NPD: Apple, Samsung control 55 percent of the smartphone market, prepaid sales up 91 percent

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According to NPD DisplaySearch, Apple and Samsung control more than half of the American smartphone market. The second-quarter figures reveal that while contract phone sales are flatter than month-old soda, those for pre-paid handsets have shot up by 91 percent compared to the same quarter last year. The upswing is credited to last year's flagship handsets falling down the price ladder, snaring lower-income customers who were unable to afford to be early adopters. Cornering that element of the market has helped the battling duo increase their sales by 43 percent, leaving the rest of the technology pantheon scraping around for crumbs. Speaking of which, HTC is a distant third, having 15 percent of the market, while Motorola (12 percent) and LG (six percent) round out the top five.

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NPD: Apple, Samsung control 55 percent of the smartphone market, prepaid sales up 91 percent originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 15:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IDC: Android and iOS continue to carve up the world, another record quarter for smartphones

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According to IDC's latest figures, Android and iOS now account for 85 percent of the 152 million smartphones shipped in Q2 2012. Google's OS powered 68.1 percent of all smartphones sold -- with Samsung making the hardware behind for just under half of those. Apple's smartphones now claim a 16.9 percent marketshare and while plenty of phone shoppers are holding out for the iPhone's next iteration, iOS still saw double-digit growth in Q2. There's more bad news for both BlackBerry and Symbian platforms, which, combined, accounted for less than 10 percent of all smartphones shipped last quarter. Windows Phone 7, meanwhile, hasn't quite made it to that hallowed third place it reckons it deserves. The mobile OS continues to grow, however, albeit at a gentler rate than both iOS and Android. Microsoft's likely pinning its hopes on the adjustable widgets and meatier specifications of Windows Phone 8 to draw in some new customers this fall.

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IDC: Android and iOS continue to carve up the world, another record quarter for smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 06:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Redbox, Sony extend distribution deal, keep the movies flowing with no delays

    Redbox, Sony extend distribution deal, keep the movies flowing with no delays

    While Redbox's parent company Coinstar rejoiced over earnings results that showed revenue growth that was partially due to last year's price hike, the kiosk movie renter had more good news after extending its DVD licensing deal with Sony Pictures. This means Redbox can rent Sony movies the same day they go on sale in stores and has the option to license Blu-ray movies as well through September 2014, when Sony will have the option of two one-year extensions. We'll still have to wait and see if it can work out an arrangement with Warner and Disney, and what its streaming service has to offer, but more new movies right away is always good.

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    Redbox, Sony extend distribution deal, keep the movies flowing with no delays originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 09:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Mobile Miscellany: week of July 30th, 2012

    Mobile Miscellany week of July 30th, 2012

    Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, the Galaxy Nexus for Sprint and Verizon Wireless each became available for free, while in the MVNO world, Simple Mobile dropped the price of its high-speed unlimited smartphone plan to $50. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of July 30th, 2012.

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    Mobile Miscellany: week of July 30th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Aug 2012 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Time Warner Cable lost 169,000 subscribers, spares DirecTV’s blushes

    Time Warner Cable lost 169,000 subscribers, spares DirecTVs blushes

    TWC pushed out its second quarter results, showing it's following the trend of shedding customers without hurting the bottom line. It took in $5.4 billion in revenue for the three month period -- with more cash coming from selling higher tiers of service to existing users -- leaving it with a net profit of $452 million. The company reported that it lost 169,000 residential video subscribers but gained 104,000 back across its high-speed data and voice businesses, which it described as "organic decline," but looks more like cord-cutting to us.

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    Time Warner Cable lost 169,000 subscribers, spares DirecTV's blushes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 11:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    DirecTV waves goodbye to 52,000 subscribers in first ever net loss of customers

    DirecTV lost 52,000 subscribers in first ever quarterly customer loss

    Viacom's frenemy, DirecTV, has announced that it suffered a net loss of subscribers for the first time in its history. The revelation came in its second quarter filing, which claimed that the exodus is actually a purge -- due to a tighter credit policy and a change of focus toward "higher quality" customers. The dip in numbers hasn't hurt the balance sheet, however, with revenues up seven percent to $5.65 billion, leading to a net profit of $604 million. This time out, there's no reference to the recently-minted deal to keep Viacom's stations on the service, believed to be in the region of $600 million per year -- but we expect it to appear on the books in the next quarterly report.

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    DirecTV waves goodbye to 52,000 subscribers in first ever net loss of customers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 09:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Strategy Analytics: Android lost US market share in Q2, isn’t losing sleep just yet

    Strategy Analytics Android lost US market share in Q2, isn't losing sleep just yet

    Android is most definitely on the upward march when it comes to the world stage. But you might be surprised at how it's faring in the US: it's down, according to Strategy Analytics' estimates. As of the second quarter, Google's market share dropped from 60.6 percent a year earlier to 56.3 percent. No one would call it a moment of crisis for Android, but it implies that Apple was drawing in more of the customers jumping ship from other platforms -- the iPhone climbed to 33.2 percent while RIM and others lost ground. The real tests of where the market is going, we imagine, will come in the second half of the year. Apple will have to survive an American summer full of Galaxy S III variants, while Samsung and the rest of the Android camp may have to cope with a bigger than usual iPhone update as 2012 heads into the sunset.

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    Strategy Analytics: Android lost US market share in Q2, isn't losing sleep just yet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 16:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    IDC: Samsung and Apple ship almost half of all smartphones, but Korean manufacturer maintains lead

    IDC Apple and Samsung ship almost half of all smartphones, jockey for first and second place

    IDC's latest figures offer some predictable reading. More phones are being sold than ever before; 406 million units were sold in Q2, against 401.8 million in the same period last year -- with a 42 percent increase in smartphone sales. The winners? Perennial court antagonists, Samsung and Apple, with the duo doubling their combined market share over the last two years. Samsung maintains its lead, reaching over 50 million phones sold -- and a new quarterly sales record -- while Apple saw a quarter-over-quarter decline, as buyers presumably wait for Cupertino's latest iteration, or go elsewhere. Nokia, meanwhile, had another "transitional" quarter, with sales of both Symbian and MeeGo devices shrinking, although its Windows Phones proved stronger. According to IDC's figures, Nokia and Microsoft's team-up handset sales have doubled since last quarter. HTC misses out on a top three spot, but its fortunes appear to have improved over the last two quarters, with the IDC pointing the finger at a more streamlined product range from the Taiwan manufacturer. ZTE continues to nip at its heels, reaching the top five thanks to strong entry-level smartphone sales in China, while continuing to inch onto US shores. If you're looking for a full breakdown of all phones sold, dumb and otherwise, read up at the source below.

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    IDC: Samsung and Apple ship almost half of all smartphones, but Korean manufacturer maintains lead originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 03:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    MetroPCS 2012 Q2 sees profits skyrocket to $149 million despite losing nearly 200,000 subscribers

    MetroPCS announces Q1 2012 results: total revenues up, new subscriber growth shrinks

    MetroPCS has announced that it pulled in $1.3 billion in the second quarter of the year, only slightly more than it managed in the first. It made a profit of $149 million, well up from the $21 million it pulled in between January and March, despite shedding around 200,000 subscribers in the process. The company's deliberately concentrated on raising cash at the expense of new subscriptions in preparation for its 4G LTE for All project, due to begin in the third quarter. It revealed that it now has 700,000 LTE subscribers, up from the 580,000 present in March and that it plans to have a full 10MHz of spectrum allocated for the super-fast mobile standard in "most major metropolitan areas" by the end of the year. As for devices that'll take advantage of the 4G goodness, MetroPCS says that we can expect to see either six or seven new LTE handsets by year's end, each which will be priced between $99 and $149.

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    MetroPCS 2012 Q2 sees profits skyrocket to $149 million despite losing nearly 200,000 subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 22:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Samsung’s Q2 2012 earnings show $5.86 billion operating profit, that’s a lot of Galaxy S IIIs

    The numbers for Samsung's Q2 2012 earnings period are in and it was another big one, with the electronics giant reporting an operating profit of $5.9 billion, driven largely by growth in its smartphone business -- just as it predicted. That's up 79 percent from the same period last year, with the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note specifically mentioned as having contributed to both high sales and higher average selling prices. The company doesn't break out exact selling figures in its earnings reports, however that business unit contributed $3.65 billion in profit to the bottom line. Sales of memory chips and processors declined slightly from last year, TV sales were up slightly, thanks to demand for 3D and LED models. Samsung is claiming a mid-80 percent share of LED HDTV sales and plans to keep that going by pushing "entry level" models in emerging markets. Ready to dig through the numbers yourself? The press release follows after the break, if we find any more details or hear anything on the earnings call, we'll let you know.

    Continue reading Samsung's Q2 2012 earnings show $5.86 billion operating profit, that's a lot of Galaxy S IIIs

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    Samsung's Q2 2012 earnings show $5.86 billion operating profit, that's a lot of Galaxy S IIIs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 20:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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