Control4 is “constantly looking” for merger and acquisition opportunities, said CEO Martin Plaehn at a Raymond James technology investor conference. Plaehn referred to “lots of innovation” in the connected home market in physical products, software and cloud-based services. Noting products from video switching company Leaf, which it bought in 2015, and Pakedge Networks, bought this January, Plaehn said Tuesday that his company also looks at businesses that offer incremental revenue opportunity from adjacent categories. On voice control interfaces, Plaehn said voice input adds to the connected home experience, though it can be difficult to manage when controllable devices number more than 100.
Apple Watch shipments plummeted 71 percent in Q3 vs. the year-ago quarter, IDC reported, citing partly an “aging lineup and an unintuitive user interface." The latest-generation watches address that, said the industry researcher Monday, but Apple's success will “likely be muted as the smartwatch category continues to be challenged.” Smartwatches were once expected to take the lead in the category, though “basic wearables now reign supreme,” said analyst Jitesh Ubrani. Apple didn't comment Tuesday.
Netflix’s download capability for offline viewing currently extends (see 1611300010) to iOS and Android but not to Amazon’s variant of the Android operating system, a Netflix spokeswoman emailed us Thursday after we succeeded at downloading Netflix content to an iPhone but not to a Kindle Fire tablet. The download feature for Kindle Fire will be available in the “next couple of weeks,” she said.
Holiday shopping sales from PCs over the Thanksgiving-Cyber Monday stretch jumped 17 percent in 2016 to $8.4 billion, comScore reported, as retailers and researchers continue to report (see 1611280033) that many made purchases from smartphones. Amazon had the most visits from PCs and mobile devices on Cyber Monday, followed by eBay, said comScore. Cyber Monday’s 130 million visitors topped Black Friday online shopping by 14 million, with 89 million via mobile and 37 million shopping on both smartphones and PCs, it said. Meanwhile, top-selling electronics by units Cyber Monday included Apple iPhones, Adobe said. It said tablets and smartphones generated 47 percent of visits to retail websites, generating 31 percent of sales.
Security companies used the news of the Gooligan malware attack revealed Wednesday by Check Point Software as an opportunity to remind consumers of the dangers in connected ecosystems and linked accounts. The attack breached the security of more than a million Google accounts, said a Checkpoint blog post, and is spreading to 13,000 breached devices a day.
Analysts expressed general relief Tuesday, after AT&T’s Monday announcement of its much-rumored DirecTV Now service that had been labeled by some as a “cable killer” due to margin-strapped pricing. Wells Fargo analyst Jennifer Fritzsche referred to a “collective exhale” after AT&T’s reveal at the DirecTV Now launch (see 1611280058) that the $35-per-month plan for 100 channels is a limited-time offer.
Cyber Monday netted $540 million between midnight and 10 a.m. EST and was on track to reach $3.36 billion in online sales for the day, up 9.4 percent from a year ago, said Adobe Digital Insights. Mobile shopping since Nov. 1 continued its surge, accounting for $205 million of morning shopping, said the tech company. Holiday season online revenue rose 7.1 percent to $36.5 billion. As of 10 a.m. EST Monday, mobile accounted for 56 percent of Cyber Monday e-commerce site visits (46 percent smartphones; 10 percent tablets) and 38 percent of sales (27 percent smartphones; 11 percent tablets).
Touting flexibility, simplicity and a potential market it was unable to reach in the past, AT&T unveiled its long-awaited DirecTV Now service at a news conference in New York Monday, 36 hours ahead of the over-the-top service's go time. With no hardware installation needed, no credit checks for subscribers and the ability for customers to cancel service any time without penalty, DirecTV Now is targeted to the 20 million U.S. households that aren't part of the TV ecosystem, said John Stankey, CEO-AT&T Entertainment Group.
As marketers from carmakers to fast-food restaurants blast consumers with Black Friday deal offers this week, cybersecurity companies' Black Friday messaging are about the dangers of online shopping.
Chinese companies Huawei, Oppo and BBK Communication accounted for 21 percent of smartphones sold to users in Q3 and were the only companies in the top five to expand sales, Gartner reported Thursday. Worldwide smartphone sales rose 5.4 percent to 373 million units. Apple’s share slipped 1.5 percentage points to 11.5 percent, while market leader Samsung's share declined 4.4 points amid Galaxy Note7 problems (see 1611070038). "The decision to withdraw the Galaxy Note7 was correct, but the damage to Samsung's brand will make it harder for the company to increase its smartphone sales in the short term," analyst Anshul Gupta said. Android continued to capture share from iOS, owning nearly 88 percent of the market, Gartner said. The pulling of the Note7 will likely “only slightly” benefit the iPhone 7 Plus,” as users are likely to remain loyal to Samsung or “at least with Android,” analyst Roberta Cozza said.