Business

Strong sales of older iPhones hurting Apple’s astronomic profit margins

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple might need to rethink its decision to roll-out older iPhones at cheaper prices at the same time it introduces its latest version.

Compared to previous roll-outs, the iPhone 5 accounted for a smaller percentage of overall iPhone sales, according to one market observer.

The iPhone 5 comprised just 68 percent of overall iPhone sales, compared to as much as 90 percent for the iPhone 4S when it was released in October of last year. And as a result of more lower-priced iPhones selling, Apple could face a smaller profit margin - and nervous Wall Street investors...

UK bank Barclays buys 8,500 iPads, calls Apple’s tablet ‘the best solution’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

Another significant win for Apple's popular tablet brand: British multinational banking and financial services company Barclays has confirmed it's purchased 8,500 iPads “to assist our branch colleagues to interact with customers, improving the customer experience”.

The announcement couldn't have come at a worse time for Microsoft, whose Surface tablet hit store shelves on October 26 but so far has generated only "modest sales", per CEO Steve Ballmer...

Japan’s Softbank wants to buy Sprint

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 11, 2012

This just in. According to a new report out this morning, Softbank, Japan’s third-largest wireless operator, is in talks to buy a controlling stake in Overland, Kansas-based Sprint, the nation's third-largest carrier. The transaction is said to be worth an estimated 1.5 trillion yen, or $19 billion, and would file as the largest purchase of a foreign company by a Japanese firm.

SoftBank used to be the only official iPhone carrier in Japan until the release of iPhone 4S last November. According to people familiar with the situation, Softbank is aiming to buy all of the outstanding shares in Sprint, which had more than 56 million users at the end of June...

This Amazon vs. Apple chart says it all

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

We love the new Kindle lineup of e-readers and tablets, especially the brand new Kindle with Paperdisplay and the super-charged Kindle Fire HD. At last week's unveiling, the CEO Jeff Bezos underscored that Amazon wants to make money when people use their devices.

That's why all Kindle devices display ads on the lock screen (don't worry, you can opt-out for fifteen bucks). And just like Google, Amazon is selling hardware below cost, hoping to recoup losses through content sales on Amazon.com. The only problem with this strategy: Amazon's profitability doesn't even close to Apple's....

Developers think iOS will win the battle for enterprise

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2017

Apple's iPad and iPhone are picking up steam in enterprise lately as big business abandons RIM's sinking BlackBerry platform. Apple's main rival in the enterprise market is of course Google, whose Android is lagging behind iOS in corporate email and security features, but Google makes up for it with its online suite of Office replacement apps called Google Apps, something Apple doesn't have in its offering.

Despite this advantage, developers polled by the mobile platform company Appcelerator and market research firm IDC think iOS has a significant lead over Android. Moreover, 53.2 percent of respondents think iOS will win the battle for enterprise versus 37.3 percent saying that Android will win...

These leadership tips explain why Steve Jobs was the world’s best CEO

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 18, 2018

Steve Jobs used to be frequently named the world's best CEO - and for a number of reasons, too. Apple's co-founder was (in)famous for his unique corporate style that flies against just about every conventional management lesson taught at universities. Indeed, one could learn a lot about business and life in general from Steve.

If you feel like expanding your horizons today, you should check out this collection of memorable business tips from Steve's authorized biographer Walter Isaacson and Ken Segall, the marketing wizard and author of a new book titled "Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success".

RIM posts BlackBerry Mobile Fusion server with enterprise support for iOS devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 3, 2012

The ailing BlackBerry maker Research In Motion today released the BlackBerry Mobile Fusion enterprise server software, first announced last November.

Among the features is built-in support for tablets and smartphones running Apple's iOS and Google's Android software.

This is the first time RIM comprehensively supported iOS mobile devices in a major corporate enterprise server software.

Microsoft allegedly halting iPad purchases made with company funds

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 21, 2012

Just as the new iPad landed two weeks ago, taking off to a great start, software maker Microsoft is reportedly looking to put a ban on iPad purchases made with company funds. According to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, a new policy is being put in place by Microsoft’s Sales, Marketing, Services, IT, & Operations Group (SMSG) which sent an internal email to employees specifically stating that iPads and Macs are a no-go.

Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit makes Office and other utilities for the Mac, but the company also makes iPad peripherals and a number of apps for iOS devices, such as the MSN and SkyDrive programs. They're also rumored to have been working on bringing the full-blown Office suite to iPad, which would help Apple's tablet penetrate deeper into enterprise world.

Even though SMSG encompasses 46,000 Microsoft employees worldwide, it's unlikely that the ban Apple products will put a noticeable dent in the iPad's performance. Apple shipped 55 million iPads as of last December and is projected to sell 12 million units of the new model in this quarter alone, excluding iPad 2. An alleged email to Microsoft employees is included right below...

Study shows iPad usage among small businesses almost quadrupled

Jake Smith ∙ March 5, 2012

The iPad is a great tool for small businesses to take notes, create spreadsheets, word documents, charge clients, and more. Many businesses have already made the smart choice to move over to iOS, from platforms like RIM's Blackberry. Even the US. Air Force chose the iPad for its pilots.

Today, The Business Journal has posted a study showing that iPad usage has almost quadrupled among small businesses. From 2010 to 2011, iPad use in small businesses quadrupled...

RIM to Offer Enterprise Tools for iPhone and Android

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated March 9, 2016

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That's the approach BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is taking with its ailing smartphone market. The company has announced that it will be offering an easy way to get iPhones and Android users plugged into its enterprise tools.

The move by the once-dominant force in the business smartphone industry illustrates the relevance that Apple and Google have made in a sector that was almost entirely owned by RIM not that long ago.

Perhaps more importantly, this may well be the first sign of RIM trying to move away from offering hardware, in an attempt to concentrate on the software and security their past successes were built on.

AT&T Activates One Million iPhone 4S Devices

Guest Author ∙ October 20, 2011

The iPhone 4S has been a tremendous success for all three of the US carriers that currently sell the handset. But it seems that AT&T is getting a little more success compared to Apple's other two iPhone 4S partners.

AT&T today announced that it has activated more than one million iPhone 4S devices as of Tuesday, making the iPhone 4S launch the most successful launch in the carrier's history...

AT&T and Sprint Report iPhone 4S Success

Guest Author ∙ October 15, 2011

The iPhone 4S officially went on sale in the US yesterday, and unsurprisingly, it has provided record-setting sales for at least two of the three major U.S carriers that offer the device.

AT&T on Friday confirmed to BGR in an email that it has activated a record number of iPhones and is on track to double its previous record of activations in a single day.

Sprint, which didn’t start carrying the iPhone until this month, reported its best ever day of sales in retail, web, and telesales for a device family in Sprint history, thanks to the launch of the new iPhone 4S and iPhone 4...