iPhone News Updated

IT Spending Down, Apple Boosts iPhone 3G Share

ChangeWave’s latest IT purchasing survey shows the downturn in the U.S. economy is far from over, as an even greater pullback is taking place in corporate spending. At the same time, the Apple iPhone is beginning to gain traction in the corporate marketplace even as RIM maintains a big market share lead.

A total of 1,947 respondents involved with IT spending in their organization participated in the study, conducted August 11-21, 2008.

The survey first asked respondents if their 3rd Quarter IT spending was on track to date, and the results were the worst we’ve seen in a ChangeWave survey. Three-in-ten (30%) say they’ve spent “Less than Planned” — 3-pts worse than the previous May survey. Just 12% say they’ve spent “More than Planned.”

Looking ahead, the results are correspondingly grim, with 29% saying their company’s IT spending will decrease (or there will be no spending at all) in the 4th Quarter — 5-pts worse than the previous survey. At the same time, just 13% say spending will increase — a drop of 2-pts from previously.

“The brief period of stabilization picked up in our May survey has given way to another major leg downward,” said Tobin Smith, founder of ChangeWave and editor of ChangeWave Investing. “You have to go way back to the middle of the last recession (August 2001) to find a ChangeWave survey projecting this big of an IT spending downturn.”

In terms of the impact of energy costs, better than a third of respondents (35%) reported high prices were affecting their company’s IT spending plans for second half 2008, 1-pt worse than previously. Almost as importantly, one-in-four (25%) say the looming U.S. presidential election is having an impact on their company’s IT spending decisions.

This supports the thesis that corporate America has currently placed a considerable percentage of spending decisions on hold, at least till after the November elections — perhaps longer.

When we asked respondents exactly when they thought IT spending would pick up in their company, a robust 39% said not until at least the 2nd Quarter of 2009 or later.

In the same survey ChangeWave also focused on corporate smart phone buying, and here Research in Motion (RIMM) (79%) continues to overshadow its two main competitors in terms of planned 4th Quarter purchases — but note that it’s down a full 3-pts from the record high registered in May. ChangeWave also picked up weaker visibility for RIM in its most recent consumer smart phone survey (June 2008). Thus, at least momentarily, RIM appears to be confronted with visibility issues on both the consumer and corporate fronts.

Rival Apple (AAPL) (17%) continues to show considerable momentum in terms of planned corporate smart phone purchases — up 4-pts from previously. Note that recent ChangeWave Consumer surveys have shown the 3G iPhone having a huge impact on consumer demand, the current results show the iPhone is beginning to gain real traction in the Corporate market as well.

In yet another positive for Apple, 19% of respondents report the release of the 3G iPhone has made their company More Likely to purchase Apple products in the future — only 1% say Less Likely. Thus, the 3G iPhone release appears to be having a positive ‘halo effect’ in terms of improved overall corporate purchasing intentions for Apple products in general.

[Thanks: http://www.palluxo.com]

Houghton Develops iPhone Apps for Dictionaries

In the first move by a major American publisher to publish iPhone-ready (and friendly) reference material, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has rolled out applications for four of its reference titles. The titles, which can be purchased in Apple’s App Store range in price from $29.99, for The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, to $8.99 for Wall Street Words.

David Langevin, v-p and director of electronic markets at Houghton, said that the $29.99 American Heritage 4th Edition app brings the 2,074-pages of content in the print title (which weighs some 7.5 pounds) to the device in a functional and user-friendly way. The app features photos, maps and sound (so users can hear pronunciations) and, Langevin noted, its release marks the first time a publisher has made a dictionary of this size available on a handheld device.

The App Store features a collection of downloadable software add-ons for the iPhone 3G, some of which are free and some of which are not. Apps range from games to an e-reader; Houghton’s titles sit in the Reference section of the Apps Store where, at press time, top Apps (all free) include Wikipanion (a download that allows iPhone friendly access Wikipedia) and a Bible reader. According to Langevin, the establishment of the Apps Store–it opened with the release of the 3G, which performs faster than the previous iteration of the iPhone–has allowed publishers to tailor their content for use on the iPhone.

Houghton, which developed the apps with the software company Enfour (one of various approved Apple developers), plans to roll out “dozens” of other apps built around other reference titles in the coming months. Langevin said he intends to make apps for everything from cookbooks to field guides. Of its four titles now available in the Apps Store Langevin said the Desk Dictionary has been the house’s bestselling title since its release three weeks ago.

[Thanks: http://www.publishersweekly.com]