Android Gains (and Palm Loses) Market Share
Here’s the rundown: Google gained a huge 2.7 percent of the market, moving from 2.5 percent in September to 5.2 percent in December. Meanwhile, Palm fell massively from 8.3 percent to 6.1 percent over the period. Both RIM and Microsoft lost one percent of market share, with RIM dropping from 42.6 percent to 41.6 percent, and MS from 19 percent to 18 percent. Apple gained 1.2 percent overall, jumping from 24.1 percent to 25.3.
Interesting numbers…looking at this I realized I’m already working from a unfounded assumption that the mobile battle is 100% Android vs. iPhone, but there are so many more players when you step back to think about it.
It seems like the key thing that needs to shake out is Apps — what and how many platforms will ultimately attract developers — but aside from that, mobile world can probably support multiple platforms for some time to come.
If you’re a Blackberry or Palm partisan, for instance, I doubt you’re going to see an explosion of apps, but you might already have good enough stuff built in; Microsoft users are probably most worried about extending Outlook and Exchange to their phones and don’t need thousands of additional apps.
Of those mentioned, I think Palm is perhaps in the most trouble unless they get a killer app ramped up soon. Ms. D loves her Palm (nee Treo) for reporting tasks, messaging, its connectivity to Palm Desktop, and its brick like battery-life. Most of that Treo-ness was designed out of the Palm Pre series, unfortunately, so it’s not like she’s got a direct upgrade path from Treo to Pre. (Nobody is supporting Palm Desktop anymore, which gives me headaches trying to help her connect and sync.) So her next step is a question mark — potentially an iPhone, if it moves from AT&T, or some sort of Android that catches her eye down the road.
Excellent Idea: Priceline iPhone App
Here I am set on getting an Android phone and I see this. Very, very cool.
For YEARS I’ve been looking for the solution to being on the roadtrip and getting stuck with ridiculously high prices on Interstate motels.
Back in college I worked in motels in a time when the sophisticated traveler knew that you could haggle on a room price if it was late at night or if you were in a resort area in the off season — it seems like fewer and fewer of the hourly drones behind the counters at chain motels get that freedom.
So, picture this — you’re zipping up on Knoxville, Tennessee, ready to turn in for the night and you hit up your iPhone get a Priceline deal on a 2.5 star motel.
Holy half price, Captain Kirk.
After just last weekend legging it out to make it to hotel rooms that I bought on Priceline before the trip ($45 to stay in Chattanooga, but by the time we got there it was 2 a.m.) I’ve gotta say the Priceline app would be priceless.
Now, here’s hoping an Android app is coming. (Am I getting myself in that situation again? Waiting on the Mac app…waiting on the Android app…)
Apple Reports Fourth Quarter Results
So, this week Apple posted exceptional results for Q3 or 2009 (their fiscal fourth quarter), showing adjusted revenues of $9.87 billion dollars representing $12.25 billion in actual sales in the period. (The company has to adjust sales for the iPhone and Apple TV over their estimated economic lives to meet GAAP accounting rules.)
Both Mac computers and iPhones saw unit growth over the year-ago quarter, while the iPod fell slightly. The company sold more Macs and iPhones than it ever has in a single quarter, suggesting amazing staying power across its product lines.
For the full year, Apple posted revenue growth of 12 percent and net income grew 18 percent, suggesting that being in the business of selling Macs and iPhones is simply a nice place to be.
Apple gave guidance pointing toward $12 billion in revenues for their Q1 2010 (Q4 2009), suggesting they plan to sell some stuff for the holiday season. Probably a safe bet.
Apple Reports Fourth Quarter Results.
Apple Posts ‘Best Non-Holiday Quarter Ever’
Don’t tell Apple there’s a recession on. With the launch of the iPhone 3Gs as part of its mix this quarter, the company reporting revenues of $8.34 billion, with a net quarterly profit of $1.43 billion. That’s compared to a year-ago quarter of $7.46b and $1.07b respectively.
(Microsoft in the year-ago quarter did $15.84b and $5.68b. Just FYI.)
Mac sales increased 4 percent over the year-ago quarter with Mac portables up 13 percent of year-over-year.
The 10.2 million iPods sold was a decline of 7 percent, which might give some cause for concern. Fortunately that concern is mitigated somewhat by the fact that iPhones sales increased 626 percent in unit growth over the year-ago quarter. 
You can listen to the audio webcast until early August.
End of an Era: Macworld
Apple announced today that Steve Jobs would not keynote the San Francisco Macworld Expo in January 2009, suggesting (a.) that there isn’t anything cool enough for Jobs to personally go public with and (b.) that Apple feels the tradeshow has runs its course in terms of usefulness to the company. According to the press release, this will be Apple’s last yearon the show floor, as well. The release cites the growth of their Apple Stores as a way for them to reach out to customers.
The increasing popularity of Apple’s Retail Stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com website enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways.
It’s been years since I’ve attended a Macworld Expo myself (I don’t remember how many, but certainly my last show was before I moved to Mississippi in 2001), but I remember them fondly, particularly as I was attending through the lean years, pre-Jobs, when there were few enough of us “Mac authors” still fighting it out with the PC snobs and the Apple dead-enders. I remember the Return of Jobs in Boston in 1997, although I wasn’t there for that one…I believe there was a QuickTime simulcast. I think I WAS there in 1998 for Macworld SF, and I’ve seen Jobs do his live thing a number of times since.
I remember the fight over moving Macworld from Boston to New York (I was there for at least one of those; I remember meeting one of my editors at a great bar on 9th Avenue back when I was living there) and then Apple’s subsequent pulling of the plug on that one, too.
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