Apple's Dominance As A Handset Maker In The U.S. Doesn't Let Up - It Holds On To 40% Of The Smartphone Market

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Apple Remains Top Handset Maker In U.S. (comScore)
According to the latest data from comScore, Apple gained slightly last quarter to increase its market share to 39.9% of the U.S. smartphone market versus 39.0% last quarter. That is tops among all handset makers in the U.S. Samsung increased more rapidly, though, adding 2 percentage points to reach 23.7% market share. The data also compared platform market share movements. Android's majority 52.0% share was flat between quarters. Read >

WhatsApp Reaches 300 Million Active Users (Statista)
WhatsApp, the over-the-top (OTT) mobile messaging app that bypasses carrier SMS fees and allows mobile users to send text messages over an internet connection, just reached 300 million active users across the globe. More interestingly, it acquired 100 million users in the past four months. Its users are also sending 11 billion messages on a daily basis. Because WhatsApp continues to grow rapidly, OTT messaging services are showing no signs of stopping. This is troublesome for carriers who look to text message fees as a significant source of revenue. Read >

Samsung Gains As Apple Display Supplier (CNet)
Apple continues to rely on one of its biggest competitors as a parts supplier. Samsung continues to supply Apple with 9.7 inch display screens used on the iPad 4. Apple was supplied 4.1 million screens from Samsung last quarter, up 80 percent from the 2.3 million in the first quarter of 2013. It is also rumored that Samsung will be supply Apple with 7.9-inch screens for the upcoming second iteration of the iPad Mini. Read >

Windows Phone Anchors Into 3rd Place In The Smartphone Wars (TechCrunch)
Android continues to dominate the global smartphone market while Apple fights to increase the global reach of its iOS platform. But beyond the two global giants, Windows Phone has firmly entrenched itself in 3rd place. The platform shipped 8.7 million handsets last quarter, according to IDC. That equates to 77.6% year-over-year growth, the fastest of any platform. Read >

Amazon AppStore Opens Up To Web Apps (Engadget)
Amazon is making a push to bolster its app ecosystem by opening up the— opportunity for HTML5 developers. Previously, Amazon only supported native apps for its AppStore. It's an opportunity for Amazon to attract developers that may be offput by limiting their scope to native apps for Android or iOS. Read >

Samsung Phones Equally Attractive As iPhones In The Eyes Of First-Time Buyers (All Things Digital)
New research from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners shows Apple's iPhone and handsets made by Samsung have almost an equal chance of being bought by a first-time smartphone buyer. Just under one-third of new smartphone buyers purchased an iPhone. Previous smartphone owners were more likely. About 50% of previous owners bought an iPhone while just under 30% were interested in Samsung. Read >