Although Samsung is currently the leader in device shipments last year and the first quarter of this year, its nearest competitor, Apple, is not so far behind. In fact, it has posted strong sales on the iPhone 5 and the iPad Mini, despite lower demands on its newest iPhone.

The Cupertino Company shipped a total of 20.3% of its devices in the last quarter of 2012, whereas Samsung reportedly shipped 21.2%. The increase in the shipment was attributed to the introduction of the iPhone 5 and the iPad Mini, which are still selling quite well at present.

These figures will surely set new records when the Samsung Galaxy S IV has also been launched and sold in the market. The Korean Company is making sure that their shipment percentage will take a big leap once their flagship phone starts selling in the market.

Source: IDC

Apple and Samsung customers probably have the greatest rivalry on the planet but a new research proves that Apple users may not be too different from Samsung users. While this statement could elicit a long discussion on the comment section, the study examined iPhone and Galaxy S III users and found out that a big percentage of the users for both group have similar patterns of browsing, calling, emailing and messaging.

The Consumer Intelligence Research Partners surveyed the same number of respondents from both sides and found out that 80% and 90% of users from Apple and Samsung respectively send a number of text messages daily, and 80% and 75% of Apple and Samsung users use their smart phones to browse the net daily. Both kinds of smartphones were used less often on phone calls and emails.

Furthermore, the proponents found out that customers are quite loyal and are more likely buy a device with similar OS as their phones. And in terms of upgrades, 1/11th of Galaxy users were previous iPhone owns, whereas 1/5th iPhone users were previous S III owners. This might very well change this year with S 4's introduction. Simply put, results just probably differ because of the timing of the introduction of a new device from either company.

Source: appleinsider

Alleged photos of parts of iPhone 5 S are making the buzz over the net. It appears that someone got hold of photos of the home button and the vibration component of the much-awaited iPhone 5 successor. There are also some similarities with how the home button looks but the circuits are a little different.

Interestingly, the serial numbers on the photos of the home button flex for the iPhone 5 and the alleged 5 S are quite close to each other. For this reason, it seems like this is a fairly plausible rumor.

Some information about the future iPhone 5 S report that the handset's home button will feature a fingerprint scanner but this leak "debunks" that old rumor (if it's even possible to kill a rumor with another rumor, tsk).

Other rumors also report the possibility of a low-cost iPhone and one that might have the fingerprint scanner as earlier reported. We'll know in a few months if any of these were true.

Source: appleinsider

Apple may now be thinking to finally introduce other phones in the market after a long sabbatical in producing new devices aside from the iPhone and iPad to capture people's interest. Also, the trend among other equally or even more successful OEMs is to launch a line-up of smartphones for the low-, mid- and high-end markets, something that does not still sit well with Apple.

With Samsung capturing a portion of Apple's niche with the introduction of their latest flagship smartphone, the Cupertino Company will surely feel the brunt of their decision to keep just one high-end smartphone and intentionally not capture lower- and middle-range markets.

Personally, I think that Apple will do well if it leaves its snotty image and it might just be what they need to improve their stock's value. Also, introducing the iPad Mini was more than an admission that they do need to address this particular market and that they may be feeling the need to introduce lower-end devices as well. Let's hope that Apple gets its wits together and that some executives swallow their pride for the sake of many.

Source: Fool.com

For months, news about Apple's decline has been rife, even to the point of affecting the price of its stock. However, statistics show a different tune because Apple has steadily grown since December, even when new Android handsets were announced.

Last February, Apple posted a 3.95% growth since December last year, while Android remained static for the same period. Apple continues to dominate the US market and was up 1% from December last year, while it lags behind Android and two others in Asia.

Furthermore, Android users have yet to receive their fresh batch of Android phones this year, namely, Samsung Galaxy S 4, HTC One, LG Optimus G Pro, and the Sony Xperia Z. Too much competition for a single phone but looks like Apple can manage if it keeps posting slow but steady growth on key markets. It needs to improve a lot in the Asian market where Android is the leading OS. The good news for Apple is that they posted a 2% growth even in the Asian market and Android did not.

Give or take a few months and the scale may tip in favor of Android, then back to Apple again when the iPhone 5 finally gets introduced.

Source: statcounter