer will continue operations in Mexico, Canada and China.

Best Buy and CPW formed Best Buy Europe in June 2008 with ambitions to open around 200 stores across the EU. However a a weak economy and consumer apathy hampered such plans, leading to the closure of all 11 American-style Best Buy UK stores on November 2011.

The deal lends CPW opportunities for growth across the EU, even if it is set to exit the French market following its failure to dent a competitive territory.

Go Best Buy to Sell Stake in European Business to Carphone Warehouse

Go Proposed Acquisition of Best Buy's 50% Share in CPW Europe

The global tablet market remains strong IDC reports-- Q1 2013 shipments grow by 142.4% Y-o-Y to 49.2 million units, with demand for smaller screen devices fueling shipments.

Apple outperforms earlier IDC projections for the quarter, managing to beat seasonal Q1 shipment drop off (following strong Q4 sales) with shipments reaching 19.5m units compared to a forecast of 18.7m.

"Sustained demand for the iPad mini and increasingly strong commercial shipments led to a better-than expected Q1 2012 for Apple," IDC says. "In addition, by moving the iPad launch to Q4 2012 Apple seems to have avoided the typical Q1 slowdown that traditionally occurred when consumers held off buying in January and February in anticipation of a new product launch in March."

Intel releases details on the graphics capabilities tucked inside the 4th Core CPU generation (aka "Haswell")-- now with three graphics tiers named Intel HD 5000, Iris and Iris Pro.

The previous Core chip generation ships with two flavours of graphics, Intel HD 4000 and HD 3000.

With Haswell, Ultrabooks carrying 15W U-series CPUs get the updated HD 5000 graphics. Laptops using 28W U-series chips get Iris, which Intel claims is up to x2 faster than HD Graphics.

The more powerful H- and R-series laptop chips (47-55W) pack Iris Pro graphics with embedded DRAM.  M- and K-series laptop CPUs also get the Iris Pro option.

Intel HD 5000, Iris and Iris Pro leverage on Direct X 11.1, OpenGL 4 and OpenCL 1.2 technologies, with "enhanced" 4K output and a 3-screen collage mode.

According to DigiTimes Acer and Asus believe in Google's Chromebooks-- both companies are reportedly planning to release new models on H2 2013, with Google expected to "aggressively" promote the platform.

According to "sources from the upstream supply chain" monthly Acer Chromebook shipments used to reach 150000-200000 units until January 2013 when shipments dropped to just 20000-30000 units, causing the company to pause shipment plans to H2 2013.

However the company is expected to launch an 11.6-inch model "targeting students" on July 2013.

Meanwhile Asus never had Chromebook plans, but will reportedly launch a branded model on H2 2013.