E-commerce Times

Perhaps the biggest issue for Verizon will be how consumers react to metered pricing -- particularly since Sprint continues to offer an unlimited data access plan for its 4G network, Harry Wang, director of mobile research with Parks Associates, told the E-Commerce Times.

"Our research shows that when given a choice, 60 percent of consumers will choose an unlimited data plan," he said, "and only 12 percent like a capped plan."

From the article, "Speed Bills: Here Comes V ...read more

It's also possible that the Kindle -- while attracting lots of media attention -- is such a small part of Amazon's overall business that the company doesn't feel the need to disclose how many it sells, suggested Harry Wang, director of mobile research with Parks Associates.

"Kindle is a small portion of the revenues earned by Amazon, and the company has no obligation to disclose non-material financial information," Wang told the E-Commerce Times. "It doesn't mean the Kindle ...read more

"There's almost a consensus that Verizon Wireless will get the iPhone, but the question is when," Harry Wang, a director of research at Parks Associates, told MacNewsWorld. "Some put it at early next year, but I see it coming in a little later than that, especially if the iPhone CDMA version will support LTE."

He puts the likelihood of Verizon's getting the iPhone at 90 percent.

From the article, "Mixed Bag of News Keeps Apple Investors Guessing" by Richard Adhikari

Gaming software sales were down in June, although hardware saw a boost...

It is unusual for software sales to drop while hardware sales increase, said Pietro Macchiarella, an analyst with Parks Associates. "That discrepancy tells us this is not because of the recession," he told the E-Commerce Times. "Otherwise, they both would be moving in the same direction -- down."

Rather, the drop in software sales is due in large part to other trends in the gaming sector, said Macc ...read more

Lately it seems that every idea Apple has returns piles of cash to the company's coffers. So, it should not be surprising that Apple is experiencing quick success in the e-book marketplace. More than more than 5 million e-books have been downloaded to Apple iPads in the roughly two and a half months since the device was released, according to Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Apple's early momentum in the e-book space should be a warning to Amazon, Sony and other companies that make dev ...read more

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad early this year, he was asked if Apple's latest product was just a bigger version of its already highly popular iPod. Of course, Jobs said no; the iPad was a completely different device, unique in its own right.

However, Apple's sales figures for the first month the iPad was available for purchase are raising new questions about how consumers view Apple's product lineup.

There are two reasons for discounting the cannibalization ...read more

"The mobile phone business has always been a bit of a 'me-too' business. If anybody has a hit, their competitors always have to come up with some kind of a response," John Barrett, Parks Associates director of research, told the E-Commerce Times. "At the end of the day, you're not going to get fired for having a response to the iPad that doesn't do so well. You're going to get fired if you don't have your own iPad. You've got to do something. If it becomes a runaway hit, and it ...read more

"My sense is that consumers have been very happy with the pricing model Amazon has established," Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst with Parks Associates, told MacNewsWorld.

"It's very easy to compare an Amazon digital title with hardback or paperback, and I think that's part of the reason why Amazon has had the success it has had," he added.

From the article, "Amazon Wrangles Publishers as iBookstore Grand Opening Looms" by Katherine Noyes