iPhone apps make up 21% of Gameloft sales in 1Q

Filed under: iPhone

Gameloft's emphasis on iThings seems to be paying off. The French developer, one of the world's biggest publishers of games for mobiles, says iPhone apps accounted for 21% of its sales in the first quarter of 2010. That's a decent percentage considering that, for all of 2009, iPhone games only represented 14% of the company's sales.

While Gameloft still makes noise about other phones and platforms, including those from Palm, Samsung, Nokia and Google's Android, the company's focus seems to be on Apple devices. Late last year, Gameloft finance director Alexandre de Rochefort said his company had cut back on developing for Android because buying apps for Androids was "not as neatly done as on the iPhone," and that companies weren't making significant revenue on Google phones.

[via iPodNN]

iPhone apps make up 21% of Gameloft sales in 1Q originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone apps make up 21% of Gameloft sales in 1Q originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vodafone UK to start iPhone sales Jan. 14, 2010

Filed under: iPhone

Vodafone announced in September that it would start iPhone sales in the UK in early 2010. Two weeks into the new year is pretty early.

The BBC says Vodafone will start its UK iPhone sales January 14, 2010.

Vodafone UK CEO Guy Laurence says his company has been prepping its network for the added demand the iPhone will bring for over a year.

The new player's prices seem to be in line with rivals O2 and Orange. Vodafone UK's lowest plan is £30 a month for 24 months, with additional charges for iPhones ranging from £59 for an 8GB iPhone 3G to £239 for a 32GB iPhone 3GS. Vodafone will also offer a £35 a month/24 month contract that will include an 8GB iPhone 3G at no additional cost.

Data usage for both business and consumer contracts will be capped at 1GB a month. The company will also offer tethering at launch with plans starting at £5 a month.

Thanks Simon for the tip!

Vodafone UK to start iPhone sales Jan. 14, 2010 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Vodafone UK to start iPhone sales Jan. 14, 2010 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Moscone schedule + “corporate event” = Verizon iPhone?

Filed under: Rumors, WWDC, iPhone

Rumors and speculation are fun. Sometimes 2 + 2 = 4... and sometimes they don't add up to anything. Here's today's equation:

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference 2010 seems likely to happen at the end of June/beginning of July.

The schedule for the Moscone Center, traditional home of WWDC, shows a "Corporate Event" running June 28 through July 2, 2010. This is around when Apple usually holds WWDC. "Corporate Event" has been the WWDC placeholder-name on the Moscone schedule in the past, at least until Apple was ready to say, "Hey everybody, we're having a party and here's when!" Additionally, Moscone is booked for all of June and most of July by other companies or organizations. Given that, it's likely that WWDC 2010 will be June 28 through July 2.

That space on the calendar may be a big deal.

If WWDC goes the way these things normally do, registration and other pre-conference fun will happen on Monday, June 28. The WWDC keynote will take place on Tuesday, June 29 -- three years to the day after the first iPhone was released.

Maybe Apple had to settle for that week because the International Stem Cell Conference and the NACUBO Annual Meeting beat them to the dates they really wanted. But it's also possible that Apple is waiting until its exclusivity deal with AT&T ends -- the exact day its exclusivity deal ends -- before announcing an iPhone for Verizon, T-Mobile, or Sprint.

Verizon's CTO made noise last week about his company being prepared for the iPhone in terms of network capacity, though he said nothing about an actual deal.

Do you think 2 + 2 = anything this time?

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/parislemon/ / CC BY 2.0

[via MacNN]

Rumor: Moscone schedule + "corporate event" = Verizon iPhone? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Rumor: Moscone schedule + "corporate event" = Verizon iPhone? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More growth seen for iPhone in business

Filed under: Enterprise, iPhone

Support continues to grow for the iPhone in the enterprise. TBI Research (subscription required) says Apple's answer to telephony is gaining ground in business, thanks largely to employees and execs grabbing an iPhone for personal use and deciding they just have to have it for work as well.

TBI sees the iPhone having trouble in two of the biggest industries in the US. Government and finance are likely to keep favoring Research in Motion's BlackBerry, though Apple could take enough of the rest of the sectors to make up for what it misses. "The two industries we see as the least likely of switching from Blackberries are Finance and Government," says a TBI research note. "These are huge industries, but they make up only 20% of the total US workforce. That still leaves 80% of the total 150 million US workforce."

Meanwhile TBI sees iPhone adoption ramping-up aggressively in industries such as media, entertainment, hospitality, transportation, and consumer packaged goods.

TBI's report dovetails nicely with a report at the beginning of the month from Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore. Early in November, Whitmore said he expected to see 2 million iPhones in the enterprise market by the end of this year, giving Apple roughly 7% of the business end of smartphones in the US.

[via MacNN]

More growth seen for iPhone in business originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

More growth seen for iPhone in business originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gameloft backs iPhone and backs away from Android

Filed under: iPhone

To iPhone or not to iPhone? That is the question on which a number of high-profile app developers are weighing-in. A couple of weeks ago it was Facebook app developer Joe Hewitt and software maker Rogue Amoeba saying they'd had enough of jumping through hoops to be on the iPhone and that they'd be working on other things.

Last week, Instapaper web-service and iPhone app [iTunes link] developer Marco Arment said, "Go if you want to, but there are more than enough people in the App Store to keep me fat and happy and not nearly enough in any other mobile app ecosystem to draw me away." I'm paraphrasing of course.

Now, French mobile phone game developer Gameloft has given its two cents. According to a company exec, Gameloft and other software developers are drawing down the resources spent on developing applications for Google's Android platform. Gameloft finance director Alexandre de Rochefort said at an investor conference late last week, "We have significantly cut our investment in Android platform, just like ... many others."

Did he say what others? No. Did he say why? Yes.

Rochefort, like Instapaper's Arment, says the people just aren't there for the Android. "It is not as neatly done as on the iPhone," says the exec. "Google has not been very good to entice customers to actually buy products. On Android nobody is making significant revenue."

Meanwhile on the App Store, money flows like water for Gameloft and the water's fine. Games for Apple's handhelds generated 13% of Gameloft's revenue last quarter. According to Rochefort, Gameloft is selling 400 times as many games for the iPhone and iPod touch as it is for the various Android powered phones.

[via Reuters]

Gameloft backs iPhone and backs away from Android originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gameloft backs iPhone and backs away from Android originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone launching in South Korea this week

Filed under: iPhone

Just days after receiving final approval from regulators, the iPhone will go on sale this week in South Korea. KT Corp, the country's second largest mobile carrier, began taking orders for the iPhone today, with plans to launch the phone on Saturday, November 28.

Apple has confirmed the KT announcement, though it's offered no other comment. KT, on the other hand, is playing the announcement up. In a press release, Kim Woo-sik, CEO of KT's personal customer group, said, "We are thrilled to bring iPhone to South Korea. Our customers will enjoy the power and benefits of using the revolutionary iPhone on KT's 3G network."

Residents of South Korea will have access to the same array of iPhones available in the states. KT is offering the 8GB iPhone 3G as well as the 16GB and 32GB iPhone 3GS.

[via Associated Press, Bloomberg]

iPhone launching in South Korea this week originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone launching in South Korea this week originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin Mobile Canada: Fifth Canadian outlet for iPhone

Filed under: iPhone

The iPhone is getting yet another carrier in the great white north. Virgin Mobile Canada has announced that it'll start selling the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in the coming months.

When exactly? How much? Can I get a Richard Branson ringtone? Actually, I can make my own ringtones, but what about the rest of it? We'll have to wait to find out. All the company said in its incredibly short notice was that it'll sell the phones online and in its brick-and-mortar stores at some point. Well, that and that its gotten some love from J.D. Power and Associates for its prepaid and postpaid wireless services.

The phones are already on sale north of the border through Rogers Wireless, its subsidiary Fido, Bell Canada, and Telus. While a Canadian friend tells me Virgin Mobile Canada has a reputation for inexpensive phones with prepaid service, Canadian mobile news site MobileSyrup expects Virgin to charge roughly the same prices with the same three-year contracts as Canada's other iPhone carriers.

Thanks EZ Mac Mike for the tip!

[via iLounge, MobileSyrup]

Virgin Mobile Canada: Fifth Canadian outlet for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Virgin Mobile Canada: Fifth Canadian outlet for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple seeks game guru for app development

Filed under: Gaming, iPhone, iPod touch

While some say Apple never wanted the iPhone to be a gaming device, the company knows which way the wind is blowing and wants to get involved. Apple is looking to hire a game and media software engineer for its iPhone and iPod touch team, which could mean it wants to make games of its own.

The job description doesn't say "games" specifically, focusing instead on "interactive multimedia experiences." However, the ad is looking for someone with "3-4 years of video game development experience," someone who has "shipped at least one AAA title," and someone who is a "passionate gamer."

id Software co-founder John Carmack says higher-ups in Apple aren't overjoyed with the growing status of the iPhone and iPod touch as gaming devices. But there's big money in games. Research firm DFC Intelligence sees profits for dedicated game-device makers like Sony and Nintendo shrinking 27% over the next five years, while expecting revenue from games for Apple's handhelds to rise from $46 million last year, to $2.8 billion dollars by 2014. That's a lot of money flowing through Apple, though most of that will go to developers. With over 100,000 apps available in the App Store, only four available today are made by Apple, and only one of those - Texas Hold'em (iTunes link) is a game.

[via Apple Insider]

Apple seeks game guru for app development originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple seeks game guru for app development originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone leads Apple past Nokia to #1 in mobile phone profits

Filed under: Apple Financial, iPhone

Apple doesn't make the most mobile phones but, as of the third quarter of 2009, the Cupertino company does make the most money from them. Research firm Strategy Analytics says Apple is now the world's most profitable mobile phone maker, kicking Nokia from the top spot between July and September.

Apple's phones only command about 2.5% of the world's cellphone market, though the iPhone's cool factor and the company's premium pricing let it rake in about $1.6 billion in operating profit from the iPhone in the third quarter of 2009, besting cellphone stalwart Nokia and its $1.1 billion in operating profit for the same period.

Alex Spektor, an analyst with Strategy Analytics, says, "With strong volumes, high wholesale prices and tight cost controls, the PC vendor has successfully broken into the mobile phone market in just two years."

What did Nokia do wrong? Reverse what Apple did right. Nokia seems to have slipped thanks in part to lower margins from the weak economy and a less-than-stellar presence in the United States, though Spektor thinks there is time to turn the Finnish ship around. He suggests the company focus more on the U.S. and less on traditional 'non-smart' phones, which don't make as much money per unit as the likes of the iPhone or the Blackberry.

While Nokia may not make the most money, at this point it still makes the most handsets. Nokia's worldwide market share for mobile phones sits at 37.9%. At least for now.

[via The Mac Observer, Electronista]

iPhone leads Apple past Nokia to #1 in mobile phone profits originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone leads Apple past Nokia to #1 in mobile phone profits originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Deutsche Bank says IT warms to iPhone

Filed under: Enterprise, iPhone

Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore says corporate IT is warming up to the iPhone. In a research note published yesterday das analyst says, "There is growing evidence that the iPhone is making inroads into the Enterprise."

Whitmore thinks Apple will sell 2 million iPhones to big business by the end of the year, some through reimbursements to employees and some through IT department purchases. If those numbers hold, the iPhone will own about 7% of the Enterprise smartphone market in 2009, up from the 2% it controlled in 2008.

What's up with the shift? Whitmore notes four reasons:

• User satisfaction - highlighted by the recent J.D. Power surveys of both consumer and business smartphone users
• Enterprise applications
• The iPhone's level of innovation
• The virtual keyboard - according to Whitmore, the thought that business users have to have a physical keyboard on a smartphone has turned out to be a 'fallacy.'

However, businesspeople might not agree that they don't need a physical keyboard if their first virtual keyboard isn't on an iPhone. UK researcher Canalys has taken a look at touchscreens and future smartphone purchases. The firm finds the ground shifting the touchscreen's way. Of the 3,000 survey respondents in the UK, Germany, and France, 38% say their next phone will have a finger-oriented touchscreen, while 16% say theirs will have a stylus-operated touchscreen.

But a lot of people who have virtual keyboard-only phones miss the physical keys. According to Canalys, 53% of people who own a touchscreen phone say they won't buy another one, though they may have bought the wrong one for them to start. A majority of iPhone and HTC users say they'll keep the virtual keys on their next phones, while less than a third of Sony Ericsson touchscreen phone owners say their next phone won't have buttons.

[via Fortune, The Register]

Deutsche Bank says IT warms to iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Deutsche Bank says IT warms to iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Telus to start iPhone sales on November 5

Filed under: iPhone

Rogers Wireless has a little over one week left of its Canadian iPhone exclusivity. Wireless carrier Teuls announced today that it'll start sales of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS on Thursday, November 5, 2009.

While the Telus network has been CDMA-only, the carrier is not selling a modified phone. Rather, the company is launching its iPhone-compatible HSPA network, which it's marketing to consumers as 3G+.

Prices on the new network match what many expected from Bell, which is also starting Canadian iPhone sales soon. Telus will sell an 8GB iPhone 3G for $99 (Cdn$), a 16GB iPhone 3GS for $199.99, or a 32GB iPhone 3GS for $299.99 with three-year contracts. Minus the monthly plans the 8GB iPhone 3G will run buyers $599.99, the 16GB iPhone 3GS will run $699.99, and the 32BG iPhone 3GS will run buyers $799.99.

[via Telus]

Telus to start iPhone sales on November 5 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Telus to start iPhone sales on November 5 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Orange to start UK iPhone sales on November 10

Filed under: iPhone

The wait for a new carrier for the iPhone in the UK appears to be nearly over. The Times Online out of the UK says Orange will add Apple's thrice-super phone to its stable on November 10, one day after O2's exclusivity for the device ends.

Orange announced in late September that it would be carrying the iPhone, though it only said then that it would have the phone later in the year. At least 200,000 people may want to circle the date on their calendars, since at least that many have reportedly pre-registered to buy the phone on the new carrier, despite not knowing how much the phone will cost nor how much the monthly plans will run them.

November 10 may be a bittersweet day for Vodafone. While it has announced its own deal to sell the iPhone in the UK starting in 2010, pent up demand from people who want the device but don't want O2 as a carrier may be lost to the new Orange option. Vodafone reports interim results on November 10, though it'll likely face as many questions about the phone it doesn't yet have as it will about its own numbers.

O2 will still carry the iPhone, though it's also got its mind on the Palm Pre, which it began offering as a UK-exclusive last week.

[via TimesOnline]

Orange to start UK iPhone sales on November 10 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Orange to start UK iPhone sales on November 10 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Destroy the Death Star from the comfort of your iPhone

Filed under: Gaming, iPhone, iPod touch

Destroy the Death Star from the comfort of your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Destroy the Death Star from the comfort of your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T activates 3.2 million iPhones in 3Q

Filed under: iPhone

Reports of trouble for AT&T's 3G network have done nothing to keep people from the iPhone in the U.S.

The nation's second largest wireless carrier announced third-quarter earnings Thursday morning that were full of iPhone goodness. AT&T (T) activated a record 3.2 million iPhones in 3Q, 40% of which went to people new to the company.

Wireless data was the supporting star of the show. Services such as messaging, Internet access and the like were up 33.6% from 3Q of 2008 to $3.6 billion. Data sales now account for 29.4% of AT&T's wireless revenue.

The company's earnings were relatively flat, having posted a profit of $3.2 billion, or 54 cents a share for 3Q '09 versus $3.23 billion or 55 cents a share for 3Q of '08. AT&T did, however, bring in enough to beat analyst expectations. The street was only looking for earnings of 50 cents a share.

[via MediaPost, Marketwatch]

AT&T activates 3.2 million iPhones in 3Q originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AT&T activates 3.2 million iPhones in 3Q originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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