Sorry for the radio silence on the blog, but there hasn't been that much really 'news' in this space, compared to years past when we sometimes had to write several blog articles on the same day..
So the past month or two? The Quarterly results cycle came in. The item often of great interest is the Apple iPhone performance. 52.2 million iPhones shipped and that gives roughly a flat market share compared to the year before, so about 14%-15%. I'll come and do the full math later of the quarterly data. That race is no longer in any way interesting.
But two Top 10 smartphone brands ARE in the news. One who is facing imminent death and the other who is making a miraculous return-from-dead. So imminent death and current Top 10 brand first. ZTE. The Trump administration has put a massive squeeze on ZTE and the company is in serious trouble of imminent collapse. Then bizarrely, Trump reversed course and felt he needed to protect CHINESE employment (???) and after yet another typical Trump-mess, we now are at a Never-Neverland where Trump's own party Republicans are revolting against their President and well, ZTE may end up a casualty of this mess. We'll keep an eye on it.
In supremely delightful news, Nokia's come-back is well on schedule. The first major analyst house has now ranked Nokia smartphones back in the Top 10 (Strategy Analytics, for Q1 global numbers, see this article via Nokia Power User). They have given a count of 4.1 million Nokia smartphones sold in Q1 with 1.2% market share and a global ranking of 9th. Congrats HMD !!! Excellent work. Good luck further this year. This is the first analyst to give a Top 10 position for Nokia smartphones and that is only for the 'down' quarter that follows Christmas sales peak quarter, so lets not yet read too much into it. But I predicted Nokia will return to the Top 10 this year, and even if currently they are on the cusp, and other analyst houses don't see it quite that good yet for HMD, this is a great trend to be on, continuing growth in market share, and we should see plenty of major analyst houses report this data during the Summer and then Autumn periods.
Then onto more good news: Facebook is in serious trouble. Duh, they are the Evil Empire Mini-Me (with Microsoft being the true Evil Empire of all time, in tech). So just noted in passing, with the Cambridge Analytica mess, that Facebook is finally caught up in the disastrous business ethics their company was built upon. As I always preach in my lectures and seminars: "Don't spam, don't spy; ask permission and satisfy." Facebook is the very antithesis of good behavior and the sooner they die away, the better. I don't in any way suggest Facebook (or Microsoft) to die in the foreseeable future, but I do expect that the next US Congress (when Democrats take control again) will act decisively against Facebook's over-reach and probably split up the company similar to how AT&T the telecoms giant was broken up several decades ago.
Ok, that is my quick brief update. I'll do the math on the Top 10 smartphone market share data in the near future too, for the record. And of the comments? Somehow the comments have been misbehaving on the blog, I'll try to sort that out, but we should all have comments open, of course, as always.
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2018/09/apple-and-salesforce-partner-to-help-redefine-customer-experiences-on-ios/
Yet another enterprise player demonstrating that iOS rules the enterprise. Cloud/web based company enhancing their user experience with native apps...using exclusive iOS features.
But then, what does the world's largest CRM provider know about the technology used by it's business clients?
Posted by: Jim Glu | September 24, 2018 at 03:46 PM
@Per
Why on earth should I change Mojave to Linux? I am a Mac power user and will not change to inferior OS experience.
Posted by: BennyDover | September 24, 2018 at 07:11 PM
@Jim
Tim is doing an excellent job with these partners. He has more patience than Steve.
Posted by: BennyDover | September 24, 2018 at 07:14 PM
I'm not sure why anyone would move from a Mac to Linux...if they had a Mac. I can understand why a lot of folks who don't have a Mac might well choose Linux. Last time I did it was because I was working as a Java developer and my windows machine flaked out on me. What they heck, all my tools for that job were on Linux as well, so I reformatted and installed Linux. It was just fine for what I needed at the time. Given that I had other machines in the house to do the stuff I could never get Linux to do
Posted by: Jim Glu | September 24, 2018 at 07:29 PM
DisplayMate tested iPhone XS max and XS displays: best display in a smartphone, beats also Galaxy S9.
Posted by: Greg | September 24, 2018 at 10:35 PM
Looks like there could be another Antennagate in the newest iPhones.
Why move to Linux? Because it's actually decent nowadays. But hey, if you don't wanna you don't wanna. But then please don't say outdated things about it either.
Posted by: Per "wertigon" Ekström | September 25, 2018 at 09:47 AM
Yeah right the year of the Linux desktop is next year. I have nothing against Linux as server. Linux is macOS cousin because macOS is Unix. Linux can't meet the refined way the macOS works and I use Automator everyday.
Posted by: BennyDover | September 25, 2018 at 02:44 PM
”Looks like there could be another Antennagate in the newest iPhones.”
Nope but we could have combustible Samsung's again this year.
Posted by: BennyDover | September 25, 2018 at 02:45 PM
"Outdated things" - by all means, let's declare THIS year, The Year of Linux on the Desktop. Linux on the desktop is "always getting better" but is never "there". It never will be because you can't make any money selling software to an audience who's main defining feature is "we want free software".
Now, Linux as a SERVER....rocks. One can certainly "make do" with Linux as a desktop in the same way one can "make do" with an iPad replacing a computer. If one's use cases are constrained enough...it can do the job, and do it well, and it's free (unlike an iPad).
I have a couple old (but still quite good) enterprise class servers at home running Proxmox (based on Debian, it's like VMWare ESXI, only "free" and open source". I spin up linux instances all the time. The whole reason I have this setup is for the easy ability to spin up linux instances.
I have a 3rd old enterprise server with Windows on it. Because there are still many many things I do that are best done on Windows...and I'd rather have windows as a host OS than trying to run it under a vm. I do run Windows via VM when I have a work supplied Macbook pro. Alas, that's not the case for me anymore.
It's all about the software I want to run. There is no linux desktop software that doesn't also exist for Windows or by much better alternate windows apps.
It's the same thinking for my choice os iOS over Android. It's all about the apps. There are some things about the Android OS that I find superior to iOS...but the app catalogue and connectivity to my other Apple devices, iOS is my daily driver choice.
It's an informed choice.
Posted by: Jim Glu | September 25, 2018 at 03:07 PM
LOL
Windows is circling the drain you know that right? win32 is just about done for, not even MS want to support it. There are even some hints to MS position themselves to renade Windows as a Linux distro.
Try a modern Linux desktop for a week or two. It's actually quite nice. 😊
Posted by: Per "wertigon" Ekström | September 25, 2018 at 04:27 PM
Per - come on man. You know the problems with Linux on the Desktop has never been about Linux. It's about everyone else NOT supporting linux. The best thing to happen to Linux on the Desktop is the same best thing that's happened for Macs....the rise of web apps. It doesn't matter as much as it used too. But there's always that "one app" that "one thing".
Still...today's pc's are powerful enough to run two OS's simultaneously. You can run linux as your host and Windows under vm for those times you need that windows app.
And no, Windows is not becoming a linux distro. Msft has enabled a Ubuntu subsystem to be loaded. Lets you ls/cat/grep to your heart's desire. Of course....Mac is Unix under the hood, so you don't need to install extra software for that. Install Homebrew and you can easily install linux software on a Mac as well
Posted by: Jim Glu | September 25, 2018 at 07:25 PM
”This is “a huge opportunity for Apple to grow its business around enterprise IT,” Evans writes. “This works the other way, also — as enterprises coalesce around iOS, any remaining friction still felt by Apple users when encountering legacy enterprise solutions will also erode, making the end user experience better. Eventually, businesses that insist on delivering legacy-style Windows-based services will fail or migrate because consumers will avoid such friction and choose vendors that deliver better customer experiences.””
http://macdailynews.com/2018/09/25/apple-is-the-future-of-enterprise-it-salesforce-deal-confirms/
Posted by: BennyDover | September 25, 2018 at 07:36 PM
@Jim:
https://www.thurrott.com/internet-of-things-iot/156628/microsofts-next-os-based-linux-not-windows
http://www.blitterandtwisted.com/2016/11/why-windows-will-move-to-a-linux-kernel.html
Seriously, Microsoft would save a *ton* of money to go over to Linux and move NT to a VM or even improve Wine to the point of 98-99% compatibility. But hey, that's just a theory for now. :)
@Benny:
Macs simply cost too much to be worth it for non-IT enterprise, and they would be utterly dependent on Microsoft. Until they provide a $400 office workstation (either portable or otherwise), Enterprise will always be a pipe dream - And Microsoft could choose to withdraw Office for Macs at any moment.
But sure, dream on. :)
Posted by: Per "wertigon" Ekström | September 26, 2018 at 06:56 AM
OK - per. Msft is coming out with an IoT (Internet of Things) os based on linux, not windows. I don't know why anyone would think this is a shocker. It's not their next version of Windows. It's an OS meant to go into small, very limited function devices. What kind of devices you ask? Things like the boxes you put in a car that keep track and report how your drive. Monitors in industrial equipment. I did a project in the Y2K time frame for a big food company. It was all about data coming from their manufacturing systems. How hot is the temp. How fast is the belt moving. What is the humidity. Etc. Today we would call that IoT.
Microsoft is NOT putting WINDOWS on top of Linux. Quote: Microsoft’s Brad Smith said during the webcast while holding up a tiny IoT-optimized micro-controller unit (MCU) chip. “But what we’ve recognized is, the best solution for a computer of this size—in a toy—is not a full-blown version of Windows. It is what we are creating here.”
It's not the first time Msft has turned to Linux when it made sense: https://www.wired.com/2015/09/microsoft-using-linux-run-cloud/
I would not be surprised to find out that significant parts of Azure cloud run on linux. If you are keeping track, I'm a big advocate of Linux in server roles. I haven't mentioned tiny devices...but there too. Mac OS and there for iOS is built on FreeBSD...a actual Unix that most people don't distinguish from Linux (more alike than different). The Year of Linux on the Desktop -- will never happen. But free Unix, in the forms of Linux and BSD own most everything except Windows on the desktop....including running most of the internet, and all of smartphones.
Posted by: Jim Glu | September 26, 2018 at 02:48 PM
Per - Microsoft has no incentive to drop Office for Mac. There are more Macs in use now than ever. The sell into regular (non-IT) enterprise is on total cost of ownership. None other than IBM are going around touting how much economic sense buying macs makes.
Overcoming Windows? Of course not. But growing it's niche for sure. iPads are doing very well in the enterprise too. As are iPhones. Security being the prime mover there.
Mind you, the cost of Macs is a dissuading factor for sure. And you still have companies who will stick to supporting one platform when they can. Still, Macs are a nice business for Apple. Everything doesn't have to be the size of the iPhone business. The very cheap and the high end exotic are markets the Mac doesn't play in.
Posted by: Jim Glu | September 26, 2018 at 03:48 PM
”Macs simply cost too much to be worth it for non-IT enterprise”
You still have no glue what the h3l the TCO means?
Posted by: BennyDover | September 26, 2018 at 06:04 PM
@Benny:
Enterprise cares about repairability and replacement.
Macs are notoriously expensive to both repair and replace, which means a *much* higher cost in that department. Add to that that Macs are starting to build sub-par hardware...
Mac TCO won't make sense for most companies, as simple as that.
Posted by: Per "wertigon" Ekström | September 26, 2018 at 10:22 PM
https://www.cio.com/article/3133945/hardware/ibm-says-macs-save-up-to-543-per-user.html
Read for yourself
Posted by: Jim Glu | September 27, 2018 at 12:40 AM
TCO is the most important metric that you have to know. Nothing else matters if you do not know that.
Posted by: BennyDover | September 27, 2018 at 01:04 PM
You know what you don't see a month after Apple releases their latest? Talk about the next "this one will really be great" phone. Poor Samsung. They just can't get a break. They rushed the Note 7 with exploding results so that they could beat iPhone to the market so that FINALLY folks will talk more about their (very fine) phone and less about the iPhone.
Two successive years of very fine Note releases...no explosions...lots of leading edge features. And STILL, in light of the new iPhones the talk and rumors are all about Samsung's NEXT phone. This does wonders for Samsung's current sales. The Galaxy S9 and the Note 9 are continuing the "when will it bottom out" drop in sales.
Three cameras, 4 cameras, 5 cameras. Make way for the "our photography is better because we have more cameras" brigade. So much better than the "we are better because we've jammed in more megapixels" brigade.
Meanwhile Apple works on making the picture better. The smartHD is ridiculously good. At least Google is competing in the right space on that...both of them using AI to make the pictures better.
Take a look at what the new iPhones can achieve in the hands of a real photographer: http://austinmann.com/trek/iphone-xs-camera-review-zanzibar
New iPhones beating Android phones that have TWICE the ram at operations that should benefit greatly from having more ram (opening and reopening apps). But iOS and Apple's custom silicon is so much more efficient. Pity the poor Android folks who's phones DON'T have gobs of ram.
Speaking of dud Android flagship phones from Nokia....they are selling the Nokia 8 for $400 bucks on Amazon...still running Android 7.1. What?! I get the drop of 50% in value in a year...no Android phones hold their value. But I thought Nokia was upgrading these phones to the latest Android.
Posted by: Jim Glu | September 27, 2018 at 03:43 PM