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Year 2010

Entries 5 Total

What has Android done for Apple?

Dec 20, ’10 12:00 AM

One of the most popular themes running through the mobile phone industry this year has been the unprecedented growth in Android adoption. I’ve argued that the adoption was initiated on the supply side by vendors and operators, but demand has certainly manifested itself.

Android is almost viral in the way it spreads. With no constraints on intellectual property, pricing, contracts, modification or terms of distribution, the incentives to push product out are phenomenal. It even works, mostly.

One hypothesis of the consequences of this viral adoption is that there will be a “commoditization” of smartphones with rapid price erosion to follow. This in turn might even lead to lower margins for Apple and RIM and most major vendors, including those selling Android itself.

In order to test this hypothesis, we need to look at what has been happening to prices.

Continue Reading… Comments (47)

[Updated] RIM’s sales down 15% in the US, up 112% outside the US

Dec 17, ’10 11:37 AM

First, a round-up of the quarter’s numbers:

  • 14.2 million devices shipped, sell-through: 12.3 million
  • expect to ship 14.5 to 15 million units in the next quarter
  • ASP of approximately $315
  • US, UK and Canada are 56% of sales
  • US represented 34% of the total revenue
  • Last year US represented 57% of revenue
  • BlackBerry Torch launched in over 75 new markets, Torch launched with the $99 pricing from AT&T
  • BlackBerry Curve 3G launched with 118 carriers in 48 countries
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[Sponsor] Marketcircle: business applications for Mac, iPhone and iPad

Dec 15, ’10 8:13 PM

I want to thank Marketcircle for their support and for their great software.

Marketcircle develops business applications small businesses and individuals who use the Mac, iPhone, and iPad. They have two core product lines; Daylite business productivity management software, and Billings, a professional time billing and invoicing application.

I tried both products and consider them a great way to integrate your operations and improve productivity.

Daylite is a CRM solution that integrates Contacts, Calendars, Projects, Opportunities, Tasks and Email on the desktop and includes an iPhone client.

Billings Pro is the best multi-user time tracking and invoicing application for Mac, iPhone and web.

As I’ve mentioned in my stats round-up Mac and iOS users make up a majority of the audience for Asymco. As I also expect many of you are using Macs in a working environment and are either self-employed or work in small firms, Marketcircle’s applications could be a valuable addition to your operations.

Strongly recommended. They offer free trials. Read more here.

[bonus: they're from Canada and everybody loves Canadians.]

Comments (1)

It’s time for Apple to look at owning factories again

Dec 15, ’10 12:37 PM

Toshiba plant to make LCD panels for Apple: report | Reuters.

Apple will invest in a portion of the investment for the factory, the Nikkei said.

This is one of the more interesting news items I’ve seen for a while.

[UPDATE] Toshiba denies rumor Apple will invest in mobile display subsidiary

There was a time when Apple designed and owned factories. From an interview with John Sculley:

That went all the way through to the systems when he built the Macintosh factory. It was supposed to be the first automated factory but what it really was a final assembly and test factory with a  pick-to-pack robotic automation. It is not as novel today as it was 25 years ago, but I can remember when the CEO of General Motors along with  Ross Perot came out just to look at the  Macintosh factory. All we were doing was final assembly and test but it was done so beautifully. It was as well thought through in design as a factory–a lights out factory requiring many people–as the products were.

During the 90s the manufacturing function moved outside Apple’s ownership umbrella. It was more economical, more flexible and more scaleable to outsource manufacturing to Asia. The time has come to rethink this.

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Asia drives Android

Dec 13, ’10 11:03 PM

Andy Rubin, the executive in charge of Google’s mobile software effort, said that international expansion lay behind the latest advance. Speaking in an interview with the Financial Times, he also predicted that a boom in sales in India, Brazil, Indonesia and other emerging countries would contribute to the fast growth rate for the foreseeable future.

Quoting independent research suggesting that Android has also come to account for half of smartphone shipments in China, Mr Rubin said that the open-source nature of the software had made it popular there. However, in the wake of Google’s dispute over censorship with the Chinese government, Android handsets shipped by China Mobile, the dominant supplier, do not carry the company’s search or e-mail services.

via FT.com / Technology – Booming Asia drives Google’s Android.

This was already confirmed by the data published here this morning.

Verizon alone or with the other US operators cannot account for the majority of Android volumes and anecdotal evidence points out that Europe is not contributing much more.

Comments (48)