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Chill optional: 51 percent of US internet users watch Netflix
Netflix's robust content library has helped it top nearly 70 million subscribers worldwide. Not surprisingly, the majority of those come from the US, where the streaming service has over 43 million customers alone. And, for the most part, people here seem to be fond of it. According to a survey conducted by research firm RBC Capital Markets, and first reported by Quartz, more than half of US internet users say they've used Netflix to watch a movie or TV show in the past 12 months. The study also asked people about what other video offerings they use regularly: YouTube came in a close second, right behind Netflix, followed by Amazon Instant Video, Hulu and HBO Go, respectively.
Up to 20% of iPad owners expected to upgrade
Mike Abramsky, a technology analyst for RBC Capital Markets, predicts up to 20% of the original iPad's buyers will upgrade to the iPad 2 over the next 12 months. But Abramsky suggests the number of customers upgrading to iPad 2 will be eclipsed by buyers new to the platform. With over 15 million units sold since launching last April, the original iPad is considered to be one of the most successful technology product launches in history. Abramsky, like many analysts, expects the iPad 2 to outperform its predecessor from day one. His predictions indicate Apple will sell at least 500,000 units of the iPad 2 this weekend and 28 million units before the end of 2011. These numbers suggest Apple will welcome at least 25 million new iPad customers in the coming months. Customers bought approximately 300,000 iPads on its first day of availability in April, 2010, and analysts are expecting almost twice as many to sell over the next few days.
Smartphones and tablets still have a long way to grow
Anyone who believes we're nearing some sort of saturation point with the two hottest device classes of the moment -- smartphones and tablets -- ought to check out this latest data from investment bank RBC Capital Markets. It shows an estimated 394 million people already possess one of these newfangled gadgets, and -- while we don't consider the world's population a relevant metric here -- sets that number up against some other illustrative stats.The most important one for smartphone growth is the tally of mobile subscribers, which stands at just over five billion presently and dwarfs any inroads that smart mobile devices have made to this point. The total of nearly 1.3 billion PCs should also be encouraging for companies seeking a market for their tablets, as it quantifies the sheer volume of computers we use and need. So, next time anyone asks you if it's "too late" for Nokia to right its smartphone strategy or HP to deliver its tablets, you can juice up your negatory response by dropping this statistical knowledge bomb.
Survey finds customers confident in Apple without Steve Jobs
If Steve Jobs were to step down as the CEO of Apple, what effect -- if any -- would it have on the likelihood of buying Apple products in the future? Research firms RBC Capital Markets and ChangeWave asked Apple customers this question in a survey conducted between January 31 and February 9. Of the 3,091 respondents, 84% said Steve Jobs departing Apple would have no impact on their buying decisions, and only 7% said they would be less likely to purchase Apple products. The new results are a notable change from a similar survey completed in June 2008. In the 2008 survey, 18% of respondents expressed a lower interest in buying from Apple if Steve Jobs left the company. On January 17, Apple announced Jobs would take his third leave of absence for medical reasons, igniting new concerns among investors and fans about the future of Apple without Jobs at the helm. This past week, Apple shares tumbled about 7% after new worries about the CEO's health began to circulate. Analyst Mike Abramsky suggests this survey shows that Apple may be bigger than its CEO; that Apple isn't just about Jobs anymore. "Consumers have had 3 years to evolve their perception of the Apple brand around its creative new products, cutting edge innovation, iTunes/App Store ecosystem and premium quality positioning -- beyond the buying pull of Apple's iconic CEO," Abramsky said. When Steve Jobs took a medical leave of absence in 2009, customers watched Apple perform successfully with Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook running the company. The company's stock rose 144%, revenue grew by 20%, and Apple shipped 25 million iPhones. This success seems to have boosted customer confidence in Apple. Does Apple lose its bite without Steve Jobs at the helm and become just another technology company? Will you continue to buy Apple products if he leaves? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Analyst: Apple selling more iPads than Macs, at the moment
So there's no question that Apple is selling a ton of iPads, but would you have guessed that it's actually selling more iPads than all Mac sales combined? That's the case, at least at the moment, according to RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky, who says that Apple is currently moving about 200,000 iPads per week, compared to 110,000 Macs -- though it still trails the iPhone, which is apparently racking up sales of 246,000 per week. Of course, we are just talking about analyst estimates here, and things could potentially swing back into the Mac's favor once the quarterly totals are added up. If true, however, it'd sure be a whopper of a milestone -- one that we'd no doubt be hearing plenty more about in, say, three weeks time.
Industry analyst -- iPad outselling the Mac
Industry analyst Mike Abramsky of RBC Capital Markets is bullish on the iPad, noting that at this early date, Apple is selling more than 200,000 a week of the new device. By comparison, US sales of Macs are hovering at about 110,000 per week and sales of the iPhone 3GS are at about 246,000 per week based on first quarter 2010 sales figures. Now, remember that this is all based on the iPad selling in one country -- the United States. The official international launch of the iPad is coming up at the end of next week, which prompted Abramsky to raise his estimate of global iPad sales during 2010 from 5 million to a whopping 8 million. Some may be thinking that iPad sales are cannibalizing sales of Macs, but Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster shot that theory down earlier in the week, noting that it's more likely that iPod sales will suffer. UBS analyst Maynard Um ran a small survey which showed that most iPad buyers don't see the device as a replacement for their more traditional computers, including Macs. Many analysts are of the opinion that the iPad, like the iPhone before it, will generate a "halo effect" that will drive sales of other Apple products as well. [Digital Daily, via The Loop]
AMD may not heart ATI after all
When you spread faithfully report as many rumors as we do, you're bound to be off the mark more often than not, and here it turns out that the AMD / ATI merger gossip we recently passed along is starting to look decidedly bogus. Having no "insiders" at either company ourselves, we're resigned to waiting for such publications as The Inquirer to massage their own connections, and now the Inq is reporting that sources from both camps have denied that acquisition talks are even occurring, much less that any sort of purchase is imminent. Since there was no hard evidence to support this rumor in the first place, other than some supposedly-telling supply chain checks done by RBC analyst Apjit Walia, you'll probably agree that this new information doesn't come as much of a shock. Still, seeing how ATI's steadily declining stock price took a slight upturn right after this story went public, it seems that not everyone took our recommendation to remain calm during these times of wild speculation.
AMD to buy ATI?
In keeping with our policy of only reporting the juiciest of rumors, we're passing along a prediction by analyst Apjit Walia that microprocessor giant AMD is poised to purchase graphics powerhouse ATI in a move that would surely shake up the PC industry. Walia, who does his analyzin' for RBC Capital Markets, based his conjecture on recent so-called "checks in the PC food chain," meaning that no real hard evidence exists proving that AMD is even considering such a move. Still, Forbes reminds us that both ATI and rival nVidia have long been rumored to be acquisition targets of one of the major processor manufacturers, and a merger with AMD could be leveraged to ATI's advantage in regaining dominance of the market for high-end gaming components. For now, though, you'd be wise to file this story strictly under "one guy's opinion," instead of running out, snatching up ATI stock, and driving up the price like Walia and his investors are probably hoping.[Via PC Perspective, thanks Ryan]
