Android

Final Fantasy IV hitting iOS on December 20

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 7, 2012

Square Enix announced it will be bringing Final Fantasy IV to both iOS and Android. Apple's platform will enjoy a preferential treatment with the Final Fantasy IV release on Thursday, December 20, just days before Christmas. As for the Android build, it's gonna arrive some time in 2013. Final Fantasy IV is a remake of the 2008 Nintendo DS game, with visual improvements and a few nice mini-games, among other perks, which should be enough to keep fans of the franchise glued to their devices...

Apple shares fall 4 percent amid heavy trading and post-Jobs era concerns

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 7, 2012

Questions about Apple's future lead to heavy trading in the technology giant Wednesday afternoon, prompting a 4.2 percent drop to $551.50 per share and an almost 22 percent decline since it's all-time high of $705 in September. More than 17 million shares were traded during midday action on Wall Street. Among questions facing investors: can Apple management perform without Steve Jobs, can the company produce another hit product, and can the iPad maker fend off Android...

Is Samsung now king of cool? Galaxy S III ad tops iPhone 5 promo

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 5, 2012

Another arena has opened for Apple and Samsung to compete for the crown of 'most cool': advertising. For some time, the iPhone maker has had the ad market sewn up, producing luscious videos of products while creating family-friendly spots so sweet they make your teeth hurt. However, it appears the South Korea-based Samsung is giving Apple a run for the money, its Galaxy S III spot being named the most popular tech ad in 2012.

Apple's promo video of the iPhone 5 starring Jony Ive & Co. didn't even break into the Top 5, the seven-minute ad reaching #6 with 18.4 million views on YouTube and elsewhere. The #1 Galaxy S III ad takes Apple to task as a brand past its prime, drew 71.8 million views...

IDC sees Android tablets gaining traction, iPad maintaining dominance through 2016

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 27, 2017

More end-of-the-year forecasts are out, again predicting Apple will shed some of its tablet market share as Android alternatives increase in popularity. This time, the full-size iPad and iPad mini would end 2012 with just under 54 percent, while Android tablets are expected to increase market share to almost 42 percent.

All told, Apple is estimated to hold half the tablet shipments through the year 2016. The figures are interesting, as far as they go, and would appear to be dire news for Apple - until you actually look at the numbers and measure sales versus usage. More about that after the break...

Eric Schmidt on Google’s relationship with Apple

Cody Lee ∙ December 5, 2012

Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO and now executive board member, recently sat down to talk with Jessica E. Lessin of The Wall Street Journal. During the interview, he fielded several interesting questions about a variety of things including Google's current relationship status with Apple, their continuous run-ins with patent litigation, and more...

Apple: we knew nothing of jury foreman Hogan’s background

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 3, 2012

Apple and Samsung are scheduled to once again duke it out in the courtroom on the eve of Pearl Harbor Day, Thursday, December 6. And as the South Korean conglomerate last month alleged jury misconduct, claiming a foreman in the Apple v. Samsung lawsuit concealed information during the jury selection process, Apple is adamant it knew nothing of the foreman background.

Samsung is hoping to overrule the jury verdict which resulted in a $1.05 billion penalty on the grounds that it would have never approved jury foreman Velvin Hogan had it known of his prior involvement in litigation with a former employee Seagate, with which the Galaxy maker has a “substantial strategic relationship”...

Android apps revenue now growing quicker than iOS apps revenue

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 30, 2012

Owners of iPhones and iPads have historically pointed to the App Store's plethora of quality produce as the reason for the platform's dominance. It's always been the reason many have chosen iOS devices over those powered by Android, but things may be beginning to shift in a whole new direction.

While app developers have always suggested that getting Android users to buy apps is an exercise in futility, a new report claims that things are changing, with Android developers now finding a much improved landscape, as revenue from Android devices grows quicker than that of the App Store.

And not just by a little bit, either...

The iPad mini is an iPad 4 cannibal, after all

Ed Sutherland ∙ November 29, 2012

The iPad mini is taking a bite out of sales of its full-sized counterpart. That's the conclusion of one Wall Street observer, who found fewer seven-inch Apple tablets available than the larger 9.7-inch iPad. But is the finding a sign of cannibalized iPads or something else?

A poll of fifty Apple stores by Citi uncovered the mini available in eighty percent of the locations, but severely limited, except for the 32 gigabyte version. However, all stores checked had the new fourth-gen iPad in stock, just six percent reporting limited availability...

China could soon top US as the largest iOS and Android market

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated March 12, 2018

If the global picture of mobile devices were a soap opera, it would be called "As the World Turns". A constant stream of numbers show how demand and usage is shifting away from the U.S. and to China. The latest figures show the Asian country will soon top the United States with the most active iOS and Android smartphone users.

While China's 167 million iOS and Android users currently puts the nation slightly behind the US at 181 million, that ranking will change in early 2013 as China's triple-digit growth rate easily outpaces America's maturing smartphone market, according to a new report released Wednesday by a mobile analytics firm...

Apple’s tablet lead over Android could be shrinking faster than earlier thought

Ed Sutherland ∙ November 28, 2012

Remember the days when analysts and Wall Street observers believed the iPad would continue to lead tablet sales for years, and Android competitors still needed work? Funny how time flies. Although Apple isn't laughing, there is talk Google could overtake Apple in 2013. The problem is the iPad's lead over a pack of Android alternatives is shrinking to that when the Apple tablet was introduced in 2010.

Also, remember all those non-Android slates from HP and RIM? Yeah, neither does anyone else. That's the other problem...

China’s love affair with the iPad still strong

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

China is going nuts over the iPad as Apple's tablet commands more than 71 percent of sales in China. That's welcome news for Apple which has watched Samsung and other competitors erode its once secure market share. Apple's lead in tablet sales among Chinese consumers has remained steady over the past six months.

The latest third-quarter market figures show Apple's position slid just one percent from the previous period. It's unclear, however, how long China's love affair with the iPad will last. Two home-grown tablet firms are #2 and #3, with Samsung a distant fourth...

IDC: Android and iOS to surpass BlackBerry in enterprise this year

Cody Lee ∙ November 28, 2012

According to a new study by market research firm IDC, the iPhone will combine with Android handsets to overtake BlackBerry's enterprise marketshare for the first time ever this year. This is a major threat to RIM's struggling mobile platform, which has been using its popularity in the enterprise market to stay afloat as its consumer sales have plummeted...