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

Currys and PC World owner Dixons is to replace its 4 year old "TechGuys" support service with "Knowhow".

Knowhow will be unveiled later this week as a revamped and upgraded service to help customers with their digital purchases.

One of the triggers for this change must be competition from the likes of recent US arrival Best Buy and its "Geek Squad"-- even if Dixons insists otherwise.

The Knowhow launch will include a dedicated website and unified in-house call centre. Both Currys and PC World will carry the name and logo, together with new logos on vans, uniforms and in-store kiosks.

Go Dixons Retail

ARM co-founder Dr. Hermann Hauser tells the Wall Street Journal Intel's microprocessor business is doomed-- because it cannot take advantage of the mobile market.

He says Intel has the wrong business model-- people in mobile architecture do not buy microprocessors, they license them. This means Intel will have to compete with every semiconductor company in the world.

Hauser continues there is no case in computing history where a company dominating one wave also dominated the next one-- as Intel and Microsoft dominate the PC market, they will fail with mobile architecture (which Hauser says will be the main computing platform on the terminal side).

Currently 95% of global mobile handsets and 25% of electronic devices carry an ARM chp.

Intel downplays Hauser's comments and says there's room for many to be successful.

Meanwhile Gartner suggests Intel's faces threats not from ARM but from vertically integrated manufacturers like Apple (who do everything from product design down to processor design).

Go Wall Street Journal: Intel Microprocessor Business "Doomed" Claims ARM Co-Founder

Apple Stores see the developing Chinese market as one of its fast tracks to more billions in growth-- and will step up the pace for its store-building in 2011 in China as a result.

The California company already opened 4 stores in the world's most populous country (2 in Shanghai, 2 in Beijing) and plans to have 25 stores open by 2011's end.

Chinese customers can now also access Apple's iTunes and App Store in their language.

Morgan Stanley says Apple can triple its revenue from China to $9 billion a year-- but Chinese experts warn Apple's pricing and Western-style apps will limit  appeal at the broader consumer level.

For example, the App Store in China offers only a few apps specifically made for Chinese users.

Currently Apple products sell to China's educated elite and wealthy-- a common model for luxury brands in the country where profit margin instead of market share can make you rich.

But with more than 800 million mobile users in the country, others think it makes sense in China to aim for making money from low-end users. For example, if Android gets hundreds of millions of low-end users, that's where the app developers for China will go.

Go Apple is Learning to Speak Chinese (Mercury News)

The CEA says CE spending in USA will reach historic highs this Christmas, despite an overall decline in gift spending.

The association's 17th Annual CE Holiday Purchase Patterns Study shows IT and CE remain the "hottest" gifts to give and receive. Laptops are the most desired gift for this season, according to the CEA.

Half of customers plan to buy a CE gift for children on their lists, 20% will buy a CE gift for their spuouse/significant other and 29% will buy CE for themselves.

The study also reveals the top 10 devices for the season:

1. Laptop
2. iPad
3. eReader
4. iPod/iPod Touch
5. Video Game System
6. Digital Camera
7. Big Screen TV
8. TV
9. Computer
10. Desktop PC

The CEA says consumers want the newest technologies-- and stores stocking these products will do well as a result.

Consumers are planning to spend more this Christmas than the last, with 20% planning to increase their holiday budgets.

Go CEA: Consumer Spending on CE to Reach All-Time High