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Opera Mini users increased 4.2 percent in a month (and other interesting tidbits), says Opera
Opera's just released its State of the Mobile Web report for May of 2010, and its touting its continued growth in the space, with Opera Mini usage increasing 4.2 percent over the previous month, and a 7.2 percent gain in overall page views. Good news for them, undoubtedly, but they also have interestingly found that the hours 8:00 pm and midnight are the biggest for browsing -- unless you live in the UK, where you're just as likely to browse in the earlier hours. Nerds. Hit up the source link for the full report.
Analyst: PS3 continues to set records, Wii and software sales down
Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia says that Sony is in for a good 2010 -- he expects the PlayStation 3 to experience its largest year-over-year growth from last month's sales among all consoles, and for Sony to beat its own record from the month before for the console's best sales ever. The PS3 appears to be on a roll, and January sales are expected to continue the trend. Bhatia also says that the Wii's sales are being hurt by "meaningful shortages," and points out that just 28% of the stores NPD checked in January had Nintendo's console in stock. Bhatia also suggests that Xbox 360 sales would be up slightly, due to a big GameStop promotion, and that software sales would be down in general. Not unexpected, given that January almost never matches up to the frenzy of the holiday season, but 2010 has already started off with a bang in terms of quality releases. NPD's official info, released soon, will let us know if there were sales to match.
Cheap netbook sales bringing down laptop revenues, no brainers require no brains
Hey, this is probably surprising to no one, but here we go. A new market research report from DisplaySearch says that the overall mobile PC market is down about 5 percent over last year. The main reason cited for this decline? The increasing popularity of netbooks, which average around $300, and are much, much cheaper than traditional laptops. Netbook revenue is up 264 percent from last year, and have contributed to an overall lowering of the average PC cost by 19 percent. While this is certainly bad news for the PC industry itself, hooray for all of us, right?!
Apple updates green website
Macworld has spotted a new page over on Apple's website highlighting their dedication to making their products as environmentally healthy as possible. We've seen this pitch from Apple within the past few years -- they've recently slimmed down their packaging and started using recyclable materials in making their computers. It's pretty interesting to see them making such a push on this issue, but then again it not only helps them sell computers (assuming they don't have to raise prices too high due to the new policies), but of course helps the culture and the Earth at large in terms of making sure our environmental footprints are as small as possible. The new site includes information about the impact of Apple's products both during manufacture and during usage, as well as reports on product performance, as well as a blog on what they're doing lately. They also have a link to their recycling program so that when you're done with whatever Apple products you're using, you can make sure that those recyclable products are actually recycled. Pretty good deal all around, and good for Apple to make it clear how committed they are to this issue and acting on it.
Wikia turns a profit, thanks in part to WoWWiki
Wikia has been doing a little bit of press lately -- they're the for-profit company that has spun off of the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation that runs the huge Wikipedia website. Wikia has announced, as reported in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere, that they've hit profit early. While they didn't expect to actually make any money running ads next to user-generated content until next year, they've actually made some money this year already. They credit the growth of all of their miniwiki sites, which has expanded greatly over the last year.So why are we reporting all of this here? You may have already guessed: one of their largest sites, if not the largest, is the World of Warcraft-related wiki, WoWWiki (which we definitely read and use here at WoW.com all the time). WoWWiki is mentioned in a few reports as having 70,000 pages (almost 1/3 more than the next-biggest site in the network, a cooking wiki). In fact, at least one reports credits WoWWiki, along with the Twilight-related wiki, for the growth entirely. We're not sure how much of a part they actually played in the new reported profits, but they are definitely growing, and are a terrific resource for those of us in the WoW community.
There could be up to a million Chinese gold farmers
A new report on MMO gold farming claims that there are about 400,000 working in China on gold farming and trading, and that there could be as many as 500,000 to even a full million. Of course there's no way to tell exactly how many people are employed in the business (and the number almost certainly doesn't stay constant for long), but according to interviews and surveys done of business there, that's the number they've come up with. They also claim a $10 billion a year turnover, however, and that number seems way high, though remember that they're talking about all MMOs, not just World of Warcraft. The report has some other interesting information about how China does gold farming: there are a number of brokerages staffed by English speakers in the larger cities that handle the actual transaction, and then the farms themselves are usually outside the cities, where cheaper labor is available. Typical pay in the farms is about $140 a month plus food and board, working in about ten hour shifts, while pay is higher in the city-based brokerages. Most employees are younger guys, who play while drinking beer and smoking cigarettes, and lots of their ingame tasks are automated with custom-made and adapted software.
Macs still cheaper when you look at TCO
With all of the iPhone news lately, some of you may have worried that we're forgetting what got us here: Apple computers, not the other gadgets and doohickeys they sell. But worry not -- we're still Mac-crazy, which is why we'll still link to a Grade A smackdown on the old argument that Macs are more expensive than PCs. After a few analysts question whether or not Macs are worth it (as if buying a powerful and easy-to-use computer was ever not worth it), MacsimumNews' Dennis Sellers pulls out the big guns, and shows that report after report will make it clear that when you compare the quality vs. cost that you get with an Apple to what you get with a PC, the Mac will almost always win.Sure, if you compare a new MacBook Pro with the bargain laptops you'll find on the shelves at Best Buy, you'll be seeing a smaller charge on your credit card. But when you compare the total cost of ownership due to what's actually in those laptops (and the experience you'll have with each computer), the Mac is cheaper than ever.[via MacBytes]
Activision loses money, Blizzard to release one marquee game per year
Activision-Blizzard held a conference call for the press yesterday, and so there's all kinds of financial and release news floating around out there. The biggest news isn't necessarily Blizzard-related, but it does mean that our game's company is finally feeling the crunch a bit: Activision-Blizzard reported a loss of $72 million in the last quarter, and their outlook for the coming year fell short of analysts' expectations. Even though that sounds bad, it doesn't mean things are necessarily bad, though: Blizzard themselves added nearly a billion dollars to the total, so while A-B might not be doing so well, B is doing just fine.Blizzard CEO Paul Sams also announced during the call that the company is now aiming for "one 'frontline' title per year," though not necessarily World of Warcraft related. That likely means that we'll see the first Starcraft 2 this year -- our friends at Joystiq have a quick report on the beta appearing soon, as well as the Battle.net revamp we've been waiting for. And it also means that (unless Blizzard is really rolling on Diablo III, which I doubt, given its condition when we played it at last year's BlizzCon), that we'll be looking at mid/late 2010 for the release of the next WoW expansion.Besides the loss of the $72 million (it's always in the last place you look), things seem to be hopping at Blizzard and their parent company. Should be a pretty busy 2009 for them.
Four of the top ten PC games are World of Warcraft
Normally, we don't concern ourselves with sales charts too much -- we really only cover the one game, so comparing it to others really isn't our thing. Unless it's the only game in town, which, according to this month's NPD PC game software sales charts, posted by WorldofWar.net, it pretty much is. Out of the top ten PC games, Blizzard is responsible for a full half, and of those five, four are World of Warcraft related.1. WoW: Battle Chest2. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe3. World Of Warcraft4. Nancy Drew: The Phantom Of Venice5. Spore Creature Creator6. Diablo Battle Chest7. Warcraft III Battle Chest8. WoW: Burning Crusade9. The Sims 2 Ikea Home Stuff10. Call of Duty 4Just wild. Diablo's Battle Chest is undoubtedly there because of the Diablo III announcement, but the rest is all World of Warcraft -- people are picking up the game, its expansion, the Battle Chest (which combines both), and even the predecessor Warcraft III (in which the Wrath backstory features prominently) in droves.PC gaming isn't dead at all. But there's no question that of the struts keeping it standing, Blizzard is definitely one of the strongest.
Vivendi makes $1.5 billion in 2007, BC pushes Blizz up 58% from 2006
A few days ago we tried to estimate how much Blizzard was making from those 10 million accounts, but now we know for sure: it's actually around $1.2 billion (which is up 58% from 2006). Now, you can probably see that that's only $500 million short of the estimate that we were trying to prove was wrong, but don't forget that the $1.2 billion isn't just subscription fees-- it includes all those sales of Burning Crusade last year at full release price. What Blizzard earns from subscription fees is just part of that total.Still, a $1.5 billion year for Vivendi (especially when their other games divisions actually dropped by almost 30%) is good news for them. Of course, the question they (and more specifically, Activision Blizzard) have to be wondering about is if the success can continue. If Blizzard can release a new expansion this year and hold off the coming threats in the MMO industry, they'll be looking at even bigger numbers in 2008. But that's a lot to ask-- there's no question Vivendi (and Activision) will come up with huge amounts of profit this year, but growth of this magnitude will be a tough hill to climb.
Microsoft trumpets record second quarter results
It seems as if Nokia's not the only mega-corp on the block with good news to proclaim to Wall Street today, as the giant from Redmond is proudly announcing record second quarter results and pinpointing "robust holiday sales and enterprise demand drive" as the culprit. In the three months ending December 31, 2007, Microsoft pulled in some $16.37 billion in revenue and $6.48 billion in operating income, which translated to 30-percent and 87-percent growth in each area, respectively. The outfit also took the chance to mention that sales of Windows Vista had surpassed 100 million licenses, and Kevin Johnson, president of the Platforms and Services Division, even noted that it was "looking forward to the release of its first service pack later this quarter." You and just under 100 million others, we'd surmise.
Shocker: people loathe cellphone carriers
We know, we know, it may be difficult to understand how companies that lock you in the moment you decide on a phone / plan -- only to be about as helpful as a bottomless bucket the moment turmoil arises -- could be hated. Nevertheless, we can't say we're shocked at all to hear that cellphone providers are among the least liked in all of the service industries. In a recent report released by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, it was found that "fewer than half of respondents were completely or very satisfied with their cellphone service," and sadly, that's hardly different than in years past. Among the biggest gripes were high prices and mandatory contract extensions, and while pro-rated ETFs are fine and dandy, there's still a few less notable carriers that haven't swallowed that pill just yet. As for internal rankings, Verizon and Alltel each scored higher than the rest, and Sprint was found bringing up the rear.[Via Wired]Read - InformationWeekRead - NYDailyNews
TiVo announces most-watched commercials service
TiVo has announced a new service for advertisers and those interested in tracking commercial viewership, the Top Commercial Rankings reports, which is based on info gleaned using TiVo's StopWatch feature that tracks viewer behavior second-by-second. The feature has TiVo compiling reports for April and May on metrics like the top commercials watched overall (Disturbia and Ford trucks), or the least fast-forwarded campaigns (FedEx and Samsung Jitterbug). The report includes interesting insight into how viewers watch television, even timeshifted programs, and should provide advertisers more information about how to maximize their impact. Now to get this report to studio execs to keep them from blaming DVRs for the downfall of their industry.
Report: Euro Xbox 360 sales hitting a wall, PS3 price drop 'inevitable'
A recent report from research company Screen Digest asserts that the Xbox 360's European sales have "hit a wall" and are being constricted by a target market that is "too focused on adult males." The report, as detailed by GamesIndustry.Biz, suggests that sales will continue to suffer as Microsoft struggles to "break out of a small number of genres" in an attempt to capture the attention of a wider audience (perhaps one swayed by the likes of Beautiful Katamari?). Still, the Xbox Live service is labeled as a "beacon of hope," and many of the most anticipated titles in the year's fourth quarter are attached to the Xbox 360. On the topic of the PlayStation 3, Screen Digest reportedly criticizes Sony for relying too much on the PlayStation brand and being unclear about the features offered by the system. The report predicts an "inevitable" price refinement drop before the end of the year, one "in line with previous PlayStation first time price reduction timings," going on to suggest that Sony dropping the price in tandem with the launch of Home would be quite the "bombshell."As for the Wii, Screen Digest believes that Nintendo's wildly successful console is splitting business models within the industry, resulting in some publishers quickly releasing mediocre titles and riding Nintendo's coat tails all the way to the bank. Other publishers, however, are realizing that the "lower development costs and fastest growing installed base confers significant economic advantages in publishing games for Wii relative to competitive consoles." Provided the games don't involve the hunting of men, that is.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Japanese hardware sales, May. 7 - May 13: Office Space edition
David: Hey, Jason, yeahhhh, I'm gonna need you to get on those JHS reports ... did you see the memo?Jason: Uh, yeah, I saw it. Thanks, Dave.David: Good, good. I'll let you get to it, then.(Jason sighs, and begins to type frantically.)Alisha: Heyyyyy, Jason, did you see the mem--Jason: For the love of God, yes. I'm on it.Alisha: No need to snap, Jason. Sounds like someone has a case of the Fridays.(Jason mumbles as Alisha walks away. JC and Eric approach.)JC: I can't believe it. I told those fudgepackers I liked JC's music. Me! I've never despised any form of sensory input as I do those songs.
How did various media outlets report the FTC gaming report?
Here's some light weekend reading about politics, the media and gaming. Earlier this week the U.S. Federal Trade Commission released a report about the gaming industry. The real fun for industry folk was seeing how all the various media outlets would report the news and what their headlines would be. Below is the list, shamelessly ripped-off from Dennis McCauley over at GamePolitics, of various media outlets and their take on the report: FTC says content curbs fall short - L.A. Times Report says the young buy violent games and movies - NY Times FTC: self-regulation of violent content working - Beta News Children still see ads for violent content - Advertising Age FTC scolds marketers about violent content - AdWeek FTC: violence still marketed to youths - Hollywood Reporter Report: Violence still aimed at kids - Variety FTC violence marketing report show general compliance - Broadcasting & Cable FTC Report: Violence Still a Problem in Marketing - TV Week FTC: game industry self-policing improving - GameSpot FTC: M-rated games still marketed to minors - Next Generation FTC: games are better regulated than music, movies - Ars Technica FTC report: mixed reviews on industry's ability to self-regulate - Joystiq FTC: game industry stricter than movies, music - Kotaku FTC report praises, spanks video game industry - GamePolitics As McCauley asks in his headline accompanying the list above, "Were these media outlets reading the same report?" The various headlines make us think of the classic question: If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around to see it, does it make a sound? Some say yes, some say no, some say it explodes into various pieces, some say the Earth Mother picked it back up, some say there is no tree. The various headlines and the stores with them is a good read on the diversity of voice in the media -- especially when it comes to gaming.
Data shows Blu-ray leading high-def disc battle
Ever since two of the major console manufacturers picked sides in the high-definition movie disc war, gamers everywhere have taken an unnatural interest in the home video market. High-Def Digest has unearthed some new, detailed data on this battle from a recently leaked Sony report (PDF ZIP link). As of March 18, the cumulative sales numbers show Blu-ray (844,000 total units) holding a slight edge over HD-DVD (708,600 units) in the United States. These overall numbers are less interesting than the historical trend, though -- HD-DVD sales were strong through the end of 2006 but have fallen well below rising Blu-ray sales in 2007. Could the slow growth in PS3-equipped homes finally be having some effects on the movie market?Worldwide dominance for Sony's new format isn't settled yet, though. Next Gen reports that a growing number of independent studios in Europe have decided to back HD-DVD to the exclusion of Blu-Ray. So if you like European art house flicks, the choice is clear.Read - Sony Report Reveals First Look at Absolute Blu-ray and HD DVD Disc Sales FiguresRead - HD-DVD Winning the European Race
Microsoft moves 92,000 HD DVD add-ons over the holidays
If you plunked down $200 to snag an HD DVD player for your Xbox 360 over the holidays, you were most definitely not alone, as 91,999 (or thereabout) other folks did precisely the same thing. Although other console-related figures have been a bit shaky, we've researched this 92,000 number fairly well, and we can confidently say that Microsoft didn't do half bad with its November launch. Of course, the biggest temptation is to draw unfair conclusions between how many HD DVD add-ons were sold in comparison to the amount of PS3s sold, but considering users can't opt out of the Blu-ray drive in their PlayStation 3, the correlation just isn't there. But hey, since we know you're wondering, it probably won't hurt to mention that Sony "sold" (forcefully or otherwise) around 687,000 Blu-ray players since November 17th, but there's still no just way to tell which console (if any) had an impact on high definition movie sales.
Freeview HD trial a resounding success story
It's no secret that Americans can't get enough of that HD goodness once its graced their eyes, and apparently the Brits feel the same way in their own homeland. Following a six month trial in London which broadcasted HD content over Freeview, surveys showed that a vast majority of individuals adored the service and are now chomping at the bit to get more. BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 all reported positive results, as a whopping 98-percent of the 450 partakers felt that "OTA HD service should be available now." Moreover, 90-percent of the trialists felt "the public broadcasters should be responsible for HD development," and desired to have "at least" seven HD channels available to them. Of course, there's always the critics, and a paltry five-percent of participants felt that the HD experience didn't exactly live up to their lofty expectations, but considering some broadcasters apparently compressed the feeds to squeeze more channels into their limited bandwidth, we can't exactly blame them.
Trade unions take issue with "iPod City" report
So even though Apple's investigation of the Chinese manufacturing plant that's come to be known as "iPod City" found no egregious violations in the working conditions (except for, you know, the long hours, military-like punishments, and not exactly "Cribs"-style living arrangements), at least one major trade union conglomerate isn't all that happy with its conclusions. Speaking to BBC News, the director of human and trade union rights at the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, Janek Kuczkiewicz, noted that his organization was "not impressed either by the report or by the findings of Apple." Most troubling to the ICFTU was the fact that only 100 of the over 30,000 employees working at the Foxconn-owned plant were interviewed by Apple's special investigative team; and since the conditions under which the interviews were held is unknown (i.e. were they being watched by supervisors and told to just smile and nod?), Kuczkiewicz stressed that "we have serious reservations about the report." He went on to point out that there are other labor standards such as the freedoms from discrimination, of association, and to bargain collectively that were not necessarily enjoyed by the Foxconn employees. While it's certainly admirable that not everyone is simply lauding Apple for its inquiry and assuming massive changes are underway, it's also important to realize that when doing business in a foreign country, outside corporations don't always have the final say on how things are run; so as much as Mr. Kuczkiewicz would like to see the workers band together and demand $5.15 an hour, we're not sure how well that would go over with the Chinese government. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that manufacturers are driving each other to find cheaper and cheaper labor in order to maintain already thin margins, and when that's the case, even a company as rich and powerful as Apple can do little to create the utopic working conditions that we'd all like to see.[Via The Inquirer and PC Pro]
