Wireless Federation

Apple and Samsung lead smartphone shipments in 2011

On 02.08.12, In Mobile, By Editor

The demand for smartphones around the world continues to witness a rise as users across segments have been increasingly replacing traditional handsets with smartphones by Samsung and Apple. According to a report by IDC, the worldwide smartphone market went up by 55 per cent in Q4 2011, largely driven by the demand for the Apple iPhone 4S.

As per the report, around 492 million smartphones were shipped in 2011, a 61 per cent rise from 305 million units in 2010. Apart from the introduction of high and medium-end devices by telecom giants Samsung and Apple, affordable handsets by these firms have gone a long way in increasing their presence in the market.

South Korea’s Samsung emerged as the leading smartphone maker for 2011, with the launch of its successful range of the Galaxy series, primarily the Galaxy SII and Galaxy Nexus. The Apple iPhone 4S helped the US manufacturer maintain its market position as well as set a new shipment volume record for a quarter.

Smartphone vendor Nokia attempted to gain back some its market share with the launch of its Windows Phones, the Lumia 710 and Lumia 800, while BlackBerry maker, Research in Motion (RIM), is still working towards recovering from the losses caused due its network outage and hopes to release its updated handset by the end of the year. Taiwanese handset maker, HTC also saw a decline in the volumes shipped in the fourth quarter as compared to the previous quarter.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Apple • Apple iPhone 4S • Blackberry • Galaxy Nexus • Galaxy SII • HTC • Nokia Lumia • Research In Motion (RIM) • Samsung • smartphone

Apple wins patent battle against HTC (USA, Taiwan)

On 12.23.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Apple Inc has emerged victorious in its patent lawsuit against handset manufacturer HTC, as the International Trade Commission has reportedly ruled that HTC has infringed on one patent held by the iPhone maker. As per reports, any of HTC’s phones using the technology which has been infringed will be banned from sales in the USA from 19 April, 2012.

According to reports, industry analysts believe that the ruling is not expected to have a major impact on the company’s sales as the ruling gives them enough time to come up with another feature to compensate for the infringed feature.

As per sources, HTC has said that the feature in question is a common user-interface function which enables smartphone users to access information such as contact numbers and e-mail addresses from apps and other sources, and use them by simply tapping on the text.

The victory will be well received by Apple, after losing out to Korean giant Samsung, on a similar patent infringement case in Australia last month.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Android • Apple • Australia • Google • HTC • Patent • Samsung • smartphone • USA

HTC reports 20 percent decline in sales (Taiwan)

On 12.09.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Taiwanese handset manufacturer HTC Corp. has reported a 20 percent decline in its consolidated sales in November this year as compared to the previous year, causing its share price to drop significantly. According to reports, the stock price fell to US$ 14.1 (TW$ 428) the lowest price this year.

Increasing competition from global players like Apple and Samsung has led to decreasing profit margins for the company. Further, industry analysts reportedly claim with these manufacturers gaining a larger customer base with each product launch, the market share of HTC may decline in the next few quarters.

As per sources, HTC Corp.’s consolidated revenue declined to US$ 1.02 billion in November this year.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Apple • HTC • Samsung • Taiwan

MTN launches 3G enabled HTC phone to drive data usage (Ghana)

On 12.01.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Africa’s leading telecommunications service provider, MTN has reportedly launched the MTN/Qualcomm 3G enabled HTC phone in Accra, in collaboration with Qualcomm, in an attempt to increase awareness and usage of data services, especially among business users.

According to reports, Rahul De, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Ghana, has said that their partnership with Qualcomm to promote these HTC 3G phones ties in with their broad objective to encourage Ghanaians to tap into the benefits of surfing the internet in order to boost productivity and generally impact the socio-economic development of the country.

As per sources, De hopes this initiative will cause more users to take advantage of the wide range of data services available on the network, enhancing their mobile experience. Further, it has been reported that some services such as MTN Business provide total ICT (Information and Communications Technology) solutions to businesses and individuals along with a wide range of 3.5G services.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: 3G • Ghana • HTC • Mobile Data • MTN • Qualcomm • USA

HTC cuts revenue forecast for fourth-quarter (Taiwan)

On 11.25.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Taiwan based smartphone maker HTC Corp., has reportedly cut its fourth-quarter revenue forecast due to increasing competition from Apple Inc. and Samsung, along with the global economic crisis. According to reports, HTC’s shares dropped 6.9 percent to reach its lowest value in over a year to US$ 17.21 (NT$ 526) in Taipei.

The company sales have been witnessing a decline with stiff competition from Samsung smartphones. As per sources, industry analysts claim that the decline in sales in the US market have played a significant part in HTC’s forecast announcement, as the company had managed to become the largest smartphone vendor for US in the third quarter.

HTC had initially predicted the fourth-quarter results to grow 30 percent to $4.4 billion, but later announced that the revenue for the quarter ending December 2011 would be flat as compared to the previous year. Further, the company is also reviewing the acquisition of S3 graphics, after the firm lost the patent infringement case against Apple.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Apple • HTC • profit estimates • revenue forecast • S3 Graphics • Samsung • Taiwan

HTC loses patent infringement case against Apple (USA)

On 11.23.11, In Mobile, By Editor

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has reportedly ruled in favour of Apple, claiming that the US based manufacturer has not violated any patents held by S3 graphics. The patents are considered to be a property of HTC which bought S3 graphics in an attempt to improve its chances in the legal battle with Apple.

According to reports, the decision puts an end to the investigation on Apple’s products, which could have limited the imports of some of its Mac computers, iPhones and iPads. Sources claim that HTC may be looking to challenge the decision in a U.S. court specializing in patent law.

Industry reports reveal that HTC purchased about 235 patents largely related to graphics technology. HTC’s General Counsel, Grace Lei has reportedly said that they are disappointed with ITC’s decision but respect it. Lei also said that while the outcome is not what they hoped for, they will review the ruling once the commission provides it and will then consider all options, including appeal.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Apple • HTC • patent- infringement • S3

Facebook may launch its own phone with HTC (USA, Taiwan)

On 11.22.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Social networking site Facebook may be looking to launch its own mobile phone in the next couple of years. According to reports, the mobile phone codenamed ‘Buffy’, will be manufactured by HTC and will be powered by a customized version of Google Ins.’s Android software.

As per sources, the phone will work on the HTML5 platform better suited for Facebook applications. The social networking major has worked with HTC and Motorola on smartphones that include a ‘facebook’ button, providing users with easy access to the site from their mobile device.

Sources claim that a Facebook spokesperson has reportedly said they believe every mobile device is better if it is deeply social, adding that they have been working with operators, hardware manufacturers, OS providers, and application developers to bring powerful social experiences to more people around the world.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Android • Buffy • Facebook • Google • HTC • Motorola

Vodafone Ghana Q3 service revenue rises by 32.5 percent (Ghana)

On 11.14.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Vodafone Ghana, an operating company of Vodafone Group Plc., the world’s leading mobile telecommunications company, is reportedly the only operator in the country to introduce its own custom-made affordable mobile handsets and other devices for users in the country.

According to reports, the company has unveiled 14 of its branded handsets along with a number of different devices such as Mi-fi, Torres, Ideos and Webbox among others, in order to cater to the specific users requirements in Ghana. Further, reports suggest that Vodafone has been a pioneer in introducing users in Ghana to high-end devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tablet and the Galaxy SII along with the HTC Sensation.

As per sources, Evans Boake, Portfolio Manager for Terminals, Vodafone Ghana has said that they are the only telecom company in Ghana that goes to the market to look for what people want and then commission handset manufacturers to design handsets from concept in order to meet the specific needs of the different categories of their customers. He added that other telecom operators buy existing brands like Nokia and others and put their sticker on them, but they actually order the phones to be custom-made and branded Vodafone from source.

According to company reports, Vodafone recorded an increase of 32.5 percent in service revenue in the third quarter, with a major contributing factor being attributed to its value offerings, inclusive of packages on its affordable handsets.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: affordable handsets • Ghana • HTC • Samsung • Service Revenue • Vodafone Ghana

HTC sues Apple using Google patents (USA)

On 09.12.11, In Mobile Phones, By Editor

HTC Corp has filed a third lawsuit against the iPhone maker, Apple Inc. using the nine patents obtained from Google a week ago. As per reports, HTC has lodged its complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC), claiming that Apple has violated four HTC patents, which originally belonged to Motorola. Reports suggest that the lawsuit filed by HTC accuses Apple of infringing patents across a range of products and services including the Mac computer, iPhone, iPod, iPad, iCloud and iTunes.

This lawsuit is not the only legal battle taking place in the mobile world. Apple had earlier sued HTC for infringing on 20 patents related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware. Apple has also been involved in a legal tussle with South Korean manufacturer Samsung Electronics, claiming that the Samsung Galaxy S2 had copied the design and look of Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices. Samsung had counter-sued Apple claiming that the US based company had violated Samsung’s wireless patents.

Analysts suggest that with the phenomenal increase in demand for smartphones and tablets, these manufacturers have been using legal battles as a means of competition in order to delay rival companies from launching their products in the market.

Filed under:Mobile Phones Tagged with: Apple • Google • HTC • Lawsuit • Patents • USA

HTC to acquire wireless patents for $75 mn (Taiwan)

On 04.04.11, In Mobile, By Editor

HTC is planning to acquire worldwide patent portfolio comprising wireless telecommunications technologies for US$75 million.

HTC is buying the 82 issued patents and 14 patent applications from ADC Telecommunications.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: HTC • Mobile • Taiwan