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Chitika: Mac OS X market share jumps in September
Chitika Insights grabs online advertising data to monitor and report on Internet trends, one of which is the market share of various computer operating systems. There was a surprise reported for Mac OS X in the latest report -- the market share for Apple's desktop/laptop OS climbed 1.039% from 9.6% to 10.6% in the month of September. That may not sound like much, but consider that a sustained increase over a full year would have Mac OS X gaining another 12% of the OS market. Of course, that's unlikely to happen, but it's good to see that the release of Lion propelled OS X adoption by a significant amount in just one month.
Android powered 56 percent of smartphones sold in the last three months
When last we checked in with Nielsen (which was earlier this month) Google's mobile OS had a sizable lead, powering just under 42-percent of smartphones sold, while Apple had cornered a more than respectable 28-percent of the market. In the few short weeks since, Android has seen its share grow to 43-percent. More interestingly, of the over 25,500 surveyed who had purchased a smartphone in the last three months, a whopping 56-percent chose to go with the Goog. Apple held a steady 28-percent across the board. Big G's gains came at the expense of RIM (only 9-percent of phones sold in the last three months were BlackBerries) and the ambiguous "other" (Symbian, Windows Phone 7, Bada, MeeGo, etc... accounted for 6-percent of sales). More important than choice of platform though, is that smartphone sales in general are climbing -- accounting for 58-percent of all handsets sold in August and driving smartphone penetration to 43-percent.
T-Mobile: 90 percent of 2011 smartphone sales were Android, 'ball is in Apple's court for iPhone 5'
Here at Mobilize, T-Mobile's CMO Cole Brodman revealed that over 75 percent of his company's phones sold in 2011 were smartphones, with 90 percent of those powered by Google's green little robots (read: Android). In a sense, that's not too shocking given the carrier's current portfolio, but it's still a truly dominating figure. We're going out on a limb and guessing that the other 10 percent are enterprise BlackBerry users, mixed in with a few enigmatic renegades for good measure. When asked about other platforms, like RIM, the CMO mentioned he was hopeful for a comeback from the latest crop of Canuck-sourced BlackBerry devices. He also noted that video was responsible for over half the traffic on T-Mob's 4G network. Finally, when asked about the iPhone 5, Brodman responded coyly: "the ball is in Apple's court. [We'd] love to have the iPhone... whenever Apple lets us know." In other words, don't bank on a T-Mob iPhone early next month. Keep up with our Mobilize 2011 coverage here! %Gallery-134903% %Gallery-134902%
Apple devices dominate airport Wi-Fi
Anyone who has spent time around an airport recently has probably noticed that Apple devices -- particularly the iPhone and iPad -- seem to be everywhere. Ina Fried at the Wall Street Journal reports that Wi-Fi hotspot provider Boingo has the stats to prove that Apple devices are now dominating mobile device Wi-Fi connections at airports. The figures from June, 2011 show that the iPhone makes up 42.1 percent of the mobile device connections to Boingo's airport hotspots, while the iPad is second at 23.5 percent. Don't count out the iPod touch -- it's the third most popular device at 17.5 percent. For mobile devices, that means that Apple products make up a whopping 83.1 percent of all of the connections to Boingo's hotspots. Android? It's taking a very small back seat to iOS at 11.5 percent. Fried notes that the figures reflect a trend that inflight Wi-Fi provider Gogo has also noticed. In a recent report, Gogo said that the iPad (a device that didn't even exist two years ago) now accounts for one-third of all inflight Wi-Fi connections, with Macs near 20 percent and Windows PCs leading at about 41 percent. Boingo states that mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad have come to dominate the connections at airports, accounting for 60 percent of total traffic with the other 40 percent coming from traditional laptops.
Smartphones out-ship feature phones in Europe, Samsung leads the way
It was probably gonna happen sooner or later, but a new report from IDC confirms it: smartphones are now out-shipping feature phones in western Europe. According to the company's statistics, only 20.4 million feature handsets were shipped to the Old World during the second quarter of this year, representing a 29 percent decrease from Q2 2010. Quarterly shipments of smartphones, on the other hand, increased by 49 percent to 21.8 million units, marking the first time that they've surpassed basic phone orders. Smartphones also comprised 52 percent of all mobile shipments, which shrunk by three percent, collectively -- something IDC's Francisco Jeronimo attributes, in part, to Europe's brutal economic climate and Nokia's steep decline (see chart). On the OS front, Android once again came out on top within the region, thanks to a whopping 352 percent year-to-year increase in shipments, while Samsung controlled the manufacturing side, with 33 percent of the European market. You can find more IDC math in the full PR, after the break. [Thanks, Pauly]
Shareholder calls for RIM to sell itself or its patents, in critical open letter
Things just keep getting bleaker for RIM. With its revenues stagnating and smartphone market share dwindling, the BlackBerry maker is now facing new financial pressure from Jaguar Financial Group -- a Canadian merchant bank and RIM shareholder that's calling upon the company to do one of two rather unpleasant things: sell itself, or sell its patent portfolio. In an open letter to RIM's board of directors, Jaguar CEO Vic Alboni criticized the manufacturer for failing to "inspire consumer enthusiasm" for its products, and for bringing its devices to market too late. And, as share prices continue to drop, Alboni thinks it's time to make a change: The status quo is not acceptable, the company cannot sit still. It is time for transformational change. The directors need to seize the reins to maximize shareholder value before more market value is lost. Jaguar didn't specify the size of its RIM stake, but claimed to be calling for upheaval on behalf of "other supportive shareholders" who, in total, hold less than five percent of the company. The Ontario-based firm is hoping that a new line of QNX-based smartphones will curtail its slump, but Alboni doesn't sound so optimistic. "You cannot put all your eggs in one basket," he told Bloomberg. "The board should be saying, 'What if these products don't pan out?' You don't want RIM to turn into another Nortel." A RIM spokeswoman, meanwhile, declined to comment on the letter. Hit up the source link below to read it for yourself.
Nielsen confirms Android on top, buyers split on next smartphone
In a recent report from Nielsen, Google snagged 40 percent of the smartphone market, while Apple captured approximately 28 percent -- up just barely .01 percentage point from last year. This report coincides with findings filed earlier this week by ComScore, citing Google with 41.8 percent market share and Apple with 27 percent, up one whole percentage point from last year. Diving a bit deeper, Nielsen found that around 33 percent of people planning to buy a smartphone in the next year want an iPhone, while another 33 percent would prefer an Android. The tie between those who want an Android v. an iOS phone fluctuated when Nielsen asked the "early adopters" within the group what kind of phone they are hoping to cop. 40 percent of "innovators" said they would like a phone on Google's OS, while 32 percent want a bite of the Apple -- leaving a mere 28 percent of self-proclaimed tech junkies desiring something else, like a BlackBerry or Windows Phone. Perhaps these figures are an indication that Google will remain on top for 2012, or will there be an upset? Only time will tell.
ComScore calls Android top dog, Apple pulls further ahead of RIM
According to ComScore, out of the 82.2 million people in the US with a smartphone (up ten percent from last quarter), Android came in first as the biggest platform yet again, capturing a whopping 41.8 percent of the market like a boss. In a not-so-close second, Apple was able to snag 27 percent, followed by RIM in the third place spot with 21.7 percent -- down 4 percentage points from last quarter. Pulling up the rear is Microsoft with 5.7 percent, and lastly Symbian with a grim 1.9 percent -- both down when compared to the previous three months. As far as US hardware manufacturers goes, Samsung is still on top with 25.5 percent of the market, while LG got 20.9 percent and finally Motorola with 14.1 percent, down 1.5 percentage points from before. Apple was able to snag some standing in the OEM space with a 9.5 percent share, while BlackBerry-maker RIM only captured 7.6 percent. As the battle wages on, looks like Androids, iPhones, and BlackBerrys (oh my) are still on top -- at least for this quarter. Check out the PR after the break for the full scorecard.
Report suggests AirPlay affecting iTunes online movie share
At least, that's the conclusion research firm IHS came to upon seeing growth in Apple's online video sales. Apparently Apple, up against competition from Walmart (Vudu) and Amazon, saw its market share go up from 64.9% in the first half of 2010 to 65.8% in the first half of 2011. Not exactly stock-enlarging numbers, I realize. There's also the fact that this report leaves Netflix completely out of the equation. But IHS found that "...iTunes experienced the largest revenue increase growth among all online movie providers during the first half" which is very good news for stockholders. Obviously, Netflix still has the lion's share of online video rentals. Back in March NPD reported Netflix represented a whopping 61 percent of all viewings of "digital streaming and downloadable video." Apple tied with DirecTV and Time Warner in that survey, which was, again, video rentals, not sales. Note that Netflix doesn't sell you a movie -- you can only rent them. That distinction is the difference between the IHS report and NPD's. As to AirPlay, I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes to the average person. I would say the lower-priced Apple TV 2, which has been selling well, has become a gateway drug for video purchasers. IHS says AirPlay has "expanded the reach of iTunes to new platforms" but what new platforms? Your TV? I'd love to know how many people are renting or buying on their Mac, but watch on their Apple TV, or use AirPlay in some fashion. It's all in how you look at the numbers and purchasing patterns, and in the end Apple and each service knows more about this than any of us. Netflix is certainly a powerhouse, but, as Fortune's Philip Elmer-Dewitt points out, even Netflix stands in the shadow of DVD sales overall. We're a long way from ditching discs, apparently.
China inches ahead of US in PC sales for the first time
We may be living in a "post PC" world according to some, but PCs are unquestionably still big business, and they're now a bigger business in China than anywhere else. That's according to the latest report from market research firm IDC, at least, which found that both PC sales and shipments in China inched ahead of those in the US for the second quarter -- the first time that's ever happened, and earlier than IDC had previously projected. In terms of hard numbers, that translates to sales of $11.9 billion in China (compared to $11.7 billion in the US), and shipments of 18.5 million units, which represents a 14.3 percent jump year-over-year (as opposed to a 4.9 percent drop to 17.7 million units in the US). Not surprisingly, Lenovo is the big winner in all of this -- it's both the top PC maker in China and the fastest growing one, with a market share just shy of 32 percent.
Android still king of the US smartphone hill, Motorola facing a market nosedive
In other obvious news, Android and iOS continue to sit pretty atop the US smartphone market, according to a recent NPD study. The current titans of the mobile industry both saw their pieces of the OS pie increase in Q2 of 2011, putting Andy Rubin's green robot in the lead with 52 percent and Apple at 29 percent. Newly adopted webOS, and Microsoft's WP7 and Windows Mobile all managed to cling to their respective 5 percent shares with no yearly change, leaving only BlackBerry OS to experience an 11 percent decline. But the real meat and potatoes of the report focuses on Google's soon-to-be in-house partner: Motorola. Despite the rosy picture painted by recent acquisition talks, the company appears to be facing tough competition from Android OEM rivals, and the wireless market as a whole. In regard to overall mobile phone share (read: dumbphones, et al.) and smartphone-only, Moto saw a 3 percent year-to-year decline, with its biggest loss coming from Android unit sales -- a 50 percent drop to 22 percent of the market. Will the rosy glow of Mountain View "help inspire new paths to differentiation" for Moto, or are we just looking at a repeat of the "RAZR era?" While you ponder these pressing questions, head past the break to read the full report.
Gartner: Apple's global mobile phone share almost doubled in Q2 2011
Gartner's numbers were released for the second quarter in 2011 and Apple continues to show strong growth. The smartphone manufacturer is number four globally in the mobile phone market trailing Nokia, Samsung and LG. Its market share almost doubled from last year, climbing from 2.4% in 2010 to 4.6% in 2011. These figures are impressive for a company that makes a single smartphone and is competing against companies that produce a variety of smartphones and feature phones. Apple is also the #3 platform with almost 20 million iPhones flying off the production line. It now has 18.2% market share, up from 14.1% in 2010. Much of this growth is due to Apple's partnership with 42 new carriers and its expansion into 15 new countries during Q2 2011. According to Gartner, Apple still trails Symbian which has 22.1% market share, a significant drop from its 40.9% in the same quarter of 2010. Apple also trails Android which now has a 43.4% market share, up from 17.2% in 2010.
Apple portables set to dominate latter half of 2011
According to Fortune, financial analysts from Deutsche Bank are predicting a rise in Apple's global portable computer sales for the rest of this year. If the iPad is included in those numbers, the rise is downright astonishing, taking Apple from last place among the six vendors studied all the way up to first. Including the iPad in this analysis may seem a questionable move, but if you want to get technical about it the device is a portable computer. Analysis shows that even if the iPad isn't included in these numbers, Apple is still poised to see huge gains in 2011 thanks to the release of OS X Lion and high demand for the MacBook Air. At the same time that Apple is expected to see sales and market share gains, every other PC maker is showing steep declines in Deutsche Bank's analysis. The firm cites "stagnation" in the Microsoft/PC market and notes that so-called "Ultrabooks" are not yet price-competitive with Apple's MacBook Air. The situation is even grimmer in the tablet market, which can still be handily summarized as "iPad... and then everything else." Apple has warned investors to expect a decline in revenues for the next quarter due to a product transition. Without knowing what that transition is, we have no way of knowing how it will dampen the huge gains that Deutsche Bank and other financial analysts are predicting for the rest of the "Year of the iPad 2."
Apple now the world's largest smartphone manufacturer, Samsung checks in at number two
We make our own truth. That's how IDC can come up with roughly the same numbers as fellow research firm Canalys and crown Apple the king, when its rival called Android top dog -- it's all about how you slice it. See, where as Canalys bundled all Android handset makers together, IDC has broken them up, which leads to a rather interesting twist -- the largest smartphone maker in the world is now Apple. Cupertino's growth of 141.7-percent in shipments year over year was enough to push it past Nokia (which slipped to number three) and Samsung (which climbed two spots to take the silver medal), while RIM and HTC rounded out the top five. That being said, no one is running away with the lead here, and Sammy's continued stratospheric rise should keep Apple on guard. Check out the full report after the break.
AMD's market share tiptoes higher, Intel still ruler of the roost
Intel may still be king of the microprocessing hill, but from the looks of IDC's latest market report, scrappy underdog AMD is starting to claim more of the $9.5 billion dollar pie. The semiconductor stalwarts faced off in four separate market categories with runner-up AMD seeing gains in all, save for servers where its paltry 5.5 percent share dropped 0.6 percent versus Intel's commanding 94.5 percent lead. The Q2 2011 report pegged Intel's overall worldwide share at 79.3 percent, a 1.5 percent decrease from the previous quarter, while AMD saw a 1.5 percent increase to 20.4 percent. For the mobile PC realm, Intel once again saw a decline as its 84.4 percent share took a 1.9 percent quarter to quarter tumble, with AMD again seeing a nearly 2 percent gain in its 15.2 percent stake. In the desktop PC segment, AMD grabbed an additional 1.5 percent, bringing its stake to 28.9 percent, with Intel's 70.9 percent share dropping 1.5 percent versus Q1 2011. Wondering where the second place chip maker got its second quarter stride? According to the research firm, its new Fusion platform, along with Intel's Sandy Bridge, now accounts for "more than 60% of total PC processor unit volume in 2Q11." You paying attention, Sandy? It's time to sleep with one eye open. [Image credit via Vault Networks]
Survey: iPhone retention rate at 94%, interest in iPhone 5 high
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster suggests interest in the iPhone remains strong. In a recent research note, he points to a small survey of 216 mobile phone owners in Minneapolis that shows 64% will buy an iPhone as their next handset. Breaking it down, 94% of iPhone owners plan to buy another iPhone. 42% of Android and 67% of BlackBerry owners expect to make the switch to the iPhone when they buy their next handset. Most of these switchers (60%) are waiting for the iPhone 5. This number is even higher for Verizon subscribers with 74% of non-iPhone owners waiting for the iPhone 5 to jump platforms. In his report to investors, Munster estimates the iPhone's market share could double after the launch of the iPhone 5. Apple will grab a substantial share from BlackBerry and a smaller amount from Android. When digesting these survey results, keep in mind the small sample size. Though interesting, the survey results may not represent the millions of iPhone and smartphone owners in the States.
Nielsen: Android accounts for 39 percent of smartphones in the US, Apple is the top device maker
Nielsen's just released a study confirming what some other studies have already concluded -- that Android devices account for the single largest swath of smartphone users in the US, with 39 percent OS share as of the second quarter. That compares with 28 percent for iOS, although Apple still reigns as the country's top-selling device maker. Simply put, that's a reflection of the fact that Apple is the only outfit churning out iOS devices, whereas a bevy of companies led by HTC, Motorola, and Samsung have helped make Android the dominant OS in the states. And let's not forget about RIM, another hardware / software shop, which still commands a 20 percent chunk of the market. Rounding out the list, Windows Phone and Windows Mobile account for nine percent, largely thanks to sales of HTC handsets, while webOS and Symbian each eked out two percent. At this point we don't doubt that Android is the most ubiquitous mobile operating system this side of the Atlantic, although it's worth noting that Nielsen based its results on a sample of roughly 20,000 people -- all of whom are postpaid subscribers.
Comscore: Android's UK market share explodes as Apple overtakes Symbian
Look at the chart above and you'll see two things happening. First, Apple has overtaken Symbian to become the top smartphone platform in the UK (with a 27 percent market share). And secondly, Android has grown 634 percent year-over-year to shoot into second place, with less than half a percentage point keeping it from the top spot (other reports already place it ahead). As you might expect, much of that growth isn't coming from folks switching from one smartphone to the other, but from new smartphone users -- Comscore found that 42 percent of all mobile users in the UK used a smartphone in May of this year, compared to just 27 percent a year ago. Of course, that also means that 58 percent of UK cellphone users are still potential smartphone users (to say nothing of those that still don't have a cellphone at all), so there's certainly still plenty up for grabs for all involved.
IDC and Gartner: US PC sales still sluggish, Apple, Toshiba see jumps in market share
IDC and Gartner have once again released dueling reports on the state of the PC market and, according to their numbers, the landscape's looking a little different. Gartner estimates that overall PC shipments during Q2 of this year increased by 2.3 percent from the same period last year, more or less concurring with the 2.6 percent global increase that IDC found. Things are looking a bit bleaker in the US, however, where quarterly year-to-year shipments are down (5.6 percent for Gartner, 4.2 percent for IDC), but have increased from Q1 of this year. On the corporate level, HP continues to dominate global shipments according to both reports, followed by Dell and Lenovo, which overtook Acer for third place. Stateside statistics, on the other hand, show a bit more severe shuffling among the top five, with Apple's US market share jumping to nearly 11 percent (good for third place) and Acer tumbling to fifth, thanks to a greater than 20 percent year-to-year decline in market share (see the table, above). In fact, among the top five, only Apple and fourth-place Toshiba increased their market share from Q2 of 2010 -- something that both research firms attributed, in part, to a weak consumer PC market and the rising popularity of tablets, led by the iPad. For a more thorough statistical breakdown, head past the break for a pair of comprehensive press releases.
IDC: tablet shipments drop 28 percent in Q1 2011
Whether you believe we're living in a post-PC world or not, there's no denying the overwhelming growth of tablets in the past few years. Just this March, IDC put out figures saying 2010 saw the sale of 18 million tablets, but despite the recent boom, the outfit's now reporting a 28 percent drop in tablet shipments in Q1 2011, bringing first quarter worldwide shipments to 7.2 million. IDC's latest report points to "slower consumer demand, overall economic conditions, and supply-chain constraint," but nonetheless estimates that total tablet sales will reach 53.5 million by year's end, up from IDC's original estimate of 50.4 million. Once again, Apple's come out on top of the slate game, with the iPad 2 leading the market, despite its own dip in shipments. E-readers have apparently also seen a decline in the first quarter, with shipments dipping to 3.3 million units. Despite a slow start to the year, however, IDC's optimistic about future sales, but you don't have to take our word for it -- full PR awaits you after the break.
