Monday, January 17, 2011

Apple iPhone 5 Will Be "Completely Redesigned"

The Apple iPhone 5 will be a completely redesigned handset, says Engadget. That's just the sort of thing that can refresh the whole installed base of devices. Possibly due as early as the summer of 2011, the looming prospect of a completely-redesigned iPhone is likely to start causing users to wait on buying an iPhone 4.

That might be of special concern for Verizon Wireless, which just began selling the iPhone 4.

Amazon Will Control Android App Store Pricing

Amazon.com's new Android App Store is interesting for a couple of reasons. It would be a new and potentially influential independent app store, with huge brand name recognition.

Amazon at least potentially could play a role in curating mobile applications in way slightly different from what Apple has been doing at its own app store. Apple approves all apps. Amazon will do so as well, but says it will retain the right to determine the selling price for a paid app. That is consistent with Amazon's policies for other key products, such as Kindle e-books.

But that policy would be different from the model prevailing at most other app stores, especially the Android and iPhone stores.

It's hard to know in advance what impact such policies might have, but Amazon is an experienced retailer intent on applying sales knowledge to mobile apps as well. There is bound to be some friction, with some developers, over the control of retail pricing. On the other hand, Amazon and Apple have found good success with other products able to establish a consumer expectation of prici

Whether that can be done with applications of many types remains to be seen, but Amazon's approach will be instructive.

Mobile Allows Marketing to Shoppers at Every Touchpoint

While in-store digital technologies and media will play a significant role, mobile is the linchpin for next-generation shopper marketing, eMarketer argues.

Location-based check-ins and in-store mobile are starting to become significant for both retailers and brand marketers. And in the post-shop phase brands and retailers should find creative ways to encourage shoppers to share their stories on social media.

iPhone Owners Use QR Codes More than Android Owners

Apple iPhone owners used quick response codes three times more often than owners of Android devices by nearly three to one, according to a recent analysis by JumpScan, a QR service provider.

The trend is based on a recent sampling of 5,000 scans from mobile devices. Blackberry came in a distant third, generating approximately three percent of the overall scans.

“One of the reasons,” speculates JumpScan co-founder Mike McKearin, “could be that iPhone users had a significant jump start on mobile web, apps and emerging technologies. “We anticipate this gap closing as Android users quickly adapt to QR usage on the mobile web.

Apple Can Handle Ops Without Jobs; Innovation is the Issue

There is bound to be some market reaction from the news that Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, is taking medical leave. But the issues have more to do with vision, and the ability to create brand new markets, than actual operations at Apple. Apple's team seems well able to execute on its vision.

In the third quarter of 2010 Apple had four-percent unit share of smartphone sales, 22 percent sales value share and 50 percent of profit share. In part, that is because it has honed its manufacturing processes, some would say.

Few CEOs have created markets the way Jobs has. And that's the danger the financial markets will be trying to assess, not Apple's operations.

HTC Tops Other Android Handset Suppliers for Upgrades to Latest Version

HTC seems to be the most-prolific handset manufacturer in terms of introducing Android operating system upgrades, according to a study conducted by Computerworld. HTC upgraded 50 percent of its Android phones to to Froyo, the latest Android version, within 2010. Its average upgrade time is 56 days.

Motorola comes in second for number of upgrades, with 15.4 percent of its Android phones having tasted Froyo before the end of 2010. While that number sounds low, especially compared to HTC, note that Motorola had four handsets that weren't released until November 2010, which means those devices had far less time on the market before the year's end.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs Goes on Medical Leave

Steve Jobs, Apple CEO is taking medical leave at Apple. Jobs says he will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company, as apparently he has in the passt.

Tim Cook will be responsible for all of Apple’s day to day operations during the absence, as happened also when Jobs took his last leave.

At few companies is the potential departure of a CEO as crucial as at Apple, but it probably is worth noting that Apple has, in the past, continued to introduce major products of high market impact even when Jobs was not physically as present.

The iPad, another apparent breakthrough product, was launched after Jobs had a liver transplant.

The Roots of our Discontent

Political disagreements these days seem particularly intractable for all sorts of reasons, but among them are radically conflicting ideas ab...