World and National News

After the madness of the Netbook, here come from the Internet Tablet. This is reduced to a computer touch screen, in color, which can surf the Internet, play games, watch movies, listen to music, reading newspapers and books. The Apple iPad, which will be marketed in April, "will revitalize the market for tablet PCs, which could reach for the equipment alone, 12 billion dollars in 2014," says research firm Strategy Analytics.

On the PC market, which continues to grow in units at a frantic pace but stagnant in value, a revolutionary new product is an opportunity of choice for manufacturers. As with every change in technology, new players could emerge, as was the case with the netbook, which has allowed the rise of Taiwan's Asus and Acer.

Since 2010, he could sell 10.5 million tablets of the Internet, said Gartner.Alone, Apple could sell 4 to 6 million units iPad, believes his side firm GfK. The firm's apple is not alone in this ball of suitors. The French Archos hopes a return to grace with his tablet PC equipped with operating system Windows 7.

In late March, just before placing on the market iPad in the U.S., Sony could make a stretched version of its portable game console PSP foothold in the niche of Internet tablets, said recently the Wall Street Journal.

HP, the world's number one PC, plans soon to launch his magic slate. Presented earlier this year by Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, Slate HP recalls the Apple iPad. "We continue to finalize our product. We expect to launch Slate around the summer, "says Eric Cador, the boss of HP's PC division in Europe.His tablet use "operating system Windows 7," warns one from HP.

Cooperation with the content

One way to respond in advance to the ambitions of Google with Chrome operating system OS, which should be used this year for large touch screens. Meanwhile, Slate is the most innovative product promised by HP's PC division this year. And Phil McKinney, a charge of HP's research, says that in three years it will be possible to launch an "Internet Tablet flexible.

For its part, the director general of Taiwan's Asus is also planning to enter the market for Internet Tablet "provided to establish cooperation with publishers of content in music, video games and movies.This ambition is shared by other manufacturers reported.

For Internet Tablet "might cannibalize existing products such as netbooks, digital media books and mobile devices to surf the Web," suggests one expert from Strategy Analytics. It will also be a way to renew the genre, for the Tablet PC, launched some ten years, never really took off.

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While the Internet has become as indispensable as water or electricity, Pierre Danon, CEO of Numericable, announced that the cable operator will introduce a social tariff, responding to the request of the Prime Minister.

LE FIGARO. – For 9.99 euros per month, which will service the right customers?

Pierre Danon. – The Prime Minister had asked the operators a triple play package of around 20 euros for the poor. Numericable goes beyond and offers 9.99 euros a month for 60 channels of television (DTT channels and a selection of foreign channels), Internet access at 2 Mbps and unlimited calls in metropolitan France.There are two requirements to be eligible for this offer: being beneficiary of the RSA or disabled adult allowance and live in housing benefit service unique digital Numericable.

Will you receive compensation from the state?

The universal service fund, managed by the Caisse des depots, should pay a subsidy of 4.21 euros per month per subscriber to Numericable. This package will therefore revert to 5.99 euros a month to subscribers, 4 euro is already included in the charges. I sent a letter yesterday with the offer to Prime Minister, Arcep and services Bercy. If they approve our offer within two months we could launch it this summer.

What advantage Numericable?

It is primarily a historical constant of the cable as being involved in social housing and community.On the other hand, Numericable, who will work with municipalities and departments on this job should be able to equip a large number of new homes. Some customers take the social tariff, but others choose our offerings more upscale. I think that with this offer we can win new customers. We are now at 25% market share on the recruitment of new Internet subscribers. This should enable us to progress further. Not to mention that in dealing with public housing offices, Numericable reduces acquisition costs and delinquency risks.

You had already launched in November offer "low cost" to 19.90 euros. What is the result?

This offer works very well. It represents approximately one third of our new subscribers. Auchan is also to engage the clutch on this niche, because there is a real logic to segment the market.They are not social but tender offers "low-cost targeted. For example, many people do not use the TV service yet they pay their standard Internet package at 30 euros a month. We must stop the dictatorship of the package at 30 euros, which was a stroke of genius Free, but has not moved for four years.

After Darty and Auchan Bouygues Telecom, will you welcome new operators on your fiber network?

We are in discussions with various partners, but he must first deal with the influx of new customers for our partners. Auchan has trained 1 200 hypermarkets in 72 vendors!

The picture improves Numericable does to customers?

Yes. Having been a champion of consumer complaints, admittedly, we're totally out of radar DGCCRF.The service was bad a year ago, we made a lot of work, it is now correct. And we will still improve.

Having renounced the 4th license, what are your plans in the mobile?

Our priority remains the fiber. On the mobile, we are virtual network operator Bouygues Telecom. We will soon launch a 3G and a key card offer prepaid. But we do not support the pedal fully, because we can not afford to spend millions of euros to acquire a subscriber base.In 2010-2011, Numericable focuses on profitable growth.

Are you still handicapped by the weight of your debt?

Having renegotiated our debt with the bankers in November, we loosened the noose and we are perfectly comfortable with our deadlines for repayment of 1.5 billion euros by 2014.

The connected TV is it a concern for you, whose job is to aggregate a bunch of strings?

It is a subject that we anticipated early 2009 with our range of interactive TV "2.0", and we continue to invest. We have discussions with several manufacturers of televisions. In April, Numericable present its first applications in the form of widgets available on the TV screen.We will launch thematic portals (youth, sports, entertainment …) which will become real media capable of guiding the client and recommend programs.

Photo credits: Le Figaro

Henri Proglio and Anne Lauvergeon, who lead respectively EDF and Areva, are called in on Wednesday afternoon at Matignon. The Prime Minister has every intention of putting an end to bitter arguments currently taking place between the two main leaders of the French nuclear industry.

Since late December, the two groups, which have the state as shareholder ultramajoritaire, to blame for the failure of the bidding in Abu Dhabi. And in January, has expanded their quarrel: Areva has just suspended the transportation of spent fuel – from EDF's power – to its reprocessing plant at La Hague. In the entourage of Francois Fillon, it stresses that both companies are forced to work together.The prime minister wants to put an end to these incessant disputes and public.

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After rising 2.4% in September, spending on household consumption of manufactured goods posted a growth of 1.1% in October according to figures released Tuesday by the INSEE. Spending on durable goods are still progressing (+1.3%) after acceleration in September (+5.1%). This was due to car purchases very dynamic (+10.2%), while in October "households slowed on these purchases," says the National Institute of Statistics.

In contrast, they increased their spending on equipment housing (+2.2% after +0.7% in September), each item of equipment (furniture, electrical goods, electronics and informatics) contributing to this acceleration.

The new floating balances boosted purchases in textiles. According to INSEE, purchases of textiles and leather rose 2.6% after a month of September already dynamic (+2.9%).Other manufactured goods (pharmaceuticals, publishing, crafts, perfume, etc..) Also displayed a slight increase in October (+0.3% after +0.4% in September).