February US Mobile Market Numbers

comScore has released its U.S. Mobile subscriber market share report for February 2010. The report ranked the leading mobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and smartphone platforms in the U.S. according to their share of usage by current mobile subscribers age 13 and older, and reviewed the most popular activities and content accessed via the subscriber's primary mobile phone.

The February report found Motorola to be the top handset manufacturer overall with 22.3 percent market share, while RIM led among smartphone platforms with 42.1 percent market share. Palm meanwhile held to its ~5% position, down marginally from January.

OEM Market Share

In the 3 month average ending in February, 234 million Americans age 13 and older were mobile subscribers, with device manufacturer Motorola ranking as the top OEM at a 22.3 percent share of U.S. mobile subscribers. LG ranked second with 21.7 percent share, followed by Samsung (21.4 percent share), Nokia (8.7 percent share) and RIM (8.2 percent share).

Top Mobile OEMs
3 Month Avg. Ending Feb. 2010 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Nov. 2009
Total U.S. Age 13+
Source: comScore MobiLens
  Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers
Nov-09 Feb-10 Point Change
Total Mobile Subscribers 100.0% 100.0% N/A
Motorola 24.2% 22.3% -1.9
LG 21.7% 21.7% 0.0
Samsung 21.0% 21.4% 0.4
Nokia 9.3% 8.7% -0.6
RIM 6.5% 8.2% 1.7

Smartphone Platform Market Share

45.4 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones in an average month during the December to February period, up 21 percent from the three months ending November 2009. RIM was the leading mobile smartphone platform in the U.S. with 42.1 percent share of U.S. smartphone subscribers, rising 1.3 percentage points versus the prior period. Apple ranked second with 25.4 percent share followed by Microsoft at 15.1 percent, Google at 9.0 percent (up 5.2 percentage points), and Palm at 5.4 percent. Google's Android platform continues to see rapid gains in market share as more Android-compatible devices are introduced to the market.

Top Smartphone Platforms
3 Month Avg. Ending Feb. 2010 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Nov. 2009
Total U.S. Age 13+
Source: comScore MobiLens
  Share (%) of Smartphone Subscribers
Nov-09 Feb-10 Point Change
Total Smartphone Subscribers 100.0% 100.0% N/A
RIM 40.8% 42.1% 1.3
Apple 25.5% 25.4% -0.1
Microsoft 19.1% 15.1% -4.0
Google 3.8% 9.0% 5.2
Palm 7.2% 5.4% -1.8

Mobile Content Usage

In an average month during the December through February 2010 time period, 64.0 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device, up 1.9 percentage points versus three months prior. Browsers were used by 29.4 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers (up 2.4 percentage points), while subscribers who used downloaded applications made up 27.5 percent (up 1.8 percentage points). Access of social networking sites or blogs continued to grow, increasing 2.9 percentage points to 18.0 percent of mobile subscribers.

Mobile Content Usage
3 Month Avg. Ending Feb. 2010 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Nov. 2009
Total U.S. Age 13+
Source: comScore MobiLens
  Share (%) of U.S. Mobile Subscribers
Nov-09 Feb-10 Point Change
Total Mobile Subscribers 100.0% 100.0% N/A
Sent text message to another phone 62.1% 64.0% 1.9
Used browser 27.0% 29.4% 2.4
Used Downloaded Apps 25.7% 27.5% 1.8
Played games 21.4% 21.9% 0.5
Accessed Social Networking Site or Blog 15.1% 18.0% 2.9
Listened to music on mobile phone 11.8% 13.1% 1.3

Source: comScore Press Release.

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ATTN Palm: It's all about the HARDWARE you idiots!

Fake Jeff Hawkins @ 4/17/2010 8:52:55 AM # Q
Palm still doesn't get it. They still don't accept the reality that they are not Apple and that for every company not named "Apple" phones sell primarily based on how consumers react to the HARDWARE. Style, aesthetics, color and features matter. OS is irrelevant.

Here some advice, Palm:
Pull the plug on that horrid, plasticky Pre and the crippled red-headed stepchild Pixi. Put a fully-debugged version of Web OS on a version of HTC's EVO hardware or an improved version of the Droid form factor and use that as your flagship device.

FJH

RE: ATTN Palm: It's all about the HARDWARE you idiots!
hkklife @ 4/17/2010 9:23:12 AM # Q
Palm needs three WebOS handhelds:

First, eliminate the Gesture area on ALL models. That was just a cheap gimmick intended to try and mask Palm's cheapness and refusal to spec a large, high-res screen on their Pre & Pixi. Also add removable memory card support, even if it's just for media. Develop a good onscreen keyboard but don't dump physical keyboards unless absolutely necessary--trump your "real" keyboard experience as a major trump card over iPhone and 95% of the Android competition. Use the increased space gained from the gesture area elimination to increase screen/keyboard size. All gestures can be done onscreen with a capacitive touchscreen. A dedicated "anything" area is sooooo 1990s. Finally, keep plugging away to improve PIM quality, the offline experience, and performance + battery life!

#1 Entry-level Centro successor. Basically, take the existing Pixi Plus (not a bad little device in all honestly) and squeeze in a faster CPU & a proper 320x480 screen (we do not need any more platform fragmentation with screen resolution, especially as downgrades). or a slimmed-down, beefed-up spec Treo Pro would make a decent entry-level device as well. Use the space regained from the gesture area elimination to accomodate a slightly larger/taller LCD and a larger keyboard. Shoehorn in a microSD slot if at all possible.

#2 For a midrange device, borrow the Devour/Droid formfactor & build quality as FJH recommends. Go for an improved keyboard over the Droid (similar to the Touch Pro 2 or the Moto Devour if possible). Otherwise, specs can be pretty similar to the existing Pre Plus aside from a higher capacity battery, a microSD slot, and a faster CPU. 3.7" 320x480 at MINIMUM for screen size here, though it might start to get a little coarse at that resolution. 800x480 (or better) would be ideal but we start fragmenting the platform again but at least it's an improvement, not a downgrade.

#3 The HTC Evo/HD2 formfactor would be perfect for a flagship device. Go OLED if at all possible. Have all of the critical features for 2010 onboard: 1Ghz snapdragon, 720p video capture, 802.11N wi-fi hotspot etc. And make sure that WebOS has a bulletproof virtual keyboard. Perhaps license Swype as well? Reintroduce some kind of 5-way navigator (optical d-pad?) b/c, from my time with the HD2, precise navigation & text selection using the touchscreen alone is quite clunky. WebOS' card metaphor would be a dream on such a big screen. If possible, trump Android and up the screen res from 800x480 to an iPhone 4-like 960x640 (there we go down the fragmentation path again but at least it'd be a class-leading pixel count).

I of course expect NONE of this to happen and HTC & Apple will continue to own the high-end smartphone market.
Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p->Verizon Moto Droid + Verizon Palm Centro

RE: ATTN Palm: It's all about the HARDWARE you idiots!
mikecane @ 4/17/2010 10:00:43 AM # Q
Palm can't afford three devices. ONE more device is probably their last chance. What's that rumored C40?

And even if they nail the hardware, it won't sell without a big and PROPER marketing/TV ad push.

And even then, webOS STILL needs a damned TCPMP or Core Player.

RE: ATTN Palm: It's all about the HARDWARE you idiots!
Fake Jeff Hawkins @ 4/17/2010 11:15:43 AM # Q
Palm needs three WebOS handhelds:

First, eliminate the Gesture area on ALL models. That was just a cheap gimmick intended to try and mask Palm's cheapness and refusal to spec a large, high-res screen on their Pre & Pixi. Also add removable memory card support, even if it's just for media. Develop a good onscreen keyboard but don't dump physical keyboards unless absolutely necessary--trump your "real" keyboard experience as a major trump card over iPhone and 95% of the Android competition. Use the increased space gained from the gesture area elimination to increase screen/keyboard size. All gestures can be done onscreen with a capacitive touchscreen. A dedicated "anything" area is sooooo 1990s. Finally, keep plugging away to improve PIM quality, the offline experience, and performance + battery life!

#1 Entry-level Centro successor. Basically, take the existing Pixi Plus (not a bad little device in all honestly) and squeeze in a faster CPU & a proper 320x480 screen (we do not need any more platform fragmentation with screen resolution, especially as downgrades). or a slimmed-down, beefed-up spec Treo Pro would make a decent entry-level device as well. Use the space regained from the gesture area elimination to accomodate a slightly larger/taller LCD and a larger keyboard. Shoehorn in a microSD slot if at all possible.

#2 For a midrange device, borrow the Devour/Droid formfactor & build quality as FJH recommends. Go for an improved keyboard over the Droid (similar to the Touch Pro 2 or the Moto Devour if possible). Otherwise, specs can be pretty similar to the existing Pre Plus aside from a higher capacity battery, a microSD slot, and a faster CPU. 3.7" 320x480 at MINIMUM for screen size here, though it might start to get a little coarse at that resolution. 800x480 (or better) would be ideal but we start fragmenting the platform again but at least it's an improvement, not a downgrade.

#3 The HTC Evo/HD2 formfactor would be perfect for a flagship device. Go OLED if at all possible. Have all of the critical features for 2010 onboard: 1Ghz snapdragon, 720p video capture, 802.11N wi-fi hotspot etc. And make sure that WebOS has a bulletproof virtual keyboard. Perhaps license Swype as well? Reintroduce some kind of 5-way navigator (optical d-pad?) b/c, from my time with the HD2, precise navigation & text selection using the touchscreen alone is quite clunky. WebOS' card metaphor would be a dream on such a big screen. If possible, trump Android and up the screen res from 800x480 to an iPhone 4-like 960x640 (there we go down the fragmentation path again but at least it'd be a class-leading pixel count).

I of course expect NONE of this to happen and HTC & Apple will continue to own the high-end smartphone market.

Well said, hkklife. But two phones is likely all Palm can realistically support right now. The Centro 2/improved Pixi and HTC EVO form factors would give them 2 SOLID webOS smartphones. A non-phone webOS device is also sorely needed to give people who want to upgrade their old PalmOS PDAs (or who want a gaming/browsing device) without the expense of a monthly cell phone bill something to upgrade to. Selling a webOS iPod Touch is such an obvious decision that it's shocking that Palm thought they didn't need it. Rubenstein et. al. arrogantly assumed they could force everyone into buying phones as their PDA "upgrade" path and took Palm's PDA business behind the barn and shot it dead. The success of the iPod Touch shows how horribly wrong he was. Newsflash, Rubes: not everyone wants or can afford a smartphone. Shocking, isn't it?

FJH
Foleo Guru, Brain Scientist, Father of the PalmPilot, Visor, Treo and an underpowered, crippled netbook that had no apps

RE: ATTN Palm: It's all about the HARDWARE you idiots!
Fake Jeff Hawkins @ 4/17/2010 11:56:27 AM # Q
Palm can't afford three devices. ONE more device is probably their last chance. What's that rumored C40?

They need 2 smartphones: one "free" with contract to get massive marketshare like the Centro did and one high end phone to showcase what the platform can do and to generate more profits.

And even if they nail the hardware, it won't sell without a big and PROPER marketing/TV ad push.

Did you hear how much Motorola spent marketing the Droid? Over $100 million. Unreal. They got a chunk of that from Verizon and probably also received some $$$ from Google, though. But it worked - Droid has been white hot since it came out. HTC EVO has the specs to make people forget about the Droid, so Palm needs to rely on more than one-upmanship of specs to maintain its sales. It needs to copy Apple's playbook + offer the complete experience as the differentiator. Otherwise there's always a "better" phone coming out from a competitor that will kill their sales literally overnight. Witness Rubenstein's whining about how the Pre Plus flopped on Verizon because the Droid beat Palm to the punch. Boo hoo hoo!

Hundreds of millions in marketing are not necessary in the YouTube age. Palm needs to figure out how to use viral marketing effectively. Getting rid of its asinine turtlenecked ad agency (Modernista) was a first step. Giving away 1000 webOS EVO phones to influential people in media, showbiz, gadget sites, etc. would be a second step. Releasing 5 or 10 effective, SIMPLE ads showing screenshots and an overview of what their phones can do (email, Facebook, Twitter, Internet, camera, video recording, voice memos, visual voice mail (if ever available), a tryda-like application, movie player, Sling player, MP3 player, GPS, PIM with simplified explanation of Synergy, multitasking, etc.) would be a third step. Effective marketing is often more about creativity than just throwing money around.

And even then, webOS STILL needs a damned TCPMP or Core Player.

But... but... but why can't you just load your free 5 year old version of TCPMP onto Classic on your Pre? What's that? Your 2005 PDA plays multimedia better than your 2010 Pre? Hush!


FJH
Foleo father. Visionary. Chick magnet.


RE: ATTN Palm: It's all about the HARDWARE you idiots!
hkklife @ 4/17/2010 2:38:04 PM # Q
FJH;

Also well said. I call it like it is, and to be quite honest, I NEVER expected such gaming prowess from WebOS or, honestly, any future device with "Palm" branding. I mean, Palm was singin' a decidedly non-entertainment tune at CES '09 and then all of a sudden this past January-WHAM-here are some white-hot, as good as iPhone and almost as good as PSP 3D racing/shooter/action titles. One little Need for Speed demo at CES or Mobile World Congres in Barcelona could have left a lot of naysayers slack-jawed. Sure, there's no decent input method for these games but that's par for the course on all smartphones these days and Palm still has a hard keyboard which opens up a lot more possibilities that most of the competition doesn't have.

Regarding a non-phone device: Yeah, the need for a "WebOS Touch" device is still there but it's not as critical now as it was a year ago during the Pre launch.

I still maintain that Palm's #1 mistake (aside from the Pre hardware quirks & OS bugs) was to not hit the ground running with a non-phone WebOS device OR an unlocked GSM Pre alongside the Sprint Pre. I didn't jump ship to Sprint for a Pre but I would've gladly bought a WebOS non-phone device had one been available for $200ish in the summer of '09 just to get a feel for the OS.

Other than BlackBerry, every current smartphone OS has some kind of non-phone device available for users who can't/don't want a costly monthly service bill: Apple has iPod Touch & iPad, Google has several Android PMPs/tablets (Archos etc), WinMob has a few legacy HP iPaq PDAs for the old stuff and the Zune HD to offer a glimpse at WP 7. Palm & Ruby really missed the boat big-time on this one. You called it right--Ruby & McNamee assuming everyone had $100+ per month to splash out on a new wireless plan w/ contract was VERY arrogant indeed as the economy continued its downward spiral from '08 into '09.
Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p->Verizon Moto Droid + Verizon Palm Centro

RE: ATTN Palm: It's all about the HARDWARE you idiots!
mikecane @ 4/17/2010 3:23:05 PM # Q
>>>Giving away 1000 webOS EVO phones to influential people in media, showbiz, gadget sites, etc. would be a second step.

Oh FFS. Keep up.

http://www.palminfocenter.com/comments/6496/#159342

RE: ATTN Palm: It's all about the HARDWARE you idiots!
Fake Jeff Hawkins @ 4/17/2010 4:25:07 PM # Q
Michael you're too far gone to be saved at this point.

I realize the spirochetes are in charge of what's left of the mush inside your skull, but do you REALLY think that giving away $50 Centros to a handful of fanboi TreoCentral bible thumping blogger nerds would help Palm sell anything? Mmmmmkay? Palm needs to get NEW customers the way Apple's iPhone brought in the kind of people who never would have considered a smartphone until they saw the iPhone trinket that Becky-Sue brought to cheerleading practice last night. Like, OMG!!!

The geeks will always want the latest and best hardware - Pre doesn't tick any boxes there. Palm needs to make their phones COOL, the way the Palm V was 10 years ago, the way the Motorola Razr was 6 years ago, the way the iPhone is now. Broken display Pres and tattered signs in Sprint stores talking up "Synergy" ain't gonna sell Pres to Becky-Sue and the other cheerleaders.

FJH
- Foleo Impressario, Becky-Sue Watcher

RE: ATTN Palm: It's all about the HARDWARE you idiots!
BaalthazaaR @ 4/18/2010 1:49:58 PM # Q
It is not just all about the hardware. I don't know very many people that are willing to trust their data to a 3rd party. Unlike the BB, Palm's devices actually have their data stored on Palm's servers. With the BB, you have an option to set up your own server and the encrypted data will pass through the RIM infrastructure and be stored on your server. Palm should release a device the size of a shuttle mini that will sit on your network and let you sync with it. HANDS OFF OUR DATA PALM! Especially now that they're at the edge of the cliff looking down. Just imagine if Palm ended up in a long drawn out bankruptcy and their servers were shut down. NO data for you! Come back one year! Now your phone is a brick!

INMHO it is all about Palm's arrogance. Ruby, you invented the iPod and now the iPood. You're not at Apple anymore, their arrogance works because their customers are sheep.

RE: ATTN Palm: It's all about the HARDWARE you idiots!
mikecane @ 4/19/2010 5:51:50 PM # Q
>>>$50 Centros

Centros?! Do you have the same brain rot as your ex-lover, Idi Amin? That campaign was for the Pre, you goofball.

And when the pre-Rubinstein Palm did that with the Centro, they actually got some traction with it that I *saw*.

For the Pre? Zilch.

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