Google Might Have Decided To Put Amazon.com Out Of Business [View article]
What would happen if Amazon are willing to offer Samsung a higher percentage of the revenue from music or app sales than Google? Would Samsung then include Amazons app store on their new phones? It's available from their website but unlike Googles app store isn't included in all handsets so the user has to install it manually. What counts against Googles app store is that it's got a lot of pointless apps (pranks, gimmicks etc.) as it isn't curated. Amazon are offering a free app every day which suggests they're trying to attract market share.
Sony doing a virtual reality headset for PS3 games could be the ultimate must-have item for gamers. Designed for eyeglass wearers and without the safety issues of being distracted while driving a vehicle. How soon before wearing Google glass while driving is made illegal? (using a cellphone already is) It won't be a replacement for a satellite-navigation unit after that.
Apple Launching A Low Priced iPhone Would Be The Ultimate Sell Signal [View article]
I think Apple have the talent to build an iphone for emerging markets which could be quite respectable. An ipod touch4g with GSM telephony and GPRS / EDGE data, without 3G / tethering / wifi-hotspot - what's the real cost of the extra circuits?
Google-Samsung Partnership: When The Hunter Becomes The Hunted [View article]
Why would Samsung stick with android and Google for just a small share of advertising revenue? If Samsung promote tizen phones they're likely to get a greater share and more control of the tizen environment including media sales. Didn't Amazon copy android for their own use in the kindle readers and marketplace?
But Apple aren't selling the iphone 3gs any more. If they needed something to eliminate the competition in the entry level market, the 3gs could be it.
Evidence is growing an iPhone 5S (AAPL +0.4%) will arrive around mid-year. Mizuho says checks indicate an iPhone refresh in June or July, and that March quarter iPhone shipments will fall to the 35M-40M range (in-line with consensus). Wedge Partners: "We understand Foxconn is currently prepping production lines for ... iPhone 5S production, which we believe is scheduled to begin in the April timeframe." The firm thinks the 5S will be unveiled at the WWDC conference (typically in June), with sales likely starting in July. MacOtakara recently reported Foxconn has begun 5S production. [View news story]
Samsung seem to be putting everything they can into phones, perhaps because they can do so and a desire to flood the market top to bottom with different models. Apple seem to be putting more thought into the designs (metal cases?) but at what cost in business terms (market share)? Apple need to hire the PR company Samsung use!!! Even if Samsung put NFC chips in their phones I doubt there's much need for them in the current lifecycle of their phones (lack of software) and the card issuers (Mastercard and Visa) are likely to start sending out debit cards with NFC chips soon.
quote " If Google refuses [more ad revenue], Samsung could go it alone with Tizen 2.0, " I think Samsung are already well advanced with tizen, are Samsung just trying to see what they can get from Google before abandoning them?
The tizen OS might be for real this time, otherwise why get involved with mobile networks? (http://bit.ly/10n29IK) With Vodafone, Sprint and Orange on board I think it's too late to walk away. Unlike previous attempts at alternative OS's like bada there's linux and android to provide the underlying software for a handset - all the hard work's been done by other people and a software upgrade can convert unsold android handsets to tizen. I'm sure Amazon would really want to be the apps and music store partner for Samsung.
Apple Has No Choice But To Make A Larger iPhone [View article]
The 8 core processor and 2GB RAM far exceed my desktop PC. 1.8GHz clock speed would be a good marketing spin, to get even half-decent battery life you'd need to cut that down which would also avoid heat dissipation problems. A 2.1-megapixel user facing camera is completely pointless when Skype for android is useless even for voice calls. Perhaps Samsung could offer to fix the Skype app while they're aiming a smartphone at the mini-tablet end of the market. A case of "lets flood the market and hope everyone buys something suitable" ?
Google Still Offers Reasonable Value But Only For Long-Term Investors [View article]
quote " huge successes such as ... , Android " I don't know how much money Google are making from the android software itself. It's given away free and while there might be some revenue from the adverts it's seems more about marketing. However Samsung look like putting their efforts towards the tizen platform, being able to copy the android source code and use it to build their own handset. There's the opportunity to run existing android apps sold from the Amazon website with possibly more profit than they'd get by remaining with Google.
Apple Has The Cash To Drive Its Shares Back To $700 [View article]
quote " As a result of being so guarded about its future " - of course, with android handset makers being quick to adapt to whatever innovations other companies spend lots of R&D money on. News about the iwatch makes me wonder if it's coming sooner rather than later?
Disney Showcases Apple's iWatch Potential [View article]
An interesting point about the magicband - Transport for London have recently upgraded their electronic bus fare payment system (oystercard, see http://www.tfl.gov.uk) to work with the NFC chips in credit and debit cards. Using an NFC chip in something as widely used as a watch linked to an itunes or debit card account could have a lot of potential.
Could I summarise this article as "fragmentation of android versions is Googles biggest headache" ? Android version 2.3 is obsolete but still sold on new phones sold as entry-level products, perhaps because it's a lightweight OS that doesn't need the computing power of a desktop PC. Perhaps Google does need to be scared of Samsung if tizen is able to substitute for entry-level android handsets. I'm also wondering about gmails dominance - how much of that is due to the need for a gmail account with every android handset, whether or not email is sent?
The Non-Decline And Fall Of Apple [View article]
Google Might Have Decided To Put Amazon.com Out Of Business [View article]
What If Google Glass Flops? [View article]
Apple Launching A Low Priced iPhone Would Be The Ultimate Sell Signal [View article]
Google-Samsung Partnership: When The Hunter Becomes The Hunted [View article]
Has Samsung Dethroned Apple? [View article]
Evidence is growing an iPhone 5S (AAPL +0.4%) will arrive around mid-year. Mizuho says checks indicate an iPhone refresh in June or July, and that March quarter iPhone shipments will fall to the 35M-40M range (in-line with consensus). Wedge Partners: "We understand Foxconn is currently prepping production lines for ... iPhone 5S production, which we believe is scheduled to begin in the April timeframe." The firm thinks the 5S will be unveiled at the WWDC conference (typically in June), with sales likely starting in July. MacOtakara recently reported Foxconn has begun 5S production. [View news story]
It's Time For Apple To Buy BlackBerry [View article]
Samsung, Google Or Apple? [View article]
Google To Part Ways With Samsung? [View article]
Apple Has No Choice But To Make A Larger iPhone [View article]
Google Still Offers Reasonable Value But Only For Long-Term Investors [View article]
Apple Has The Cash To Drive Its Shares Back To $700 [View article]
Disney Showcases Apple's iWatch Potential [View article]
Google Needs The Swagger Of A Boss [View article]