Apple is once again listed as the most valuable brand on earth, while Google inched closer to the top spot and Microsoft fell out of the top five in the 2013 Brandz Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands. This is the eighth year that Brandz has compiled its list, which comes from research involving two million consumers and more than 10,000 brands, the company says. Apple tops the list again this year, with Google moving up from third place to second. Microsoft was ranked fifth last year, but fell to seventh this time around. IBM, at No. 3, is the fourth technology company in the top 10. [...]

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In a new report from Gartner, the only global market to experience mobile phone sales growth during Q1 2013 was the Asia/Pacific region, demonstrating a 6.4 percent increase year-on-year. This growth rate accounted for a 53.1 percent year-on-year increase in Asia/Pacific's share of mobile phones globally. China witnessed a 7.5 percent increase last quarter compared to Q1 2012, and accounted for 25.7 percent of all global mobile phone sales. "The Chinese and local manufacturers have been exemplary at addressing the demands of buyers by offering affordable devices with optimum features," claim [...]

Related Topics: Apple: iPhone | Channel: Mobile Marketing | Mobile Marketing | Samsung | Statistics: General | Statistics: Mobile Marketing | Statistics: Popularity & Usage

At a Broadway-style premiere this evening at New York's Radio City Musical Hall, Samsung unveiled its heavily anticipated Galaxy S4 handset. The event had the hype and production values of an Apple product launch. But, what barely seemed in attendance was any idea that the S4 is an Android phone or contains Google services. Samsung obviously spent a great deal of money on the show. Parts of it were awkward and many of the scripted jokes fell flat. But, the phone is sure to be a hit. The new S4 looks very much like the Galaxy S III (I watched the live stream and haven't held it in my hand [...]

Related Topics: Apple | Apple: iPhone | Channel: Local | Gadgets | Google: Android | Google: Business Issues | Google: Maps | Google: Mobile | Google: Nexus | Samsung | Top News

Samsung formally unveiled the latest in its Galaxy S line-up of smartphones, the Galaxy S4 (or officially, the Galaxy S 4). The phone features a 5" screen without getting larger than the Galaxy S3 plus an array of features that seemingly put Samsung's own brand ahead of Google and Android. For more about the lack of Google in today's announcement, see our separate story: Samsung Introduces Galaxy S4 With Nary A Mention Of Android Or Google. As for the phone itself, you'll find the formal rundown below. Even further below, you'll find our live blogging coverage. The Specs Samsung said [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile Marketing | Features & Analysis | Gadgets | Google: Android | Samsung

Google has tried to walk a fine line with Android. While trying to be true to its "openness" rhetoric about the platform, it has also tried to prevent increasing fragmentation. In addition, it has also sought to prevent any single partner or third party from having too much sway over Android. Google's challenges on both fronts are illustrated by cases involving a rival and a close partner: Yandex (the rival) and Samsung (the partner). At the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, Spain, Google rival Yandex formally introduced its own Android app store. (The Yandex Store was first ann [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile Marketing | Google: Android | Google: Business Issues | Google: Mobile | Samsung | Top News

According to ad network Chitika's latest traffic study, Samsung's Galaxy S3 has caught the iPhone 5 in terms of the amount of Internet traffic it generates. The findings are drawn from "tens of millions of U.S. and Canadian smartphone mobile ad impressions" this month. Chitika said that in October 2012, Apple's latest iPhone enjoyed an 8-point lead in Web traffic share over Samsung's Galaxy. Now, it's down to one point, according to the ad network. The chart below reflects the comparative shares of the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5 when looking only at traffic coming from the two devices. [...]

Related Topics: Apple: iPhone | Channel: Mobile Marketing | Google: Android | Samsung | Statistics: Market Share | Statistics: Mobile Marketing | Statistics: Popularity & Usage

Woe be to any mobile phone maker that isn't named Apple or Samsung. Numbers out today from IDC show the two combining for a staggering 87.6 percent of all smartphones "shipped" in 2012 on a global basis. In Q4, according to IDC, the two companies' products constituted 91 percent of all smartphones shipped. Shipped is actually a false market share metric. That's because shipments don't always equal sales or usage. However, in the case of Apple and Samsung these data are a reasonable proxy for actual sales. According to IDC, Samsung controlled 42 percent "of all Android smartphone shipment [...]

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For a time, it looked like Apple's $1 billion patent infringement verdict against Samsung would would rock the smartphone world. However, in the months since the landmark decision was handed down, it has proven to be little more than a symbolic victory. Courts and the US International Trade Commission have been loath to ban the import of Android devices regardless of infringement findings. Apple is thus left with its damages and the dubious, symbolic argument that its claims were vindicated by the courts. None of that means anything to the smartphone buying public. By duplicating the "tr [...]

Related Topics: Apple: iPhone | Channel: Mobile Marketing | Google: Android | Google: Business Issues | Legal: Patents | Samsung

Earlier this year Apple won a billion-dollar US patent infringement case against Samsung. On almost every single claim Apple succeeded, including claims of willful infringement by Samsung. Samsung lost on all its counterclaims. It was a staggering victory for Apple and apparent vindication of its contention that Samsung had "slavishly copied" the iPhone for its various Android handset designs. Yet even this massive win with its $1 billion verdict may turn out to be largely symbolic. Yesterday Judge Lucy Koh denied both Samsung and Apple what they wanted in a post-trial hearing. Samsung h [...]

Related Topics: Apple | Apple: iOS | Channel: Mobile Marketing | Legal: Patents | Samsung | Top News