Friday Five: December 25 - 29

  • D4ed5751bf8328329533721cfc292e8a Technology
  • Readingtime icon Read in: 4 mins
  • by: Jerry Caggiano

Consumers dropped $200 million on apps on Christmas, up 12% from last year (TechCrunch)

Last year consumers spent $174 million on apps, in-app purchases, and subscriptions on Christmas day. That number grew by 12.3% this year reaching $196 million. “Taking stock of App Store revenue and trends on Christmas Day is a good way to get a glimpse into what the year ahead will bring, as so many consumers are activating new devices, installing apps, and buying apps, games and subscriptions.”

 

Apple again tops holiday sales with 44% of all new mobile device activations (MacRumors)

As Apple continues their run to be the first 1 trillion dollar company, its devices accounted for 44% of all smartphone and tablet activations. This holiday season half of its activations were from the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6 models pointing that consumers are choosing a more affordable phone than its flagship X and new 8.

 

Amazon’s Alexa hits the top spot of the App store for the first time (TechCrunch)

Amazon’s Alexa app has claimed the number one spot on the Apple App store for the first-time ever. “The apps climb only points to new Alexa device owners." With millions of units sold over the holidays, Amazon continues to solidify its market lead over the Google Home. 

 

Exclusive: Apple and Amazon in talks to set up in Saudi Arabia - sources (Reuters)

With smartphones becoming an everyday item across the world, Apple and Amazon are “in licensing discussions with Riyadh on investing in Saudi Arabia.” The Saudi Arabian market is a young one with almost 70% of the population being under 30 years old and “boasts some of the highest smartphone and internet use in the world.”

 

South Korea enacts new cryptocurrency regulations (Engadget)

One year ago Bitcoin was being traded at around $950 and this month it hit an all-time high around $20,000. The tremendous growth, and equal heft of volatility has left many people and countries skeptical of the cryptocurrency market. As a result, South Korea banned initial coin offeringsand will ban all anonymous cryptocurrency accounts.

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