1）Canaccord Genuity分析师Mike Walker曾在本月初指出iPhone是全美最热销智能手机，但近日他又声称，iPhone在“发达国家市场”销量已呈现下滑趋势。

iPhone-LTE(from ubergizmo.com)

据其所称，这些地区的用户正从苹果设备转向以Android以主导的LTE智能手机，苹果需尽快推出支持LTE的iPhone 5以挽回局面。这并非iPhone首次出现销量下降的情况，在2011年第3季度，三星智能手机也曾超越iPhone 4。

Walkley预测苹果今年第一季度iPhone销量将达3260万部，iPad销量为1230万部，Mac电脑销量为440万部。

2）ABI Research最近报告预测，2012年4G移动设备销量将达6100万部，4G技术将在今年获得飞跃发展，而LTE将成为主要发展动力。

并非所有运营商都会支持4G，有些西欧运营商认为对多数用户来说4G手机的成本相对较高。但ABI认为随着社交网络、媒体及游戏内容的完善及转型，3G用户最终会转向4G移动设备，另外由于设备制造商之间的价格竞争，手机设备售价将在未来两年下降20%左右。

3）据BusinessWire报道，Interactive Advertising Bureau（简称IAB）最近发布报告显示，2011年移动广告收益增长149%，产值达16亿美元，远超2010年的6亿美元。

mobile-ads(from blog.centresource.com)

从增长率来看，2011年移动广告增幅已经超过数字视频、零售及搜索领域的其他广告。

4）英国招聘机构Propel最近调查指出，英国的移动领域岗位需求增长迅速，从2009至2011年，英国移动领域岗位缺口增长了14倍以上。

在2010至2011年间，英国移动领域还引进了不少新岗位，其中包括移动产品、项目管理、媒体销售、网页开发和设计等。

sector salaries(from Propel)

值得注意的是，自2009年以来，几乎所有与移动领域相关的岗位薪水都在上涨。

5）日本开发商及发行商Marvelous AQL最近进军欧洲市场，并在英国成立新工作室MAQL Europe，将针对该地区推出本土化社交及手机游戏。

MAQL Europe工作室将由Harry Holmwood主导，主要负责来自母公司亚洲工作室以及北美合作伙伴的游戏本土化项目，同时还将寻找与欧洲公司的发行、营销及开发合作机会。

Marvelous AQL位于东京，旗下公司包括Marvelous Entertainment、AQInteractive及手机/社交游戏开发商Liveware。

6）尼尔森最新报告指出，西班牙裔美国人是最活跃的手机内容下载群体，他们平均每月要接收或发送941条短信，每天要打13个电话，这两项活动的频率都超过了一般美国用户。

Hispanics-and-Social(from Neilsen)

除此之外，西班牙裔群体的Facebook及WordPress.com用户增幅也最为显著，在2012年2月，该群体的Facebook用户同比去年增长8%，达到1670万人，博客用户同比增长10%，达到560万人。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）iPhone 4S sales fall in developed markets

by Zen Terrelonge

Consumers have started to favour Android-powered LTE smartphones instead.

Earlier this month, Canaccord Genuity analyst Mike Walker said the iPhone is the best-selling smartphone in the US. Now, he tells investors that sales have dropped in “developed markets” but didn’t specify which ones had been affected.

Consumers are reportedly moving on from the Apple device in favour of LTE smartphones, an area that Android rivals continue to excel in.

Walkley predicts that sales will continue to fall until Apple releases a LTE-powered iPhone 5, which is expected to create a surge in sales that will outweigh the Q1 lull.

It’s not the first time iPhone sales have dropped. Samsung smartphone sales overtook Apple’s in Q3 2011 as users abstained from an iPhone 4 purchase ahead of the iPhone 4S release – or iPhone 5 as it was thought at the time.

Walkley predicts Apple has sold 32.6 million iPhones, 12.3 million iPads and 4.4 million Macs during the first quarter.（source:mobile-ent）

2）87m LTE devices to ship in 2012

by Zen Terrelonge

A 294 per cent rise on 2011.

ABI Research claims the 4G market will take off this year, and that it will be LTE that drives the growth rather than the increasingly marginalised WiMAX platform.

Mind you, not all operators are embracing 4G. Some Western European carriers believe their customers are not prepared to pay the premium for 4G handsets and 4G tariffs.

ABI reckons this could change as richer social networking, media and gaming will persuade 3G users to move to 4G.

And handset prices are set to fall by ten to 20 per cent in the next couple of years as OEMs compete for sales.

Philip Solis, research director, mobile devices, said: “As evidenced by the Australian iPad 3 promotion fiasco, when iPad 3s were being promoted as being ‘LTE-ready,’ even though the modem is unable to access the Australian LTE spectrum band, the number of LTE spectrum bands will hamper initial pricing and product roll-out.

“Nevertheless, in addition to 61 million 4G handsets being shipped in 2012, we estimate 26 million 4G non-handset products will be shipped. In the short-term, most of that will reflect customers purchasing USB dongles for legacy laptops and netbooks, followed by customer premise equipment, or home modem, purchases.”（source:mobile-ent）

3）Mobile advertising revenue rose to $1.6 billion in 2011

by Tom Worthington

Mobile advertising rose 149 percent in 2011, generating $1.6 billion, up from $0.6 billion in 2010.

The figures published in the IAB’s Interactive Advertising Revenue Report for 2011 found that mobile beat out other categories including digital video, retail, and search in terms of growth rate.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) called this year-on-year growth in mobile advertising an “impressive achievement”.

On the rise

PwC U.S.’s Dan Silverman, a partner company involved publishing the annual report, said 2011 saw mobile advertising become “a meaningful category”.

“By combining some of the best features of the internet, along with portability and location-based technology, mobile advertising is enabling marketers to deliver timely, targeted, relevant, and local advertisements in a manner that was not previously possible,” said Silverman.

“With the proliferation of smartphones and tablets, it is likely that the tremendous growth in mobile will continue as these screens become even more crucial to the marketing mix,2 added IAB’s CEO, Randall Rothenberg.

You can check out the report here.（source:pocketgamer）

4）Demand for UK mobile talent explodes

by Tim Green

From one per cent of total digital vacancies in 2009 to seven per cent last year.

A new salary study by UK based recruitment specialist Propel London outlines the huge growth in the mobile job market.

Its Digital Salary Insights report – based on real salary data from open vacancies with digital employers – shows that the number of mobile-specific vacancies increased by more than 14 times between 2009 and 2011.

The average number of new vacancies in the wider digital industry doubled in the same period.

It also found that in the last two years mobile has brought with it a stack of job types that barely existed before. They include: mobile product, project management, media sales, ad ops, web development and design vacancies were all new additions to the portfolio of demand in 2010 & 2011.

What’s more, almost every mobile related salary at all levels of seniority has expanded since 2009.（source:mobile-ent）

5）Marvelous AQL opens social, mobile games branch in Europe

by Eric Caoili

Japanese developer and publisher Marvelous AQL has expanded to Europe with a new office in the UK, which will focus on localizing social and mobile games for the region.

The new branch, MAQL Europe, is led by Harry Holmwood, formerly VP of software and licensing at game accessory maker PDP. He is currently setting up a team in Tunbridge Wells to focus on marketing, partnerships, developments, and localization.

MAQL Europe will specialize in localizing titles from its parent company’s Asian studios, as well as from development partners in North America. The new office is also seeking publishing, marketing, and development partners in Europe.

Based in Tokyo, Marvelous AQL is the result of a merger last October that included Marvelous Entertainment (No More Heroes), AQ Interactive (Bullet Witch), and mobile/social game developer Liveware. Marvelous’ U.S. branch was absorbed earlier this year by European publisher Rising Star, as it opened an office in the country.（source:gamasutra）

6）Infographic: The Socially Connected Hispanic Consumer

by Zen Terrelonge

Hispanics download more mobile content than any other ethnic groups.

US-based Hispanics are high users of smartphones, social networks and online streaming, making them one of the most connected consumer groups, according to Nielsen.

Hispanic mobile users send and receive around 941 text messages each month, which is more than any other ethnic group. They also make 13 calls per day, 40 per cent more than the average American mobile owner.（source:mobile-ent）