Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
iPhone users quickly tire of applications, according to a new study. The number of iPhone owners that use an app at least once a week fell from 40 percent after the first month to 5 percent by the sixth month, researchers said.
The study by Flurry Analytics also found the rate of user retention nearly identical for both Apple’s iPhone and phones running Google’s Android software. “We believe underlying reasons include the fact that Android handsets are capturing a more mainstream audience similar to the iPhone and that Android handsets have improved relative to the iPhone handset,” the analytics firm said.
Although reports have appeared suggesting Apple is developing a “skunk works” focused on developing its own search engine, the Cupertiono, Calif. company has 100 million reasons to stand pat. The company receives $100 million each year from Google as part of a revenue-sharing agreement placing the Mountain View, Calif. firm’s search engine on iPhones, according to an anonymous source.
Apple is “getting over $100 million a year from Google in its revenue share deal, according to our source,” writes Silicon Alley Insider. Earlier this year, BusinessWeek reported Apple might throw Google overboard, using Microsoft’s Bing for the iPhone.
The revenue, while not significant in terms of its $15.6 billion reported in January, is still enough for the company not to expend resources to compete in what the source termed a market already with “too many options.”
As Apple and Google compete on more and more fronts, agreement is becoming ever more difficult. When Apple first introduced the iPhone, a pact to offer Google Maps took just two weeks to hammer out. But the same deal for the later iPhone 3G and 3GS required six months. Those talks were “full of acrimony” as Apple kept rebuffing Google attempts to gain more access to the map data, according to the anonymous source.
Amazon isn’t standing still in the new rivalry with Apple’s iPad for ebook consumers. Just a week after the Seattle-based maker of the Kindle announced it would buy a multitouch screen manufacturer and design a color e-book reader comes word Amazon will give free Kindles to its best “Amazon Prime” customers.
“A reliable source tells us Amazon wants to give a free Kindle to every Amazon Prime subscriber,” Tech Crunch’s Michael Arrington writes Friday. Amazon Prime is a $79 per year subscription program providing free two-day shipping on items purchased from the online retailer. Subscribers are frequent Amazon customers, including ebooks for the Kindle.
Remember the old ‘Lucy’ show where she steps up to the grocery store checkout and wins a prize for being the millionth customer? Fast-forward a half-century and you have Apple preparing to commemorate its 10 billionth iTunes sale since its 2003 inauguration. Instead of free groceries for life, the Cupertino, Calif. company plans to mark the event with a $10,000 iTunes card for the lucky customer.
“iTunes changed the way you buy music, making songs and albums available for download, day or night. Seven years later, we’re about to celebrate our biggest milestone for music, yet — 10 billion songs download,” Apple announced at its “10 Billion Song Countdown” website.
We start off with a deal on Apple’s 24-inch iMac desktop computers. The unit is available for $1,380 from Small Dog Electonics, and includes a 2.93GHz Core 2 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 640GB drive and three years of AppleCare. Next up is a 1TB Time Capsule. The802.11n base station and storage device is offered at $270. (There’s also a deal on a 500GB version for $160). Finally, we check out the latest batch of marked-down iPhone and iPod touch apps, including “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.”
For details on these and many other bargains, check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.
iBooks, one of the best-known applications for the Apple’s new iPad, won’t ship with the tablet device, according to a Thursday report. Viewed as the ebook equivalent of iTunes, iBooks must be downloaded separately.
“Apple didn’t emphasize this heavily at the introduction, but the iBooks app is not going to be bundled with the iPad — it’s an app you download from the App Store, putting it on an (at least somewhat) equal footing to e-book readers from other companies,” writes Daring Fireball‘s John Gruber.
Apple will offer $1 TV shows on the iPad when the new tablet device goes on sale later this year, according to a Thursday report. Several unnamed studios are going along with the pilot program designed to determine whether cutting current pricing in half stimulates sales.
“If you move five times the volume [of sales] at half the price, it’s a good deal,” one U.S. media conglomerate told the FT. Although studios had previously hesitated to sign-onto such an arrangement with Apple, falling DVD sales and low-cost $1 movie rentals from Redbox, are prompting the turn-around, according to the report.
We kick-off this blizzard-ridden Wednesday with three intriguing deals for the Apple fan. First up is Zoomit, an SD card reader for your iPhone. Although not available until April, the company is accepting $50 preorders. Also, Apple has unveiled a new batch of App Store price drops, including the iZombieland game. We wrap up our top trio with Aperture 3, hot off the presses from Apple. This digital photo management software is just $199.
Along the way, we look at more software for your iPhone (including new freebies from the App Store), plus a high-def TV perfect for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games, and other items. As always, details on these and many more bargains can be found on CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.
The House of Mouse becomes very animated when talking about the possibilities the iPad offers. Disney CEO Bog Iger Tuesday described the new Apple device as a “game-changer,” saying the tablet will enhance the television-watching experience.
“The interactivity it will allow on a portable device with such a high quality screen is going to enable us to really start developing products that are different than the product that you typically see on an Internet-connected computer, or on a television screen,” Iger said during a quarterly Walt Disney Co, earnings call.
The iPhone 3GS. Creative Commons-licensed photo by Fr3d: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fr3d/2660915827/
Two new voices have joined a chorus of analysts predicting AT&T will remain the exclusive U.S. iPhone carrier through 2011. A belief that Apple would cut AT&T loose this summer is giving way to a sentiment that the carrier will be given more time to improve its network and find a way to supplement its smartphone offerings.
Barclays Capital analyst Vija Jayant told investors Tuesday AT&T will probably remain the exclusive iPhone carrier through the rest of 2010. The analyst said Apple’s use of AT&T for the iPad “is a vote of confidence in AT&T’s network by the equipment maker.” The move “could suggest the iPhone exclusivity may continue, at least through the end of 2010,” he added.
Another research firm is reporting how much it costs Apple to build it’s new iPad. ISupply said the 32GB version with 3G costs $287.15 for the parts and manufacturing. The iPad’s low cost to build may provide the Cupertino, Calif. company the “wiggle” room to lower the device’s retail price if needed.
Although the iPad’s parts cost $219.35, the $80 multi-touch screen and $17 processor adds to the final tally, according to iSuppli. Even so, the 32GB iPad costs only to build is only 39.4 percent of the eventual retail price, the analysts said.
We start off with a deal on a 32GB iPhone 3GS from AT&T for $249. Next up: a 1TB Time Capsule back-up drive for $430. Finally, once while you are on hold and backing-up your life, take some time to wind down the road with Moto Chaser, a racing game for your iPhone or iPod touch.
Along the way, we’ll check out an iPod speaker system from Logitech, a Fantom hard drive and more. For details on these and other products, take a look at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.
Apple’s iconic iPhone, despite increasing pressure from Google, has 25 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, keeping it in the No. 2 slot, according to a new study. Apple’s domestic market share actually grew 1.2 percent as rivals lost ground.
The ComScore Mobile Subscriber Market Share research measured the period ended December, 2009. Although RIM remains the No. 1 smartphone in the U.S. with 41.6 percent, its shares fell 1 percent compared to September. Microsoft, in third place, had 18 percent, losing 1 percent from the September quarter.
Will Apple unveil a new line of MacBook Pros today? Some signs point to the possibility the Cupertino, Calif. may announce new laptops with faster chips to coincide with this week’s Macworld Expo 2010.
The first tea leaf isa French gadget blog which quotes an anonymous source. The source “who works for Apple just tell me that the new MacBook Pro line will be launched tomorrow,” according to blogger Steve Hemmerstoffer. The MacBook Pro, which has not seen a major change since last June, could receive faster Intel chips.
Apple says it will stay “nimble” on pricing for its newly-released iPad, dropping the price to attract more customers. This comes as a new survey indicates a doubling of consumers not interested in buying the device once the tablet shifted from rumor to reality.
“Apple seemed to indicate it would respond with price cuts if demand for the device wasn’t revving up the way it liked,” Credit Suisse analyst Bill Shope said. Shope met with Apple officials last week. Shope said Apple “will remain nimble (pricing could change if the company is not attracting as many customers as anticipated.)”
Books were just 3 percent of the apps tested for the upcoming iPad.
At the time, Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ remark about ebook pricing being the same whether sold by Cupertino or Amazon seemed rather optimistic. At the time, Amazon controlled ebook pricing and the ebook market, while Apple had just released the iPad. However, just weeks after the tablet was unveiled, Amazon will now adopt Apple’s price structure when the iPad starts shipping in March.
“By agreeing to accept a new pricing model, Amazon has publicly acknowledged the sudden emergence of a rival that may not only threaten its highly popular Kindle franchise but also its total domination of e-books,” the Wall Street Journal reported this weekend.
We start off the week with a number of Apple-related deals. First up is an iPhone accessory bundle that could serve as an emergency kit for those road trips. The $10 kit includes windshield mount, wired headset, travel and car chargers and USB sync cable. Has your internal Superdrive died or you need an extra when travelling? There is a deal on an external Superdrive designed for the Macbook Air. A powered USB port is required. The last stop on our top three picks for the day is a new batch of free iPhone apps, including Car Mania, a top-down driving game.
Along the way, we look at other bargains, including the perfect app if you plan to visit this year’s Macworld. As always, for details on any of the items, check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.
The first signs of how the iPad will be handled internationally are appearing, including talk of carrier subsidies. Months before Apple said it will announce international deals for the tablet, one carrier is already planning to sell subsidized iPads requiring two-year 3G contracts.
Hutchison Australia reportedly will begin offering the iPad with a $455 (333 Euro) rebate when customers sign-up for a two-year contract offering 5GB of data for $41, or 30 Euro.
Was the iPad originally meant to be a killer TV platform? An analyst speculates the iPad would be the perfect platform for Apple to launch its vision for anywhere television, tying Apple TV, iTunes and network programming into one sleek and stylish portable DVR.
“Imagine a portable set top box, but with its own killer screen,” wrote Berstein Research analyst Craig Moffett. “Navigation of programming guides and iTunes listings would occur on the iPad, using an intuitive touch interface. Output would go directly to the widescreen TV on the wall.”
Without as many exhibitors (particularly Apple) what will Macworld focus on? It’s all about “community,” organizers say. The goal is to replace Steve and the home ship with enthusiasm ginned-up by the faithful. To help with the revival atmosphere, Macworld 2010 will feature New York Times tech columnist David Pogue, writer-director Kevin Smith, media maven Leo Laporte, Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber and probably the most-talked-about Apple product since the iPhone: the iPad.
We close the week featuring two hardware and one software deal. Several MacBooks are being offered, starting at $749 for a 2.13GHz white model. Also, a Mac mini (2.53GHz Core 2) with 4GB of RAM and two 500GB drives for $985. The App Store has a new batch of freebies, including “Paradise Monkeys,” a version of the classic whack-a-mole game.
As always, you can get details on these and many other bargains at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.
The iPhone 3GS. Creative Commons-licensed photo by Fr3d: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fr3d/2660915827/
Apple’s iPhone nearly doubled its shipments in the fourth quarter, earning it 3rd place among smartphone makers. The handset had 14.4 percent of the market, making further inroads on No. 2 Research in Motion, according to researchers at IDC.
The new data show Apple had a nearly 82 percent year-over-year growth rate, jumping to 14.4 percent of the smartphone market in 2009, up from 9.1 percent in 2008.
“Apple’s iconic iPhone added another chapter to its short history by nearly doubling its shipments from the same quarter a year ago,” according to the report entitled “Worldwide Converged Mobile Device Market.”
Add Hachette Book Group to the growing list of publishers using Apple’s iPad to drive a wedge between Amazon and its requirement for $9.99 pricing on ebooks. The company joins Macmillan and HarperCollins adopting Apple’s “agency model” pricing and making waves in an area Amazon once dominated.
“There are many advantages to the agency model, for our authors, retailers, consumers, and publishers,” Hachette USA CEO David Young said Thursday night. “Without this investment in our authors, the diversity of books available to consumers will contract, as will the diversity of retailers, and our literary culture will suffer,” he added. The remark about a lack of diversity in ebook retailers was an obvious dig at Amazon, which until the iPad, enjoyed the lion’s share of control over pricing.
Just days after Apple asked an iPhone app developer to remove references to Google’s Android Marketplace, the Cupertino, Calif. company is advising location-aware applications can’t simply help Google’s AdMob serve location-based advertising.
“If your app uses location-based information primarily to enable mobile advertisers to deliver targeted ads based on a user’s location, your app will be returned to you by the App Store Review Team for modification before it can be posted to the App Store,” Apple warns.
We begin with another deal from Apple on its Mac Pro Xeon workstations, starting at $2,149 for a 2.66GHz model. Next up is Philips docking cradle for the iPod, just $19. We wrap up our top list of deals with the ever-popular streaming-radio Squeezebox radio from Logitech.
Along the way, we check out several software packages, including new App Store price drops, a physics application and Assemble, a mapping and social networking tool.
As always, for details on these and many other items, check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page, which starts right after the jump.
