Attend an Argus Insights Webinar on Tuesday, October 7, 2014, about Q3 demand straight from the mouths of global consumers. Argus Insights CEO John Feland will share secrets pulled from the hearts and minds of millions of consumers that anticipate smartphone demand at a free webinar on how consumers are shaping the future of the smartphone market.
Join us for insights on how the release and subsequent scandals surrounding the Apple iPhone 6 affected other smartphone releases from Samsung and Amazon at this hour long webinar. Can Apple recover from #bendgate, #hairgate, and iOS8 bugs to reign supreme once again?
Find out Tuesday, Oct 7 by joining Argus Insights!
In the aftermath of Apple’s announcement, it’s easy to forget that there are indeed other electronic brands. Amazon is attempting to remind the public that they too have interesting gadgets to offer, as they released 6 new products. With these new devices, Amazon is showcasing what they do best: tablets. Amazon’s new tablets feature a range of renovations from the e-ink Voyage to the HDX model with a 2.5 GHz processor, to the child friendly Fire for Kids. A look at the tablet market over the past year demonstrates Amazon’s consistent prowess.
Based on volume of conversation alone, Amazon beats out heavy hitters Apple and Samsung. However, Amazon has historically chatty consumers, as their products typically receive high volumes of reviews. While Amazon has consistently more reviews, their volume has fallen flat in the ‘back to school’ months. Both Samsung and Apple saw a steady increase in buzz starting in June, but Amazon’s numbers have remained static since July, a clear indication that they did not get that same ‘back to school’ bump as Apple and Samsung. Going back even further, it is clear that Apple tablets fell flat this Mother’s Day (May), while Samsung and Amazon saw an increase. Maybe kids just can’t afford to shell out the big bucks for Mom… Regardless of these ebbs and flows, Amazon’s buzz volume has been declining overall. Will these six new products boost Amazon’s buzz volume back up? Or will Apple and Samsung continue to creep into Amazon’s long held mindshare.
We’ll keep an eye out here at Argus Insights. For personalized insights and consultation, don’t hesitate to contact us.
The smartphone market seems to have paused in anticipation for Apple’s iPhone 6 launch. As has been the trend before with big Apple launches, consumers took a breath while awaiting what Apple had in store.
The chart below maps consumer mindshare across different major brands in the smartphone market. It is clear that mindshare overall dropped about a week before Apple’s new product launch on September 9th. While at first glance this trend could appear to indicate a lack of interest in smartphones, it actually demonstrates how consumers are willing to drop everything to wait for Apple’s new toys. While this is beneficial for Apple, it is not for Samsung who suffered a steep drop in mindshare, and Motorola, and LG which remained mostly stagnant after Apple merely announced their announcement of new products.
While other brands experienced a steady decline before Apple’s announcement, Apple saw a slight increase in the weeks leading up to it. This increase was caused by retailers lowering the price on old iPhone models to clear the shelves before news of the iPhone 6 broke. If the retailers did get people to upgrade to 5S iPhones with promotions just weeks ago, Apple will have a few disgruntled customers to deal with. Verizon and other retailers are already offering promotions to encourage people to upgrade to the iPhone 6, because that is crucial for the new Apple Pay system to thrive. With the sale of almost 4 million iPhone 6s in pre-sale, it appears as if Apple has once again shaken the market awake after sending it into anticipatory hibernation.
Argus Insightswill continue to investigate the effects of the iPhone 6 on the smartphone market, sign up today to receive reports on a regular basis.
Wearable technology is rapidly evolving. Everything from fitness bands to virtual reality glasses are hitting the market, so naturally Apple jumped into the mix with the announcement of its new AppleWatch on Tuesday, the 9th. It seems like every major smartphone manufacturer is creating a smartwatch, but as the options increase, consumer interest remains static.
As demonstrated in the chart above, consumers are consistently delighted by wearables in general. There are slight variations in the amount of buzz generated about this subset of products, but the buzz dissipated in the week leading up to Apple’s AppleWatch announcement. Is this market dying, or could Apple’s smartwatch launch revive consumer passion?
Above is a chart that displays the current landscape of the wearable market. With the AppleWatch not yet in stores, Fitbit products are generating the most discussion among consumers. However, the conversation around Fitbit wearables has dropped from a volume of 2319 to 1753 within this past week. The only brand to see a significant increase in delight and buzz volume was Misfit, advancing from a buzz volume of 20 to its current volume of 568. With generally positive consumer feedback, wearables have a promising hold on consumer’s hearts. A multitude of smartwatches, many of which are being revealed during IFA by major players, are poised to test this relationship.
Taking to twitter to gain another perspective on the matter, it is clear that the AppleWatch announcement revived conversation about wearables. People have been talking about various brands on Twitter, some of the most popular being Fitbit, Samsung, and Sony. The volume of conversation was low before the teasers and product introductions in accordance with IFA. After a lull beginning on September 6th, mentions of wearables skyrocketed on the 9th. References to Apple were second only to Fitbit after the unveiling of the AppleWatch.
While consumer interest in wearables has been consistently falling, the introduction of several new smartwatches shows potential to peak consumer interest. Misfit wearables have generated a lot of attention, and once people begin to review smartwatches from Samsung, Sony, and Apple, the wearable market should take off.
With the annual consumer electronics convention IFA right around the corner, tech companies are scrambling to catch consumer’s attention. Countless new product teasers are being released, but Lenovo’s teaser for its new Vibe X2 smartphone is creating quite a buzz.
The image of a lollipop is a nod to the upcoming Android L (it’s rumored codename being lollipop) and the tagline “we can’t say anything either” is a play on Apple’s recent comment “wish we could say more” with regard to the iPhone 6. Assuming the participating companies do not want to give away details about their products before they are launched, they are relying on these clever marketing techniques to peak consumer interests.
This teaser appeared to be instrumental in creating discussion about the new Vibe X2. People tweeted about Lenovo’s subtle jabs at Apple and Android, and in return created a notable peak in interest surrounding the Vibe X2. By sharing articles that speculated the meaning behind the Vibe X2 teaser, along with personal inquiries about Lenovo’s new smartphone, the advertisement was successful at getting consumer’s talking. In the competitive smartphone market, Lenovo found a way to use the prominence of other popular companies to move the focus to their announcement.
