Archive for April, 2016
Apple’s US Market Share Grows from 28% to 40% in a Year - CIRP
According to the latest report from a research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), Apple’s market share in the United States grew from 28% in March 2015 to 40% in March 2016. What this means is that customers still prefer Apple products and continue buying them. In comparison, Samsung’s share rose from 36% to 37% over the last twelve months.
It should be noted, however, that the aforementioned report is based on the survey conducted by CIRP among only 500 people, so its results should be taken with a few pinches of salt.
Anyway, the numbers shown in the chart below demonstrate a general trend - while the shares of Apple’s rivals decline slowly, the Cupertino-based tech giant continues to improve its position on the market.
iPhone SE Takes Market Share of Local Manufacturers in China
As noted by reliable supply chain sources, the demand for Apple’s new 4-inch handset called the iPhone SE is incredibly strong in China. In fact, the device is so popular among the customers that it is taking the market share from Asian vendors, namely, Huawei, Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo. The reason for such strong demand is most likely connected with the price of the SE. You see, the iPhone SE is the cheapest smartphone Apple has ever created.
Apple to Announce Financial Results in Q2 of Fiscal 2016 Next Tuesday
Apple will announce the financial results in the second quarter of fiscal 2016 on Tuesday, April 26th. Back in March, it was reported that the company will reveal the information about iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac sales as well as the amount of money earned during the last couple of months on Monday, April 25th.
After the conference call, Apple is expected to share the audio from the event and publish a detailed report on the financial gains, so stay tuned for more updates on the topic.
Apple has recently unveiled the 4-inch iPhone SE that is extremely popular among the customers in China and other countries. This device may help Apple generate record revenue in this quarter.
Apple Seeds OS X 10.11.5 El Capitan Beta 2 to Developers
Aside from seeding the second beta of iOS 9.3.2 to developers for testing, Apple has released OS X 10.11.5 El Capitan Beta 2. The most-recent update is available through Apple’s dev portal or via Software Update mechanism of the Mac App Store and contains minor stability and performance improvements.
Apple Seeds iOS 9.3.2 Beta 2 to Developers
Apple has released the second beta of iOS 9.3.2 to developers. The latest update contains a number of bug fixes, stability improvements and security enhancement and should be installed only by those who need the software for testing purposes. It is not recommended to install the latest build on your main device as it can cause compatibility issues, crashes and freezes.
New 12-inch MacBooks Are 15% to 18% Faster Than Predecessors
Earlier this week, Apple released updated 12-inch MacBook models. According to the latest Geekbench results shared by reliable insiders, the laptop with a 1.2GHz processor is about 15% to 18% faster than its predecessor. In the single-core test the laptop managed to earn 2,894 points and in the multi-core test the result was equal to 5,845 points. Apart from that, the new MacBook has a 41.4-watt-hour battery that helps it to work up to 9 hours on a single charge.
Average User Unlocks Their iPhone About 80 Times a Day
According to the data revealed during a special event dedicated to the security of Apple devices, an average iPhone user unlocks their phone about 80 times a day. Apple claims that 89% of those who own a device with Touch ID have the security feature enabled and use it.
Apple Hires Former Aston Martin and Tesla Chief Engineer
Apple has reportedly hired Chris Porritt, former Aston Martin Chief Engineer and Tesla Vice President of Vehicle Engineering. According to the latest reports from reliable tech news websites, the expert will focus on “special projects” that most likely include the development of the long-awaited and widely-rumored Apple car codenamed “Titan”. Porritt can possibly substitute Steve Zadesky who left Apple earlier this year and who was believed to be a lead of the car project.
Apple Releases New 12-inch MacBooks, Makes 8GB of RAM Standard for 13-inch Air
Apple has today released new 12-inch MacBook models with updated Skylake Intel Core M processors, Intel HD Graphics 515, faster SSD storage and RAM and additional hour of battery life. Externally, the laptops look just like the 2015 models, however, according to Apple, they are 25% faster. Apart from that, there’s now a rose gold 12-inch MacBook that matches the iPhone lineup.
Siri Confirms Apple’s WWDC to Take Place June 13th to June 17th
Every year, Apple organizes a special event for its developers called the Worldwide Developers Conference or WWDC. Up to this day, the official dates of the 2016 conference remained unknown, however, today, Siri surprisingly revealed the information about the upcoming meeting. According to Apple’s virtual assistant, WWDC 2016 will take place June 13th to June 17th in San Francisco.
Apple Has Secret Car Testing Facility in Berlin?
According to the latest report published by a German newspaper called Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Apple has a secret car lab in Berlin. About 15-20 experienced employees from German automotive industry are reportedly working at this facility to help the company create an innovative and advanced vehicle, the reporters claim. The report suggests that Apple’s car will be electric, but lack the support of self-driving capabilities.
Jony Ive Creates Unique iPad Pro for Auction
Jony Ive has recently designed a unique 12.9-inch iPad Pro for the auction that should raise money for the London Design Museum. The yellow-gold tablet comes with a blue leather Smart Cover, an Apple Pencil and a special case for it. As you might have guessed, this particular iPad Pro is quite an expensive device. All devices and accessories have the words “Edition 1 of 1” on their surface.
Apple to Unveil iPhone with Glass Body and AMOLED Screen in 2017
According to the latest report from usually-reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will completely redesign the iPhone in 2017. Instead of the all-aluminum body, the company may adopt the glass casing for the next-generation handset. Apart from that, the new device may get an AMOLED screen, the expert believes.
Top 10 Stories of the Week
It is Sunday today, so let’s take a look at the most interesting posts of the past seven days. Most of the articles this week deal with the new 4-inch iPhone SE and the widely-rumored iPhone 7 that is expected to be released in September. There’re also some posts that tell us about the latest version of Apple’s iOS 9.3.1 and new betas of OS X 10.11.5, watchOS 2.2.1 and tvOS 9.2.1.
Three-Fifths of Current Apple Watch Owners Will Purchase New Model
According to the results of the latest survey conducted by a firm called Fluent among 2,578 people online, three-fifths of the current Apple Watch owners are planning to buy a new model once it is released even though its design and functionality are currently unknown.