Apple’s share on smartphone market up to 17%
Thirty percent of U.S. consumers who purchased the Apple iPhone 3G ditched their previous wireless carrier to go with AT&T, the iPhone’s exclusive stateside carrier, according to a new report from the NPD Group. In the report, NPD Group, a wireless market research firm, said carrier defectors made the leap from June through August 2008. The iPhone 3G was released in mid-July. The AT&T boom surpassed industry standards, which saw just 23 percent of consumers, on average, switch carriers in the same time period. NPD Group estimated that 47 percent of new AT&T iPhone users that switched came from Verizon Wireless, while another 24 percent left T-Mobile and 19 percent jumped from Sprint.
The launch of Apple’s latest generation iPhone also boosted the device’s clout in the consumer smart phone market. Before the 3G, iPhone sales accounted for 11 percent of the consumer market for smart phones, while after the 3G model’s launch, Apple propelled to 17 percent of the market. That jump in market share helped make the Apple iPhone 3G the top-selling consumer smart phone from June to August. The iPhone 3G was followed by Research In Motion (RIM) Ltd.’s BlackBerry Curve, the BlackBerry Pearl and the Palm Centro. NPD Group’s report also found that average smart phone prices are on the decline. Between June and August 2008, the average smart phone ran $174, a 26 percent drop from the same period last year, when the average smart phone had a price tag of $236.
Source: CRN
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Apple iTunes blocked in China
Users of Apple’s music store in China have been reporting problems downloading music since the beginning of the week. Chinese authorities have not directly confirmed blocking iTunes. Requests for comment have gone unanswered, or reporters have been told officials had no information on the block. However, the timing of this latest blockage seems to coincide with the release of a pro-Tibet album by the Art of Peace Foundation, which was released on Sunday. Users across several threads in Apple’s support forums are reporting issues. The first reports came in Monday, and seem to be widespread.
Forty Olympic athletes reportedly downloaded the album in solidarity with the group, with some even downloading it once they arrived in Beijing, the Foundation said. Although Chinese iPod and iPhone owners have had access to iTunes, it doesn’t actually provide them with music, though it does provide iPhone users with apps. So users often find themselves logging onto overseas stores or even other services in order to download music. Apple did confirm that some were having problems with access within China, but declined to comment further. Users reportedly complained on Apple sites in China that the ban hurt users more than it did iTunes.
iPhone Jailbreak Now Quickpwned
For all of you that care, or have/getting an iPhone - iPhone Jailbreak Now Quickpwned: No Need for iTunes-Based Restore
News is just out of a new way to jailbreak your iPhone, and this time the tool is specifically designed to work “quickly and easily, without requiring a full restore.” Quickpwn has been released as a beta, intended to complement the main PwnageTool. It works with iPhones and iPod’s running 2.0.1 firmware, and operates very quickly without needing iTunes to rebuild/restore your device afterwards.
This beta version is basically feature-complete, but lacks a “funky UI” (they’re adding that soon) and is currently windows only (other OS’s are “coming soon”). It’s available here. Keep your eyes open for a complete version (though remember that even though it’s development software, it’s apparently “impossible for this to permanently damage your device”).
