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This post was written by Mary Joseff
Softbank Corp. has won the right to sell Apple Inc.’s iPhone in Japan and will market the popular next-generation phone in 2008, in a coup for the nation’s third-largest mobile communications carrier. For Apple, Japan’s large but saturated mobile phone market will be an important stepping stone in its bid to expand its global mobile phone share.
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This post was written by Mary Joseff
On VentureBeat, MG Seigler says that Apple Inc.’s newly launched App Store is set to transform the company in a big way. According to him, it would be hard to think about Apple without App Store. Barely two week into its launch, App Store continues to roll out more and more apps each day - it’s literally like the gift that keeps on coming. Even after gauging from what has been seen so far, there is a possibility that we’ll see versions of the App Store roll out across other devices in the Apple product line in the coming years, Seigler adds.
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This post was written by Mary Joseff
Apple Inc., which had made AT&T the exclusive carrier of its iPhone, has extended its exclusivity agreement with AT&T for a year. The exclusivity deal, which the company had signed with AT&T last year, was due to expire at the beginning of 2009. With the 120-year old brand becoming cool again due to its alliance with iPhone and the smartphone sales improving, both the companies seem to be happy with the results of the deal. By subsidizing each iPhone 3G sold by $300, AT&T is able to make the smartphone far more attractive to consumers.
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This post was written by Mary Joseff
When the new iPhone goes on sale Friday, Apple Inc. will also launch an online software store, called App Store, to peddle a potpourri of programs such as games, pedometers, tip calculators and language translators for the device. The company hopes that by enabling buyers to transform the phone into a personalized electronic Swiss Army knife of sorts, it can boost sales. The store is another way that Apple is changing the mobile market since the first version of the iPhone went on sale in June 2007. The new App Store will be the only retailer of Apple-sanctioned software programs for the iPhone family and the iPod Touch.
This post was written by Melissa Chang
Apple’s Macs have continued to gain share in the premium personal computer market, according to NPD Group, a research firm that specializes in tracking retail shares. According to a new report, Macs accounted for 66% of all PCs priced at $1,000 or more sold at retail in the U.S. during the first three months of this year.
In the first quarter of 2008, Apple held 13.8% of the overall U.S. retail computer market, up from 9.5% during the same period a year before, an increase of 45%.
But there is one important factor to keep in mind, according to Stephen Baker, an analyst with NPD Group:
“Yes, they dominate in the $1,000-plus market, but they also tend to be the only company that has a considerable focus in that price range.”
