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Daily Update for April 2, 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
Flurry's analytics: Apple's App Store revenue still leading, but Amazon Appstore close behind
Not like we haven't seen this dog-and-pony show before, but Flurry's latest round of analytics -- which measured revenue of 11 million daily active users from mid-January through the end of February 2012 -- shows Amazon's Appstore pulling in a shocking amount of revenue given the short life that it has lived. Apple's strength in sales has been well documented, but the latest report shows that for every $1 generated in the iTunes App Store, $0.89 is being spent in the Amazon Appstore. Looking more broadly, the numbers show that just $0.23 are generated in the Google Play halls for every $1 spent in the App Store, but that's hardly a new phenomenon; the ease of sideloading (amongst other factors) has raised complaints from Android developers for years now. Flurry's conclusion is that Google's core strength simply isn't in running a store -- something it's about to do once more with Android slates -- while both Apple and Amazon excel in doing just that. Curiously, Windows Phone and BlackBerry were left off of this report, but we're hoping to see those cats thrown in the next 'go round. After all, RIM sure seems certain that its developers are making out just fine.
51% of households in the US own something made by Apple
According to a new survey put together by CNET, over half of all households in America now contain something made by our favorite company in Cupertino. Over 55 million homes in this country own something that Apple makes (whether that be a computer, an iOS device, or an Apple TV), which means that 51% of American households are now Apple product owners. And the stats get even crazier from there: Of households that own at least one device, the average amount of devices owned is three. So not only has Apple sold devices to half the country's homes, but that one device wound up the gateway device to more Apple gear. Outside of the audience as a whole, Apple buyers tend to be more well-off, which we've not only heard before, but which makes a lot of sense, given how expensive multiple Apple devices can be. CNET's survey says that if there was an age gap on Apple's purchases, though, it's definitely narrowing. Older customers buy almost as many devices as younger folks, and a full 61% of households with kids owns an Apple device as well.
MapleStory gets political, players respond with bewilderment
It's an election year in the United States, and that means that it's time to start polling for opinions across the country. If the country goes the path of MapleStory, the incumbent President has nothing to worry about. A survey of 1,655 random MapleStory players was conducted this past weekend, with 47.79% claiming that Barack Obama had made the most positive impact out of the current candidates. The runner-up? Abject confusion. More than 20% of respondents did not recognize any of the names involved. The respondents were also polled on the most important issue facing the presidential candidates, with unemployment taking the top spot (40%) and the gap between rich and poor taking second place (28%). It's not necessarily indicative of much, but even though it's an informal poll conducted by Nexon America of a fairly random playerbase, there's a staggering degree of confusion at work. Or MapleStory players really like President Obama, one or the other.
Survey: 24% of Americans plan to buy the new iPad in the next three months
While all surveys should be viewed with a skeptical eye, a recent study from Baird Equity Research should make Apple watchers happy. As reported by Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt, the survey of 488 "younger, tech-savvier" online respondents by Baird showed some surprising results. The first result showed that 24 percent of respondents plan to buy the new iPad. If that result is applied to the entire American population, then Apple had better get the plants in China and Brazil fired up, because they'll need to produce about 75,180,000 iPads just to keep the US market happy. The next surprising result of the survey showed that 29 percent of international respondents planned to purchase the new iPad within the next three months. That figure should also keep the Foxconn factories working overtime. Other information points provided by the survey include that 48 percent of existing iPad owners plan to purchase a new iPad, including 35 percent of those who already own an iPad 2. 15 percent of the US respondents said that they'd like to purchase the newly discounted iPad 2, while 28 percent said that they would purchase an iPad instead of a laptop. Sure, 488 respondents is a small sampling, but the numbers certainly point towards a banner year for iPad sales.
Pew report: The Future of Apps and the Web
Pew Internet surveyed 1,021 technology stakeholders and critics and asked them about the future of apps and the web. Unlike many surveys, this latest one from Pew doesn't have a single, unifying answer. Instead, the survey highlights the diverse opinions that exist about how we will use native apps and web apps in the future. Rob Scott, the chief technology officer for Nokia, believes the web will dominate and argues, "Once HTML5 browsers and fully capable Web runtimes are in place on the common Kindle through iPhone, the Web app will begin replacing native apps." Technology author and consultant Fred Hapgood, however, sees the benefit of native apps. He claims that apps are convenient and notes that the "ease of use always wins." A third camp believes apps and the web will continue to co-exist. As Tony Smith of the Open Source Developers Club in Melbourne, Australia points out, "both will continue to grow in ways that are impossible for most to imagine." So where do you stand? Are native apps are our future, will the web continue to dominate or will we find a happy medium somewhere in between?
Majority of customers install games first on iOS devices
Online survey site Scoople just conducted one of its decidedly non-scientific, reader-directed polls of 139 respondents. 139 souls is hardly a representative sample of the over 3 million people who purchased a new iPad in the last week. However, we are dutifully reporting that 56 percent of those responding answered in the affirmative to the question "Are games the first apps you install when you get a new iOS device?" Small sample size? Check. Barely a majority of respondents answering "Yes"? Correct-a-mundo. Slow news week? Absolutely. Help us Obi-Tim Cooknobi, you're our only hope. [via The Loop]
Apple tops J.D. Power customer survey 7 years running
J.D. Power and Associates is a well-known provider of customer satisfaction survey data, often known for providing those shiny award statues to automobile manufacturers. Well, they also do surveys of smartphone and traditional mobile phone customers, and for the seventh year in a row, Apple is at the top of the list for customer satisfaction. In a report subtitled "Smartphone battery life has become a significant drain on customer satisfaction and loyalty," Apple ended up with an index ranking of 839 points out of 1,000 total and a JDPower.com Power Circle score of a perfect five. Next highest on the list was HTC, which pulled in with a power ranking of 798 points. Apple's arch-rival Samsung was below the industry average figure of 774 with a ranking of 769, while LG and RIM BlackBerry were tied with a score of 733. At the bottom of the pile was Palm with a score of 697 -- their customers are probably miffed that they've been abandoned by the company.
Survey: iPads the choice of 84% of companies buying tablets
Apple's going to need to keep those supplier factories in China running 24/7 just to meet the demand from corporate buyers. A new ChangeWave Research survey of 1,604 corporate buyers shows that not only are about one in five companies planning on purchasing tablets for employees, but of those companies a whopping 84 percent say that they plan to purchase iPads. That last number is up seven percent from the previous survey, which was done in November of 2011. With the Apple number going up, logically the share for other manufacturers will be declining. ChangeWave's numbers show that the percentage of companies planning to purchase tablets made by Apple arch-rival Samsung is a distant 8 percent. The results are even worse for companies like Lenovo and Motorola, which are the choice of only 2 percent of respondents respectively. ChangeWave also asked the corporate buyers which wireless data carrier they planned to use for the new tablets. The results were split nearly 50-50, with 30 percent of respondents hitching their tablets to the AT&T wagon and 29 percent following the Verizon path. Only 4 percent said they'd choose Sprint -- which doesn't currently carry the iPad -- and 11 percent said they'd forego a wireless plan. The rest of the respondents? They really weren't sure. [via The Loop]
Nielsen report finds 56 percent of US households have a modern game console, total gaming time up seven percent
Nielsen is out with its annual survey of video game use in the US today, and it's found that gaming continues to be on the rise across the board. That includes a seven percent increase in total gaming time compared to the previous year (apparently due largely to increases in mobile and tablet gaming), and an increase in modern console ownership from 50 percent of households to 56 percent; that includes so-called 7th generation consoles like the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It also found the number of cross-platform gamers be on the upswing, with 24 percent responding that they play on two or more of a console, PC, tablet or mobile device (compared to 17 percent previously). Looking at mobile gaming, specifically, Nieslen found that while iOS gaming tended to be distributed fairly evenly across all age groups, Android gaming proved to be far more popular among those aged 25-34 than any other group. A few other tidbits: 65 percent of consoles are located in the living room, online shopping for games is up while other channels continue to decline, and streaming video continues to be a growing secondary use for game consoles (particularly on the Wii, where it accounts for 33 percent of console usage, compared to roughly 15 percent on both the Xbox 360 and PS3).
Leaderboard: Lockboxes yea vs. lockboxes nay
While the concept of lockboxes -- or gift boxes, or super packs, or whatever nomenclature you prefer -- is certainly not new to MMOs, it seems like they're finally making headway into some of the biggest free-to-play titles as of late. From Star Trek Online to Lord of the Rings Online to City of Heroes, games are making beaucoup bucks from hosting these mystery treasure chests that cost real-world money to acquire or unlock. Some players love them and some despise them, but the truth is that they're incredible moneymakers for companies. But money isn't what Leaderboard is about; we're in search of public opinion. Do lockboxes have an acceptable place in MMOs? Not only would finances seem to suggest so, but the psychology of these goodie bags offers euphoric rushes that normal monster looting does not provide. Sure, maybe it's gambling, but nobody's forcing you to buy them -- and if you do, you're guaranteed to get something somewhat useful if not incredibly rare. Should lockboxes be shunned and boycotted in all MMOs? Are they ruining the reputation of F2P? Are they representative of the worst mentality this business model has to offer? Do lockboxes kill koala bears and deforest Brazil? Has a lockbox been the cause of one or more breakups in your dating life? Let's put it to a vote: lockboxes yea or lockboxes nay? Keep in mind that if you've spent money on one or more in a game, then you don't want to come across as hypocritical in this poll!
Google dives deep to bring underwater photos of the Great Barrier Reef this September
Your next trip to the Great Barrier Reef could be from the comfort of your home now that Google's partnered with Catlin SeaView Survey, the University of Queensland's Global Change Institute and the Underwater Earth organization to document this amazing ecosystem. Equipped with a special underwater camera capable of withstanding depths of 328 feet, the survey aims to photograph 50,000 shots in 360-degree panoramic view and incorporate them into Google Earth and Google Maps. Dubbed "Google SeaView," it seeks to open opportunities for increased conservation as well as a free look for wanna-be world travelers who can't afford a plane ticket down under. As an added perk, the collected data may also be used to help future ship captains navigate through the treachery of the intricate coral highways. Check past the break for more info on the survey and plenty of footage teeming with aquatic wildlife.
How do you like your MMOs? Let us know!
Last year around this time, we asked you to voice your opinion on certain aspects of Massively that you liked or disliked at the time. This year, we're asking for you to take a few moments to answer some questions about the games you like or don't like. We know that many of you are into the latest and greatest, while others are into the classics, and still others don't even play MMOs at all. This fascinates us, and we want to know more about your preferences. The survey is optional, it's completely anonymous, and it will help us evaluate what types of MMO and gaming topics most interest our readers. To participate, head over to our survey page and answer the questions listed. We appreciate your help in making Massively the best MMO website for its readers! To the survey!
The Daily Grind: Do you think MMO exit surveys are a waste of time?
Every time I cancel an MMO subscription nowadays, I'm asked to take an exit survey. Help us make the game a better experience for when you return, they beg. Sure, why not, right? I'd like to give those devs some constructive criticism and/or a piece of my mind. I'll start with a pointed rant about the state of the endgame... But wait, what's this? The "what other games do you play" question seems to be way out of date, listing games that have closed but none at all from the last few years? The "what features do you want to see" question includes features that have already debuted in the game? And the custom field is barely long enough to type "this game sux" let alone anything poignant? It's enough to make you wonder whether anyone reads these things. So do you bother with exit surveys? And if so, do you believe that anyone with the ability to improve a game will ever hear your feedback? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Online gaming linked with marital dissatisfaction
Good news, gamers! You can now blame another dysfunction (if you have it, and I'm sure you don't) on the games you play! It's not enough that those nasty ol' video games are making you violent and antisocial -- a new survey put out by Brigham Young University is linking online gaming with a decrease in marital satisfaction. The survey states that "gaming widows," whose spouses neglect them to focus on gaming, are dissatisfied with the states of their marriage. How that differs from corporate widows, football widows, or any other neglected spouse without a catchy title isn't really specified. Another conclusion pointed out by the survey is that when spouses play together, the marriage tends to be in pretty good shape. Who'd have ever thought that spending time bonding over a shared interest would be healthy for a relationship? While we're all in agreement that your level 80 Paladin probably doesn't deserve as much of your love and affection as your spouse, if you hadn't figured that out on your own, gaming probably isn't the root of your problems. Just a thought.
Twenty-six percent of European doctors use an iPad professionally
European readers who visit with their doctors have a good chance of seeing an iPad in use during their appointments. According to a new survey of physicians, 26 percent of 1,207 practicing physicians in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the UK said that they own an iPad and spend 27 percent of their work online time using the iPad. Manhattan Research carried out the Taking the Pulse Europe study in the fourth quarter of 2011, and found that 40 percent of doctors surveyed plan to purchase an iPad within the next six months. The adoption rate of iPad usage is the same for primary care physicians (general practitioners and doctors of internal and family medicine) and specialists (ophthalmologists, rheumatologists, etc...). What are all of these doctors using their iPads for? The survey showed that they're using them primarily to browse medical articles on the web, watch videos, and look up information. The European doctors are also showing a lot of interest in "using iPads to manage and educate their patients." An article in pharmaceutical blog PMLiVe noted that some large companies like AstraZeneca, Jannsen, and Vertex have created iPad-specific apps targeting healthcare professionals, but that Pfizer had to pull an iPhone app last autumn when errors were found in its Rheumatology Calculator. The situation brought up the question of whether or not pharmaceutical apps should be considered as medical devices, which could slow down the development of new and useful apps in the future.
You're the Pundit: iPad 3
When it comes to forecasting the next big thing, we turn to our secret weapon: the TUAW braintrust. We put the question to you and let you have your go at it. Today's topic is the iPad 3. It's been a long, cold winter for TUAW. As days lengthen and Spring becomes less of a dream and more imminent, our thoughts turn to new technology. What do we expect to see in the next generation iPad and when do we expect to see it? Preorders in March, pickup in April? You tell us. Place your vote in this poll and then join in the comments with all your predictions. %Poll-73413%
Apple HDTV in Best Buy survey is not news
There's a lot of speculation going around about an Apple HDTV of some sort. The Walter Isaacson biography of Steve Jobs started a lot of the rumors when he quoted Jobs as saying that Apple had "finally cracked" the method of interacting with a television. Now the speculation is bordering on the ridiculous, with screen shots of a customer survey done by Best Buy that describes an Apple HDTV concept product appearing on a number of tech sites. The survey describes an "all new 42" Apple HDTV" available at Best Buy for US$1499, with a 42" 1080p LED flat panel display, built-in iOS, app and iCloud support, the ability to use an iPad or iPhone as a remote control, and a "built in iSight camera and microphone for Skype." So, an overpriced HDTV with a built-in Apple TV is all the Cupertino Kids can give us? There are other things that make this alleged story a farce, such as the survey's insistence on referring to an "iSight camera" rather than a FaceTime camera and using Skype instead of FaceTime. Retail chains do customer surveys all the time, and this particular survey is only "newsworthy" because it has the word Apple in it. Had the survey been asking about a new Internet TV from LG, we wouldn't have seen at least four major blogs writing about it. Apple's insistence on secrecy means that we're not going to know what awe-inspiring new way of interacting with television Jobs was talking about until the product is ready to ship ... or until an Apple engineer just happens to leave an HDTV at a bar. In the meantime, the Apple community would be better served by blog posts with a little more meat on them, instead of breathless stories speculating about the deep inside meaning of a simple market survey.
Study links MMOs to 'problem' game-playing
Despite the fact that video game addiction lacks both a definition and a diagnosis, "researchers around the world continue to investigate methods of determining, treating, and preventing" it, according to Gamespot. The American Psychiatric Association recently rejected a movement to incorporate game addiction into its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but that hasn't stopped folks at the National Development and Research Institute from publishing the findings from a survey conducted with 3,380 adult gamers. The study found that five percent of participants reported "moderate to extreme problem game-playing." Commonly reported problem titles included Call of Duty, the Grand Theft Auto series, online poker games, and World of Warcraft. The team concluded that "there is evidence to suggest that problem game-playing is linked to particular kinds of game genres" and that further research is needed.
Research suggests business directors more likely to use Apple products at work
Forrester Research recently conducted a survey of close to 10,000 workers in 17 countries to determine which workers are more likely to own and use Apple products. The New York Times has published the results, which show that "business directors" -- in other words, bosses -- are the employee group most likely to own one or more Apple products and use them at work. Here's a breakdown of the survey results. Who uses Apple products: 43 percent of people earning $150,000 or more per year -- 87 of 200 respondents 27 percent of people earning $100,000 - $149,999 23 percent of people earning $50,000 - $99,999 19 percent of people earning $49,999 or less -- 1300 of 6800 respondents 21 percent of all 9912 respondents in Forrester's survey said they used one or more Apple devices for work. The New York Times notes that the increasing penetration of Apple products into the workplace, often driven by people bringing in and using their personal devices, is wearing down traditional IT department hostility toward the Mac, iPhone, and iPad. However, as Ars Technica notes, the research also shows that while 50 percent of firms in "mature markets" offer Macs, only 30 percent of respondents said their companies support them, leaving many Mac users to fend for themselves at work. Coupled with reports like Good Technology's quarterly results on device activations, it seems that the old practice of business and enterprise environments shunning Apple products is shifting quite rapidly. Forrester's claim that "Windows' dominance is at an end" is premature, however; while Microsoft's share of the enterprise pie is no longer as big as it once was, it's still claiming the majority of users in that sphere.
