Microsoft faces a slide into irrelevance in the next four years (2017)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/apr/04/microsoft-smartphones-tablets

Microsoft threatened as smartphones and tablets rise, Gartner warns

Microsoft threatened as smartphones and tablets rise, Gartner warns

PC market begins to slip and tablets will outsell desktops and laptops combined by 2015, as Android ascendancy means challenge to relevance of Microsoft, research group warns

• Charles Arthur
• guardian.co.uk, Thursday 4 April 2013 09.42 BST
• Jump to comments (80)

The growth of smartphones, especially those running Android, poses a threat to Microsoft. Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Microsoft faces a slide into irrelevance in the next four years unless it can make progress in the smartphone and tablet markets, because the PC market will continue shrinking, warns the research group Gartner.

seven classes in 21th century great britain

2 April 2013 Last updated at 19:49

The Great British class calculator

Mike Savage and Fiona Devine examined class in a brand new way

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/0/21970879

“Start Quote

We now have a much more complex class system”

We devised a new way of measuring class, which doesn't define class just by the job that you do, but by the different kinds of economic, cultural and social resources or 'capitals' that people possess.

We asked people about their income, the value of their home and savings, which together is known as 'economic capital', their cultural interests and activities, known as 'cultural capital' and the number and status of people they know, which is called 'social capital'.
Amazingly, more than 160,000 of you completed the survey. We now have one of the largest ever studies of class in Great Britain.

The results to date

Our new model includes seven classes.

What class are you?

• The full class survey takes about 25 minutes and covers wealth and job type, interests and social circle
• Compare your score to the nation's
• Receive a personalised coat-of-arms

• Take the original Great British Class Survey
• Where do you fit in the new class system?
• Try more citizen science with BBC Lab UK

• Elite: This is the most privileged class in Great Britain who have high levels of all three capitals. Their high amount of economic capital sets them apart from everyone else.
• Established Middle Class: Members of this class have high levels of all three capitals although not as high as the Elite. They are a gregarious and culturally engaged class.
• Technical Middle Class: This is a new, small class with high economic capital but seem less culturally engaged. They have relatively few social contacts and so are less socially engaged.
• New Affluent Workers: This class has medium levels of economic capital and higher levels of cultural and social capital. They are a young and active group.
• Emergent Service Workers: This new class has low economic capital but has high levels of 'emerging' cultural capital and high social capital. This group are young and often found in urban areas.
• Traditional Working Class: This class scores low on all forms of the three capitals although they are not the poorest group. The average age of this class is older than the others.
• Precariat: This is the most deprived class of all with low levels of economic, cultural and social capital. The everyday lives of members of this class are precarious.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

火線獵殺：未來戰士

《湯姆•克蘭西之火線獵殺:未來戰士》（英語：Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier），通稱「火線獵殺：未來戰士」，是一款育碧軟體出品的戰術射擊遊戲，遊戲於2012年5月22如發行於PlayStation 3和Xbox 360平台。遊戲是火線獵殺系列的第6部。

 維基百科，自由的百科全書

2012台股 台塑集團大衰退 獲利王台積電 集團二哥鴻海

【經濟日報╱記者周克威／台北報導】
  
2013.04.02
 集團獲利 鴻海躍二哥

台股上市櫃公司去年財報出爐，前10大集團獲利也各有消長，台積電集團以逾1,600億元稅後純益穩居獲利王寶座，鴻海在經歷成本支出高原期，獲利大幅成長，並躍升第二名，整體前10大集團獲利為4,855億元。

國內去年景氣不佳，連帶許多上市櫃公司的全年獲利也跟著受累，在各集團獲利方面，則表現不一，原本相對穩健的傳產、金融集團，在台塑集團因台塑四寶獲利在塑化原料、油價等價格下跌而欲振乏力之際，加上南電、南科及華亞科三大集團主要虧損來源，合計該3家公司虧損金額就高達536.4億元，也拖累整體台塑集團由前年合計獲利達600億元、為集團獲利榜的第二名，到去年轉為虧損221億元。

表現最佳的仍是台積電集團，在市場認知台積電、創意與世界先進3家公司，合計獲利達1,691億元，較前年成長25%下，穩居集團獲利王寶座。

第二名的鴻海集團，成員則有鴻海、鴻準、群創等九家鴻家軍成員，其中，雖群創虧損292億元，但在鴻海繳出近千億元的獲利中，合計以785億元、年成長1.65倍的表現，躍居第二名。

2012年報 四大天王領風騷

 【經濟日報╱記者張瀞文／台北報導】
  
2013.04.02 02:35 am


台股2012年財報四大天王出列，獲利王為台積電，稅後純益以1,661億元封王；績效王為F-TPK宸鴻，以每股稅後純益42.24元摘冠；成長王台郡是連續五年每年獲利成長逾一成；潛力王萬海的稅後純益年增率89倍。蘋果概念占3檔四大天王有三大天王為電子股，包括3檔蘋果概念股，其中台積電是台股權值股龍頭，也是去年的台股獲利王。惠理康和投信台灣紅不讓基金經理人黃善恒表示，台積電活絡與否，關係台股大盤的多空強弱勢表現

 黃善恆說，以近一個月來說，台灣加權指數大跌時出現跳空缺口，儘管隨後大盤指數、電子、金融指數均已回補缺口，但非金電指數及電子重量級權值股缺口仍在。特別是台積電股價表現較弱，似有資金退潮現象。也就是說，台積電交易量大小，將是未來股市漲跌的重要觀察指標。

英金融時報︰台灣薪資凍人才失 西進苦果

自由電子報 - 英金融時報︰台灣薪資凍人才失 西進苦果

3013-04-01〔編譯楊芙宜／綜合報導〕英國金融時報三十一日題為「中國導致台灣人才外流（China causes Taiwan brain drain）」的報導指出，台灣當前薪資成長停滯，起因是二十年來製造業外移中國，去年經濟雖成長，但薪資經通膨調整後反減少一．六％，薪資倒退後果就是台灣現正面臨人才嚴重流失危機。

文章開頭即舉宜蘭米粉包裝工廠為例，七年來該廠工人薪資僅調整過兩次，第二次調整在去年暑假，時薪由一○三元升至一一○元，是為了符合法令規定時薪最低一○九元。

報導指出，製造業西進中國不僅造成產業空洞化，也影響台灣薪資成長停滯、倒退十四年。

根據行政院主計總處調查，去年台灣實質平均薪資是四萬二○八○元，減少一．六％，是史上第三大降幅，且不如一九九九年的四萬三○三七元，實質薪資倒退十四年。

相對地，亞洲整體實質薪資光在二○一一年就成長了五％，而類似台灣發展模式的南韓，二○○○年以來實質薪資平均年成長三％。

薪資停滯 白領人才出走

紐約時報：房地產過熱 北京、上海公布「國五條」細則

2013/04/01
        為了抑制房地產市場，北京和上海周末宣布針對房屋銷售祭出新限制和懲處。

北京市政府表示，現在未婚民眾只能購買1套房子。對於購買第2套房子的買家，北京也調高頭期款最低門檻。未來若出脫房子，增值稅稅率高達20%。

上海市政府也宣布類似增值稅，並強調還會推出其他措施，以求穩定房價。更嚴格的增值稅，取代了課徵1%至2%的交易稅。

就在幾周前，中國國務院指出，將採取更積極的行動，避免房價持續飆升，迴避房地產泡沫，許多分析師認為，房地產泡沫不僅嚴重傷害中國經濟，更導致社會動盪。
根據官方數據，去年中國房價大幅攀升，許多大城市2月房價平均漲幅達3.1%。近5年來，許多城市購買新房子的成本增長1倍。