Numbers

Most Apple owners say free service keeps them coming back

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Despite thoughts of a service call as akin to a root canal, iPhone maker Apple has turned service into a selling point. Nearly 60 percent of current Apple device owners say they'll buy another product from the Cupertino, Calif. company as the result of in-store service.

According to a survey by NPD Group, almost 90 percent of consumers who used Apple's Genius Bar tech service rated the experience extremely or very satisfying. "A major part of their satisfaction came from the fact that only a small percentage actually paid for their service. According to the report, 88 percent of Genius Bar consumers said their service was free compared to 78 percent of all consumers."

Wall Street: Injunction or not, Apple wins fight against Samsung

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Whether or not Apple is granted an injunction preventing Samsung sales in the U.S. doesn't concern Wall Street. Following the iPhone maker's patent-infringement win against the South Korean company, the real question is whether this causes consumers to pause.

"The key question is whether operators/customers will be willing to buy infringing Samsung handsets/tablets if there is risk they may have to stop selling them in the future," writes Wells Fargo analyst Maynard Um. Indeed, Um sees the only risk now facing Apple is whether they'll have enough iPhone 5 handsets to meet "unprecedented demand."

Tim Cook hits the one year mark as Apple’s CEO

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

It was a year ago today that Steve Jobs stepped down as CEO of Apple Inc. Feeling unable to fulfill his duties and expectations at the position, he sent a heartfelt resignation letter out to the Apple Community.

In the letter, Jobs recommended that the Board of Directors name Tim Cook as his replacement. Which, as you know, they did. So today, we thought we'd take a look back at Tim's first year as Apple's leader...

JD Power: Verizon most reliable carrier with AT&T far behind

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 23, 2012

Once again, Verizon Wireless is ranked the top U.S. carrier in fewest complaints of dropped calls, transmission problems and slow text messages. This is the 14th time the carrier has led J.D. Power's U.S. Wireless Network Quality Performance Study. AT&T and other major carriers landed further down in the cellular reliability survey.

While Verizon Wireless led in the busy Northeast corridor, it also trumped competition in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Southwest and Westerns sections of the country. U.S. Cellular was picked as the best carrier in the North Central U.S. for the 12th time. AT&T's reliability was consistently ranked the lowest, except in the Mid-Atlantic and Southwest areas, where it was second to Verizon...

In wake of staffing mistake, Apple reveals some interesting retail stats

Cody Lee ∙ August 20, 2012

Apple has effectively broken the mold for retail chains with its successful line of Apple Stores. Located on expensive prime real estate, and designed inside and out to be completely unique, nothing about Apple's stores are average.

That includes performance as well. A report earlier this year found that Apple's retail stores made roughly 17 times more than the average retailer — including jewelry stores. And today we find out some more interesting stats...

Apple’s iPhone business is worth more than all of Microsoft

Cody Lee ∙ August 20, 2012

In line with today's news that Apple has surpassed Microsoft's record for largest market cap, we've found another interesting stat involving the two companies that you might find interesting.

In looking at recent sales numbers, Apple's iPhone business alone is now worth more than all of Microsoft's products — that's Windows, Office, Xbox, you name it — put together...

iOS is one of the top gaming platforms of all time

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

When Apple added the App Store to iOS, the iPhone and iPod touch became about as disruptive to the handheld video game market as the iPhone was to the smartphone industry. All of a sudden, users had easy access to thousands of low-cost video games.

But not only has Apple since sold more iOS devices than handheld systems from Nintendo and Sony put together, it's actually sold more than all major console systems. This, among other factors, makes iOS one of the most popular gaming platforms of all time...

Create disposable phone numbers for your iPhone with Burner

Cody Lee ∙ August 8, 2012

This is pretty interesting. Burner is a new service that provides you with disposable phone numbers for your iPhone. It's like having a fake phone number that you can give out, except you can actually be reached at it.

Think about all of the situations in which you are asked to give out your phone number but don't really want to — whether it be to an acquaintance, or a salesmen, or signing up for a new online service. Enter Burner...

comScore: iPhone outgrew Android last quarter despite sales slump

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Like clockwork, marketing research firm comScore released its quarterly report today on mobile and smartphone marketshare in the US. Today's report covers the three month span between April and June.

The data comes from comScore's intelligent online survey of a "nationally representative sample" of mobile subscribers age 13 and up. Continue reading for the results of last quarter's research...

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

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

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...

The iPhone is much more profitable for Apple than the iPad

Cody Lee ∙ July 26, 2012

Apple's profit margins on its products are something of legend. Thanks to its massive supply chain influence and crack operations team, the company enjoys some of the best margins in the business.

This afternoon, some court documents surfaced from the ongoing Samsung-Apple trial showing that those margins are much better on the iPhone than they are on the iPad. In fact, they're almost double...

Verizon tops J.D. Power customer service report

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

If you're looking to start up new cell phone service in the US, there are dozens of choices. If you want a big-named, nationwide carrier though, that cuts the field down to four options: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.

You can narrow it down even further if you want an iPhone. Currently, only the top three carriers properly support Apple's handset. And if you're looking for the company with the best customer service, there's only one...