Latest News…
April 2011
iPhone owners poorer than BlackBerry users…
iPhone
owners are likely to have lower incomes and be less financially solvent than
BlackBerry owners, a survey by YouGov has found.
The YouGov
research revealed that BlackBerry owners and those with Android devices manage
their money more effectively than those who own Apple’s device. Meanwhile, 10%
of BlackBerry owners earn more than £50,000 a year, while only 5% of iPhone owners earn the same amount.
Despite a general perception of
being better-off, 50% of iPhone owners actually earn
under £20,000, compared with 38% who own a BlackBerry and 27% of Android users.
One in five iPhone users admits to being permanently overdrawn - almost double the national average of
Brits always in the red at the bank. In contrast, half of BlackBerry
users and 54% of Android phone owners said they were never overdrawn.
The iPhone
is Britain
March 2011
Smartphone market
to grow by 50% this year…
The global smartphone
market will see an estimated 49.2% growth in 2011, reaching shipments of 450
million devices, research firm IDC has estimated.
The analyst calculates that
Android devices will drive the growth and account for 45% of the smartphone market by 2015.
IDC is also forecasting a good
future for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7, following the first handset’s launch in
2012. According to the research firm, Windows Phone 7 will become the
second most common smartphone operating system,
accounting for more than one in five handsets by 2015.
IDC senior research analyst Ramon
Llamas said: ‘Android is poised to take over as the leading smartphone
operating system in 2011 after racing into the
number two position in 2010.’
‘For the vendors who made Android
the cornerstone of their smartphone strategies, 2010
was the coming-out party. This year will see a coronation party as these same
vendors broaden and deepen their portfolios to reach more customers,
particularly first-time smartphone users.’
Last week, Ovum predicted that
the global smartphone market would double in size by
2016 and that Google’s Android operating system will drive the growth, emerging
as the dominant platform.
Ovum principal analyst Adam Leach
said: ‘We will see dramatic shifts in dominance for smartphone
software platforms, with Android storming into the lead with 38% market share,
compared to Apple iOS 17.5% by 2016.'
The Analyst also predicted a smartphone annual growth rate of 14.5% between 2010 and
2016 with Android easily outperforming Apple by establishing a 20.5% market
share lead.
Vodafone unveils iPad 2 pricing plans…
Vodafone has announced its
tariffs for the iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G in the UK
Vodafone is offering offering the iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G
models with a range of price plans, including a more affordable price on
select tariff plans with a two-year contract.
On the 24-month price plans new
customers will pay a monthly tariff of £27 and existing customers £24.50 for
the 3G + Wi-Fi device. New customers will need to pay £229 or £199 for existing
customers for the 16GB version; £279 or £249 for the 32GB model: and £379 or
£349 for the 64GB version. This comes with a 2GB data allowance and 1GB Wi-Fi allowance.
The upfront iPad
2 costs for SIM only and pay-as-you-go price plans range from £499 for the 16GB
model to £645 for the 64GB.
The iPad
2 features a new design that is 33% thinner and up to 15% lighter than the
original iPad, while maintaining the same 9.7-inch
LED-backlit LCD screen. The iPad 2 features Apple’s
new dual-core A5 processor and now includes two cameras, a front-facing
VGA camera for FaceTime and Photo Booth, and a
rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video. The new model will still
deliver up to 10 hours of battery life.
‘We’re looking forward to providing customers with iPad
2,’ said Guy Laurence, CEO, Vodafone UK
7th
October 2009
I
Phone to go to all 5 UK
Vodafone
is due to sell the I Phone 3GS from early 2010…
All five
networks could secure rights to the iPhone by next summer, sources have
claimed.
Orange
T-Mobile and 3 are expected to announce deals with Apple to sell the
sought-after smartphone soon, with 3 likely to be the last operator to start
distribution next summer.
It is thought Apple is staggering distribution across the networks to ensure
demand does not outstrip supply. It is also believed that the iPhone may be
sold in Phones 4u, as well as its incumbent Carphone Warehouse.
T-Mobile and 3 are expected to announce deals with Apple to sell the sought-after smartphone soon, with 3 likely to be the last operator to start distribution next summer.
It is thought Apple is staggering distribution across the networks to ensure demand does not outstrip supply. It is also believed that the iPhone may be sold in Phones 4u, as well as its incumbent Carphone Warehouse.
6th
October 2009
Microsoft launches Windows Mobile
The company has also made improvements to its
Marketplace app store
Microsoft has
introduced a more user friendly touch screen interface, abandoning the clunky
stylus needed to operate
The software giant
has also improved its Marketplace applications store, which can be accessed
from both the phone and the web. At the moment, there are only 60 applications
available in the
Other new
provisions include My Phone, a free password protected online backup service,
which will sync text messages, photos, video, contacts and the like to the web.
Content from the phone can be automatically uploaded on to the web, so if it
the phone is lost, everything can be downloaded to a new handset.
New phone with
Windows 6.5 include the HTC Touch HD and the LG GM750.
1st October 2009
iPhone stock shortages reported by retail staff and dealers…
The expansion of
Apple’s UK
IPhone sellers across the industry have been suffering from stock shortages.
Retail staff reported they had been waiting for deliveries of the phone for up
to five weeks.
One Carphone Warehouse employee said: ‘They are being delivered sporadically –
we just haven’t been able to get hold of them for four or
five weeks. Stock
has not returned to normal levels since the launch of the new model.’
The indirect channels in the b2b market have also been struggling to source the
Apple product.
One dealer said: ‘We are under the impression there is a shortage and not just
in one particular colour or model.’
Another dealer claimed: ‘We have had customers waiting five weeks and our
inclination is that we are short on stock because of the Orange
deal.’
24th
September 2009
Vodafone unveils ‘Vodafone 360’…
The
network plans to make the service as open as possible…
The new service
includes a connected address book, called Vodafone People, which automatically
syncs all contacts from a customer’s phone with Facebook, Windows Messanger and
Google Talk. It will soon include Twitter, Hyves and studiVZ
Vodafone has also
promised a ‘wide range of apps, games, music and mapping services’ for Vodafone
360, which will launch before Christmas in countries including the
The new online
platform will be marketed with Vodafone's new brand strapline, 'power to you'.
The network has
designed two of its own handsets to promote the use of Vodafone 360.
The operator plans
to make the service available through as wide a selection of handsets and
operating systems from multiple manufacturers as possible.
The Vodafone 360
H1 by Samsung comes with a 3.5-inch touch OLED screen, 16GB memory, and a 5
megapixel camera. It will be followed shortly by another Samsung handset.
Four Nokia Symbian
smartphones will soon come pre-loaded with Vodafone 360 and part or all of the
service will be downloadable to over 100 popular phones.
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Vodafone and
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1st
May 2009
New I Phone
later in the year???
The chances of a new iPhone later this year appear
increasingly likely, with O2 understood to be setting aside a large
proportion of its customer acquisition budget for the second half of 2009 for
a new updated 3G iPhone.
The new device is understood to be loaded with an increased memory of up to 64GB
and better screen resolution, as Apple looks to make it more attractive as a
gaming and video device.
It will disappoint those expecting a low spec, entry-level iPhone for
customers priced out of the current 3G iPhone.
There are also signals from senior industry sources that Apple has secured
large orders of memory components in
One senior source pointed to the recent software upgrade to the 3.0 operating
system and the development kit unveiled in March 2009: ‘That was a big deal
in the direction.
It’s taking applications to a new level where you’ve got some really exciting
games and video options.’
Applications have been central to the success of the 3G iPhone, with Apple
recently announcing that one billion applications have been downloaded.
Sources said any development of the iPhone would not create problems for
application developers who have built apps for the existing screen size.
The new device will arrive as the first buyers of the original iPhone have
ended their contracts and many more will be ready to upgrade.
It is estimated that 20 million iPhones have been sold globally and over one
million have been sold in the
20th April 2009
The deal, which will be offered for three months between May and July, will
tempt existing business voice customers into adding mobile broadband to their
package, at the cut price of £7.50 per month (down from £15).
New small medium enterprise (SME) customers will receive a discount of £5 on
mobile broadband when they sign up during the time period.
I-Phone
coming to Orange
It is believed O2
is clearing stock ahead of a new model of the iPhone
O2 has announced that the iPhone will be free on cheaper lower tariffs from 3
April.
Customers at O2, Carphone Warehouse and the Apple store, who sign up to the
24 month tariff can get the 8GB iPhone 3G for free at £35 per month and the
16GB iPhone 3G for free at £45 per month.
The 16GB is currently only available on the £75 contract and the 8GB on the
£45. Customers currently spend between £59 and £159 for an iPhone on the £35
and £45 monthly tariffs.
O2 UK’s marketing director Peter Rampling said: ‘This new 24 month tariff
option will meet the demand of customers who are looking for added value in
exchange for committing to a longer contract.’
Mobile
Details of the new Apple handset planned for June or July are not known, but
there has been considerable speculation that it will be a mid-range
‘Nano-style’ device, which will be cheaper by compromising either on memory,
camera or screen size.
Sources claim Orange is in talks with Apple to
make its next phone available on the Orange
network.
Sources claim Orange
is in talks with Apple to make its next mobile phone available on the Orange
network as well as O2 in the UK
O2 has notched up one million iPhone sales in the UK
20th
March 2009
O2
and Vodafone share network…
O2 and Vodafone
have confirmed the deal that will see them share mobile network assets across
Telefonica and
Vodafone will use the agreement, which is expected to save ‘hundreds of
millions of pounds’ over the next 10 years, to aid the roll-out of their
networks. The two companies said the deal will pave the way for improved
mobile broadband coverage across the
In the