Apple

Apple v Samsung fight for mobile profits intensifies

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

For some time, whenever Android proponents argued for the platform's dominance based on handsets shipped, Apple fans would counter by pointing out the iPhone was tops in profits.

Indeed, a new report shows Apple had more than half of all mobile profits during the first quarter of 2013, leading Android handset rival Samsung.

According to Canaccord Genuity, the iPhone maker came away from this year's first period with 57 percent of mobile phone profits, despite having just eight percent of the worldwide handset market share.

By contrast, South Korea's Samsung - which leads in market share - earned just 43 percent of the share of profits. However, the two companies could soon switch positions. The analyst firm claims iPhone sales will be weak in the upcoming June quarter, overshadowed by profits fueled by Samsung's new Galaxy S4...

How Samsung’s S Voice responds to questions about iPhone, Siri and Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 8, 2013

Apple's Siri isn't just known for her witty responses, but also for a few Easter eggs Apple intentionally included in the app. One of the more famous is Siri's response to the marriage question. When asked "will you marry me?", Siri responds that "my End User License Agreement does not cover marriage.”

Nokia even accused Apple of recalibrating Siri to name iPhone the best phone rather than its own Lumia 900 handset. And, a law student took an issue with sponsored Siri responses to questions like “what’s the best smartphone/tablet ever?”

Looks like Samsung's own voice-activated digital assistant, dubbed S Voice, could find itself under similar criticism as bloggers discover some interesting Easter eggs in the software. One of the funnier S Voice responses unsurprisingly covers topics such as Apple's iPhone and Siri...

Apple missing some 2.8 billion potential iPhone customers due to carrier demands

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 6, 2013

Much talk surrounding Apple has centered on a cooling consumer demand for its flagship product, the iPhone smartphone. However, it may be time to shift the narrative to feet-dragging by a number of global operators that could hold the key to as many as 2.8 billion iPhone customers, according to a Monday report.

Instead of a slowdown in demand, a Monday report by Bloomberg suggests the larger problem is vastly limited access to customers. Two numbers go far to tell the story: 240 and 800. While Apple has 240 carrier agreements throughout the world, rival Samsung has inked deals with virtually every of the 800 wireless providers. Indeed, Apple is lacking agreements to boost sales of the iPhone in some of the most-populated regions, including China, Japan, India and Russia...

Here we go again: Samsung picks on Apple in new Galaxy S4 ad

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 3, 2013

As if it's any surprise, South Korea-based Samsung has (again) resorted to its proven marketing tactics of trashing Apple's iPhone in television advertising. A newly released commercial portrays the six-year-old smartphone as an outdated device, even by your parents' standards.

Samsung obviously thinks the anti-Apple theme hasn't run its course yet (one marketing whiz agrees). I'll let you be the judge of that: check out the video after the break and meet us in comments...

Budget iPhone could be $350 mid-range device

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 3, 2013

Android is gaining ground largely by offering a cheaper alternative to Apple's higher-priced iPhone and iPad. Case in point: Acer's just announced $169 Iconia A1 Jelly Bean tablet. Now, for some time there's been a drumbeat for Apple to respond with a cheap smartphone of its own, one sold unsubsidized and off-contract to cash-strapped buyers in emerging markets.

However, now comes a voice suggesting Apple doesn't have to slash prices to improve its market standing. Instead, it could offer a mid-priced iPhone and in the process could cut rival Samsung's U.S. operations off at the knees.

There's no need for hokey plastic fake prototypes or leaks from "insiders." Apple needs only to repeat what its done numerous times in the past, opine two Wall Street Apple observers at J.P. Morgan...

Galaxy S4 cleared for government use, iPhone and iPad to gain approval ‘in the next few weeks’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

As Samsung and Apple are bringing the smartphone wars to the Pentagon, the Galaxy maker has drawn first blood as its Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone gets cleared for government use ahead of the iPhone. A security approval from the US Department of Defense (DoD) is a major recognition for Samsung and its new Knox security software as the S4 becomes the first Android smartphone to win a DoD approval.

It wasn't immediately clear what's up with the holdup concerning Apple, but the iPhone and iPad devices should get cleared later this month...

Samsung: injunction for Apple makes no sense, infringed products are outdated

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 3, 2013

Although a jury in August 2012 awarded the California firm $1 billion in damages after finding Samsung guilty of violating utility Apple patents related to the iPhone and iPad, Judge Lucy Koh is still unimpressed. Having determined in January that the Galaxy maker did not "willfully" infringe on Apple’s patents, two months later she announced a decrease of the $1.05 billion verdict by $450 million.

Friday came word that Samsung argued in court documents that any permanent injunction in the United States against the infringing products "would not stop any ongoing infringement." And why's that? Because the Galaxy maker has either "discontinued the accused products or designed around any infringing features in the ones it still sells"...

Behind the data: iPad market share fell below 40 percent, or did it?

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 28, 2017

In the latest lesson on how to be a smart tech news consumer, we focus on why research pointing to Apple gains somehow is trumpeted as losses for the iPad maker.

Wednesday, research firm IDC announced Apple's tablet saw a 65 percent year-over-year gain in first-quarter shipments.

Yet several news outlets blared headlines of the iPad's market share falling below 40 percent. How was Apple's strong growth spun into an Android win?

Pentagon set to approve iOS, Samsung devices for secure use

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

A new report is out this afternoon, claiming the US Department of Defense is going to grant security approvals for Samsung's Galaxy smartphones, as well as Apple's iPhones and iPads running iOS 6 in the coming weeks.

The move is separate from the mobile device implementation plan that the Pentagon announced back in February, and could pave the way for Apple to gain more notable influence in the hard-to-reach government sector...

Chart: Android owns two-thirds of smartphone sales – or does it?

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Some intriguing numbers were released Monday on how one research firm views the smartphone race between iOS and Android. According to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, Google's Android averages a 64 percent unit share of the smartphone market across ten countries.

Apple leads in Japan while Android's doing its best in Spain, where the mobile software owns an astounding 93 percent of the smartphone market.

In the U.S., the race is much tighter, with Android holding 49.3 percent and Apple owning 43.7 percent of the domestic market. But the rivals might be even closer as observers question how accurate Kantar is, given recent iPhone sales reports by U.S. carriers...

Apple acquires several new imaging patents from Kodak deal

Cody Lee ∙ April 30, 2013

Earlier this year, Kodak completed the sale of more than 1,000 digital imaging patents in an effort to help restructure the company after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It wanted $2 billion for the portfolio, but only garnered $500 million from a group of companies.

That consortium consisted of several tech giants, including Google and Apple. And according to a new report, their names are starting to turn up on transfer filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, meaning Kodak's patents are changing hands...

Apple and Samsung to battle it out over damages this fall

Cody Lee ∙ April 30, 2013

It seems like it's been a while since we've heard any news on the Apple/Samsung lawsuit front, which is not necessarily a bad thing. But today, the silence was broken as Judge Lucy Koh issued a new case management order to the two sides.

According to the order, the two will be battling it out over damages from their August trial this fall, with the next hearing scheduled for November 12. Here, Apple will get a chance to get back some of the $500M Koh cut from its settlement earlier this year...