With Apple's smartphone sales having continued to grow exponentially since 2007, rival Samsung's rise to become the number one smartphone manufacturer has shocked many, but should we really be surprised? Here, we take a look at some of the key areas Apple appears to be faltering, and how improving on them could help Tim Cook's company reign supreme once again.
That big anti-Apple advertising campaign that has been going on in Australia we were telling you about the other day? You know, the one that Samsung was quick to deny was its own doing? The same one that Macworld began pointing fingers at RIM about? Turns out it was the Canadian BlackBerry maker all along.
With the announcement of its next Galaxy S device just around the corner, it's now become official record that Samsung has trumped fierce rival Apple to claim number one spot in terms of smartphone market share.
With the next-generation iPhone set to launch sometime in the next few months - many credible rumors suggest October - concepts of what the device could possibly look like are being produced by designers already. ADR Studio, a common source of such art has outed yet another concept mockup of what they call the "iPhone Plus". It depicts an extremely thin iPhone with a 4.3" screen and an aluminum back, similar to the iPad, or even the first-generation iPhone in some regards.
Remember that 'Wake Up' advertising campaign that was part of the reason a bus full of people turned up outside an Apple Store in Australia? Remember how the talk of the Internet was that the whole thing was part of a Samsung campaign against Apple? Turns out that might not be entirely accurate.
Ever since Apple introduced the original iPhone in 2007, it has been praised not only for its advanced abilities and revolutionizing the smartphone industry, but also for being a champion of design and bringing beautiful aesthetics to the market. However, according to an Ex-Apple executive, things could have been so different if the company had chosen to go with one of their other prototypes.
While I often ignore the senseless rumors that come from the tomfoolery of tech "analysts", this latest one claiming that Apple plans to discontinue the 17" MacBook Pro comes from Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with KGI Securities who has gotten some things right about Apple products in the past. Kuo believes that this discontinuation will come as a result of Apple's convergence of the Apple's Air and Pro notebook lineups. In Q1 of 2012, Apple sold roughly 3.1 million notebooks. Out of that figure, nearly half of those were of the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Kuo has a bleak estimation of the 17-inch Pro sales figure, however, stating that only 50,000 were sold in that quarter.
We find this very difficult to believe, and very easy to believe in equal measures, so let's just get this out of the way and see what everyone else thinks. With Samsung's focus very much on the Galaxy S III these days, it is full steam ahead for the company's various P.R. departments, and it is one of those departments which is being accused of putting together a rather elaborate advertising campaign.
Tying in with rumors surfacing last month, the Worldwide Developer Conference will indeed begin on the week beginning June 11th, it has been confirmed by Apple itself. The conference, held during the middle of each year, is one of the fruit company's main events, and in the past, has launched some of Apple's most successful products to date. This year, as you'd expect, the main focal point will be the upcoming Mountain Lion OS for Mac, but workshops will focus on both iOS and OS X Mountain Lion, offering attendees guidance on how to enhance apps in terms of performance, quality, functionality and design.
With all eyes and ears waiting eagerly for Apple to announce their earnings for the second financial quarter of 2012, we are all wondering whether or not the company would continue to rack up record sales and profits. The information has filtered through from California, only moments before they officially held their earnings call with company investors.
