Smartphone sales surge as consumer upgrades gain momentum: survey

Global smartphone sales snapped back in the first quarter of the year to show the strongest growth since 2015, a market tracker said Tuesday.

Strategy Analytics said smartphone makers shipped some 340 million units in the first three months of the year, a 24 percent jump from the same period last year.

The rebound followed a pandemic-induced slump in 2020 for the market as many consumers postponed purchases or upgrades.

The research firm said the first quarter gains were driven by robust demand from consumers with aging devices and a strong 5G push from Chinese vendors.

"The China smartphone market had a sensational quarter driven by 5G product success across multiple price tiers," said Strategy Analytics senior director Linda Sui, noting a 35 percent jump in the Chinese market.

"Chip shortages and supply side constraints did not have a significant impact in Q1 among the top five brands but was and will be a concern for smaller vendors over the next few quarters in our view."

Samsung led the market with a 23 percent market share, following by Apple at 17 percent and three Chinese vendors, Xiaomi (15 percent) and Oppo and Vivo (11 percent each).

Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston said Samsung's 32 percent growth came from the launch of the "more affordable A series 4G and 5G phones," as well as solid sales of its flagship Galaxy S21 series.

Mawston said Apple also delivered strong growth of 44 percent from the prior year.

"The strong momentum behind the 5G iPhone 12 series continued across multiple markets," the analyst added.

Apple powers up iPads after pandemic-fueled surge
San Francisco (AFP) April 20, 2021 - Apple on Tuesday unveiled a new lineup of powered-up iPads including some with 5G connectivity, responding to surging interest in tablets and home-based work and play during the pandemic.

The California tech giant also introduced a redesigned suite of iMac computers with a sleeker look and more power thanks to its own M1 chips.

The M1 chip is also powering the new lineup of iPad Pro tablets unveiled at an event streamed from Apple's headquarters, at which the company announced a series of upgrades and new services.

"The revolutionary M1 chip has been a breakthrough for the Mac, and we're incredibly excited to bring it to iPad Pro," said Greg Joswiak, Apple senior vice president.

Joswiak said the chip will enable a "huge jump in performance... all in a device users can hold in one hand."

The new iPad models highlighted the event after the tablet computers came into greater prominence over the past year.

Worldwide tablet sales reversed a declining trend and rose 13.6 percent for the year, according to research firm IDC, with Apple capturing one-third of the market.

The new Pro tablets have improved displays, better connections to external accessories and cellular models will include 5G connections, Apple said.

The devices will start at $799 in the United States for the 11-inch model and $1,099 for a 12.9-inch device.

Amid a surge in working from home, "Apple has seen a major renaissance of growth from its iPad... showing 40 percent year-over-year growth the last few quarters as more employees/students went through an iPad refresh," said Daniel Ives at Wedbush Securities.

"We estimate less than half of iPad users globally have gone through a refresh the last year with some clear pent-up demand that these new iPads will unleash in the next few quarters."

The new all-in-one iMacs will offer a thinner design, and incorporate the fingerprint ID and high-resolution cameras seen in Apple mobile devices.

Apple unveiled its "Air Tag" devices which can be attached to items to help people find them, and announced a new purple color for its iPhone 12 lineup.

The company also said it would begin offering podcast subscriptions, ramping up competition with rival Spotify.

Apple adds podcast subscriptions as competition mounts
San Francisco (AFP) April 20, 2021 - Apple is adding a subscription option to its pioneering podcasting service, evidently moving to fend off fast-growing rival Spotify.

Beginning in May, podcast fans around the world will be able to sign up for subscriptions for perks such as ad-free listening or exclusive content from creators, the tech giant said during a streamed media event Tuesday.

"Now, you can help your favorite podcasters build their business and fuel their creativity," Apple chief Tim Cook said during a presentation from the company's headquarters in Silicon Valley.

The subscription feature comes with an overhaul of the Apple Podcast platform that lays credit to kicking off the trend with its launch 15 years ago.

"We are making the biggest change to Apple podcasts since its debut," Cook said of the redesigned app.

Listing to podcasts will continue to be free, but a subscription option makes Apple's service more attractive to creators by providing a way to make money aside from ads or tips.

Spotify earlier this year revealed plans for podcast subscriptions, increasing the pressure on Apple to keep personalities.

Industry tracker eMarketer last month said that Spotify has been growing quickly and that its podcasting service is on track to have more listeners in the United States than Apple Podcasts this year.

"By putting podcasts and music in one place, Spotify quickly became the convenient one-stop-shop for everything digital audio," eMarketer forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Peter Vahle said in a post.

"Apple was the de facto destination for podcasts for a long time, but in recent years, it has not kept up with Spotify's pace of investment and innovation in podcast content and technology."

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