Ed Sutherland - page 35

Google apparently is hiring outside developers and reassigning some employees in an all-out effort to match Apple’s long-standing iOS application lead. The head of Google product management is leading the charge to create Android applications ranging from games to social-networking tools – all free, but with embedded advertising, according to a Monday report.

Although Google has created just 20 apps so far – the majority based on well-known properties, such as Google Maps, the Mountain, View, Calif. Internet giant intends to “hire dozens of software developers,” according to the Wall Street Journal, which cites unnamed sources. But the app race between Android and Apple is about more than pride. One analyst firm predicted apps could become a $15 billion market this year.

Don’t cry too hard about Android’s ascension as king of smartphones and Apple losing a few share points. The Cupertino, Calif. company is crying — but it’s all the way to the bank. Although Apple has just 4.2 percent of the entire cell phone market – not just smartphones – the company pulls in 51 percent of the profit.

Earlier Monday, research firm Canalys announced Google’s Android pushed Nokia’s Symbian out of smartphone No. 1 position, selling 32.9 million smartphones, compared to 31 million for Symbian. Although Apple’s share of the smartphone market slipped to 16.2 percent, Asymco’s Horace Dediu points out Monday Apple’s share of the overall mobile phone market has increased to five percent – up from 4 percent in October of last year.

Google’s upstart Android operating system has toppled Symbian, as the most-used smartphone operating system. Symbian, created by cell phone giant Nokia, held the position for a decade. Nearly 33 million Android-powered smartphones sold during the previous quarter – seven times that of a year ago. Meanwhile, Symbian sales totaled 31 million during the last three-month financial period of 2010.

Apple placed third in the smartphone rankings, selling 16.2 million iPhones during the same period, compared to 8.7 million the previous year, according to research firm Canalys. The growth was overshadowed by Android’s gargantuan 615.1 percent increase over 2009.

We close out another week of Mac deals with a MacBook Air and two iPhone bargains. First up is a number of refurbished MacBook Air laptops, starting at $849 for a 1.4GHz model with a 64GB SSD. Next is a list of free iPhone applications, including “Knight Defense.” Finally, although not free, it is pretty close: AT&T is offering a refurbished 8GB iPhone 3GS for just $9.

Along the way, we take a look at several cases for your iPad and iPhone – from leather to carbon fiber. As always, details on these items and many others can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.

In a unique alliance, Samsung (maker of the iPad rival Android-powered Galaxy phone and tablet) will sell half of its mobile processor chip output to Apple (maker of the iPhone and iPad), according to a Friday report. Samsung makes the low-power but brawny A4 chip which Apple designed and uses in its iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV.

“Samsung has agreed with Apple to quadruple monthly shipments of its mobile AP chips to 20,000 sheets throughout this year from 5,000 last year,” reports the Korea Times, citing an industry source.

As experts attempted to gauge the potential impact of AT&T losing its exclusive iPhone arrangement to Verizon, the opinions ranged from a severe body blow to downright demolishing. However, just weeks from the Feb. 10 (Feb. 3 for pre-orders) date for Verizon sales to begin, one expert claims 90 percent of AT&T iPhone owners are locked-in to contracts with costly early-termination fees.

Indeed, Susquehanna analyst Jeffrey Fidacaro believes AT&T will lose 2 million subscribers – “at most” to rival Verizon. What’s holding them there? Apparently, there are several hundred reasons. The No. 2 carrier will charge a $325 early-termination fee. The 90 percent expected to remain with AT&T is even higher than the figure CEO Ralph de la Vega gave reporters last year. The carrier executive said in May that he wasn’t too worried about the (then potential) Verizon deal, given that 70 percent of iPhone owners used family plans with onerous restrictions and the 40 percent of iPhone users attached to corporate discount plans.

We start the day with a new batch of reduced-priced iPad applications, including the game “Puzzle Agent HD.” We also check out a new crop of free iPhone apps, including “Real Skijump HD.” To round out the spotlight, we take a look at some iPads that are marked down by as much as $100. A 16GB refurbished Wi-Fi model is just $429.

Along the way, we also look at a 1.4GHz 64GB SSD MacBook Air for just $849, as well as various other hardware and software for your favorite Apple product. As usual, details on these and many other items can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.

Nokia. Remember them? They are the world’s largest seller of cell phone. But then came the iPhone and Android, and the spotlight mostly left the Espoo, Finland company. Perhaps that was the meaning behind a statement Thursday by Nokia’s CEO. “Nokia faces some significant challenges,” former Microsoft exec Stephen Elop remarked. In the memorable words of Homer Simpson: well, duhhh.

Although Elop didn’t mention Apple or Google by name, the Nokia leader obviously had them in mind when the phone maker reported a drop in net income to $1.02 billion, down from $1.29 billion during the same time last year. Additionally, Nokia’s share of the smartphone market during the last three fiscal months of 2010 fell to 31 percent, a drop from 40 percent during the fourth quarter of 2009.

In a striking example of what the iPhone can mean for carriers, AT&T – once the exclusive provider of the iconic Apple handset – announced Thursday lower profits and fewer new subscribers than analysts expected. The No. 2 wireless carrier reported $1.09 billion in quarterly profits, down from $2.7 billion announced during the same period a year ago.

Perhaps more significantly, the carrier reported gaining 400,000 postpaid subscribers, far fewer than the 504,000 some analysts were expecting and less than half of the 872,000 customers rival Verizon gained during the same period. Starting Feb. 10, Verizon will sell the iPhone, ending AT&T’s three years of exclusivity.

We start the day with an iMac bundle from Expercom. Along with an 2.8GHz i7 processor, the desktop machine has a 17-inch screen. Bundled along with the iMac are 16GB of RAM and a three-year AppleCare contract — all for $2,099. Another deal features price cuts on select iPhone applications, including the game “Chop Chop Hockey.” We round out the spotlight with a 1.4GHz MacBook Air for $920.

Along the way, we also take a look at some screen protectors for your iPad, as well as a 93 percent off deal on iPhone 4 cases and software for your Mac. As usual, details on these and many more items can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.

Remember Apple’s recent comments it did not believe the iPad would cannibalize sales of other products, such as the iPod or Mac? While many considered such a positive outlook as whistling past the graveyard, one analyst Wednesday came to the Cupertino, Calif. company’s defense.

“Although both iPhone and iPad have crossed over and are selling more units than their internal competitors, the old guard has not faded away,” writes Asymco analyst Horace Dediu.

The iPad may live up to Apple’s own “magical” pr. If you define the tablet as a PC, than the Cupertino, Calif. company grew 241 percent year-or-year, making it third in global sales, ahead of Dell and just two places behind HP. Wednesday, one analyst firm released numbers of “strong PC industry growth” amounting to 19 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Canalys views the iPad (or ‘pad,’ as the company refers to the tablet) as the second-coming of netbooks. Remember netbooks? They help breath life into otherwise struggling PC sales. “Pads gave the market momentum in 2010, just as netbooks did the year before,” one senior analyst wrote.

Whether you are looking to home your card shark talents on your iPhone, find the best deals at MacWorld or grab an inexpensive AT&T iPhone 4, we have it all here. First up is a batch of iPhone App freebies, including “700 Solitaire Games,” which unsurprisingly offers plenty of practice for the favorite computer card game. Also, instead of just wandering around the upcoming MacWorld event, why not have an iPhone app that will point you to the most-interesting gadgets on the showroom? We wrap up our spotlight deals with some bargains on refurbished iPhone 4s, including a 16GB model for just $79 plus AT&T activation.

Along the way, we’ll also take a look at other Mac gadgets, including a 27-inch LED Cinema Monitor, an iPod/iPhone charger and some software for your kids. As always, details on all of these items, and much more, can be found on the CoM “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.

Research in Motion’s PlayBook Tablet could sell 4 million units in 2011, and 6 million devices in the first 12 months following its release, expected sometime this quarter. That’s the word from RBC Capital analyst Mike Abramsky, who Tuesday morning told investors of results from survey taken after the recent CES.

Although the survey figure is substantially above previous estimates of 1 million PlayBooks sold this year, 6 percent of the 1,100 people polled said they “likely” will buy the RIM tablet. The percentage is half that of a similar survey conducted in February 2010 just after Apple unveiled the iPad, Abramsky notes.

It was a half-empty or half-full quarterly revenue report for Verizon Tuesday. Just weeks from the Feb. 10 sale of Apple’s iPhone, Verizon fourth quarter profits fell $2.6 percent to $26.4 billion, a hair’s-breath from analyst expectations of $26.48 billion. However, the carrier also reported earlier today adding 872,000 postpaid customers, far exceeding Wall Street expectations of 646,000.

Although consumers could have put off a decision to join Verizon Wireless until the carrier begins selling the iPhone, subscriber growth was described as “spectacular” by one analyst. “The expectation of [Verizon] getting an iPhone appears not to have had an impact,” Stifel Nicolaus’ Christopher King told Reuters.

Verizon Wireless is still in the countdown stage of offering the iPhone 4G Feb. 10 and the carrier already is adjusting prices. The first big change is the discontinuation of a $15 per month for 150MB data plan. Instead, the carrier will push all smartphone owners (yes, you with the iPhone) into a $30 per month unlimited alternative.

Although iPhone smartphone customers will see a rate hike, owners of “feature phones” will actually benefit, according to a tech blog that Tuesday published a price list from an anonymous source. Non-smartphones will pay $9.99 per month for a 75MB data plan, up from $9.99 for 25MB.

We start another week of Apple bargains with a new batch of price cuts on select applications from the iPhone App Store, including “Pinball HD.” Also in the spotlight are a leather sleeve for your iPad and a bumper holder for your iPhone 4 from IGg.

Along the way, we’ll also take a look an 83 percent discount on some iPod touch cases, as well as photo manipulation software for your Mac. As always, details on these and many other items can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.

Apple, after acknowledging its growing use by enterprises, reportedly has hired former National Security Agency analyst, U.S. Navy cryptographer, and author David Rice to direct the tech giant’s global security efforts. The move is seen as a response to security-conscious business customers expressing interest in the iPhone, iPad and other Apple products.

Rice, expected to start at Apple in March, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1994 and received a master’s degree in information warfare from the Naval Postgraduate School. He was a Global Network Vulnerability analyst with the NSA and a Special Duty Cryptologic officer in the Navy.

Apple last week was reticent to go beyond a “very strategic” component to describe how it plans to use a $3.9 billion payment to suppliers. However, now comes word the tech giant is giving suppliers marching orders to build high-resolution displays (2,048×1,536) for a future iPad.

“Apple has requested that manufacturers begin work on displays with that resolution for the iPad 3,” according to sources who spoke with an IDC analyst. The enhanced display will not be ready for the iPad 2, matching earlier reports about the updated tablet expected early this year.

We wrap up another week of Apple deals and bargains by highlighting iPhone applications – both discounted and free. Also on tap is a look at a deal on Apple’s 27-inch LED Cinema Display bundled with the Apple TV.

Along the way, we also check out 10 iMacs from the Apple Store, starting at $929 for a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo machine with a 22-inch screen. As usual, details on these and many other items can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.

Apple’s longtime partner in China may get an iPad 3G, according to a Friday report. Apple in late December 2010 received government certification for a device identified only as “model A1337.” Although the parties refused to comment on the report, the news may point to the iPad.

“Specifications are consistent with the tablet device and because all existing commercial versions of the iPhone — Apple’s only other device that uses cellular networks — are already being sold in China,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Some insight is emerging as to what Apple product (hardware, software, or media) is earning the most bucks. Turns out, at the core of success for the Cupertino, Calif. company might be software. Earlier this week, Apple announced its iOS-powered triumvirate — iPhone, iPad and iPod touch — comprised 65 percent of the $17.3 billion in the last-quarter revenue.

Additionally, sale of Mac OSX products accounted for 20 percent of all sales. Combine those two with sales of the Mac OSX software and the various App Store products and 90 percent of Apple revenue is coming from software, according to analyst Horace Dediu of Asymco.

We start the day with deals on applications for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. First up is a new crop of price cuts on apps for the Apple tablet, including “World of Goo,” an entertaining game some might have already seen for the Nintendo Wii. Also, there is a new batch of free applications for the iPhone and iPod touch, including “Ten Drops,” billed as an educational game. We wrap up our spotlight deals with “Pro Zombie Soccer,” a game for the iPhone or iPod touch.

Along the way, we check out deals on iMacs, including a 27-inch 2.8GHz model, bundled with 16GB of RAM and AppleCare for just $2,099. We also take a look at several cases for your iPad and iPhone, as well as assorted accessories for your Apple device.

As always, details on these items and many more can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.

Despite losing a bit of its celebrity-like status to the upstart iPad, Apple’s iPhone, which has been around since 2007, brings home more profit for the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant. Earlier this week, Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook told reporters the company makes $625 on each handset, compared to $600 per iPad.

The chief reason for the disparity is the iPhone is subsidized by carriers hoping to use the iconic handset to lure lucrative data plans. As a result, Apple sells the iPhone for about $625 per unit and carriers reduce the price for customers. But will that change when the Verizon iPhone and the iPad 2 appear next month?

Wall Street has been falling over themselves singing the praises of Apple stock as the Cupertino, Calif. company smashes sales expectations for its unique gizmos sold at premium prices. However, the average Apple employee salary is about a 10th that of one Wall Street powerhouse, reportedly.

Despite Apple’s returns being much higher than Goldman Sachs (which reported its profit figures Wednesday), the average employee of the tech giant earns $46,000 versus $430,700 at Goldman, according to number-crunchers at the New Yorker.