Google’s Android Crushes Apple’s iOS In Smartphone Shipments–But Does It Matter? – Forbes

Google’s Android Crushes Apple’s iOS In Smartphone Shipments–But Does It Matter? – Forbes.

 

Source: IDC

Just four years after its debut,Google‘s Android mobile operating software now claims 75% of mobile units shipped, according to a new report from market researcher IDC.

In the third quarter, according to IDC, some 136 million Android handsets shipped, almost double the 71 million shipped in last year’s third quarter. Devices using Apple‘s iOS grew by a far lower 57%, to 26.9 million handsets, for a surprisingly low 15% market share. Don’t even ask about Blackberry or Windows Mobile. It’s a two-horse race for now.

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Some folks wonder if this trend is heading toward a rerun of the Windows PC vs. the Mac. Maybe, and it’s got to be something that worries Apple CEO Tim Cook, who hardly wants to be the guy who let the mobile revolution get away.

But in the short to medium-term, it’s doubtful this is a killer for Apple. Why?

For one, Apple’s share was probably especially low in the last quarter because the eagerly awaited iPhone 5 didn’t ship until September, very late in the quarter. Add in new iPad models just introduced, in a holiday quarter when Apple devices are probably still the gift people would prefer to give over Android gadgets, and it’s hard to imagine that Apple won’t see some rebound in the fourth quarter.

For another, IDC is measuring shipments, which don’t immediately equate to sales–though ultimately they probably do. And profits are an entirely different matter. Clearly, Apple keeps minting money from iPhone and iPad sales, and it’s hard to see that changing anytime soon.

Third, actual usage of Apple’s iPhones and iPads continues to be way higher than usage of Android phones, punching well above their market-share weight. That indicates people are finding iPhones and iPads, or at least the apps on them, more useful than other devices. Apple’s app ecosystem is still considered stronger than Android’s. And that’s not even figuring in the fragmented nature of Android, which results in devices using a wide variety of Android OS versions that can’t all use the very same apps, depending on how they’re written.

What’s more, a new comScore report released today shows Apple has a 34.3% share of U.S. smartphone subscribers. While that’s below Google’s 52.5% share, the gap is much less, partly because of Apple’s early smartphone lead.

Still, the rapid rise of Android to near-dominance means Apple will have to step it up anew. As computing and communications increasingly migrate to mobile devices, Apple may not be able to afford offering only the smartphone equivalents of BMWs and Mercedes if it wants to continue driving the industry’s future.

 

Related articles

• Google’s Android software in 3 out of 4 smartphones (todayonline.com)
• Google’s Android software in 3 out of 4 smartphones (dawn.com)
• Android surges to 75% smartphone market share in Q3 (fiercemobilecontent.com)
• IDC: Android at 75 percent smartphone market share (electronista.com)
• IDC: Android, iOS grab 90 percent of global smartphone market (zdnet.com)

Starbucks coming to Apple’s Passbook before October | Digital Trends

Starbucks coming to Apple’s Passbook before October | Digital Trends.

Coffee giant Starbucks is the latest company to announce its intention to integrate its app with Apple’s new Passbook mobile wallet feature.

When Apple unveiled the latest version of its mobile operating system back in June, its new Passbook app was trumpeted as one of its main features.

Passbook acts as a kind of digital wallet, a place for users to store and organize tickets, boarding passes, store cards and coupons.

iOS 6 launched this week, introducing millions of owners of Apple’s iPhone to the new app. Of course, it’s useless without companies supporting it, and the early indications are that, over time, plenty of businesses will go with it.

A number of airlines, for example, are thought to be gearing up to integrate with Passbook – American Airlines has already confirmed its intention – while today Starbucks announced it would be offering Passport support by the end of this month.

The news came via the coffee chain’s Twitter feed on Friday. Many regular Starbucks customers may already be paying for their drinks using the company’s existing app, which also allows users to manage their Starbucks Card balance, top up their card, and send friends eGifts, among other things. In 2011, the Starbucks app, available for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices, accounted for 26 million transactions.

Passbook integration could make the process of handing over your hard-earned readies even simpler, with, for example, the app opening automatically when the phone detects its owner’s arrival at a store. But if you’re a fan of Starbuck’s current app, which evidently already has some pretty major functionality, does integration with Passbook sound like such a big deal?

For a closer look at Passbook and its chances of becoming a true digital wallet, be sure to check out Geoff Duncan’s in-depth piece on the new app here.

Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/apple/starbucks-coming-to-passbook-by-end-of-september/#ixzz27EqkzmoC

Apple WWDC 2012: iOS 6, TV SDK, Retina display MacBook, iMac

Apple WWDC 2012: iOS 6, TV SDK, Retina display MacBook, iMac.

 

Plenty has been said about Apple’s WWDC 2012 conference, which takes place starting on Monday next week, but if you haven’t been furiously digging and following along, here are our best guesses based on what we’ve heard from our sources, what other sites have reported, and common sense.

IOS 6 FOR IPHONE, IPAD AND IPOD TOUCH.

We’ve covered this at length, but this is a sure thing — iOS 6 is coming next week, and most likely will be available for developers to start getting apps ready for the fall. Look for a redesigned Maps app with 3D maps and no Larry Page, Facebook integration, a refreshed UI, possible widget support, enhancements for enterprises including new mail, calendar and contact features, and much more.

THE APPLE TV

If Apple makes a TV-related announcement, which we reported they will, this might be a game changer. Apple has dabbled with the company’s current TV offering, and it’s not doing too bad — the Apple TV sold more than 2.7 million units this year so far. If Apple announces something TV-related though, it’s going to be big. Steve Jobs I’ve cracked it, licked it, kicked it huge. Again, if Apple makes a TV announcement, we don’t know if an actual TV will be shown or just the operating system and SDK support, but this could easily be the biggest announcement from the WWDC 2012 keynote.

RETINA COMPUTERS

This isn’t confirmed, but it seems that Apple is finally ready to start adding Retina display-equipped Mac computers to the company’s lineup.

NEW MACBOOK PROS

In addition to the MacBook Pro getting a Retina display, it’s likely that the MacBook Pro will get aired out with a thinner case, no optical drive, fewer ports (ethernet and FireWire), and more.

NEW MAC PRO

A popular assumption has been that Apple will simply get rid of the company’s most powerful computer, simply because most people tend to purchase an iMac over a Mac Pro at this point and the current iMac’s are incredibly fast. Speculation aside, it is now being reported that Apple will finally refresh the Mac Pro instead of killing it off.

NEW IMAC

If Apple is going to update its aging Mac Pro, the company might not want to leave the iMac in the dust either. Recent reports have suggested that the iMac could be due for a facelift, making the computer much thinner and lighter, and possibly getting rid of the optical drive in the process. A Retina display for the iMac is rumored as well. We’re totally in.

Maybe Tim Cook was right when he said Apple “was just getting started” a few months earlier this year during the new iPad introduction event.

 

Related articles

• iOS 6 Confirmed for WWDC 2012 (gottabemobile.com)
• The WWDC 2012 prediction post: Community edition (tuaw.com)
• Everything We Expect Apple To Announce At WWDC 2012 [Feature] (cultofmac.com)

Apple Will Be Officially Adding Facebook Integration In iOS 6 [Report] | Cult of Mac

Apple Will Be Officially Adding Facebook Integration In iOS 6 [Report] | Cult of Mac.

Facebook is about it get baked into your iPhone and iPad.

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently told the world to “stay tuned” to what his company has planned with Facebook. The social network has been rumored to appear in iOS for years, but 2012 looks to be the year Apple and Facebook finally join forces.

iOS 6, internally codenamed “Sundance,” will feature Facebook integration, reports MG Siegler of TechCrunch. The integration will be similar to the way Twitter is currently implemented in iOS 5, although Apple has yet to iron out the kinks in how sharing will work.

According to Siegler:

It’s important to note that Apple being Apple, something could change in the next week and a half (see again: Facebook/Ping). But as of right now, Facebook is a go in iOS “Sundance”. One thing still being hammered out according to our sources is how sharing will work. Sharing is the other big part of the iOS/Twitter integration, and will be important for iOS/Facebook integration as well. But Facebook is significantly more complicated than Twitter in that there are all kinds of permissions for what you can post where and who can see what.

Apple is expected to “keep things simple” initially with its Facebook integration. Siegler notes that, “Beyond authentication, there will probably be a Facebook button in the existing share screen which will allow you to share something to your Facebook Wall. ”

Facebook Connect is already present in many iOS apps for logging in and authenticating with accounts, and it’s currently unknown how Apple’s SDK will interact with Facebook’s current SDK. Many of the details will likely be divulged at WWDC in two weeks.

Twitter is already integrated in iOS 5, and Facebook is expected to function the same way. The user would assumedly log into his or her Facebook account in Settings to turn on sharing throughout iOS.

Facebook has several high-profile iPhone apps in the App Store, including the recently-releasedFacebook Camera. The social network is also in the process of acquiring Instagram.

Interestingly, a recent report said that Facebook was hiring former iPhone and iPad engineers from Apple to work on its own smartphone.

MG Siegler has proven to have well-placed Apple sources in the past, and he usually reports correct information regarding the company’s future plans.