16 Dec 2012

Mobile Phone
Mobile operator EE is to roll out 4G networks in 17 additional locations by March 2013. (itpro)
The Windows 7.8 update for the Nokia Lumia phones have been leaked this weekend ahead of its expected release early next year. The update brings features present on higherpowered Windows 8 software. (techradar) Apple stock is now down 30% above targets set for this year. This is after the Iphone 5 failed to supply excitement with its launch in China. (techradar) Google has released its Maps app for the iPhone, in the wake of complaints about Apple's Mapping software. (BBC)

Computing
John Lewis has begun selling the Microsoft Surface tablet, as the computer firm tries to boost demand for the Windows 8 device. (telegraph)
The Acer Aspire S7, may be one of the products that could save Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 8. Windows 8 has received mixed reviews since its launch however the new Acer Ultrabook has received tremendous reviews. For the following; good performance, excellent battery life, high-res touch screen display, light and sleek, well designed, however a negative point is that the Ultrabook is highly priced. (techrader) Channel 4 and Microsoft have announced a commercial partnership, which brings the ondemand 4oD app to Windows 8. The app brings content from Channel 4's 30-year archive, including Father Ted and The Inbetweeners. (telegraph)

Consumer Electronics/TV
YoY footfall gap widens at midweek average 5.1% (10th to 13th December 2012) (footfall.com)
Cyber Monday broke all online trading records in the UK last week. Estimates suggest more than 465m was spent online by UK shoppers on December 3. (retail-week)

John Lewis broke the million visits barrier to its mobile website last week for the first time. Retailers are expected to pocket 3.5bn in sales purchased on, or influenced by, smartphones this Christmas, according to Deloitte. Deloitte expects overall online retail sales to grow 17% this Christmas. (retail-week)
Samsung is set to launch the world's largest 85inch commercialized Ultra HD LED TV at CES 2013 (techradar)

Printers/Cameras
3D Printing, the white-hot technology that's promising to transform everything from car repair to bio medicine, is now moving into the most mundane of locations: your local Staples. A European unit of Staples and Ireland-based 3D printing company Mcor have announced plans to bring 3D printing to a handful of European Staples stores in early 2013, and promise to roll it out to other countries shortly after that. (Mashable.com)

Gaming & Apps

'Stalking apps' could be banned in US. The Location Privacy Protection Act would require firms to get customers' permission before collecting location data or sharing it with third-parties. Some apps are actively marketed as spy software. They can record and email all smartphone activities - including GPS locations - to the software owner, while remaining invisible to the owner of the phone. (BBC)

Social Media & Internet

Facebook has just got a lot faster for the Android and iPhones. The Social network has released its Android version 2.0 on Thursday 13th December, this was also followed by Apple doing the same and updating to version 5.3. The update means the site will open quicker in the handset and you're also able to upload and view photos at a quicker pace. (Mashable.com)

16 Dec 2012

Windows 8 Sales Insight Microsoft sold 40 million Windows 8 licenses

Microsofts claim for Windows 8 sales puts it ahead of Windows 7 over its first month; third party reports suggest slow sales growth. Despite releasing an entirely new operating system on 22nd Oct this year, Windows PC sales shrank 21% between 21st Oct and 17th Nov versus the same period last year. With laptops down 24% and desktops down 9% - suggesting Windows 8's arrival has done little to help lift the PC market. Windows 8 tablet sales during that period were "almost non-existent" just 1 percent of all Windows 8 sales. Microsoft cut its order of Surface tablets for the year to two million units, down from four million. Windows 8's sales are struggling, hit by high device prices, low portfolio for key products, and a market flooded with cheaper Windows 7 PCs.

StatCounter notes 1.31% of users running Windows 8 surfing the web, compared to the 4.93% seen by Windows 7 a month after its launch.
Source : Business Insider, PC Pro

It's not all bad news. Touchscreen products accounted for 6% of Windows 8 notebook sales, at an average price of $867, helping to reestablish a premium segment to the Windows consumer notebook market."

For further details or feedback please contact: neer.mehta@uk.cpm-int.com

16 Dec 2012

Iphone 5 sales top 2 million in first week in China

Apple has sold more than 2 million units of the iPhone 5 in China, setting a new record for best first-weekend sales in the country.
The Cupertino, Calif. company made the announcement Monday, just three days after the iPhone's Chinese launch on Dec. 14. "Customer response to iPhone 5 in China has been incredible," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. "China is a very important market for us and customers there cannot wait to get their hands on Apple products." The news is a turnaround for Apple, which saw its stock drop 4% in early trading on Friday, falling to as low as $509 a share over concerns about low demand for the iPhone 5 in China. Locals responded to the smartphone with less enthusiasm than in previous years, according to the the Wall Street Journal. "Apple's flagship store in Beijing's upscale Sanlitun shopping district began selling the iPhone 5 for the first time on Friday in what was arguably the least eventful launch of an Apple device in the company's four-year history in the Chinese capital.

Three days after the iPhone 5's initial launch on Sept. 21, Apple announced that it sold more than 5 million units of the device, which was then available in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK. The company also reported that demand for the iPhone 5 exceeded its "initial supply." Apple's flagship smartphone, which features a 4-inch Retina display, is its thinnest and lightest ever.
For further details or feedback please contact: neer.mehta@uk.cpm-int.com

16 Dec 2012

UK Replaces Japan as World leader in Mobile use

The U.K. is now a global leader in the mobile market, with its residents who consume more data on their phones or tablets than any other country, according to an Ofcom report on mobile use. The U.K. uses 424 megabytes of data each month -- a 60% hike from last year. Secondrunner-up Japan uses 392 megabytes per month, and the U.S. places sixth using 319 megabytes of data, The Guardian reports. Ofcom also found that U.K. Internet users spend, on average, 728 minutes a week online, a slight drop from last year's average of 746 minutes. The increase in data usage could stem from U.K. users accessing television via Internet in high quantities (even more than the U.S.), Ofcom suggests. The Financial Times also reports that the U.K. has "one of the highest levels of penetration of smartphones in the world at 58% of the population, while just fewer than one in five owns a tablet computer." The FT adds that there has been recent criticism of the U.K. stalling in rolling out 4G mobile networks, which are better equipped to deal with the heavy data usage of the country's residents. But it is in online shopping and social network usage on mobile that the U.K. really has a stronghold.
For further details or feedback please contact: neer.mehta@uk.cpm-int.com