Apple and Facebook started the ball rolling and have directly paid out billions to developers to date. Insatiable hater vituperation aside, the iOS space is still far n’ away the most lucrative and innovative place for devs to be. However, like so many created in Silicon Valley innovations, the app-conomy has taken on a life of its own, reshaping how software is made, sold and used.
Damned if you don’t, damned if you do. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said more than a couple times that his company couldn’t grow its subscriber base without Apple’s smartphone in its catalog. Yes, the number three US carrier now has the iPhone and subscriber numbers are climbing, but that hasn’t yet translated into profit for the troubled carrier.
Apple has been beating the legal tar out of Android handset makers. The home button, slide to unlock and a host of other Apple patented design features that once could be found on Android devices are gone, but the battles still aren’t over and, with the issuance of this patent, unlikely to subside any time soon.
What else would you expect from people with an observable preference for “two-for-one” and “free” phone deals? Yes, folks that prefer Android also seem to have a preference for one-night stands. But, they’re not the only smartphone owners on the make — yes, dear iPhone owner, you too are what you own and here comes the data from Match.com.
Since Apple’s latest smartphone sensation shipped on Friday, October 14, it has been listed as out-of-stock on Apple Stores and at third-party resellers worldwide, meaning that ordering one probably meant waiting a week or more. That has finally changed with Apple and the great majority of its partnering showing immediate availability — yeah.
There are four major wireless carriers here in the land of milk and Honey Nut Cheerios, and only three of them are selling the iPhone. So, if you were the odd man out, flush with cash and ready to top up your network “free” spectrum from AT&T, what would you do? Although it’s unlikely that T-Mobile will start selling the world changing device any time soon, they will be offering additional iPhone support options from Monday, January 30.
When you walk into an AT&T retail outlet, you will see a lot of Android devices. In fact, the majority of the store will be dedicated to devices other than the iPhone, which is exactly the opposite of what you would expect given the carrier’s actual sales and activation numbers.
Apple opened the App Store back on July 10, 2008 with the promise to developers that they would keep 70 percent of whatever price they chose to charge for their apps. Since then, an entire new industry sprang up to meet the needs of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users, as well as take a stab at getting rich and some did.
And, Apple tallies very nice margins as a result. Further, well over one third of iPhone buyers came from another platform. With Apple preparing to deliver fiscal results for the holiday quarter on Tuesday, perhaps the only meaningful question still unanswered is how good it will all turn out.
In fact, the great majority of them don’t fade away either. Well, perhaps eventually. It seems the great majority of old iPhones get passed to new owners who, in fact, activate and use them. A new study finds a thriving market for hand-me-down and second-hand Apple smartphones — anything’s better than an Android, right?
Technology news Windows news Mac news Mobile technology news Green tech Buying guides Gaming news Photography news
