Rumored iPhone ‘mini’ is actually big: 4.5″, polycarbonate, and $330

Rumored iPhone ‘mini’ is actually big: 4.5″, polycarbonate, and $330:
Will the iPhone mini actually be the iPhone maxi?
Fresh rumors out of Japan suggest that the next iPhone will have a larger screen than the iPhone 5, be made of cheaper materials, and retail for about $330. Rumors of cheaper iPhones continue to coming out the woodworks, most frequently from analysts who wish Apple would make one and expand its addressable market.
These rumors suggest a 4.5″ display, which would compete with frequently larger Android phones and the emerging fablet class of devices, and a slightly thicker body made out of the same polycarbonate that Apple once used for entry-level plastic Macbooks.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has stated that a cheap iPhone is “not in Apple’s religion,” referring to making crappy products at a low price point just to push unit sales. ““Our north star is great products,” he said in early February. “We wouldn’t do anything that isn’t a great product.”
Morgan Stanley has estimated that a cheaper iPhone would triple Apple’s China market share, and Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster has also said — repeatedly — that Apple will be forced to release a cheaper phone.
An odd detail in this rumor says that Apple will include a dual light-emitting diode flash in the phone to improve low-light photos. According to the Japanese blog, the phone will not hit the market in 2013, but in 2014. And, in a final fun stab in the dark, the site says that Apple will at long last offer multiple colors.
(That would actually be pretty cool.)
It remains to be seen if this is something Apple would view as a great product, or if indeed it is anywhere near Apple’s actual production line.
Hat tip: AppleInsider

Filed under: Business, Gadgets, Mobile, VentureBeat

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Which retailers should fear Amazon showrooming? Placed’s new study tells all

Which retailers should fear Amazon showrooming? Placed’s new study tells all:

April 1 - 2, 2013
Sausalito, CA

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Chances are good that you’re guilty of showrooming, or scoping out a product in a physical retail store before buying it online (likely at a significant discount). Now a new study from the location analytics company Placed shows which retailers are most at risk for showrooming from Amazon customers — and the results might surprise you.
In “Aisle to Amazon: How Amazon is impacting brick-and-mortar retailers,” Placed found that showrooming affects Bed Bath & Beyond, Petsmart, and Toys “R” Us more than other retailers typically associated with the phenomenon, like Best Buy and Target.
The study is based on 14,925 survey responses in the U.S., coupled with nearly 1 billion location data points measured by Placed across the country in January. With the proliferation of smartphones, price-matching apps, and other tools, showrooming is one of the biggest concerns for traditional retailers.
“Amazon was the clear winner in e-commerce 1.0, and unless brick-and-mortar retailers shift from reactive to proactive, Amazon will win e-commerce 2.0 on the backs of offline retailers,” said David Shim, Placed’s founder and chief executive. “All the attention to date has been on Target and Best Buy as the early victims of showrooming, but significantly more retailers are at risk. Retailers need to know that it’s not a question of if or when showrooming will impact their business, as an aisle to Amazon is already in their store.”

As you can see from the chart, Bed Bath & Beyond faced a 27 percent higher risk of showrooming than the average, while Petsmart had a 25 percent risk. In comparison, showroomers were only 20 percent more likely to visit Best Buy and 15 percent more likely to visit Target.
Both Best Buy and Target recently announced that they would match prices from online stores, a clear sign that they’re ready to take on the issue of showroomers. Placed’s study shows that plenty of other retailers will need to follow in their footsteps.
Here are a few other intriguing details from the report:

• Users of Amazon’s Price Check app were 53 percent more likely to visit T.J. Maxx than the average consumer and 49 percent more likely to visit Costco.
• Wal-Mart was relatively safe from showroomers — they were 10 percent to 15 percent less likely to visit Wal-Mart, compared to Target and Best Buy.
• At the same time, Wal-Mart is the most popular destination for Amazon customers (not just showroomers); 25.2 percent of Amazon customers surveyed visited a Wal-Mart store in January. Target was a distant second at just 10.7 percent of Amazon customers.

Photo via Shutterstock

Filed under: Business, Mobile, VentureBeat

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T-Mobile continued tumble in Q4, income down 25% as 515,000 contract customers left

T-Mobile continued tumble in Q4, income down 25% as 515,000 contract customers left:
The iPhone isn't always the savior carriers hope it will be, but T-Mobile certainly needs something to help reverse its current course. As the carrier awaits the arrival of Apple (AAPL) devices and the imminent MetroPCS merger, customers continue to jump ship and performance it taking a serious hit as a result. T-Mobile on Thursday reported Q4 revenue that sank to $4.9 billion from $5.2 billion in the same quarter a year ago, while operating income tumbled 25% to $1 billion. 515,000 contact subscribers left T-Mobile during the holiday quarter, even worse than the 492,000 contract subs it shed in the same quarter in 2011. Parent company Deutsche Telecom said it expects the MetroPCS merger to be finalized as soon as April. T-Mobile's full press release follows below.

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