Survey

Chitika: iPad rules ‘biggest ever’ holiday

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

How did holiday sales of tablets shake out? Although sales numbers aren't yet available, we can get some idea of which devices were in most demand. For instance, Amazon's Kindle Fire, followed by Samsung's Galaxy tablets and Google Nexus devices were the top three non-iPad products serving ad impressions in December, according to an ad firm.

Although the iPad (both the full-size versions and the iPad mini) accounts for 87 percent of U.S. and Canadian tablet-based ad impressions, the Kindle Fire was next best with 4.25 percent of tablet traffic. The Samsung Galaxy tablets had 2.65 percent, while the Google Nexus family of tablets garnered 1.06 percent of tablet traffic, according to ad network Chitika...

Apple gets coal in stocking as holiday online satisfaction drops

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 27, 2012

Apple, usually the benchmark for customer satisfaction, fell from its lofty perch during the all-important Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping period. After quickly jettisoning its senior vice-president of retail and suffering questions surrounding supplies of new products, the company "stumbled", falling to a four-year low, according to a customer satisfaction analytics firm Thursday. The iPhone maker fell 3 points to 80 out of 100, dropping it from the overall top five online holiday retailers and behind #1 Amazon.com, which was rated 88 out of 100 by Forsee...

Google Play grows, App Store still cash king

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 20, 2012

What's better: to be taller or wealthier? Carry that debate to Apple versus Google and you have the latest on the battle between Apple's App Store and Google Play. While Google's revenue is growing, Apple's application store for iOS devices simply overwhelms the Mountain View, California firm in terms of cash, even if there's another, much darker side to app economy.

During the last four months, Google Play's combined daily revenue grew at 43 percent compared to the App Store's 21 percent, according to research firm Distimo. However, over the entire year, App Store revenue rose by 51 percent.

But wait, there's more. In November, the App Store rang up $15 million in average daily revenue. That compares to $3.5 million for Google Play during the same time...

Millennial: iPad growing, Samsung rises to 46% of Android app use

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 19, 2012

For the second day, Samsung has been named the new leader. After Tuesday unseating Nokia as the top cellphone maker in 2012, the Galaxy vendor today topped HTC as the Android maker which gets most used to access mobile ads. According to ad firm Millennial, Samsung had 46 percent of Android app use, double the 26 percent of 2011.

HTC - which is bleeding money and is rumored to have cut in half shipments and delayed new devices - fell to #2, dropping 30 points behind Samsung. But for Apple, perhaps the best news is what the Millennial end-of-year report did not find...

Samsung passes Nokia as the world’s top phone brand in 2012

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 18, 2012

The cellphone industry has a new king. South Korea's Samsung is #1 in the market, unseating the Finnish-based Nokia after fourteen years. As 2012 wraps up, Samsung is responsible for 29 percent of all cell phone shipments, up from last year's 24 percent.

Conversely, Nokia slips to #2, dropping to 24 percent of the market, a fall from 30 percent posted in 2011. Nokia's departure from a top spot it held since 1998 is largely due to the predominance of smartphones, an area where Samsung thrived and Nokia faltered, according to the hardware research firm iSuppli...

Surprise, Google Maps app boosts iOS 6 adoption rate

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 28, 2016

According to MoPub, which tracks over a billion ad impressions each day across over 12,000 apps and a dozen ad networks, the release of Google's Maps iOS app last Wednesday has benefited the iPhone maker in many regards, not least of which is a healthy boost to iOS 6 adoption rates.

The firm saw a 29 increase in unique iOS 6 users in the five days after Google Maps for iOS was released and a thirteen percent increase from Monday to Wednesday.

The reason: those who held off upgrading to iOS 6 because it removed Google's mapping software are making the jump now that the standalone Google Maps app is on the App Store...

8 out of 10 iPad owners plan to stick with Apple

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

In the latest round of 'is the iPad mini a cannibal?' we go to Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty, who told investors the concern is "overblown." Huberty says nearly half of the 7.9-inch tablets are bought by new customers. While the Morgan Stanley AlphaWise survey also found slightly fewer purchases of the iPad mini are by new tablet owners - suggesting the small tablet is taking a bite out of larger iPad sales - the risk is "manageable", the analyst said...

Apple retains European smartphone lead over rapidly-growing Samsung

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 17, 2012

The UK continues to be Apple's European fortress against the invading hordes of Android smartphones. That's the word from Internet firm comScore, which announced Monday most European cell phone owners have adopted smartphones. In the United Kingdom, Apple is holding onto a slim 4 point-lead.

Meanwhile, South Korea-based Samsung experiences double-digit growth. Germany is the only European nation where smartphone penetration has not reached at least 50 percent. In the UK and Spain, two countries where consumers have largely abandoned landlines, smartphone adoption is at 62.3 percent and 63.2 percent, respectively.

But the real story could be the tight race between Apple and Samsung, fueled by Android's growing presence in Europe...

Microsoft’s Surface just a blip with 0.13 percent of tablet traffic

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apparently, more of Microsoft's Surface tablets are showing up in commercials and television episode placements than online. Despite an aggressive push, the Windows device accounted for just 0.13 percent of advertising served to tablets during November, according to one mobile advertising network. The dismal numbers are just the latest sign the much-heralded Surface just isn't selling.

Microsoft's outspoken boss Steve Ballmer acknowledged as much when he recently called Surface numbers "modest". By comparison, 0.91 percent of Google's Nexus tablets displayed ads between November 12 and November 18. The percentages come just a day after a report that the iPad mini saw ad impressions climb 28 percent daily during the November...

One in two willing to pay a premium for the better Apple television interface

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 11, 2012

Here's something to chew on as another Wall Street voice chimes in on the possibility of an Apple-made television set. In a survey, 47 percent of consumers say they are interested in an iTV with about the same number willing to pay more than a thousand bucks to put an Apple logo in their living room. Perhaps most intriguing is how one analyst opens the door to an iTV without the headaches of licensing content.

According to the survey by AlphaWise and Morgan Stanley, eleven percent of US head-of-households polled said they were "extremely interested" in an Apple television, with 36 percent "somewhat interested." The 47 percent of interested consumers is greater than the number of people who were interested in the iPhone and iPad, when those Apple devices first entered the American conscious...

iPhone 5 helps Apple grab a quarter of the world’s LTE device market

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 11, 2012

In less than three months the iPhone 5 has been available, Apple has laid claim to more than 26 percent of the LTE device market. While rival Samsung still is the LTE leader, its position fell by nearly 11 percent following the iPhone 5's September 21 launch, researchers say.

Smartphones from by Apple and Samsung are leading an explosion in LTE use. While 2011 ended with nine million 4G subscriptions, 2012 will exit with fifty million LTE users, according to Strategy Analytics. Asia appears to be a hotspot for LTE use, the research firm noted...

iPad mini November ad impressions surged 28 percent daily

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 10, 2012

How is the 7.9-inch iPad mini doing in the war amongst small tablets? Pretty well, according to one company. During November, the number of ads displayed on the mini grew 28 percent each day. By comparison, mobile ads on Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet rose 19 percent per day during November.

According to Millennial Media, the iPad mini is both a "game changer" and a holiday "must-have gift." Perhaps most-telling is that minis purchased in November as likely holiday gifts didn't stay under wraps for long...