Daily Briefing: Good news for people who love bad news
Android news for Thursday, November 3rd.
It's no surprise that Android continues to dominate the smartphone market. Increasingly, better components are getting cheaper, and companies have figured out how to churn out decent devices for under $100.
The problem isn't market share, but profit. When a company like Motorola — or Lenovo itself — fails to make money from the Android space, and we hear of HTC, LG, and even Samsung struggling to turn their momentum into black ink, you have to wonder how much longer all of them can co-exist. I hope it doesn't happen, but some consolidation in this industry, more so than just Lenovo picking up Motorola, may be just the ticket.
And now, today's news!
Qualcomm posts strong Q4 results
Buoyed by new license agreements in China and strong chipset shipments, Qualcomm posted a healthy 13.3% YoY increase in revenue. Overall revenue for the quarter was $6.2 billion, with the company seeing a 4% uptick in chip shipments to 211 million. More
Android continues to dominate the smartphone market
If market share, not profit, is your metric of choice, then Android continues to be the market's dominant player. According to Strategy Analytics, Android now comprises 88% of worldwide smartphone share, up from 84% the same period a year ago. While smartphone growth has slowed to just 1% year over year, Android shipments still rose in total, reaching 329 million in Q3.
The Huawei Mate 9 is the new big phone to beat
Huawei unveiled its latest, greatest smartphone today, the Huawei Mate 9, and in a Note 7-free market it has become the big phone to beat. We have all the info you need to learn about it and its $1500 Porsche Design special edition. More
Google is making it easier for developers to earn money from the Play Store
Google unveiled a number of new developer tools aimed at helping them make money, and get noticed, in the Play Store. In particular, developers will be able to set temporary subscription discounts. More
Lenovo is struggling to make money from Android, but the Moto Z is a bright spot
The Moto Z sold just over a million units since its debut in July, according to parent Lenovo, and is on track to sell 3 million in the first year. Not huge numbers, especially when compared to Apple and Samsung, but the company says it is on track to turn around Moto's business by the middle of next year. More
Motorola and Indiegogo will make new Moto Mods happen
Motorola is using Indiegogo as its funding platform for its burgeoning Moto Mods Development Kit (MDK), and all great ideas could get the help of Lenovo in the amount of $1 million in funding. That, plus Hackathons, will make it easier for these new modular add-ons to go from fiction to fact.
Samsung Gear S3 lands in the U.S. on November 18
It may not run Android, but Samsung's latest oversized smartwatch is coming to the U.S. on November 18 for $349, a hefty starting price but, if you recall, the same as its predecessor's debut last year. Some things never change. More
That's it for today! See you tomorrow :)
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