iPhone particularly popular among the young and the old
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pThe iPhone is twice as popular as comparable smartphones among young’uns and older folks. This from a survey conducted by the analysts at mobile advertising firmnbsp;a href=”http://www.admob.com/”AdMob/a, who pollednbsp;a total of 963 iPhone, Android OS, webOS, and iPod touch users on their demographics and usage patterns. The survey was part of an opt-in initiative sent to users on their mobile devices./p
pAccording to the statistics, 14 percent of those on the iPhone were 55 or older, while only eight percent of Android users and seven percent of webOS were in the same age group. Similarly, iPhone users under the age of 17 made up for 13 percent of the sample, while Android and webOS users of the same age made up for less than 10 percent combined. Apple could do especially well if its young iPod touch demographic (65 percent of all iPod touch users were under 17) eventually upgrades to the iPhone, too.nbsp;/p
pIt’s difficult to tell just how accurately the statistics portray the entire smartphone-using demographic. Likewise, without RIM’s series of BlackBerry devices, it’s even harder to see the whole picture.nbsp;Nonetheless, the numbers are at least representative of users receiving ads on the AdMob network, and it seems at least a little curious as to why the upper and lower echelon of age are so heavily in Apple’s favor.nbsp;The teenagers are most likely using the device as a status symbol while thenbsp;handset’s ease of use might have a hand in attracting the older demographic. But twice as much as other smartphones? Let us know what you think./p
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How smartphones are bogging down some wireless carriers
It’s no secret that the iPhone has taxed AT&T’s network in densely populated areas, especially New York and San Francisco. Reports of problems using iPhones at major tech conferences, like SXSWi, Macworld Expo, CES, and NAMM are not unusual. The iPhone’s ease of use and focus on mobile media generally lead to higher data usage on average, but despite claims by AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega, the amount of data being consumed is rarely the problem. The issue has to do with how modern smartphones—beginning with the iPhone—save power by disconnecting from the network whenever possible.
Even though AT&T has made improvements to its network over the last couple of years—including moving towers to an 850MHz spectrum that can more easily penetrate building walls, as well as upgrading to faster 7.2Mbps HSPA+ protocols—those improvements have done little to stem the tide of complaints from consumers in larger urban areas. Those users experience frequent dropped calls and an inability to make data connections, and in general they feel that service is spotty.
Paid Hulu version for iPad makes sense if done correctly
Your favorite shows from Hulu may be coming to the iPad after all, but only if you’re a paying customer. Sources speaking to MediaMemo say that Hulu is considering a pay version of Hulu on the iPad as part of its larger plan to eventually charge for content.
The company has been entertaining the idea of introducing some kind of pay model to its TV and movie offerings since at least mid-2009 and probably earlier. Since then, Hulu has been discussing the possibilities a little more publicly, with the most recent talks involving the idea of putting back episodes of shows behind a paywall while keeping recent TV episodes free.
The latest news out of MediaMemo has the company considering moving from a one-screen model (keeping shows limited to your browser) to a three-screen service: computer, TV, and mobile. “Just three screens alone is pretty enticing,” one unnamed executive told MediaMemo.
Indeed, the browser limitation was one that we heavily criticized when the idea of Hulu charging for content first came out; if the company allowed TV and mobile streaming as part of the subscription plan, but kept browser-watching free, it could very well entice consumers to fork over a few dollars every month. “Everyone’s concerned about making a strong offering at a good price, and not undercutting the existing business,” another source said.
Such a move move wouldn’t be surprising—it’s a common practice for companies that offer multiple tiers of service to only make extras available to paying subscribers. The bigger question would be how Hulu plans to bring its content to mobile devices when Flash support is still missing from the most popular of those devices (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad included).
The company isn’t stupid, though—we were told recently that Hulu listens closely to customer requests and is constantly evaluating how it can improve the viewing experience. Translation: we’ll consider ditching Flash for other technologies if our customers want it bad enough (and we can convince the content providers to go for it).
etc: Those who got a chance to try out Opera Mini 5 for iPhone in person are saying it’s "fast like a rocket" thanks to Opera’s proxy and compression tech.
Those who got a chance to try out Opera Mini 5 for iPhone in person are saying it’s “fast like a rocket” thanks to Opera’s proxy and compression tech.
Read More:
Wired, previous Ars coverage
Apple tells devs that location-based advertising is a no-no
In a recent post to its iPhone Developers news site, Apple warned developers not to use location data to serve location-specific ads in their apps. The move comes shortly after Apple acquired its own mobile advertising firm, Quattro Wireless.
Apple wants developers to use CoreLocation, the API that allows developers to find your location based on GPS coordinates and other data, to give users “beneficial information.” This concept is at work when Yelp shows you nearby restaurants, or when RunKeeper tracks your jogging progress on a map.
However, the company warns, “[i]f your app uses location-based information primarily to enable mobile advertisers to deliver targeted ads based on a user’s location, your app will be returned to you by the App Store Review Team for modification before it can be posted to the App Store.”
Apple doesn’t appear to be opposed to location-based targeted advertising in principle. It has filed patents for location-based targeted advertising, especially in relation to offering currently playing songs or videos at a particular location for purchase via iTunes.
It may be that Apple merely wants to avoid giving out iPhone user’s location data to third parties, especially without permission, with no guarantee about how the data is used. But it also stands to reason that Apple may be planning its own location-based advertising service based on its recent acquisition of Quattro Wireless. It would be unfair of Apple to keep that data all to itself, however. The company did not respond to our request for comment this morning.
Apple may have business-friendly iPad features up its sleeve
Disagreements about the lack of certain features aside, Apple clearly had casual computer users in mind when building the iPad. Still, that doesn’t mean Apple will ignore enterprise users, which have been adopting the iPhone in growing numbers.
iWork is a nod to users who need to get work done using an iPad. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote cover word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation tasks. The iPad can also be attached to a projector to give a presentation directly from the device. You can still import and export files compatible with Microsoft’s Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, just like you can with the desktop versions.
If for some reason iWork won’t serve your productivity needs, at the very least it serves as a proof of concept. Microsoft could develop iPad versions of Office apps if it determines that the demand was there. And, while Office is pervasive in the corporate world, the potential for productivity apps from other vendors is there as well—Omni is already talking about porting OmniGraffle to the iPad, for instance.
The iPad still retains the enterprise features of iPhone OS, including Exchange ActiveSync support for e-mail, contacts, and calendars. But according to AppleInsider’s sources, Apple has some enterprise-friendly features planned for the iPad that haven’t yet been publicly announced. One feature is a planned ability to access standard file servers on a local network. The other is the ability to print to networked printers. Combined with Office-compatible iWork apps, an iPad could be useful for many routine business tasks.
These features won’t make the iPad appealing for every business. Especially in larger corporate environments, admins still need better management tools than Apple currently offers for its mobile devices. And security must remain a priority, since many corporations have legal responsibilities to protect certain kinds of data.
Still, its good to see Apple is thinking about some of the business use cases for the iPad, since its size and weight will likely appeal to some enterprise users.
Apple opens up VoIP over 3G, finally
Good news came today for iPhone users who enjoy unlimited data plans, but often find themselves running low on minutes. According to two different developer accounts, Apple has lifted the ban on transmitting voice over IP traffic across the AT&T 3G network.
According to a press release published by VoIP company iCall (hat tip to Engadget), Apple’s release of the updated iPhone developer SDK made it possible for iCall to enable VoIP over 3G. The release of the 3.2 SDK yesterday was iPad only, though some expect this functionality to spill over into the iPhone. fring, makers of the another VoIP iPhone application, has confirmed that the restriction has been lifted. It, too, has an updated application (hat tip to Slashdot) available for download that makes use of the AT&T 3G network.
You may remember back in October when AT&T changed its stance regarding iPhone VoIP traffic on its network. This, of course, was after the FCC began an investigation into Google Voice rejections in early August. There are currently two developers with updated VoIP applications that we are aware of, but it seems likely that more will follow in the weeks to come.
What is peculiar about this situation is the wording in iCall’s press release stating that an updated SDK was responsible for the change. It seems more likely that Apple simply changed the wording of some of its developer agreements, making it kosher for developers to make the changes. However, if that’s all it took, why did Apple wait so long before opening up the floodgates?
Apple responsible for 99.4% of mobile app sales in 2009 (Updated)
The latest report from market research firm Gartner suggests that mobile apps are big business, and that business should only grow in the next few years. According to Gartner’s numbers and those reported by Apple, Apple completely owns this market, likely grabbing almost every one of the 4.2 billion dollars spent on mobile apps in 2009. Based on Gartner’s estimates and our own analysis, Apple could hold on to at least two-thirds of the market if current sales trends hold for 2010.
Apple first opened the App Store in July 2008, along with the launch of the iPhone 3G and the release of iPhone OS 2.0. Sales were brisk, with 300 million apps sold by December. After the holidays, that number had jumped to 500 million. Earlier this month, Apple announced that sales had topped 3 billion; that means iPhone users downloaded 2.5 billion apps in 2009 alone. Gartner’s figures show another 16 million apps that could come from other platform’s recently opened app stores, giving Apple at least 99.4 percent of all mobile apps sold for the year.
Apple responsible for 99.4% of mobile app sales in 2009
The latest report from market research firm Gartner suggests that mobile apps are big business, and that business should only grow in the next few years. According to Gartner’s numbers, Apple completely owns this market, grabbing almost every one of the 4.2 billion dollars spent on mobile apps in 2009. Based on Gartner’s estimates and our own analysis, Apple could hold on to at least two-thirds of the market if current sales trends hold for 2010.
Apple first opened the App Store in July 2008, along with the launch of the iPhone 3G and the release of iPhone OS 2.0. Sales were brisk, with 300 million apps sold by December. After the holidays, that number had jumped to 500 million. Earlier this month, Apple announced that sales had topped 3 billion; that means iPhone users downloaded 2.5 billion apps in 2009 alone. Gartner’s figures show another 16 million apps that could come from other platform’s recently opened app stores, giving Apple at least 99.4 percent of all mobile apps sold for the year.
Apple wants Nokia’s US imports blocked
The war continues between Apple and Nokia as Apple asks the International Trade Commission to block imports of Nokia devices thanks to a patent dispute. Apple’s complaint to the ITC is similar to one that Nokia filed last month against Apple.
The spat goes back to October 2009, when Nokia filed a lawsuit against Apple claiming that the iPhone used technology that violated 10 of Nokia’s patents related to 2G, 3G, and mobile WiFi technologies.
At the time, Nokia claimed that Apple was “attempting to get a free ride on the back of Nokia’s innovation” and wanted Apple to cough up royalties.
Apple responded by filing its own countersuit against Nokia—the company said that Nokia’s claims were unfounded and that Nokia itself had violated 13 of Apple’s patents related to the iPhone. “Nokia has demonstrated its willingness to copy Apple’s iPhone ideas as well as Apple’s basic computing technologies,” read the countersuit, “all while demanding Apple pay for access to Nokia’s purported standards essential patent.”
In its December filing with the ITC, Nokia took the fight a step further by not only targeting the iPhone, but iPods and Macs as well. At that time, Nokia said that Apple was using technology from seven of Nokia’s patents, largely related to digital cameras, user interface, antennas, and power management. Late last week, Apple fired back once again with its own complaint to the ITC, asking the agency to block US imports of Nokia’s phones due to patent infringement.
Nokia says that it will keep defending itself, and that Apple’s complaint doesn’t negate the fact that the company is still leeching off of Nokia’s innovations. “[T]his does not alter the fact that Apple has failed to agree appropriate terms for using Nokia technology,” Nokia spokesperson Mark Durrant told Bloomberg.
The ITC has not yet agreed to investigate either of the complaints, but an injunction against either company could have serious ramifications on the US handheld market. A Nokia spokesperson said last month, however, that such a decision probably wouldn’t come down until 2011—it’s likely that the two companies will negotiate a settlement before then.
