A few weeks ago, Apple announced their Q1 earnings and the numbers were staggering: They sold more than 37 million iPhones and 15 million iPads. To put that in perspective, that’s more iPhones sold per day than babies were born! And it isn’t just Apple that’s doing well. Mobile devices as a whole are seeing significant growth. Over the 2011 holiday season, U.S. tablet ownership doubled, and a recent study found that 39% of the tablet market share is now Android-enabled devices.
Now that you’re up-to-date on recent stats, let’s get down to the question that has been swirling: Will mobile be the death of the PC? This debate is nothing new, but it is becoming more prevalent with the lightning-speed adoption of smartphones and, most recently, tablets. The question is no longer “will” but “how long before” the mobile market is larger than the PC market. Depending on which study you read—and there are plenty—you will find that mobile has already eroded PC sales or will do so very soon. One estimate predicts that Android sales will surpass PC sales this year and iOS will follow next year (see graph above). Another study from Gartner reports that mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common web access device worldwide by 2013. Consider this recent stat from Canalys: 487.7 million smartphones were shipped in 2011 vs. 414.6 million PCs. This indicates that the post-PC era is already upon us.
Given these recent findings, what do you think this means for the future of PCs?
*Photo Credit
As the year winds down, we’ve seen a little more staff spam than usual. (Don’t worry, we’re still working really hard). This week’s ÜberLinks has a little something for everyone—coffee addicts, QA peeps, and even you Windows Phone users.
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Attention, java junkies: a new iOS app lets you control coffee brewing from your iPhone.
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Turn your iPad into a music studio with Rockmate.
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Careful, Windows Phone users. You could be victim to malicious SMS messages and Facebook chats.
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Kindle Fires are selling like hotcakes (or at a rate of more than one million per week)!
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Just reading about the worst computer bugs of 2011 has our QA team on edge.
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Some kids may be getting a board game about programming this Christmas. Joy!
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Übies have found a new Nerf gun they’re hoping to score for the office.
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A look into Aston Martin’s One-77 supercar that has a price tag of $1,750,000.
The latest batch of mobile-related studies offer continued insight into the industry and the mobile device user. While trends are constantly changing, one thing is certain: people are increasingly turning to their mobile devices for everything from consuming media to purchasing products.
A few interesting stats:
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73% of mobile developers are writing for iOS vs. 27% for Android. –ReadWriteWeb (12/13/11)
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Consumers believe mobile payments are safer than using a credit card by a margin of 4 to 1. –Mobile Payments Today (12/13/11)
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Mobile captures more viewing time from U.S. adults than print magazines and newspapers combined (up 30%). –eMarketer (12/12/11)
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87% of tablet owners will use device to shop this holiday season [infographic]. –IntoMobile (12/12/11)
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38% of smartphone owners have used device to make a purchase. –TechCrunch (12/5/11)
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Email open rates on a mobile device have increased 51%. –Mobile Marketer (12/2/11)
Are you surprised by any of the above data?
*Video courtesy of Miguel Endara
The latest links to capture our attention include an impressive video of a drawing composed of 3.2 million ink dots (above), the Google graphing calculator, and an Android phone name generator. Check it:
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Miguel Endara, web developer and stipple enthusiast, draws his father with 3.2 million ink dots.
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A little fun with an Android phone name generator.
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Former Google intern provides an explanation for lag in Android UI.
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We’ve all been frustrated with the number of emails that flood our inboxes. A French tech firm plans to solve that issue by banning email.
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Path is the new social network sweeping the office. Must be the sleek UI.
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Kindle Fire sales are hot. Kindle Fire usability reviews, not so hot.
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Who needs a TI-83 when you have the Google graphing calculator?
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Mobile stat: 38% of smartphone owners have used device to make a purchase.
Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting the University of Washington’s Master of Communication in Digital Media (MCDM) First Friday event at our digs. Students, faculty, alumni, and others interested in the graduate program came out to mingle and listen to a brief presentation from our CEO and Übie Meg Brown (who is also a student in the program) on the relevancy of mobile in MCDM.
We had a great time showing people around the office, and even managed to bust out a game of Dance Central. Check out our Facebook page to see more photos of the fun!
*Image courtesy of MCDM Social