The growth of global LCD TV shipments is expected to fall in 2012, according to market research firm GfK. The company believes that in 2012, growth will come from emerging markets as demand from the U.S. and Europe will subside. Global TV shipments grew 12% in 2011, and that rate is expected to slow to an estimated 7% growth rate this year. In total, GfK expects vendors to ship 225 million LCD TVs worldwide in 2012, Digitimes reports. Samsung, the world’s largest TV vendor by shipment volume, has vowed to sell more than 50 million units into global channels this year.

Read

Earlier this week, Apple filed a new patent lawsuit against Samsung in San Jose, California according to PaidContent. The complaint covers two patents, the first relating to spelling and autocorrect on its iOS devices, and the second concerning “universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system.” The company revealed it is using two new patents that were granted in December by the U.S. Patents and Trademark Office. The full scope of the case is not yet clear, however, since most of the court documents have not been made public. The Cupertino-based company has been in a constant battle with Samsung and a number of other rival vendors over numerous claims of patent infringement for more than a year.

Read

An Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Samsung Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note is slated for a March 1st release, according to mobile industry insider Eldar Murtazin. Murtazin posted a tweet claiming the official update would roll out next month, though availability will vary depending on country and carrier. He also said that the Android 4.0 update will be made available over the air or using Samsung’s Kies software. Samsung previously announced that an Android 4.0 upgrade would be coming to the Galaxy S II, Galaxy S II LTE, Galaxy Note, Galaxy R, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy Tab 8.9, Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.

[Via TheNextWeb]

Read

Apple and Samsung are in the midst of a patent-fueled war with no end in site, but the pair has also inadvertently joined forces to make it increasingly difficult for other vendors to continue making smartphones. New estimates suggest Apple and Samsung combined to take in a staggering 95% of smartphone industry profits in the fourth quarter of 2011. The figures paint an even bleaker picture for the rest of the players in the smartphone business than earlier estimates; UBS analyst Maynard Um said last week that Apple and Samsung’s combined take amounted to 90% of smartphone industry profits. Read on for more.

“With the strong iPhone market share gains during Q4/11 combined with Samsung’s strong share gains within the Android ecosystem, we estimate Apple and Samsung captured roughly 95% of industry profits,” Canaccord Genuity analyst Mike Walkley wrote in a note to investors on Thursday.

Walkley continued, “Apple generated a remarkable 80% share of estimated Q4/11 handset industry operating profits (vs. 56% in Q3/11 and 48% in Q4/10) with only 8.1% global handset market share. Demonstrating the strength of the iPhone’s profit share gains during Q4/11, Samsung’s share of industry profits declined from roughly 26% in Q3/11 to 15% in Q4/11, even though Samsung’s share of Android smartphones increased from 35% in Q3/11 to 39% in Q4/11.”

As Apple and Samsung each reported blowout quarters last month — Apple’s $13 billion holiday quarter was the most profitable quarter ever recorded by a technology company — other smartphone vendors are on the ropes. Nokia posted a €1 billion loss in the fourth quarter, Sony Ericsson reported a €247 million loss, LG posted its second consecutive loss last quarter, HTC continued to slump, Motorola recorded an $80 million loss and RIM continued to slide as well.

And for these struggling smartphone companies, Walkley doesn’t see things getting better in the immediate future. “With RIM, Nokia, HTC, and Sony Ericsson all in the midst of product transitions and Motorola Mobility merging with Google, we believe Apple and Samsung will maintain dominant share positions during H1/12,” the analyst wrote. ”Our January checks indicate Apple and Samsung trends remain strong versus competitors.”

Samsung is expected to launch its quad-core Galaxy S III smartphone this coming May, and Apple will then reportedly launch a completely redesigned next-generation iPhone later this year.

A German court affirmed a preliminary ruling on Thursday that determined Samsung’s reworked tablet does not look so much like the iPad that it should be banned. The ruling comes as another blow to Apple, which is in the midst of several other lawsuits with rival smartphone and tablet makers over intellectual property. The court said that there were “clear differences” between the Galaxy Tab 10.1N and the iPad, reports Reuters. Apple and Samsung have been tangled in what seems like an endless patent battle in Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, Australia, Japan and Korea. Thus far, courts in several countries including the Netherlands, the United States and Australia have decided to allow Samsung to continue selling its Galaxy smartphones and tablets despite Apple’s continued efforts.

Read

Mobile Web usage is on the rise, with users who access the Web through mobile devices having nearly doubled every year since 2009 according to analytics firm StatCounter. Web usage on mobile devices grew to 8.5% in January of 2012, up from 4.3% in the same month a year earlier. “While global Internet usage through mobiles is still under 10%, the pace of growth is remarkable,” said StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen. Apple leads the way in both the United States and United Kingdom, however Nokia is still the global leader — driven by its dominance in India — with nearly 40% of mobile Web browsing. In North America, Apple has a massive share of 59.11%, with Samsung and RIM coming in at 11.43% and 10.06%, respectively. Apple comes in second globally with roughly 30%, followed by Samsung with a 14% share. Android manufactures combined to account for less than 25% of mobile Web usage, with Research in Motion falling to roughly 8%. The Blackberry maker ranks second behind Apple in the U.K., however. Read on for StatCounter’s press release.

Mobile internet usage is doubling year on year

Nokia global leader, Apple king in US and UK

Boston, USA and Dublin, Ireland; Monday, 6th February, 2012: Global internet usage through mobile devices, not including tablets*, has almost doubled to 8.5% in January 2012 from 4.3% last year according to free web analytics company StatCounter. The firm’s research arm StatCounter Global Stats highlights the increasing use of mobile devices to access the internet with market share doubling year on year since 2009 (Table A below).

“While global internet usage through mobiles is still under 10%, the pace of growth is remarkable,” commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter.

StatCounter has also announced that new stats regarding mobile vendors are now available on its Global Stats website. The firm has been compiling and refining these stats for some time and has now made the beta project public. Based on initial research covering all traffic to the StatCounter network, Nokia leads worldwide, most probably driven by its dominance in India. Apple is second globally but leads the US and UK markets. In the UK RIM is second only to Apple.

“Following repeated requests, we’ve decided to make our new mobile vendor stats publicly available,” commented Aodhan Cullen, StatCounter. “As the mobile space is constantly evolving, we keep our detection under constant review.” Anyone wishing to contribute to the detection project can submit feedback using the detect tool: http://gs.statcounter.com/detect

StatCounter (http://statcounter.com/) provides free website traffic analysis. This allows website owners, developers and bloggers to capture website intelligence in real time e.g. number of visitors, visitors by country/region, search terms, popular pages, download stats, exit links and other data.

————————————————–
Table A:
Global use of mobile devices to access internet
(excludes tablets*)

Jan 2009: 0.7%
Jan 2010: 1.6%
Jan 2011: 4.3%
Jan 2012: 8.5%
Source: StatCounter Global Stats
—————————————————–

* StatCounter defines mobile device as a pocket-sized computing device, typically having a display screen with touch input or a miniature keyboard.

With Samsung’s high-end TV sales doing well, the company is now looking to launch cheaper television sets according to Reuters. Demand for lower-end TVs has been on the rise in recent months, with major South Korean retailers teaming up with local manufacturers to provide flat-screen models that are as much as 40% cheaper than Samsung sets. “As long as there’s demand, we’re open to get into that segment,” Samsung’s executive VP of visual display, Kim Hyun-suk said. “We’ve been preparing to introduce cheap models and have been studying to optimize production costs and retail prices. Those models will be ready for sale in one or two months.” Samsung is the world’s largest TV manufacturer and is aiming to sell 50 million units this year, with half of those shipments being Internet-enabled smart TVs.

Read

Samsung has confirmed that the company will not be holding a press event at this month’s Mobile World Congress trade show, reports to PCMag. At last year’s event the company introduced the Galaxy S II smartphone and in 2010 it announced its Bada mobile operating system. Samsung may still have product introductions at the show, however it will not debut them on the big stage. The company previously confirmed that the highly anticipated Galaxy S III smartphone would not be announced at the event, and BGR exclusively reported in December that Samsung has plans to unveil a new high-end tablet with a high-definition display at Mobile World Congress, though the status of those plans may have changed in light of this new development. The show runs from February 26th until March 1st.

Read

T-Mobile announced on Tuesday the company’s Valentine’s Day sale on all 4G smartphones and tablets. “T-Mobile has a commitment to make the 4G experience affordable and accessible to everyone, so this sweet deal on smartphones and tablets is our Valentine’s gift to consumers,” said T-Mobile’s senior vice president of marketing, John Clelland. “No matter where loved ones live, T-Mobile wants to bring them closer with unlimited talking, photo sharing, video chatting, texting, and more.” The carrier is offering the Samsung Galaxy S II, BlackBerry Bold 9900, HTC Amaze 4G, Lumia 710, SpringBoard tablet and other 4G devices for free with a new two-year agreement. This one-day sale is scheduled for this Saturday, February 11th. Read on for T-Mobile’s press release.

Cupid’s Arrow Hits Mark: T-Mobile Offers Free 4G Phones to Celebrate Valentine’s

For one day only, on Feb.11, all of T-Mobile’s 4G smartphones and select mobile broadband devices are free with the switch to a qualifying two-year plan

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Feb. 7, 2012 — In the spirit of the season, T-Mobile USA, Inc. will show consumers lots of love with another jaw-dropping promotion for its “Valentine’s Day Sale.” For one day only, Saturday, Feb. 11, T-Mobile will give customers the chance to get their hands on the latest 4G smartphones and select tablets for free, making a perfect gift for loved ones or themselves. The promotion includes T-Mobile’s fastest 4G smartphones and select tablets running on America’s Largest 4G Network® such as the Samsung Galaxy S™ II1 and the T-Mobile® SpringBoard™ with Google™.

New and existing eligible customers can take advantage of this deal receiving their device for free after a mail-in rebate card when they sign up for a new two-year contract on any qualifying Classic Plan™2 or for a $0.00 down payment after mail-in rebate card when signing up on a qualifying Unlimited Value™3 Plan.

“T-Mobile has a commitment to make the 4G experience affordable and accessible to everyone, so this sweet deal on smartphones and tablets is our Valentine’s gift to consumers,” said John Clelland, senior vice president of marketing, T-Mobile USA. “No matter where loved ones live, T-Mobile wants to bring them closer with unlimited talking, photo sharing, video chatting, texting, and more.”

A recent online Omnibus survey4 with Harris Interactive found that four-in-ten (44%) of first time smartphone buyers in 2012 say the cost of the data plan associated with the smartphone is the most influential reason they have not purchased a smartphone before. The value for customers extends beyond the “Valentine’s Day Sale” as T-Mobile offers the best rate plan pricing on America’s Largest 4G Network.

Apple has edged out IBM to become the top brand of 2011, according to an annual list from marketing strategy firm Davis Brand Capital. The Cupertino-based company ousted IBM, which topped the list in 2009 and 2010. Apple was previously ranked No.12 in 2009 and No.7 in 2010. Davis evaluates the top 25 brands annually using five categories that go beyond traditional marketing functions. “The annual 2011 Davis Brand Capital 25 ranking evaluates companies’ abilities to manage and balance the five key intangible categories that comprise brand capital: brand value; competitive performance; innovation strength; company culture; and social impact,” the company said in a press release. “The ranking does not aim to place a financial value on the brand capital of the companies. Rather, the list reveals the comparative strength and breadth of the companies’ brand capital.” As in previous years, the rankings were dominated by technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, HP, Cisco, Intel and Samsung. Read on for the complete list of Davis Brand Capital top 25.

Davis Names Top-25 Companies with Most Brand Capital in 2011
Top-performing Brand Capital Managers Best S&P 500 in 2011; Apple Takes #1 Spot on List Dominated by Tech Leaders; Toyota Reappears at #20 After Precipitous Fall

ATLANTA, Feb 06, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Davis Brand Capital today released the 2011 Davis Brand Capital 25 ranking, which evaluates brand beyond its traditional marketing function and considers it as a blend of key intangibles. It is the only annual ranking of companies demonstrating comprehensive and balanced approaches to managing the full spectrum of brand capital, which provides an indication of the strength and effectiveness of an entire business.

The top-performing companies on the Davis Brand Capital 25 outpaced the S&P 500 in 2011. A hypothetical stock portfolio consisting of these companies, with holdings proportionately allocated according to each company’s position in the ranking, outperformed the S&P 500 by 9.32 percent.

The annual 2011 Davis Brand Capital 25 ranking evaluates companies’ abilities to manage and balance the five key intangible categories that comprise brand capital: brand value; competitive performance; innovation strength; company culture; and social impact. The ranking does not aim to place a financial value on the brand capital of the companies. Rather, the list reveals the comparative strength and breadth of the companies’ brand capital.

“Brand now functions as the primary container of intangible value. Factors once viewed only internally by company management, such as company culture and innovation strength, are now broadcast to customers regularly through brand,” said Patrick T. Davis, chief executive officer of Davis Brand Capital, based in Atlanta. Studies by the Federal Reserve place yearly investment in intangibles by U.S. companies at more than $1 trillion. “We believe it is increasingly important to track the companies excelling in the management of these intangibles,” said Davis.

Apple (AAPL) tops the list for the first time, moving up from #12 in ’09 and #7 in ’10. The company’s rise in this year’s rankings was driven largely by its competitive performance and added brand value. Customers and investors alike continue to reward Apple for the transformative innovations it brings to the world through its marketing and business prowess.

IBM (IBM) ranks second this year, after holding the top spot for two consecutive years. Google (GOOG) enjoyed a meteoric rise from #11 in ’09 to #4 in this year’s ranking. Rounding out the top five, Microsoft (MSFT) remained at #3 again this year, and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) dropped from the #2 spot in ’10 to #5.

As in prior years, the ranking is dominated by technology leaders, which comprise nearly 30 percent of the ranked companies. Intel (INTC) and Cisco Systems (CSCO) also make the 2011 ranking, placing #8 and #10 respectively.

“Technology is the infrastructure of our daily lives now, and these companies are exceptional at delivering value, building trust and creating culture. They also tend to be more transparent and use their technologies to convey their strengths,” said Davis.

Automakers also are well represented on this year’s rankings. Toyota Motor Corporation (TM) reappears at #20, signifying a rebound in consumer trust and financial performance after a wave of high-profile product recalls and related controversy. Last year, the company dropped from the ’10 ranking entirely, despite having a strong showing in ’09 at #8. BMW (BMW-DE) moves up one position to #11 this year, and Daimler (DAI-DE) debuts on the ranking at #15. Volkswagen (VOW-DE) moves down four spots this year from #21 to #17. Both Ford (F) and Honda (HMC) drop from the ’11 rankings after holding the #23 and #18 spots respectively in ’10.

Coca-Cola continues its steady climb up the rankings, moving from #16 in ’09 to #14 in ’10 and landing at #9 on this year’s ranking. Arch-rival PepsiCo narrows Coca-Cola’s lead in ’11 with its #12 ranking, moving up from #24 in ’09 (not ranked in ’10) and representing the largest two-year gain of any brand on the list.

After improving its ranking from #10 in ’09 to #5 in ’10, discount retailer Wal-Mart (WMT) drops the most of any other company in ’11 both in terms of its two-year and year-over-year performance, ranking #24. Samsung Electronics has the second-largest drop in year-over-year performance, falling from #8 in ’10 to #23 in ’11.

Though still dealing with the aftermath of the global economic crisis and forward-looking financial anxiety, several financial services companies do appear on the ’11 ranking. Citigroup makes its debut on this year’s list at #16. Wells Fargo also debuts on the ’11 rankings at #25, and Goldman Sachs drops two spots from #16 in ’10 to #18. Financial services firms JPMorgan and HSBC drop from this year’s rankings entirely, after holding the #11 and #22 spots respectively in ’10.

This year, the Davis Brand Capital Scores have a much tighter range than previous years’ rankings, indicating collectively stronger performance for the 25 brands included on the list. “More than ever, companies are realizing the importance of proactively managing their collection of intangibles,” said Davis. “The companies listed on the 2011 Davis Brand Capital 25 represent the best-of-the-best globally, and inclusion anywhere on the list is testament to their exceptional power and far-reaching influence.”

Many major consumer and packaged goods brands are notably absent from the list. “Excellence in traditional product brand management alone is no longer enough,” said Davis. “Big consumer brands build great value in the marketplace and with the consumer, but that is only one component of brand capital. And it does not necessarily mean the brands represent companies that excel in managing broader intangibles. A more holistic approach is needed to earn a place among the extraordinary companies on this list.”

The 2011 Davis Brand Capital 25 ranking is based on a study of 10 distinct data sets. It is a compilation and analysis of annual performance rankings published in industry-leading and specialized annual lists, plus Davis Brand Capital’s proprietary processes and analysis. Each of the five key areas of brand capital is given equal importance to achieve an integrated, balanced evaluation.

Prior to the Davis Brand Capital 25, annual brand performance rankings were not evaluated and aggregated to reveal the comparative strength of companies’ brand capital. “It is essential now for senior executives to understand that brand capital reflects a collection of key intangible attributes determining systemic success. Well-managed brand capital signals the overall health and effectiveness of a business today,” said Davis.

The ranking will be updated yearly, with the 2012 Davis Brand Capital 25 released in January, 2013.

Samsung will be holding a press conference in France on March 22nd, however it will not be unveiling the highly anticipated Galaxy S III smartphone at that event. Since the South Korean company announced the event, numerous outlets reported that the next-generation handset would be the focus. The French event, however, will concentrate on the company’s existing product portfolio, a Samsung representative confirmed to The Next Web. Recent reports suggest the device will instead be unveiled in April and launch in May. The Galaxy S III is rumored to be 7 millimeters thick, and will supposedly feature a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front camera, a Super AMOLED Plus display and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Read

Samsung has developed a new universal remote control for its televisions and home theater accessories that ditches dozens of buttons in favor of Siri-like voice command support and a touch pad. As Apple reportedly readies an assault on the TV industry, established vendors such as Sony, LG and Samsung looked to cut the Cupertino-based firm off at the pass during this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. All the big names at this year’s show added voice controls and gesture support to their flagship HDTVs, and now Samsung has taken the wraps off its new voice-controlled universal remote, Nikkei’s Tech-On blog reports. The device allows users to speak commands in many cases rather than typing on a keyboard or pressing buttons, and it uses a combination of Bluetooth and infrared connectivity to improve reliability. While Samsung hasn’t yet stated exactly which devices will be compatible with its new remote, it did say TVs, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players and other accessories will be supported.

Read

Apple has argued on multiple occasions that Samsung builds mobile products that ”blatantly imitate the appearance of Apple’s products to capitalize on Apple’s success.” Courts seem to disagree for the most part, with only a pair of injunctions having been issued despite dozens of complaints Apple has filed around the world. There are some areas where Samsung does seem to take pages out of Apple’s playbook, however — Samsung’s new anti-iPhone ad strategy is somewhat reminiscent of Apple’s famous “I’m a Mac” campaign, for example — and market research firm Allied Business Intelligence may have uncovered another one this week. Read on for more.

ABI recently performed a teardown on Samsung’s latest flagship phone, the Galaxy Nexus, and the firm analyzed the components found within the handset. Among them was a new version of Samsung’s LTE chipset that is estimated to cost half as much as the chip it replaces.

“The Samsung Galaxy Nexus modem is constructed with the combination of a Via Telecom CDMA/EVDO Rev. A integrated circuit and a Samsung LTE baseband integrated circuit,” the firm wrote in its report. “This combination is now common for Samsung’s Verizon phones, but the Galaxy Nexus sports a new version of the LTE baseband chip. The new chip is estimated at nearly half the cost of the prior chip’s $23 price tag.”

One area where the competition has been unable to keep pace with Apple is profit, and the company’s record-setting holiday quarter was thanks largely in part to the huge margins it enjoys on iPhone sales. Asymco’s Horace Dediu estimates that Apple took in approximately 75% of mobile phone industry profits last quarter despite accounting for just 9% of global cell phone shipments, or an estimated 23.5% of all smartphone channel sales.

Whether or not Samsung’s mobile devices are “copycats” as Apple claims is up to the courts of the world to decide, but Samsung would be wise to follow Apple’s lead where margins are concerned. Samsung shipped about as many smartphones as Apple during the holiday quarter, but the $2.32 billion in operating profit it took in from its mobile business pales in comparison to Apple’s mobile profits.

Making significant cuts to component costs while still managing to sell 4G devices at premium prices could help the South Korea-based vendor hold its ground in the first quarter while the world awaits the launch of its next-generation flagship smartphone, the quad-core Galaxy S III.

SAMSUNG LAUNCHES THE GALAXY NEXUS WHITE

Samsung’s latest Android device coming to UK shores 13th February

6th February 2012, London, UK – Samsung has today confirmed the availability of a white variant of the Galaxy Nexus in the UK. The first smartphone to feature Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Galaxy Nexus White can be bought in a range of stores across the country from 13th February.

Simon Stanford, UK & IRE Telecommunications & Networks Division said: “After much speculation, we are pleased to announce the availability of the Galaxy Nexus White which follows the great reception the phone has received since it was launched back in November. One of the things we at Samsung pride ourselves on is the choice we offer customers, and we’ve enjoyed huge success to date by introducing white variants of our most popular models to our product portfolio.”

The Galaxy Nexus™ White offers customers all the features found in the original Galaxy Nexus, from the 4.65” HD Super AMOLED display which boasts a market-leading resolution of 720p (1280×720), to the 5 megapixel camera and super-fast 1.2GHz dual core processor and HSPA+ connectivity so owners can connect to and browse the internet quickly and easily when they’re out and about.

As the world champion New York Giants fought to hold New England scoreless in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLVI, another battle was raging off the field — Samsung’s string of anti-Apple commercials culminated with a 90-second TV advertisement that cost the South Korea-based vendor more than $10 million for the airtime alone. Following a series of ads that depict Samsung smartphones as the cool alternative to Apple’s iPhone, Samsung’s new commercial showcases the vendor’s new supersized Galaxy Note, due to launch later this month on AT&T. In this latest spot, a dreary scene of iPhone fans waiting in line for the launch of Apple’s latest handset erupts into a massive block party when Samsung Galaxy Notes begin falling from the sky to the tune of The Darkness’s 2003 single, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love.” The full 90-second commercial can be viewed below.