Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Strong 10.2-inch iPad Sales Extended Apple's Global Market Lead, According to IDC

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Apple increased its worldwide tablet market share by 6.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019, thanks to strong demand for its new 10.2-inch iPad, according to the latest data compiled by research firm IDC.

Apple's 10.2-inch ‌iPad‌ (second from right) starting at $329

Apple's seventh-generation ‌iPad‌, introduced in September 2019 as an affordable entry-level tablet for consumers and educational institutions, accounted for 65 percent of 15.9 million total ‌iPad‌ shipments during the three months ending in December, according to IDC.

Performance of the 10.2-inch ‌iPad‌ helped the company increase global tablet market share in the holiday quarter to 36.5 percent, up from 29.6 percent in the year ago quarter. Apple's year-over-year tablet growth was up 22.7 percent from 12.9 million shipments in Q4 2018.

IDC's full-year statistics tell a similar story, with Apple taking 34.6 percent of the 2019 tablet market on shipments of 49.9 million iPads, up 15.2 percent from 29.6 percent on 43.3 million units shipped in 2018.

Apple's growth came despite a period in which the worldwide tablet market declined 0.6 percent year over year during the fourth quarter of 2019, as global shipments fell to 43.5 million units. For the full year, the tablet market shrank 1.5 percent year over year as global shipments totaled 144 million units, according to IDC.

Samsung regained the second position behind Apple, despite another year-over-year decline in shipments. The company shipped 7 million units in the quarter, but even with growth across its detachable portfolio, the company couldn't offset the decline from its slate tablets.


Huawei and Amazon came third and fourth, shipping 4 million and 3.3 million units, respectively. Huawei saw a 2.8 percent decrease in growth year over year, while Amazon slumped by 29 percent over the same period. However, Amazon was the only other brand apart from Apple to see growth for the whole year (9.9 percent).

Lenovo was the other brand in the top 5 that recorded year-over-year growth in holiday quarter shipments. Its share slightly increased from 5.3 percent in 4Q18 to 5.8 percent in 4Q19. Lenovo's growth declined by 4.2 percent for the year.

Respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the next iPad Pro update will come during the first half of 2020. Apple is said to be planning to release a next-generation model with upgraded Face ID and a rear-facing time-of-flight (ToF) camera system that would allow for 3D models to be captured using the ‌iPad Pro‌ and then edited with the Apple Pencil for an "all-new productivity experience."

Related Roundup: iPad
Tag: IDC
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Buy Now)

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Apple in Talks With Banks to Bring Apple Pay to Israel

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Apple is in negotiations with financial institutions in the Middle East to bring Apple Pay to Israel, reports the regional Calcalist website.


According to the Hebrew-language publication, Apple representatives recently began a round of meetings with banks and credit card companies to formulate agreements to bring ‌Apple Pay‌ to the country.

The report notes that many Israeli businesses recently adopted the Europay, MasterCard, and Visa (EMV) standard for mobiles, allowing customer account credentials to be loaded directly onto NFC-enabled smartphones and used in contactless transactions.

Unlike Android devices, Apple's devices don't allow access to the NFC chip through apps other than Apple's own Wallet app, which means financial bodies must sign an ‌Apple Pay‌ agreement that allows the card to be registered in the Wallet. However, it appears that Apple's fee demands could be a sticking point in discussions. The report reads (English machine translation):
Recently, representatives of the Israeli financial system met with Apple representatives to reach cooperation agreements, but some players were surprised to find that Apple requires a fairly high fee estimated at 0.15% - 0.25% of any transaction made through ‌Apple Pay‌. This is between a quarter and a third of the credit card issuer's revenue from the transaction (bank or credit card company), which should only be paid for the right to pass through ‌Apple Pay‌.

"It is disproportionate, and constitutes an exploitation of its status and power," said a source close to the talks between the parties.
Apple routinely takes commission from national banking institutions in return for access to ‌Apple Pay‌, although Germany has passed legislation that could force Apple to open up the NFC chip in iPhones to competing mobile payment providers. Australia's big banks have also sought open access to the NFC chip on the iPhone in recent years.

(Thanks, Amit!)

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Tag: Israel

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Realme Smart TV to be Announced at MWC 2020 Event that Begins on February 24


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POCO F1 Gets Android Security Patch Via Google Play System Update Like the Pixel Phones


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POCO X2 Launched in India with Snapdragon 730G, 120Hz Dual Punch-hole Display: Price, Features


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Monday, February 3, 2020

Apple TV App Now Available on Select 2019 LG TVs

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LG today announced that the Apple TV app and accompanying ‌Apple TV‌+ streaming service are now available on select 2019 LG TVs in the United States and more than 80 other countries.

The addition of the ‌Apple TV‌ app to LG's 2019 TV lineup follows the CES debut of new 2020 models that come with the ‌Apple TV‌ app pre-installed.


LG TV owners can access the ‌Apple TV‌ app from the LG Home app Launcher, and along with ‌Apple TV‌+, LG users can also subscribe to Apple channels and access their iTunes libraries to rent, purchase, and watch TV shows and movies.

The TVs that support the ‌Apple TV‌ app are also compatible with AirPlay 2, allowing users to share or mirror content from the iPhone, iPad, or Mac directly to an LG TV.

TV models that feature the ‌Apple TV‌ app as of today include the 2019 LED TVs and NanoCell TVs (series SM9X and SM8X). LG says that later in the month, the ‌Apple TV‌ app will also roll out on select UHD UM7X and UM6X models. The app will be available on 2020 models at launch.

In the future, LG also plans to bring the ‌Apple TV‌ app to 2018 models, but that won't be happening until later this year.


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Apple Expands Free Developer Program Memberships for Eligible Organizations to Additional Countries

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Apple offers free Developer Program memberships to nonprofit organizations, accredited educational institutions, and government entities that distribute free apps on the App Store.

These free memberships have been available in countries that include the United Kingdom, the United States, China, Japan, and Brazil, but as of today, they're also expanding to eight new countries.

Eligible companies and organizations in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Mexico, and South Korea can now apply to have their Developer Program memberships waived.

More information about waivers for Apple Developer Program membership fees can be found on Apple's developer website.


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