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Survey: Interest in iPad mini is growing
TechBargains.com is a deals site that I follow, and it recently shared the results of a survey that demonstrate that Apple's iPad mini is a winner, and suggest that its popularity will continue to grow. TechBargains polled its readers, and found that interest in the smaller iPad has nearly doubled since the tablet was announced last October, with 33 percent of respondents saying that they plan to buy the next iteration of the iPad mini, compared to 18 percent last year. Despite the increased demand, consumers want more out of the next version, according to the survey. First on the list is longer battery life and a faster processor, as requested by 87 percent and 85 percent of respondents, respectively. About 77 percent of those surveyed requested a Retina display on the iPad mini, which is not surprising. But it is clear, both from this survey data and just from what I've seen in the community anecdotally, that people are taking to the iPad mini more and more. I don't think it was ever really unpopular -- the iPad is an excellent tablet no matter what -- but I do think that when it was first announced, many consumers failed to see its appeal. Now that it's been available for a while, however, and it's been in Apple Stores and seen on trains and airplanes, I think more people are warming up to the idea of a smaller and very impressive little iOS tablet. If and when Apple does announce a model with a Retina display, the public's interest will grow even further.
Report: 58% of US adults blame violent games for violent behavior
Studies have shown that violent behavior is both linked and not linked to violent video games, but the majority of Americans have decided for themselves: A new poll says that 58 percent of adult Americans do believe that playing violent video games can contribute to violent behavior in teenagers. The independent survey studied 2,278 US adults, and found that nearly three out of five of them believed the link was there.However, those same adults aren't too bothered with keeping violent video games out of the hands of children. 38 percent of survey takers said they know nothing about the Entertainment Software Ratings Board's system for rating game content, and 33 percent of those surveyed say their kids can play whatever they want anyway. Only 32 percent of respondents say the ESRB can keep violent games out of the hands of children, which is less credit than those surveyed give the movies or music ratings systems.In reality, the FTC actually says the gaming ratings system is the best at keeping illicit content out of the hands of minors, though the media doesn't always report it that way. The full results of the report, from Harris Poll, are set to be released on Wednesday this week.
Apple tops British brand survey
Each year, British business professionals rank global "superbrands" in a report called the Superbrand Survey. The group produces two lists: consumer superbrands and business superbrands. In the latest report, Apple placed second and first, respectively. The top five business superbrands were, in order from the top: Apple, British Airways, Google, Visa and Virgin Atlantic. On the consumer side, the ranking was Rolex, Apple, Microsoft, British Airways and Coca-Cola. As far as what a "superbrand" actually is, the group defines it as, "...[a brand] that has established the finest reputation in its field. It offers customers significant emotional and/or tangible advantages over its competitors, which customers want and recognize." Congratulations to Apple on its fine showing.
Oddworld dev asks which game you want next
Normally you'd totally expect video game development studios to have the next 50 or so years of their precious, expensive time planned out to the letter, but not so at Just Add Water. Once the British company finishes up with Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee New 'n' Tasty, which is expected to launch sometime in Q4 of this year, its future is completely open.Oddworld Inhabitants has created a public poll to see which game fans would most like Just Add Water devote itself to next. The available choices include (but are not limited to) Oddworld: The Hand of Odd, SligStorm, The Brutal Ballad of Fangus Klot, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath 2, an unnamed, completely new Oddworld property and even Oddworld: Squeek's Oddysee, which would be the first proper continuation of the pentalogy since Munch's Oddysee launched over a decade ago.Oddworld Inhabitants doesn't guarantee that the fans' ultimate choice will absolutely, positively be Just Add Water's selected project, but it's swell of them to ask.
NPD counts 39M game consoles in US homes going into 2013
The NPD's latest report says there are 400 million Internet-connected devices in American homes these days, 39 million of which are video game consoles.The majority of connected devices (about 184 million) are still plain ol' desktop and laptop computers, and smartphones are in second place with about 133 million devices. Video game consoles come in third, right above tablets (31.8 million) and connected HDTVs (16 million), which means there's a significant number of game-oriented devices out there plugged into the Internet.The NPD says it expects these devices to start connecting to each other more in 2013, with smartphones and tablets doing more sharing to larger television screens. Video game consoles serve plenty of functions outside of pure gaming already, including video streaming, networking, and Internet browsing. NPD's report says that if smartphones and tablets can provide those services in a combination that appeals to customers, those categories will continue to grow this year, possibly even leaving dedicated game consoles behind.
SWTOR fan site posts cartel market poll results
Following BioWare's promise that the studio's made substantial changes to its Cartel Market in Star Wars: The Old Republic, fan site Darth Hater polled over 2500 players about how they use the item shop (if at all). The results are quite fascinating. Most of those polled (89%) are still subscribed and have made purchases from the Cartel Market (87%). Only half of those polled spent real money on store currency, but of that sample, most had spent over $20 and 26% had spent over $100. The most popular purchases on the Cartel Market from this survey were random Cartel packs (80%), legacy unlocks (61%), armor (33%), and XP boosts (20%). 22% of those surveyed said that they were disappointed with the market, while 40% were satisfied with it.
Daily Update for December 27, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Forrester report finds US tablet ownership doubled this year
Forrester Research has come out with its annual report on technology consumption in the US, and tablets are certainly gaining popularity. Although slightly lower than Pew Research's figures, Forrester deduced from its nigh 60,000-strong survey that 19 percent of 'mericans over the age of 18 own at least one tablet -- double the number the research outfit noted last year. While tech penetration is lowest among adults aged 47 and up, 14 percent of this demographic now have slates, which again is twice the figure recorded in 2011. Another notable stat that's risen is daily internet use, with 84 percent of adults hopping online every day (up from 78 percent last year), and approximately half of those owning a smartphone of some variety. TVs are pretty well connected also, as 43 percent of the plugged-in population has accessed the net from their living rooms, with games consoles being by far the most popular intermediary. The whole report isn't available to the public, but why not use the time you would've spent reading it inspecting what's under the tree, and hoping you'll be responsible for upping those tablet stats in next year's report.
Morgan Stanley: iPad mini cannibalization "overblown"
A survey of over 1,000 U.S. consumers was published today by Morgan Stanley and AlphaWise, showing that although sales of the iPad mini are cannibalizing sales of some of the full-size iPads, concerns over the trend are "overblown." That was the opinion of Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty, who said that the numbers show that Apple's risk over cannibalization by the mini is "manageable." The numbers she's referring to indicate that 47 percent of iPad mini purchasers are new to Apple, which is slightly less than the 56 percent number for the full-size iPad. There were other positive signs for Apple; the survey showed that about the same percentage of potential buyers -- 50 percent -- plan on purchasing an iPad over other tablets as they did in December 2011. The news isn't as rosy for Amazon's Kindle Fire, which saw a 5 percent drop in respondents planning a purchase. Microsoft's new Surface tablet is apparently interesting to 12 percent of the respondents, while Samsung's tablets showed a 7 percent rise in purchase intentions over December 2011. Google's Nexus tablet also showed a solid rise of 6 percent, while all other tablets saw a huge drop in interest from 24 percent last year to only 5 percent in 2012.
Survey: 87% of US magazines, newspapers have an iPad app
Despite the demise of the high-profile iPad-only newspaper The Daily this past week, the Alliance for Audited Media (formerly the Audit Bureau of Circulations) found that 87 percent of US magazine and newspaper publishers have an iPad app. The AAM's survey, which can be viewed in full here, shows that while iOS apps are in the lead right now, publishers are creating content for a growing number of platforms. Close to 70 percent were creating native apps, while 67 percent were creating web apps. Magazines were much more likely to use native apps, while newspapers were split on using native and web apps. As expected from the move from paper to digital, paywalls are becoming a common way for newspapers to monetize their content. A full 48 percent of newspapers responding to the AAM survey said that they have a paywall, something that was totally nonexistent just a few years ago. With all of the growth in digital magazines and newspapers, over 97 percent of the respondents to the survey still believe that they'll continue their printed editions in the next five years.
Nicalis wants your input on The Binding of Isaac's makeover
Nicalis is proposing four different art styles for The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, the console remake of Team Meat's bizarre PC game. Fans can vote on the four mock-up 16-bit art styles seen in the gallery below to determine which direction Nicalis will take the remake in.According to The Binding of Isaac creator Edmund McMillen's Tumblr blog, the game is getting a face lift "because I think the art is tired and I'm sick of looking at it." The survey also asks for input on which platforms the game should appear on, with 3DS and Wii U listed as options.Nicalis will begin development on the project in January and hopes to launch PS3, Vita and PC (Steam) versions of The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth by the end of 2013, with Xbox 360, iOS and Nintendo console ports a possibility. %Gallery-172447%
Consumer Reports: Verizon ranked the best major US carrier, AT&T ranked the worst
Nothing much has changed in this year's mobile carrier satisfaction survey from Consumer Reports, with Verizon again being rated the best of the major providers, netting good scores for voice and data service quality, staff knowledge and issue resolution. The other big players also ranked in the same order this time around, with Sprint and T-Mobile following behind Big Red, and AT&T staying in last position. None of the bottom three scored particularly highly, especially in relation to voice service quality, and only four points separated them in the ratings. While AT&T had the worst value and data service quality scores, its LTE network was ranked the best of any carrier, and the least problematic. MVNO Consumer Cellular, which piggybacks on AT&T's network, didn't disappoint after last year's overall first place finish, keeping the top spot and receiving great scores all round. Full results of the survey, which polled 63,253 subscribers, will be available in Consumer Reports' January 2013 issue.
Assassin's Creed 3 survey pops the question of co-op in series' future, again
Online poller GMI Surveys recently posted an Assassin's Creed 3 questionnaire which not only asks players to rate that game, but also evaluate potential additions to the next series entry. After dealing with various aspects of AC3, the survey queries expectations of a future Assassin's Creed game on Xbox 360 or PS3, asking respondents to rate potential features as either must-have, nice to have, or not interested. The features include co-op story missions, assassin creation and customization, underwater gameplay, a new present-day hero, and something that sounds a lot like SmartGlass functionality.Next, the survey asks about expectations of Assassin's Creed 3 DLC. It first presents a description of one of the game's future DLCs, one that matches the press release for the upcoming "The Tyranny of King Washington" DLC. According to the survey, the King Washington DLC is split into three parts, each around two hours in length. The survey first asks about general interest in the DLC before gauging a potential price of £18 (around $29), at £6 ($9.60) per part. Before closing, the survey also asks about interest in an Assassin's Creed game released in 2013.GMI Surveys uploaded an Assassin's Creed Brotherhood survey two years ago. Similar to that instance, it's unclear if Ubisoft officially commissioned this AC3 survey, or how much it will affect inclusions in the next Assassin's Creed. After all, the 2010 survey popped many of the same questions, like the addition of co-op, and a new assassin in a new time period. While the second one came true in AC3, it's hard to imagine how it wouldn't have.We've got the survey's full list of potential new features after the break.
Guild Wars 2 wants your feedback on the Lost Shores event
So Guild Wars 2 had this event last weekend and it seems like things didn't go quite as planned. There were bugs, crashes, and enough glitches to keep Glitch alive with namesake royalties (too soon?), but ArenaNet realizes that players weren't as happy as they'd have liked. So tonight the dev studio has released a survey asking your opinion on the Lost Shores event. Did you experience any event-ruining bugs? Was everything peachy-keen on your end? Let them know what did or didn't work for you so the next events can be even better. [Source: ArenaNet survey email]
Apple remains atop list of innovative companies
For three years in a row now, Apple has landed on top of a list of most innovative companies in the world, according to consulting firm Booz and Company. The list was compiled from a survey of more than 700 companies, and Apple came out number one, with Google and 3M following close behind. "Innovative" is obviously a very subjective word in this case -- some could argue that Apple innovates on ideas originated by other people and companies, while others might argue that with a new model for each of its devices nearly every year, this award is well-deserved. But either way, no one can argue that Apple is pushing forward extremely quickly, both in the field of mobile devices and in the traditional desktop space. Apple of course spends a huge amount of money on research and development, but it turns out that's not all you need to be innovative. Microsoft actually tops the list in R&D spending on software, and it was ranked as the sixth most innovative company on the list. Again, "innovation" is relatively subjective, and certainly Microsoft believes it gets plenty of benefits from spending so much on R&D. But Apple has done a lot of great things to get to where it is now, and being efficient and wise about its choices around innovation is definitely one of them.
iPhone owner loyalty declines for first time ever
Research firm Strategy Analytics reports that for the first time in its existence, user loyalty has dropped for Apple's iPhone. According to its numbers, 88 percent of US iPhone owners say they're likely to buy another iPhone when they need one, as opposed to the 93 percent that said the same last year. In Western Europe, 75 percent of iPhone owners will stick with the platform, as opposed to 88 percent a year previous. Obviously, 88 percent loyalty is still a phenomenal amount of owners who plan to stick with the platform going forward, and Apple is still gaining new customers for its devices as well -- this weekend's iPad numbers show that very clearly. But this does represent just how far other smartphones have come in the past few years in terms of at least catching up to where Apple is at. When Apple first started out in the smartphone market, it was years ahead of where other phone manufacturers were, and the iPhone 5, beautiful as it is, shows that Apple still has an edge. There are now other options for smartphone users out there now, however, and I think the small drop in these numbers shows even iPhone users are willing to at least look elsewhere for their next devices.
EA and Origin plug up unintended game giveaway
EA hosted a survey this past weekend that, when finished, awarded a nice prize: A code to download one free game, under $20, on the company's digital distribution site Origin. Just a few things went wrong, however.It turns out the codes distributed weren't matched up to a specific Origin account; they could be used by anyone. Oh, and the codes worked multiple times, which means users could download as many under-$20 games as they wanted. Oh, and one more thing: Reddit figured all of this out.As you can imagine, all hell broke loose on Origin, as what must have been thousands of users downloaded games like Dead Space 2, Burnout Paradise, Sim City 4, and Mass Effect 2 for exactly zero dollars. The site went down, and when it came back up the codes (which were supposed to work until October 21) had been disabled. Not only that, but all promo codes have been disabled for the time being, apparently.There's no word on if EA will still honor the codes from the survey [see update: They will], or if there will be a new system in place at all, but we can almost guarantee that whatever solution EA comes up with, the IT team will probably have double- and triple-checked it for security, just to be sure. We've contacted EA for comment on what its plans are, and will let you know if we hear anything more.Update: EA has gotten back in touch to say that those users who completed the survey will be getting new codes via email soon, to provide the specified discount. In other words, no more stealing allowed.
Study: Apple Maps not affecting iPhone 5 demand
ChangeWave Research and 451 Research surveyed 4,270 North American consumers in September 2012 and found that 32 percent were either somewhat likely (13 percent) or very likely (19 percent) to buy an iPhone 5 despite the recent negative press, says a report in AppleInsider. Most consumers are apparently shrugging off any issues with the iPhone 5. ChangeWave's vice president of Research Dr. Paul Carton said, "Despite the media attention surrounding both the Apple Maps issue and the Apple Lightning port issue, neither has had an impact on the massive numbers of buyers queuing up to buy the iPhone 5. Rather, the survey results show both issues hardly rank as bumps in the road." Recent complaints about the iPhone 5 have centered on legacy accessory compatibility with the new Lightning port and problems with Apple's new Maps app. Surveyed interest in the iPhone is up from last year when the iPhone 4S debuted. A similar survey conducted in October 2011 showed that only 10 percent of consumers were very likely to buy a 4S, while 11.5 percent were somewhat likely. The iPhone 4S turned out to be a very successful product for Apple, and these new survey results bode well for sales of the iPhone 5. [Via AppleInsider]
Pew Research finds 22 percent of adults in US own tablets, low-cost Android on the rise
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that more Americans than ever now own tablets, but if you'd ever wanted some quantifiable data to go along with that homespun wisdom, then the Pew Research Center is glad to help. According to its latest report, 22 percent of US adults now own a tablet of some form. While the iPad remains the dominant player in the space with a 52 percent market share, this figure starkly contrasts the 81 percent share that Pew reported in 2011. As you might expect, Android tablets have made significant inroads and now account for 48 percent of the overall tablet space. Leading the Android charge is the Kindle Fire, which alone accounts for 21 percent of all tablets sold. It's worth pointing out that Pew's survey was conducted before the release of either the Nexus 7 or the Kindle Fire HD, which means that even the most recent information is a bit behind the curve. You'll find a press release after the break that provides a much broader take on Pew's latest findings in the mobile space, but those who want to go straight to the meat should hit up the source link below.
Pac-Man survey asks fans to choose look of new game
Namco Bandai is asking fans to vote on the look of a new Pac-Man game. In a short survey on the Pac-Man Facebook page, users can vote for one of the above visual styles. The next question asks respondents which platform they play casual games on, while the third asks whether or not they're between the ages of 13 and 40. The final question queries whether they are male or female.It's not a massive leap to suggest Namco is working on a new Pac-Man game aimed at a casual audience. The real question is how it will look. Most of the options are familiar, not surprising given the franchise's numerous guises through its history. We quite like the look of 'D', though. The faded colors along with the ghosts' sharp eyes and crooked mouths make it surprisingly macabre.
