Tag Archives: aapl

Fitbit, Apple Lead In Wearables, But Other Brands Gaining Fast

Fitbit ( FIT ) continues to lead in wearable fitness devices and Apple ( AAPL ) remains atop the smartwatch market, but a host of little-known brands are rapidly taking market share, research firm IDC reported Monday . San Francisco-based Fitbit grabbed 29.4% of the basic wearables market in Q1, with worldwide shipments of 4.8 million devices. It grew unit shipments by 25.4% year over year, but the overall market jumped 65.1%, IDC said. Fitbit’s market share fell from 38.7% in Q1 2015. China-based Xiaomi came in second in basic wearables with a 22.8% market share, followed by Garmin ( GRMN ) with 5%. But both of those companies lost market share compared with Q1 2015, IDC said. Jumping into the top five for basic wearables in Q1 were China-based BBK and Lifesense, each with about 4% market share, up from nothing a year earlier. BBK sells devices under the XTC brand. Meanwhile, all other vendors in the basic wearables market grew unit shipments by 98.2% and increased their collective market share to 34.5% in Q1 from 28.7% a year earlier. In the smartwatch market, Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple took the top spot with worldwide shipments of 1.5 million Apple Watch units in Q1, giving it 46% market share. It launched the Apple Watch in Q2 2015. Samsung came in second with 700,000 units shipped and 20.9% market share, followed by Motorola with 400,000 units and 10.9% market share. China-based Huawei jumped into fourth place with 200,000 units and 4.7% market share. Garmin placed fifth with 100,000 smartwatches shipped and 3% market share. Unlike the basic wearables market, the ranks of other vendors in smartwatches dwindled in Q1. Other vendors accounted for 14.5% market share in the first quarter, vs. 52% in the same period a year ago. Unit shipments among the other smartwatch vendors dropped 44.2%. The overall smartwatch market grew unit shipments by 100.2% to 3.2 million units in Q1, from 1.6 million units in Q1 2015. “There’s a clear bifurcation … within the wearables market,” IDC analyst Jitesh Ubrani said in a statement . “Smart watches attempt to offer holistic experiences by being everything to everyone, while basic wearables like fitness bands, connected clothing, or hearables (smart headphones) have a focused approach and often offer specialized use cases.” RELATED: Apple Watch Still Preferred By Dudes; Fitbit Liked By Ladies Fitbit Fails Q1 Physical, Stock Collapses On Q2 Guidance How Many Watches Did Apple Sell Last Quarter?

Facebook’s WhatsApp Tests Video Calls; Wireless Firms On Edge?

Facebook ’s ( FB ) WhatsApp is reportedly testing a new, free video calling feature, as both Facebook’s social networking platform and its messenger services like WhatsApp push further into communications. The video calling feature is being tested on a limited basis, says a  report  by tech new site The Verge. Facebook’s emerging video calling platform poses a challenge to Microsoft ‘s ( MSFT ) Skype, analysts say. Facebook’s relationships with wireless service providers have been touchy, although its social platform is a big driver of data consumption for U.S. wireless firms such as AT&T ( T ) and Verizon Communications ( VZ ) as well as other players globally. T-Mobile US ( TMUS ) in March shot down speculation it was working with Facebook on a “sponsored” plan that would exempt usage from monthly data caps. Facebook’s friction with wireless firms has been more apparent in emerging markets, such as Latin America. At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the relationship between telecom carriers and  Facebook’s WhatsApp and Messenger is “symbiotic,” not hostile. Zuckerberg said that while “there might be tension in any relationship,” he sees greater use of photos and videos in messaging services as boosting data usage. In India, however, wireless firms Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Group ( VOD ) in early May asked regulators to stop phone calls made through mobile apps. Originally a text messaging service, WhatsApp rolled out free voice calling options to both Apple ( AAPL ) iOS and Android-based mobile phones last year. WhatsApp says it has 1 billion users worldwide. Facebook, though, hasn’t generated much revenue from WhatsApp, which it acquired in 2014 for $19 billion. Aside from WhatsApp, Facebook has taken other steps into communications. Facebook Messenger, a separate app, launched a group calling feature in April. Facebook has also expanded live video streaming to both Apple iPhones and Android software-based devices. Alphabet ’s ( GOOGL ) Google, meanwhile, is also active. Google has been working with Sprint ( S ), Deutsche Telekom ( DTEGY ), Vodafone and others to develop next-generation messaging technology based on a standard called Rich Communications Services, or RCS.

As Growth Investors Flee Apple, Warren Buffett Sees Value

Noted value investor Warren Buffett has picked up shares of Apple ( AAPL ) as growth investors have rotated out of the stock. Buffett disclosed in a regulatory filing Monday that Berkshire Hathaway ( BRKB ) bought 9.8 million shares of Apple, valued at $1.07 billion, at the end of the quarter. Buffett tends to focus on slower-growth companies that he believes are undervalued by the market, and he has not been a big tech investor. Meanwhile, hedge fund billionaire David Tepper has sold his stake in Apple, according to a filing with the SEC. Tepper previously held 1.26 million shares, last valued around $133 million, media reports said . On April 28, activist investor Carl Icahn said he had sold all of his shares in Apple. At one point, Icahn owned 53 million shares, or nearly 1% of the company. And Greenlight Capital’s David Einhorn also has been decreasing his stake in Apple. Drexel Hamilton analyst Brian White said Buffett’s Apple investment is a positive sign for the iPhone maker. “Although Buffett has admitted to not understanding technology, and thus avoiding the group for the most part (he also owns IBM ( IBM )), he is always on the lookout for a ‘wonderful company at a fair price,’ and we believe that is what he sees in Apple,” White said in a research report Monday. Investors soured on Apple after the Cupertino, Calif.-based company reported its first year-over-year sales decline since 2003 and its first-ever drop in iPhone unit sales in the March quarter. “In our view, Buffett’s investment in Apple speaks to a much bigger theme around the Apple story — the stock is meaningfully undervalued for such an excellent company with attractive long-term growth prospects,” White said. “In our view, the market gives Apple no credit for its expansive digital matrix across software, services and hardware that deliver a seamless experience for an installed base of 1 billion active devices.” Buffett also has confirmed that he could back a bid for Yahoo ( YHOO ) by Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert. Apple stock was up more than 3%, near 94, in midday trading on the stock market today . On Thursday, Apple stock fell to its lowest level in nearly two years, at 89.47. RELATED: Apple Gets Lift From China Ride-Hailing Service Investment .