Research

Text messaging sees first decline ever due to iMessage and other services

Carriers let out a harmonious groan when Apple unveiled its new iMessage service last year. Not only was it a texting alternative, but it would automatically switch users over from texting to iMessaging if both parties were on iOS 5 devices.

Unsurprisingly, this has had a significant impact on the wireless industry and its subsequent text messaging business. According to a new report, the amount of text messages sent during Q3 this year declined for the first time ever...

Study shows 85% of iOS users delete free games after one day

I don't consider myself a hardcore iOS gamer, but I'll try almost any recommended title once, as long as it's free. I'm sure there's more than 200 games in my App Store's Previous Purchases tab to back that up.

But looking at my iPhone 5's home screen, you'll only find a handful of them. That's because I tend to lose interest in games rather quickly. And according to a new report from Playnomics, I'm not alone...

New teardown reveals 16GB iPhone 5 parts worth $200

Last week we saw a preliminary teardown of the 16GB iPhone 5 peg its bill of materials (BOM) at $168. This number is essentially the sum of the costs of all of the handset's parts.

Today, however, a second teardown has been released, claiming that the BOM for Apple's new entry-level handset is a bit more than that. It says that number is closer to $200...

Do you know what the most commonly used words in app titles are?

As Apple announced on its quarterly earnings call earlier this week, the App Store is now home to more than 650,00 apps. As you can imagine, this makes it tough for developers to come up with all-new ideas.

But it also makes it tough for them to come up with all-new app titles as well. A new report is out today that takes a look at what the 25 most-used words in application titles are. Keep reading to see the list...

Top 5 customer complaints about the iPhone 4S

FixYa, an online tech support community, released a new report over the weekend regarding the top 5 most commonly reported issues in some of today's most popular smartphones.

The data comes from more than 25 million users, and 650,000 experts. And the report covers top handsets like the iPhone 4S, the Nokia Lumia 900, and the Samsung Galaxy S III...

Apple pulls products from Environmental Assessment Tool registry

Despite Apple's efforts — utilizing large solar farms at all of its major campuses, and offering a recycling program for used products — the company continues to catch heat over its effect on the environment.

And this latest move certainly isn't going to help its case. Word is that the company has just pulled all of its products from EPEAT's (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) green-friendly registry...

Survey finds 21% of iOS users wouldn’t change platforms for any price

For those of you wondering if Apple still has a strong cult following, here you go: a new survey from Goldman Sachs finds that 21% of iOS users wouldn't switch to another platform, for any price.

The securities firm recently surveyed over 1000 smartphone users, in an effort to better understand the costs that consumers face when switching ecosystems. And this is what they found...

iPhone no longer Verizon’s bestselling smartphone

Since the iPhone launched on Verizon's network last year, the handset has been the carrier's most popular smartphone. Most quarters it's even sold better than all Android devices combined.

But it looks like things are starting to shift at Big Red, as a new report suggests that the iPhone is no longer the wireless provider's bestselling device. What is? Motorola's Droid RAZR MAXX...

25% of iPad purchases are from first-time Apple buyers

The NPD, a consumer market research firm, is out with a new report today regarding its recent Apple Ecosystem Study. The firm asked more than 3,000 consumers, of balanced demographics, on whether or not they owned Apple products. And if so, which ones.

As usual, the results are pretty interesting. The study found that one-in-five Apple owner households owns at least one iPad. But current Apple owners aren't the only people that are being drawn to the new tablet: one-in-four iPad buyers are first-time Apple buyers...

Research finds that iOS users are far more active than Android users

Chitika, an ad network whose reach spans across more than 100,000 websites, is out with a new report this weekend regarding mobile platform usage. The firm has been tracking real-time activity on its network over the last 24 hours, and the results are pretty interesting.

Despite Android devices garnering close to 50% of the smartphone market, Chitika found that iOS seems to be the mobile OS of choice among its users. Here in the US, at least, devices running Apple's operating system accounted for nearly 70% of recent activity...

How secure is your iCloud data?

To say that iCloud is a big deal for Apple is a bit of an understatement. The cloud-based storage and backup service was launched just 6 months ago, alongside the iPhone 4S and iOS 5, and has already garnered more than 100 million users.

But its quick rise in popularity and deep integration into Apple's software has led to one major question: how secure is it? Well the folks over at ArsTechnica recently spoke with some software security experts to find out...

Almost 90% of iPhone 4S owners use Siri

Siri's popularity has been somewhat of a controversial topic over the last 6 months. Although the digital assistant dropped some jaws when Apple introduced it to the public last fall, a lot of folks have since written the feature off as a novelty.

But according to a recent study from Parks Associates, a consulting firm, Siri is much more popular than you probably would've guessed. Surprisingly, 87% of iPhone 4S owners surveyed use at least one Siri-related feature each month...