Not much Apple news today after the blast of hot, fresh tidbits on Tuesday. But we have the following for you:
- Some analysis about the smartphone market in China provided by Counterpoint Research shows that Apple is killin’ it in the high-end phone segment
- Another tvOS beta showed up today. When will the final 10.2.1 version arrive?
- Niantic will host community events to let Pokémon Go and Ingress players connect with real people
The text version of the podcast can be viewed below. To listen to the podcast here, click the play button on the player below. Note to Apple News readers: you’ll need to visit Apple World Today in order to listen to the podcast.
Text Version
This is Steve Sande for Apple World Today, and you’re listening to the AWT News Update for May 4th, 2017.
Some additional info has come out about the drop in market share for Apple’s iPhone in the country of China. It turns out that the low-end smartphones — those in the $100 – $199 range and $300-399 segment — are the ones that are selling well. These are made primarily by BBK with its Oppo and Vivo brands, Lenovo, and Huawei. Apple doesn’t play in the same market. It sells mostly in the over $600 range, holding an 80% share of that market. In fact, out of the top ten premium models, five are Apple devices. Apple makes money on these more expensive smartphones that cater to those in large Chinese cities, while the cheap phones don’t make much of a profit. Huawei, Oppo and Vivo together made up over half of the Chinese smartphone market in the first quarter of 2017, but accounted for less than 5 percent of smartphone profits worldwide last year. Finally, those more expensive phones are helping growth in Apple’s Services sector and also helping move people into Apple retail outlets to purchase other premium equipment and accessories.
If you’ve been waiting for the next public beta of tvOS 10.2.1, wait no more! It’s rolling out for Apple TV today, so beta testers can update today. Considering it’s the fifth beta, I think we can all expect to see the final version of this and the other Apple operating systems coming out soon.
It’s been a little while since we heard anything about Pokémon Go, but now we’re hearing that Niantic, the company that created Pokémon Go and Ingress, is going to start hosting community events for players in public spaces throughout the US. This is being done in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the first event is planned for this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to John Hanke, CEO of Niantic, “We founded Niantic to give people the chance to connect with the world around them using technology and games in innovative ways. The partnership with The Knight Foundation is a great forum to explore how technology can drive civic engagement.” Events take players on a tour of public space along a predetermined route dotted with PokéStops and Gyms along the way. If you’re a fan of Pokémon go and live in Charlotte, check out the May 7th event at Open Streets 704.
That’s all for today; I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon with another edition of the AWT News Update.
