1）尼尔森最新报告指出，截止2012年2月，智能手机用户在所有美国手机用户中所占比例已达49.7%，而去年的这一数据则是36%。

在过去三个月中，有超过三分之二购买手机的消费者选择的是智能手机。Android操作系统市场占有率达48%，iPhone占比32.1%，而黑莓则占比11.6%。

在过去三个月购买新手机的用户中，有48%选择Android，43%选择iPhone。

2）Fiksu最新报告指出，2012年2月份，开发者在iOS平台的忠实用户获得成本增长至1.31美元（游戏邦注：1月份的用户获得成本为1.14美元），但该平台应用下载量却出现了近6个月以来的首次下降。

Fiksu认为用户获得成本提升与广告商在假期后再度掀起广告推广活动有关。2月份时美国前200名免费iPhone应用平均每日下载量为635万次，低于1月份时的679万次日下载量，这种现象或许与苹果开始制裁违规操纵排行榜名次的行为有关。

3）CNBC最近调查发现，目前已有5500万以上美国家庭至少拥有一款苹果产品，例如iPhone、iPad、iPod touch和Mac电脑。而每10个非苹果家庭用户中，就有一者打算在一年内购买苹果产品。

这些苹果家庭平均拥有1.6部苹果设备，近四分之一苹果家庭打算在来年至少再购买一个苹果产品。

调查还指出，苹果用户多为拥有大学文凭的年轻男性；此外，年收入低于3万美元的苹果用户占比28%，而年收入超过7.5万的苹果用户占比高达77%。

Hart Research Associates副总裁Jay Campbell指出，这里存在一个不可思议的商业效应，即用户拥有的苹果产品越多，就越可能再买更多苹果产品。

4）移动广告网络Millennial Media近日以“MM”代号在纽约证券交易所上市后股票行情走俏，股票价格从原先设定的13美元要价大幅飙升至25美元左右（最高峰时甚至达到27.9美元）。在此情况下，该公司市值也因此攀升至20亿美元。

Millennial于今年1月初提交S-1文件，筹资超过1.3亿美元，远高于最初预期的7500万美元。

这个独立移动广告网络目前服务于全球2亿个独立用户，在美国就有近1亿独立用户。有3万款以上的手机应用采用了Millennial广告。

该公司从2009年到2010年的收益增长了195%，达到4780万美元；从2010年至2011年，其收益增长117%，增长至1.037亿美元，2011年公司的净亏损仅28.7万美元。

5）英国游戏贸易组织TIGA最新报告预测，2013年手机游戏市场规模将超过120亿美元；Games Investor Consulting此前的报告也指出，2011年手机游戏市场规模为79亿美元，预计2013年将达120亿美元。 不过EA预计全球移动游戏市场（包括手持设备上的数字下载游戏）2013年产值将达51亿美元，而Juniper和Gartner等调研机构却认为2015年手机游戏市场规模将达110亿美元。

TIGA数据显示，目前英国共有134家公司针对移动平台开发游戏，该行业为英国创造了9850万英磅的GDP。2011年英国工作室共开发或改造了460款手机游戏。

6）求职评论网站Glassdoor.com最近公布的信息显示，从2011年3月至2012年3月，匿名在该网站评价公司CEO的苹果职员对Tim Cook的满意度高达97%；而在2010年3月至2011年3月，苹果职员对已故CEO乔布斯的满意度则是95%（游戏邦注：虽然Cook在2011年8月份之前尚未正式提名为苹果CEO，但自从乔布斯于2011年1月开始养病期间一直担任临时CEO）。

从Glassdoor的CEO排行榜来看，Cook目前是全美科技行业最受欢迎的CEO（这种排名主要取决于一个问题“你是否认同CEO对企业的管理方式？”）。

7）芬兰开发商Rovio近日宣布将于今年在瑞典首都斯德哥尔摩成立拥有20-30名成员的新工作室，以便扩大不断发展的业务。

该公司之前已在芬兰坦佩雷、中国上海成立工作室，目前正在招聘瑞典工作室总经理。

8）IDC最近报告指出，2011年全球连网设备（包括智能手机、平板电脑、PC）出货量达9.16亿部，其收益超过4890亿美元，预计2012年的出货量将超过11亿部，2016年将达18.4亿部，这一时期的复合年增长率达到15.4%。

从2011至2016年，Windows PC设备出货量占有率将从35.9%下降至25.1%，而Android设备将从29.4%上升至31.3%。iOS设备将从14.6%增长至17.3%。

9）手机社交娱乐公司FunMobility最近发布的信息图表（针对13-17岁美国青少年）指出，2011年美国青少年平均每月使用320MB的手机流量，比2010年增长256%.与此同时，40%以上的青少年每天使用手机时间超过4小时。

76%青少年承认自己现在使用手机的时间确实比去年更长了，69%表示手机是自己最重要的电子设备，45%在手机上玩游戏（41%在掌机设备上玩游戏，仅有12%在电脑上玩游戏）；有74%青少年反映自己每天玩手机游戏超过1小时。

他们最常用手机做的事情依次是玩游戏、上网、短信或聊天，以及下载应用。平均每名青少年的手机安装了25款应用，还有33%青少年甚至安装了至少40款手机应用。

（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）US smartphone ownership matches feature phone ownership

by Tim Green

Because sales of smartphones went up 38 per cent last year.

New stats from Nielsen report that 49.7 per cent of US mobile subscribers owned smartphones as of February 2012; A year ago the figure was 36 per cent.

More than two-thirds of those who acquired a new mobile device in the last three months chose a smartphone over a feature phone.

Within the smart sector, Android continues to lead, with 48 per cent, ahead of 32.1 per cent with an iPhone, and 11.6 per cent with a Blackberry.

Among those who upgraded the last three months, 48 per cent chose an Android and 43 per cent bought an iPhone.（source:mobile-ent）

2）User acquisition rise as Apple’s bot crackdown drops downloads, says Fiksu

Kathleen De Vere

The cost of acquiring a loyal user on iOS rose to $1.31 in February, but download volumes didn’t keep pace, dropping for the first time in six months — likely a reflection of Apple’s bot crackdown.

According to Fiksu, a Boston-based company that helps developers find new users by mediating between ad networks, user acquisition costs rose 15 percent in February, up $0.17 from January’s eight month low of $1.14.

The company attributed the jump in spending required to acquire a loyal user — defined as one that will open an app at least three times — to advertisers ramping up their campaigns again after a post-holiday freeze. Also note that user acquisition costs increased despite the fact that Tapjoy, AdMob and iAd all reduced their prices in January and February.（source:insidemobileapps）

3）Half of all American homes have at least one Apple product

by Zen Terrelonge

And a quarter plan to invest in more in the next year.

Apple is the tablet leader and it also has a firm grasp in the smartphone, PC, and music world too, particularly in the US, according to findings from CNBC.

Over 55 million American homes have at least one iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac, while one in ten that are absent from the group plan to join it within the year.

The average household has 1.6 Apple devices and almost one-quarter are set to buy at least one more in the next year.

Meanwhile, Apple buyers are mostly young male college graduates. Money is also a factor, with 28 per cent of those earning under $30,000 a year owning an Apple device, compared to 77 per cent for those pocketing over $75,000.

Jay Campbell, a VP of Hart Research Associates, says: “It’s a fantastic business model — the more of our products you own, the more likely you are to buy more. Planned obsolescence has always been a part of the technology industries sales model, but Apple has taken it to a whole new level.”（source:mobile-ent）

4）Millennial Media Shares Pop 100 Percent On First Day Of Trading; Valued At Nearly $2B

Leena Rao

Mobile ad network Millennial Media just debuted on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “MM,” and saw shares pop 97 percent in the first trade of $25. The company initially priced its IPO at $13 per share last night, after increasing the range on Tuesday. At $25 per share, Millennial’s valuation jumps to nearly $2 billion. Trading reached as high as $27.90 in early trading. UPDATE: Millennial closed at $25 per share.

Millennial which filed its original S-1 in early January, raised over $130 million in the offering, which is up from $75 million originally stated in earlier filings.

Millennial, which is one of the largest remaining independent mobile ad networks, currently serves ads to 200 million unique users worldwide, including approximately 100 million unique users in the United States alone. More than 30,000 apps are enabled by developers to receive ads delivered by Millennial.

From 2009 to 2010, Millennial’s revenue increased 195% from $16.2 million to $47.8 million, and the company took a net loss of $7.6 million, and $7.1 million, in those years, respectively. From 2010 to 2011, revenue increased 117% from $47.8 million to $103.7 million. In 2011, the company saw a net loss of just $287,000.

Founded by Paul Palmieri, the Baltimore-based company has raised $65 million in venture funding from Charles River Ventures, NEA, Bessemer Venture Partners, Columbia Capital and others.

Palmieri issued this statement today: “Today is an exciting day for our company, and also a significant milestone in the maturation of the mobile advertising industry. We have spent the last six plus years helping create what’s now a multi-billion dollar mobile application advertising market and we look forward to continuing to drive growth and innovation in the space.” （source:techcrunch）

5）TIGA claims mobile games market to grow to $12 billion in 2013

by Tom Worthington

Following the UK Government’s move to provide tax relief for creative industries, the mobile games software market is projected to grow over $12 billion in 2013 according to new research from UK trade association TIGA.

Research from Games Investor Consulting estimated that the mobile games market was worth $7.9 billion in 2011 and says its projected growth would see the market worth $12 billion in 2013.

In contrast, EA predicted the global mobile games market (including handheld digital downloads) would be worth $5.1 billion in 2013, although the likes of Juniper and Gartner reckon it’s higher – up to $11 billion by 2015.

Jumping ship

TIGA, the trade association that represents the UK games industry, says both mobile and tablet gaming markets offer great opportunities for UK developers and digital publishers with experience in console development.

“As smartphones and tablets evolve into powerful game platforms, top tier mobile games are increasingly resembling console games,” said TIGA CEO Dr Richard Wilson.

“The use of high resolution, 3D games environments and core genres on mobile means that UK studios are well suited to such projects, not least given the UK’s significant experience in console development.”

Bounce back Britain

According to TIGA, there are currently 134 British businesses developing games for mobiles, providing work to 960 development staff and contributing £98.5 million to the UK’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

In 2011, 460 mobile games were released or updated by UK studios.

These figures have been published in advance of TIGA’s smartphone and tablet conference taking place on 30 March in London.（source:pocketgamer）

6）Apple employees rate Cook slightly ahead of Jobs

By Erica Ogg

For all the handwringing over how Tim Cook could ever live up to his predecessor Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple, employees seem to think he’s doing well — even better than Jobs.

That’s according to anonymous Apple employee rankings of their chief executives on job hunting and review site Glassdoor.com. On the site, employees have given Cook a 97 percent approval rating between March 2011 to March 2012. That just beats out Jobs’ ranking of 95 percent, which was calculated with Apple employees rankings between March 2010 and March 2011. (Note:

While Cook wasn’t officially named CEO of Apple until August 2011, he had been interim CEO since Jobs went on medical leave in January 2011.)

To be fair, a 2 percent difference is a pretty small gap — especially when you consider how long Jobs was on the job, and how new Cook is to the position. He’s clearly in his honeymoon period, just seven months into his official duties as CEO. In that time, he’s done some things that are bound to be popular among workers, like instituting a generous charitable corporate matching program.

Glassdoor will release two reports on Friday, the top 25 highest-ranked CEOs in the U.S. and the top 10 ranked tech CEOs. Cook and his 97 percent score sit atop both lists. Here’s the entire list of the tech CEOs with the highest approval on the site:

The rankings are anonymous and are based on an answer to the question “Do you approve of the way your CEO is leading the company?” At least for those Apple employees who visit the site, the answer is a resounding yes.（source:gigaom）

7）Angry Birds dev Rovio opening Swedish studio later this year

by Mike Rose

Newsbrief: Angry Birds house Rovio Entertainment is set to open a new games studio in Swedish capital city Stockholm, as a means of further expanding its rapidly growing business.

The company has previously opened offices in Tampere, Finland and Shanghai, China. With these new plans, it aims to make use of “one of Europe’s gaming and innovation hotspots.”

The new Sweden-based office will open later this year with 20-30 employees. Rovio is currently looking to hire a general manager to get the move underway.（source:gamasutra）

8）Almost 1bn connected devices were shipped in 2011

by Zen Terrelonge

IDC says smart connected devices – smartphones, tablets, PCs – reached shipments of 916 million in 2011, while revenues passed $489 billion.

Shipments are set to pass 1.1 billion devices in 2012, rising even further to 1.84 billion by 2016, a CAGR of 15.4 per cent across the five-year period.

Between 2011 and 2016, Windows-based PC shipments are set to change fall from a 35.9 per cent share to 25.1 per cent, while Android-based devices will rise from 29.4 per cent to lead with 31.3 per cent.

Meanwhile, iOS-based devices will rise from a 14.6 per cent share in 2011 to 17.3 per cent in 2016.

Android’s share increase has been attributed to its lower-priced models, although vendors will find it tough to sustain profit, while a large number of app developers are likely to continue focusing on iOS because consumers are more likely to pay for high-end apps.（source:mobile-ent）

9）Infographic: How teens use mobile devices

by Zen Terrelonge

Mobile data use rose by 256 per cent year-on-year in 2011.

Mobile social entertainment firm FunMobility has developed the ‘Generation OMG: How teens use mobile devices’ infographic to observe the increasing usage rates for American teens aged between 13 and 17.

Last year, data use reached an average of 320MB per month via mobile phone, which is a 256 per cent rise on 2010. Meanwhile, more than 40 per cent use their mobiles for over four hours a day.

Daniel Pfeiffer, marketing VP, FunMobility, said: “With so many conversations happening today around teen cell phone usage, the increase of teen gaming, and of course carriers raising rates for data usage, we felt it was particularly timely to uncover how our users are spending time on mobile devices.

“We conducted this real time survey of our users to better understand the preferences and usage patterns of our demographic in order to deliver a more relevant and compelling service. In light of these statistics we can implement product features and campaigns that align with how our audience is actually interacting on our mobile engagement platform.”（source:mobile-ent）