Tag Archives: iPhone
Interest In The iPhone Crashes. Interest In Android Soars [CHART]
Android has successfully destroyed Apple’s dominance of consumer mindshare in the smartphone world, according to a new survey from ChangeWave Research about smartphone preferences.
ChangeWave found only 38% of the people it interviewed want iOS on their next smartphone. That’s down 12 points from June when 50% of the people it surveyed said they wanted an iPhone.
Meanwhile, 37% of respondents say they want an Android based phone.
To be sure, the crash in iPhone interest is in part due to the fact that iPhone 4 had just launched in June. That makes for a tough comparison, becuase excitement over the iPhone was at its peak.
Still, this is the closest Android and iPhone interest has ever been in a ChangeWave study.
Rightmove launches mobile site to cater for Android users | Econsultancy
Having already launched apps for iPhone and iPad, property search website Rightmove has moved to cover other devices with a new mobile website.
The new site is built in HTML5, and replicates the GPS and mapping features of the app, and extends Rightmove’s reach to the rest of the 13m smartphone users in the UK.
Anecdotal evidence, as well as that from research firms, is that Android is gaining mobile market share rapidly, thanks to having multiple devices on the market at a range of prices that Apple cannot match.
For brands, this means that launching a mobile presence through iPhone apps alone is no longer an option if they want to gain maximum exposure. With a number of app platforms to cater for, a mobile website is the easiest way to appeal to as many mobile users as possible.
According to Stephen Mellish of 2ergo, which developed the mobile site for Rightmove:
“With the increasing reach of operating systems such as Android and the ever growing number of alternative options, mobile sites create a more inclusive way to target users. HTML5 is also allowing brands to replicate the feel of an ‘app’ through an mobile site which is increasing its appeal to marketers.”
I reviewed the Rightmove iPhone app last year, and it is a very useful and feature rich app, and the mobile site is equally impressive. As Stephen Mellish says, it manages to recreate the feel of an app and, having tried both site and app, it’s hard to find any major differences.
This doesn’t mean that brands shouldn’t develop iPhone apps though. While Android is growing fast, the iPhone still accounts for the majority of mobile internet usage, and most firms will see the majority of their mobile traffic coming from Apple devices.
This is certainly the case with Rightmove. While 12% of visits to Rightmove from mobile devices are from Android phones, and 8% from Blackberries, the iPhone still accounts for 52%, and the iPad 12%.
Also, exposure for brands via the App Store can be valuable for building awareness of brands’ mobile presence. Rightmove’s iPhone app has been a success so far, having had 800,000 downloads over the past year, and it currently drives more than 1,000 leads per day to estate agents.
When I looked at the pros and cons of mobile sites and apps earlier this year, one of the biggest arguments for the app was greater functionality for users offered by apps; features such as finding a user’s location via GPS, and barcode scanners.
However, if these functions can be replicated on mobile websites, if the handset allows, then the argument for developing a mobile website rather than an app becomes even more convincing.
via econsultancy.com
CRAZY: Apple Ships More Mobile Phones Than Motorola For The 2nd 1/4 In A Row
Here’s what the trend looks like in overall device shipments over the last three years:
Here’s the trend zoomed in over the past year:
Google: Flash stays on YouTube, and here’s why • by The Register
Google has confirmed that Adobe Flash will continue to “play a critical role” on YouTube, saying the fledgling HTML5 video tag doesn’t meet the site’s needs.
“It’s important to understand what a site like YouTube needs from the browser in order to provide a good experience for viewers as well as content creators,” reads a Tuesday blog post from YouTube software engineer John Harding. “We need to do more than just point the browser at a video file like the image tag does — there’s a lot more to it than just retrieving and displaying a video.”
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For more than a year, Google has publicly backed HTML5 and other web standards as the future of computing applications. Since January, the company has offered an “experimental” HTML5 player on the site. And it’s now encoding videos with its newly open sourced WebM codec, designed to be a royalty-free means of encoding video for use with the HTML5 video tag. But Harding makes it clear that Google has no intention of pulling Flash from the site anytime soon.
The primary problem with HTML5 video, Harding says, is that browser makers have yet to agree on a standard codec. Though Google, Opera, and Mozilla are firmly behind WebM — based on VP8 codec Google acquired when it purchased video compression outfit On2 Technologies — it seems that Apple and Steve Jobs have no intention of making the switch from H.264, the patent-backed codec licensed by the MPEG LA. Meanwhile, Microsoft is sticking with H.264 on its upcoming IE9, though the company says it will allow surfers to use WebM if they install it on their own machines.
Apple and Microsoft are both members of the H.264 patent pool, and the MPEG LA has indicated it intends to create a new patent pool that would attempt to license WebM, challenging Google’s efforts to make it royalty-free.
As the two camps battle it out, YouTube will continue to use … H.264. This is the codec that backs Flash video, and YouTube has been encoding in H.264 since 2007. “First and foremost, we need all browsers to support a standard video format. Users upload 24 hours of video every minute to YouTube, so it’s important to minimize the number of video formats we support,” Harding writes.
“Concerns about patents and licensing have prevented some browsers from supporting H.264; this in turn has prevented the HTML5 spec from requiring support for a standard format. We believe the web needs an open video format option. One that not only helps address the licensing concerns, but is also optimized for the unique attributes of serving video on the web. To that end, we’re excited about the new WebM project.”
Er, well, this we knew.
Google could surely advance the WebM cause by switching YouTube to the format entirely and moving the site to HTM5. But Harding says the company is unwilling to do so, thanks to several limitations with the <video> tag. HTML5, Harding says, is limited when it comes to DRM, full-screen video, or camera and microphone access. Plus, it can’t do “robust video streaming.”
“As we’ve been expanding into serving full-length movies and live events, it also becomes important to have fine control over buffering and dynamic quality control,” Harding says. “Flash Player addresses these needs by letting applications manage the downloading and playback of video via Actionscript in conjunction with either HTTP or the RTMP video streaming protocol. The HTML5 standard itself does not address video streaming protocols.”
And it doesn’t allow users to easily lift video from YouTube and embed it in other sites. “Flash Player’s ability to combine application code and resources into a secure, efficient package has been instrumental in allowing YouTube videos to be embedded in other web sites,” Harding continues.
“Web site owners need to ensure that embedded content is not able to access private user information on the containing page, and we need to ensure that our video player logic travels with the video (for features like captions, annotations, and advertising). While HTML5 adds sandboxing and message-passing functionality, Flash is the only mechanism most web sites allow for embedded content from other sites.”
Meanwhile, Steve Jobs has banned Adobe Flash from the iPhone, the iPod touch, and the iPad, while publicly badmouthing the technology. And given its ongoing need for Flash, Google is working to cement the platform’s position on other devices. Google’s Chrome browser now includes a built-in Flash plug-in that automatically updates with new versions, and the company is now including the player with its Android mobile OS.
You could argue that Google’s ongoing Flash support will hamper the progress of HTML5. But at least for the moment, Mountain View is intent on playing both sides. “We’re very happy to see such active and enthusiastic discussion about evolving web standards — YouTube is dependent on browser enhancement in order for us to improve the video experience for our users,” Harding concludes.
“While HTML5’s video support enables us to bring most of the content and features of YouTube to computers and other devices that don’t support Flash Player, it does not yet meet all of our needs. Today, Adobe Flash provides the best platform for YouTube’s video distribution requirements, which is why our primary video player is built with it.” ®
Google Plans Music Service Tied to Search Engine
By SCOTT MORRISON
Google Inc. is preparing to roll out a music download service tied to its search engine later this year, followed by an online subscription service in 2011, according to people familiar with the Internet giant’s discussions with the music industry.
Google’s proposals are still vague, say these people, and it’s unclear whether it has struck any deals with record labels so far. But Google has been stepping up conversations about offering new music services tied to phones running its Android operating system along with the broader Web, said people who have been briefed on the talks. The launch of Google’s download music store is still months away, these people said.
The discussions come as Google has been pushing deeper into music. Last year, as a first step, the company began linking to partner websites like iLike and Pandora through its search engine, allowing people to stream songs with one click from its search page. Now, the company is looking to tie its own service to its search engine, too.
The discussions come as the Mountain View, Calif.-based search company has been ramping up on entertainment content. Google is also moving to add professional content on its YouTube video site, and is planning to roll out a digital bookstore this year.
The launch of a Google music store would heighten tensions with Apple Inc., whose iTunes store is the leading U.S. digital music seller. Apple also recently began selling digital books. The two Silicon Valley giants have been at odds since Google launched its Android mobile phone software, a direct challenge to Apple’s popular iPhone. Apple recently hit back with an advertising platform for its iPhone and iPad tablet that has terms Google says could limit competition.
Google and Apple declined to comment for this article.
Google’s push into music retailing is likely to be welcomed by music labels that are increasingly concerned about Apple’s dominant position among U.S. music retailers. Apple accounted for 28% of all music purchased by U.S. consumers in the first quarter, according to NPD Group.
The recording industry has long sought a counterweight to Apple’s growing clout, but rivals such as Amazon.com Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. remain far behind with about a 12% share each, according to NPD.
The first phase of Google’s music service is expected to be a Web store where users can buy and download tracks, music industry insiders said. It will be tied directly to Google’s search engine, so that people using Google.com to look for a particular group or song will be served a link to the company’s music store, according to people familiar with the talks.
These people also said the download store would be an “interim” step toward what is expected to be a more ambitious cloud-based subscription service compatible with mobile phones built with Google’s Android software. A cloud-based service would enable subscribers to stream music directly from the Internet to their mobile phones, so that users wouldn’t need to store music files on their devices. Google recently provided a glimpse of a Web-based music store within its Android Market, which sells apps for phones built with Google’s Android mobile software.
Apple in the past several months bought and then shut down online music service Lala.com, prompting widespread speculation it might also soon launch a new cloud-based version of its iTunes music store.
—Jessica E. Vascellaro contributed to this article.
Write to Scott Morrison at scott.morrison@dowjones.com
via online.wsj.com