Apple drops out of Top 5 in China, Galaxy S III tops iPhone 4S in Q3

The iPhone is the most common smartphone almost everywhere in the world... almost. According to analysts at Canalys, in the third quarter this year Apple dropped out of the Top 5 smartphone makers in the Chinese market.

And it's an important market - according to Canalys again, China became a bigger market than the US earlier this year.

Samsung maintains a tentative lead in China holding 14% of the market, with local maker Lenovo breathing down its neck with 13%.

To rub salt in the wound, Samsung's Galaxy S III took the title of "World's best-selling smartphone in Q3 2012," according to Strategy Analytics. There were 18 million Galaxy S III units sold and "only" 16.2 million iPhone 4S phones. Of course, iPhone 4S sales were down in Q3 because everyone was waiting for the iPhone 5 to launch.

Anyway, back to China. The third place there is surprising - it's held by Yulong, who are not known outside of China, but managed to score partnerships with the country's to major carriers - China Telecom and China Mobile.

Two better known brands round up the Top 5 - ZTE and Huawei. The last three companies have around 10% market share each. Apple is currently sixth with 8% (it had 9% in Q2).

In Q3 this year, there were around 50 million smartphones shipped in China, which is over a third of all smartphones shipped in the whole world for the three month period.

The growth in China comes primarily from cheap models ($70-$120) and the iPhone 4S can't compete with its price of $713 (the iPhone 5 is yet to launch in China, probably in December).

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Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_drops_out_of_top_5_in_china_galaxy_s_iii_tops_iphone_4s_in_q3-news-5058.php

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Analysts: 1.2 billion smartphones, tablets to be sold in 2013

1.2 billion smart devices is enough for entire population of India

Analysts are predicting that it's wise to be in the smartphone and tablet business right now, with a forecast of 1.2 billion "smart devices" to be sold worldwide in 2013.

This figure is up from the 821 million devices that technology research firm Gartner is predicting for this year.

Crossing that billion-sold mark will be due in part to businesses and IT departments being influenced by their workers' demands.

"BYOD [is] becoming a part of the devices policy," said Gartner Research Vice President Carolina Milanesi in a press release.

"We have seen consumer preferences shaping not only the vendors' landscape but also the way IT departments need to think about devices in the enterprise."

Predictions into 2016

Gartner analysts predict that 70 percent of total devices sold in 2012 will be "smart devices," which is defined as smartphones and tablets.

"In 2016, two-thirds of the mobile workforce will own a smartphone, and 40 percent of the workforce will be mobile," said Milanesi.

Tablets will be the key accelerator to mobility, according to analysts who are meeting in at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2012 in Barcelona this week.

The firm estimates that businesses will purchase 13 million tablets this year and more than triple that number by 2016, reaching 53 million units sold.

"For most businesses smartphones and tablets will not entirely replace PCs," explained Milanesi.

"But the ubiquity of smartphones and the increasing popularity of tablets are changing the way businesses look at their device strategies and the way consumers embrace devices."

The smart money Android smart devices

Google's Android operating system will be the biggest beneficiary of this ever-increasing smart device sales trend.

By 2016, Gartner estimates that the Android OS will account for 56 percent of smartphones sold to businesses in North America and Europe.

That is up from 34 percent in 2012 and virtually no penetration in 2010, says the firm.

"Today the wide range of brands and price points that the Android ecosystem is offering is winning over users," said Milanesi.

"While Apple remains the heartbeat by which the market moves, Google has rapidly become its archrival."

Windows 8 the third wheel as RIM loses ground

Gartner sees Windows 8 as a strong No. 3 tablet OS by 2016, with demand coming from businesses as opposed to consumers.

"Tablets and convertibles will be the way into businesses for Windows 8," predicted the firm.

Windows 8 tablets and ultramobiles in businesses will reach 39 percent in 2016, estimated Gartner.

Milanesi didn't lay out such a rosy forecast for RIM and its line of Blackberry devices.

"As businesses are looking for a multi-device strategy and a rich application portfolio it is clear that RIM has a huge challenge ahead in regaining its key presence in the enterprise."

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/analysts-1-2-billion-smartphones-tablets-to-be-sold-in-2013-1110631

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Analyst: 1.2 billion smartphones, tablets to be sold in 2013

1.2 billion smart devices is enough for entire population of India

Analysts are predicting that it's wise to be in the smartphone and tablet business right now, with a forecast of 1.2 billion "smart devices" to be sold worldwide in 2013.

This figure is up from the 821 million devices that technology research firm Gartner is predicting for this year.

Crossing that billion-sold mark will be due in part to businesses and IT departments being influenced by their workers' demands.

"BYOD [is] becoming a part of the devices policy," said Gartner Research Vice President Carolina Milanesi in a press release.

"We have seen consumer preferences shaping not only the vendors' landscape but also the way IT departments need to think about devices in the enterprise."

Smartphone, tablet sales predictions into 2016

Gartner analysts predict that 70 percent of total devices sold in 2012 will be "smart devices," which is defined as smartphones and tablets.

"In 2016, two-thirds of the mobile workforce will own a smartphone, and 40 percent of the workforce will be mobile," said Milanesi.

Tablets will be the key accelerator to mobility, according to the analysts who are meeting in at the the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2012 in Barcelona this week.

The firm estimates that businesses will purchase 13 million tablets this year and more than triple that number by 2016, reaching 53 million units sold.

"For most businesses smartphones and tablets will not entirely replace PCs," explained Milanesi.

"But the ubiquity of smartphones and the increasing popularity of tablets are changing the way businesses look at their device strategies and the way consumers embrace devices."

The smart money Android smart devices

Google's Android operating system will be the biggest beneficiary of this ever-increasing smart device sales trend.

By 2016, Gartner estimates that the Android OS will account for 56 percent of smartphones sold to businesses in North America and Europe.

That is up from 34 percent in 2012 and virtually no penetration in 2010, says the firm.

"Today the wide range of brands and price points that the Android ecosystem is offering is winning over users," said Milanesi.

"While Apple remains the heartbeat by which the market moves, Google has rapidly become its archrival."

Windows 8 plays the third wheel, as RIM loses ground

Gartner sees Windows 8 as a strong No. 3 tablet OS by 2016, with demand coming from businesses as opposed to consumers.

"Tablets and convertibles will be the way into businesses for Windows 8," predicted the firm.

Windows 8 tablets and ultramobiles in businesses will reach 39 percent in 2016, estimated Gartner.

Milanesi didn't lay out such a rosy forecast for RIM and its line of Blackberry devices.

"As businesses are looking for a multi-device strategy and a rich application portfolio it is clear that RIM has a huge challenge ahead in regaining its key presence in the enterprise."

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/analyst-1-2-billion-smartphones-tablets-to-be-sold-in-2013-1110631

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Samsung tops the global smartphone market, as HTC, Nokia and RIM fall further behind

Research published by market analysts IDC has put Samsung way out in front of its rivals in the global smartphone market share charts, where Nokia has disappeared from the top five for the first time, and HTC has dropped several spots too.

Market analyst company IDC has released the latest version of its Mobile Phone Tracker information chart, showing where it places the world’s major phone manufacturers regarding smartphone market share and sales. Samsung is the star of the show, a fact reflected in its own quarterly results, while Nokia, HTC and Research in Motion all show signs of suffering at both its, and Apple’s hands.

Samsung has retained its position at the top of the charts, with a 31.3-percent market share, up from 22.7-percent last year. It’s estimated to have shipped 56 million smartphones between July and September, a huge improvement over the already impressive 28 million from the same period last year.

The Korean company has also announced its financial report for the same period, posting $7.4 billion in profits, beating its previous record for the fourth consecutive time. A Reuters piece on the subject puts its smartphone shipments at 58 million, slightly higher than IDC’s figure, and says that between 18 and 20 million of that amount were Galaxy S3 handsets.

HTC drops behind RIM and ZTE

Apple comes second in IDC’s ranking, with 15-percent of the smartphone market, up from 13.8-percent this time last year, and we all know how it has been performing recently. Research in Motion is gamely holding on to third position with a market share of 4.3-percent, down from 9.6-percent last year, but ZTE is a mere 0.1-percent behind — making a position change likely in IDC’s next report.

Finally, the top five is rounded out by HTC. This time last year, it had a 10.3-percent market share, and was ahead of both RIM and ZTE, but now, with a dismal 4-percent, it trails both of them. It’s shown to have sold 7.3 million smartphones this quarter, highlighting the gulf that has opened up between it, Apple and particularly Samsung.

To try to drum up some business in Europe, HTC has today launched Best Deals, a variation on the popular daily deal system, where HTC owners can enter their own deal preferences and, based on location, the app will return relevant offers. There are 12 providers signed up to Best Deals, including iVoucher, Daily Deal, Qype and LivingSocial, but perhaps crucially, not Groupon. The Best Deals app looks to be part of HTC Sense, is compatible with the One X, One S, One X+, the 8X and 8S, and will be available in the UK, Italy, Germany, France and Spain in November.

Nokia leaves the top five for the first time

Finally, we come to Nokia, a company absent from IDC’s top five smartphone companies for the first time since it first began keeping records in 2004. It does still appear in the overall list of general phone manufacturers though, and in second position. It has shipped a massive 82 million phones during the third quarter, down from the 106 million it shipped during the same period last year, and it retains an 18.7-percent market share.

Samsung again tops this list, with a 23-percent market share and a grand total of 105.4 million phones leaving its warehouse.

There’s no sign of the global smartphone market slowing down either, as the 179 million smartphones sold this summer is 45.3-percent more than this time last year.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/research-shows-samsung-tops-the-global-smartphone-market/

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Apple iPhone 5 expected to sell 10M units this month alone

The Apple iPhone 5 is barely out the door and pre-orders haven't even started yet, but analysts have already come up with the first forecasts for its market performance. RBC Capital Markets is expecting the new iOS flagship smartphone to ship 8 to 10 million units this month alone.

The iPhone 5 will only launch on September 21, but it will already be available in 31 countries before the month's end. Given that the iPhone 4S managed 4 million sales across just 7 markets in its first weekend alone, you can see that the RBC Capital Markets predictions are quite realistic.

The total iPhone shipments (including 4 and 4S) for the third quarter are expected to reach 33 million, which would be an improvement over the 26 million sold in Q2. However, should this predication come true, the company won't be able to beat its record-setting holiday quarter last year. That should happen in Q4 though, as the iPhone 5 reaches over 100 countries.

Some might argue that the Apple iPhone 5 isn't the biggest upgrade imaginable, but then again, neither was the iPhone 4S and that didn't stop it from becoming the most successful iPhone, as well as the best selling smartphone to date.

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Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_5_expected_to_sell_10m_units_this_month_alone-news-4799.php

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New Intel chips coming as sales outlook takes a hit

Can the chipmaker turn things around with new processors?

Intel is one of the top chipmakers in the world, but according to analysts' predictions and the Santa Clara, Calif. company's own financial outlook, things are not looking up in the PC business.

Reuters reports that at least eight analysts have shared bad tidings for Intel, with poor economies in major markets (Europe, the US and China) and increasing demand for mobile devices (versus desktops/laptops) to blame.

A report from Gartner in July claimed that PC sales had fallen flat for the seventh quarter in a row during the second half of 2012.

And another analyst, Citigroup's Glen Yeung, told CNBC on Friday that "the worst third quarter in the history of PCs" is right around the corner.

"I would point out that this is the first time ever that Microsoft has changed operating systems, and it's not just PCs," Yeung said. "This time, there's a tablet involved, there's a smartphone involved."

Intel's negative outlook

Intel's lowered its own third-quarter revenue estimate, citing "weaker than expected demand in a challenging macroeconomic environment."

Intel rolled back its estimates by a full eight percent, a figure Reuters claims is "much more severe than expected."

And Intel's shares have fallen 11 percent since the end of April.

Blame poor economies all you want, but the fact is that Intel has fallen behind in the processor arms race, losing ground to chipmakers like Qualcomm in the mobile arena.

With forecasts so low, what can Intel do to bolster its fortunes?

Lean on Microsoft

Intel is looking forward to Microsoft's impending Windows 8 launch with hope in its heart and dollar signs where its eyes should be.

Intel's Ivy Bridge chip successor "Haswell" is expected to be introduced for the 2013 holiday season, and as TechRadar has pointed out in the past, Haswell chips are estimated to consume half the power of current processors.

That makes them a huge draw for energy-conscious customers and those craving better battery life.

Meanwhile, Intel's current Ivy Bridge architecture will power Windows 8 PCs in the fall.

Any number of those factors could combine to sell some PCs in the next year or so. In fact, Intel's counting on it.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/processors/new-intel-chips-coming-as-sales-outlook-takes-a-hit-1095633

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