The switcher phenomenon continues with Android ... even outside the United States

It's been two days after record results from Apple, but still interesting data out as analysts do their work. The Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP or for short) has combined figures and found that the rate of people who decide to move from Android to iOS has accelerated, as reflected in Fortune.

But beware, there's something else to consider: occurs outside the United States. There, just as in many other western world, having a platform already secured to it and is much harder to change. However, there are many users in countries like China where the iPhone people spend after testing Android phones. The phenomenon is repeated switcher, but from another rival.

Never seen sales of iPhone: Financial results for the first fiscal quarter of 2015

Again, it's night quarterly financial results in Apple. And being January, the results of the Christmas season will be, especially sales of iPhone. Hold on to the good numbers come: 74,600 million in revenue with a net profit of 18.000 billion.

The other figure that also breaks the most optimistic forecasts is the iPhone sales: 74.5 million units worldwide within months res. It is a triumph of the iPhone 6, with its new size has gotten attention. The Mac, moreover, has also broken sales records.

Apple Pay continues to grow, announce their debut at over 200,000 ATMs

The electronic payment system Apple is determined to conquer and change the way we usually pay for our goods or services, where we have already seen not only banks have built-in support for this service, but increasingly other business or chains looking to NFC terminals with support for Apple Pay.

From supermarkets, pharmacies and restaurants to parking meters, Apple Pay is entering areas that are new to both Apple and its users, and today an important partner gets into the car of electronic payments Apple, USA Technologies announced that its more than 200,000 points of self receive payments through Apple devices.

Apple regains market share in Japan, Australia and Spain thanks to sales of the iPhone 5S

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Market share: that fact that all manufacturers look. No matter how many devices you sell if the amount you sell to your competitor. In his keynote Apple always provides data to and share in the first quarter of 2014 has one more fact to teach as it has increased its market share in mobile devices.

This increase in sales was due to areas such as Japan, Australia and Europe where market share went up to 57.6%, 33.1% and 19.2% respectively, and these data rose by 8.6% in Japan, 2% in Australia and 0.1% in Europe, Spain is the European country with the largest increase (4.5%). The culprit for this increase has been mainly the iPhone 5S, which has had a great return as far as sales are concerned. 

But not all would be good news for Apple in the first quarter of 2014 and in the United States during the months of January and March share dropped to 35.9% (7.9% less than the same time last year past), showing that Americans buy more at the end of the year than at the beginning.

Is this good news for Apple? Yes and no. On the one hand the increase in market share is always positive, but if we see the overall study data Kantar Wordpanel we realize that Android is still the most used operating system in all countries except Japan, a fact that Apple should attack later or later if you do not want to stay in line.

Apple should pay a fine for infringing a design patent with the iPod

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The idea of the "Click Wheel" was already patented in Japan

A Japanese court ordered Apple to pay compensation of 330 million yen (3.2 million dollars) for infringing a patent on the design of the radio button included in his famous iPod music player. 


In a ruling made ​​public today, the high court of intellectual property in Japan states that the U.S. company infringed copyright registered in the country to use the device in a design that had been patented by a Japanese company.

The reason for the new judgment against Apple for this Japanese court is the "Click Wheel", the circular device that combines a sensor with multiple buttons and allows the user to perform various operations, such as playing a song or advance to the next track, a single finger.


Apple used the technology on their iPods sold in Japan since 2004, but a Japanese company had applied to patent a similar design in 1998.

Japanese courts have ruled in favor of the owner of the company, Norihiko Saito, who sued Apple for infringing its patent and requested compensation of 10,000 million yen (about 100 million). 

During the trial, Apple claimed that Pat Saito was not new as it had authorized several similar patents before 1998, as recorded by the Kyodo news agency. 


Apple imposed on compensation has been calculated taking into account its sales volume during the period affecting the litigation.

Tim Cook speaks at the Wall Street Journal

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After confirming a better financial results than expected last night, Tim Cook has devoted a few minutes to Wall Street Journal to talk about the present and the future of Apple. From the U.S. media have focused on this new product category that Tim promised for sometime this year. This is what I replied:

"You need time to do it right. Our goal has never been to be first. [...] In the market you can see a lot of products that have not been well thought out and consequently do not meet well with their duties. We do not focus on many products to spend much time in each of its details, and this facet of Apple will not change. It is the way in which we have operated for years and will continue so. I have a good feeling about what we're going to launch, and is closer than ever" (Tim Cook)

Apple CEO has released a laugh when from Wall Street Journal have asked the exact date of the launch: all know how jealous the Cupertino company with its calendar. But Cook has taken to defend the current product line, which has allowed Apple to grow 15% annually in profits.

And what about all those iTunes accounts? Tim Cook has spoken of them: 

"I think it's an interesting area. We have nearly 800 million iTunes accounts and most of them have credit cards linked. We already have people using TouchID to buy items in our stores, so it's an area of ​​interest to us. And it's an area where no one has found the key yet. I know there are some companies competing in this market, but people still have a wallet in your pocket. And me too, so this probably means that no one has found the key yet" (Tim Cook)

Will Apple found that form of payment that we will begin to look at our wallets and purses as antiquated? When in Cupertino are sure to have something that works. 

Darth Vader: Apple is finished!

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Yesterday was the day of presentation of results from Apple and as always, half the world stopped to see if its harmful results were confirmed: 

• Apple has stopped growing and goes irretrievably destruction. 

• Manufacturers mostly competing against Apple with commodity products, which are so used luegono like yours. 

• Manufacturers, except in the category of Samsung smartphones, not money making products or flagships whose sales do not exceed harmful and expensive iPhone 5c. 

But... that reality does not spoil a nice story against Apple!

Judge a company so severely for his "disappointing" quarterly results is extremely shortsighted. Guided by the expectations of Wall Street or a perpetual and constant growth, and expect a new category every two or three years at the level of iPhone is a mistake. First, because it is impossible, because it ignores second how innovation works. But still and all, sales of the iPad have had a drop of 16%, a drop of 19.48 to 16,350,000. Enough to tell that story: Apple is finished!

The key to the Apple's strategy is in the long run

"If your bearings in the long run, the interests of customers and shareholders are aligned" - Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon. 

The real question we should ask is whether Apple is oriented in the long term or otherwise endeavors to squeeze the company to satisfy Wall Street. And if we step back and strive to look at the forest instead of the tree, we see that Apple's strategy is called ecosystem: 

• An ecosystem creates loyalty to the company that controls it, because your customers are captive. 

• It's harder to get a customer who is really into it, change device. The more you invest in the ecosystem, the harder it is to change totally platform. 

• The user benefits translate into comfort and integration of different devices. 

Apple is placing their pieces on the chessboard with utmost patience and undistracted

And how can we know that Apple is building a robust ecosystem? At the conference of shareholders yesterday, Tim Cook shared many details: 

• Even I was surprised by the growth of iTunes accounts to 800 million. If we consider that at WWDC Apple said last year he had accumulated 575 million, we have a growth of 225 million. Here it seems that Apple itself may increase the growth rate.

• We are interested in the number of credit card accounts, the chances of Touch ID and Cook's statements about the possibility of including a system of mobile payments.

• ITunes sales for the quarter were 5,200 million, growing 24% and a cumulative 70,000 million downloads of apps. It is estimated that the App Store has generated 85% more revenue than Google Play in the March quarter. 

• The iPad generates traffic to 4 times the sum of all Android tablets, although its market share.

• The Apple Stores are present in 15 countries and have recently opened stores in Brazil and Istanbul. They have reported plans to double its stores in the next 3 years. 

• Apple bought 24 companies in the last 18 months. Some are more important than others such as Authentec, which was the technology that allowed the iPhone 5s fingerprint sensor.

All these data confirm us that the Californian company has always done: enhancing ecosystem services and to place the chess pieces in the right place. Quarter after quarter, device to device and year to year. Think long term, 5, 6 or even 7 plays later from what we see now, like the great masters of chess.

But iPad sales have fallen!

Yes, iPad sales have fallen and are not good news. Is it important? Yes. Apple would want a perpetual growth? Of course. But we must not read too much into one quarter. You can afford a drop in a quarter that is relatively bland in terms of sales (the next so often) when compared with Christmas because it has an ecosystem that protects it from these falls and allows it to counter the blows.

Those who say that Apple is finished, ignore the rest of positive data were confirmed in yesterday's conference:

• Sold 43.7 million iPhones when were planned 38 million. 

• Mac 4.1 million, slightly above estimates of about 4.03 million. 

• 66% of new activations iPads come from new customers. 

• Taiwan, Indonesia and Brazil have a double-digit growth. 

• Mac 4.1 million, slightly above estimates of about 4.03 million. 

• 66% of new activations iPads come from new customers. 

• Taiwan, Indonesia and Brazil have a double-digit growth. 

• India and Vietnam have doubled their sales. 

• 85% of buyers 4s in China are new to Apple. 

• There is also a 69% 5c buyers in China who are new. 

• A large percentage of these users come from China Android. But we had not been in a third of the buyers of the new iPhone Galaxy S5 come?

These data are particularly interesting given the saturation of developed markets. Apple is growing with more affordable terminals (but still scored in the high range) in China and India and part of Southeast Asia is a good sign. It shows that there is a market premium interested in their high-end products. 

It will be very interesting to see how Samsung and Apple face the growth of regional brands in the Chinese and Indian market, as the renamed Mi or Micromax. But we'll see in the future.

Brightflash, the shell company that would be recorded iWatch brand worldwide

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Two days ago we saw how Apple began to protect their registered field of jewelery and watches brands, a sign that it is preparing to launch something in that product category. But as far as the brand "iWatch" means, there is a company called Brightflash that is recorded in the United States. But MacRumors has released data that make him suspect that behind Brightflash is Apple itself.

Little is known of this company is founded in the state of Delaware (where laws facilitate the creation of companies), and its management are unknown. He began to register the mark 'iWatch' while Apple did outside the United States, and is the official address of a building where hundreds of thousands of registered stock companies.

It would not be the first time that Apple uses another company to register a mark that you want to use

Brightflash has also recorded some brands in other countries, and although it could be that it was a small company that wants to take ownership of the brands that seek technological giants concludes that it is not very likely because they are going too fast to coincide with the Apple decisions. 

Would not be the first time Apple has used shell companies to register brands: the iSlate it was owned by Slate Computing and brand iPad it was IP Application Development. Both were found to be controlled by Apple, who simply recorded the possible names of your tablet. We still do not know if that "iWatch" is a disposable iSlate name as it was, but these signals leave us less and less doubt that Apple is preparing for a new product.

Barnes & Noble presents Yuzu, the application that aims to change the way you study

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Although a mainly oriented to the USA market, being free can also be interesting for those of you who are studying application. If you do not know Barnes & Noble, suffice to say that is one of the main editors of the English-speaking world. Now we have this Yuzu application that aims to help when studying.

Yuzu The concept is very simple, it is a tool that will help beyond the mere task of eBook reader. Yuzu replaces the previous implementation of the editor called Study Now and its mission is to offer a powerful tool that allows us to add annotations in our electronic textbooks.

We have it available, completely free of charge, both iOS application, such as web application compatible with Safari. The application will allow us to bring our textbooks to include bookmarks and annotate them during class.

If we forget our iPad there will be major problem with a computer with internet access will be sufficient to access all of our annotations. The vast majority of the supply of Barnes & Noble is in English, but anyone can use your application.

Apple registered a patent deal that would prevent the mobile while driving

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Managing mobile or GPS when we are driving is one of the many causes that can lead to an accident. With the increase in smartphone and notifications, use while driving has increased, thus increasing the risk of accidents also. Apple knows this problem and just patented a system that would avoid using your phone while driving.

The patent would be based on safety thresholds to be inside a moving car, that is, detect the phone through the GPS we are moving and analyze image obtained by processing with cameras if we are the driver or not. Thus two areas, a safe and other unsafe be identified, as shown in the following image of patent registration.

According to the patent, upon detecting that we are in an unsafe area could be two things: either that the phone will block all use is considered unsafe or that the car emitted signals it inoperable phone while they were driving. These two possibilities are covered by the registration of the patent, so either could be chosen by Apple to implement.

Does this new patent a new feature of iOS related integration CarPlay? Yes and no. Software patents in the U.S. are so abstract that it can be only a record to protect competition or have an idea already developed and implemented.

Still, if this system a reality would be something that would have to take into account both car manufacturers as government of different countries, as they would have to think if it could be a mandatory on all cars to reduce the number accidents due to improper use of mobile phone.

Apple makes fun of Samsung a press announcement about its environmental responsibility

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There are some ideas we want every company to copy

Apple is celebrating Earth Day with a series of "pronouncing" that range from the ad Better narrated by Tim Cook, the new website on environmental liability and future Campus 2 or expanding its recycling program. The last of these actions is a press release published in at least two newspapers in the UK, The Guardian and Metro, where the company takes to throw a dart at Samsung in a time returning to face in court.

The move does not catch us by surprise considering the topicality and the efforts being made by the Koreans at the media in its 45th anniversary to project an image as an innovative company with the launch of a website about his design philosophy and openness its own Museum of Innovation in South Korea. This exhibition also includes products of rival companies like Sony or Apple itself, but you will not find in a single iPhone and tries to see the Galaxy S II as the epicenter of the revolution of the smartphones.

The original Apple thus plays a dual role, returning to throw in a "concealed" the idea that they are leading the way and the rest follow them (Samsung or whoever is the hint), and emphasizing their environmental initiatives decided:

"There's one area where we actually encourage others to imitate us. Because when everyone makes the environment a priority, we all benefit. We'd be more than happy to see every data centre fuelled by 100% renewable energy sources. And we eagerly await the day when every product is made without the harmful toxins we have removed from ours. 

 Of course we know we can continue to do better. We've set some pretty ambitious goals for reducing our impact on climate change, making our products with greener materials and conserving our planet's limited resources. So the next time we come across a great idea that can help leave the world better than we found it, we look forward to sharing it."

In my opinion, if there is something I would not mind seeing companies fight tooth and nail is precisely in this. As Apple says on a day like today, everyone wins. 

Facebook for iOS updated with improvements for reviews and news

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Facebook App has been updated to version 9.0 for iOS. The new application version brings exciting new features, but the best is what is to come, as promise from the offices of this social network.

Facebook brings new and good news. The latest update of the app on iOS has already come to the Apple Store and comes loaded with new features. In particular there are three new features in Facebook 9.0, but some other developments are coming in the near future.

Facebook 9.0 now allows us to respond directly to comments on pages that have enabled the feature, without being outstanding. In addition, group administrators will review, approve and deny more easily new content posted by members. Finally, in its version for iPad Now we see post on the most current issues or trendings topics. One way to approach the mechanics of Facebook Pages.

But perhaps the most interesting of Facebook 9.0 is what is coming. The company recently announced it will add the "close friends" that work similarly to "Find Friends" iPhone but with your Facebook friends feature. This feature would be available for Facebook 9.0 within weeks but only in the USA, so the rest of the world will have to wait a little longer.

Samsung Google wanted to do the dirty work, attacking Apple

• New documents show how Samsung would have weighed the possibility that Google did the dirty work of attacking Apple. 

• In that time Samsung was one of Apple's suppliers for its processors in iOS devices.

Lawsuits, contingency plans and a lot of dirty war. This could define what Apple and Samsung have been living for the past few years, as is clear from the dozens of documents that the last great judgment is showing. Apparently, the director of Samsung America itself would have asked his marketing manager to weigh the possibility that Google did the dirty work of a campaign against Apple. Thus, in the struggle against Samsung Apple would have no more than a secondary position, without staining your hands in no time.

Samsung against Apple, Apple against Samsung. Two of the largest companies in the world have been and are confronted. Some say the first hit while other courts of half the world already have spoken ten times for both parties. But it seems that this latest trial, which began March 31, will be decided once and for all who is right. And it is in this trial where most documents are filtered. Among them was a very interesting mail that Samsung asked whether it would be a smear campaign led by Apple Google:

"How you told me, we are not able to compete directly (against Apple) with our marketing. If the policy of Samsung is to avoid attacking Apple for being a major customer, can we ask Google to launch a campaign against Apple based in the many best products Android has for Q4? "

Interesting strategy Samsung against Apple, which due to the inability to directly attack the company for being chip supplier, weighed the possibility that a third party did. A technique that, despite its legality is questionable ethically. 

The mobile industry allies to prevent phone theft

Avoid mobile theft. That is the purpose of the agreement signed by Apple, Google, HTC, Huawei, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Microsoft and the five major operators in the USA, installing default anti-theft software for smartphone from 2015.

The alliance, announced by the Association of American mobile phone, CTIA, claims that all phones are sold with a program to block and delete the contents of the phone remotely in case of theft. It's actually something that now comes standard on the iPhone with Find My iPhone or most Android devices with the function of Android Device Manager, but from July 2015 will come in virtually any phone, at least in the USA.

The movement is a small victory for consumers. For years operators opposed INSTALL manufacturers such programs because so they could sell their own burglar or insurance services. Now the software will come installed by default.

The mobile theft is a growing crime in USA. It is estimated that in 2012 only in that country stole 1.6 million phones. In cities like San Francisco, 50% of the total robberies reported to the authorities deal with the sustrascción a phone. The new alliance will try to curb these figures. 

For when a similar initiative in Latin America or Europe?