Over the last few years, there has been a good amount of hype around Artificial Intelligence (AI), where companies have been using it to drive up their valuations. But AI is a broad definition that includes everything from statistical analysis to software to deep learning. What are the different categories of AI, and what are the challenges and limitations faced by the companies? We answer these and other questions in this podcast.
As we are almost slipping through another AI winter, there are companies which are actually working on Artificial Intelligence by pushing back the boundaries, and we call them practitioners. Then there are others which base their intelligence on statistics, and we call them pretenders. There is also a third category called “tricksters” which do not do AI at all. So, which categories lead among these companies?
In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Peter Richardson is joined by Richard Windsor, a research director at large at Counterpoint Research and also the founder and owner of research company Radio Free Mobile. In this episode, Windsor deep-dives into the challenges and shortcomings of Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning. The discussion also touches upon how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the development of AI, especially in sectors where the rules of the game change with social distancing.
Automakers are packing more technology in cars these days. This includes IoT-based connected car technology, which enables navigation, information, safety and remote diagnostics. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted car sales, and shipments are expected to decline in 2020, the penetration of connectivity technology in cars continues to increase. More than 50% of the cars sold globally in 2020 are expected to be connected.
There are different types of connected cars that are available in the market, from embedded TCUs to hybrid and smartphone-connected ones. Add-on connectivity features also open up new revenue streams for automakers. But which are the leading automakers in the market, what are the key drivers and which countries are leading the segment? We discuss all this and more in our latest podcast.
In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Maurice Klaehne is joined by senior analyst Aman Madhok to talk about the connected cars market. Aman touches upon some interesting topics such as the type of network connectivity in connected cars, cockpit digitization and more. The discussion also highlights 5G in connected cars, autonomous vehicles, and growth expectations for the future.
Even though Huawei has been struggling after the ban from the US administration, the company recently launched the Mate 40-series smartphones. But lack of GMS will be a challenging factor in selling these devices. While Huawei’s share has been declining, the gap is being filled by smartphone brands like realme, OPPO and Xiaomi. So, how does the outlook look for Huawei? We discuss all this and more in the latest podcast.
In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Peter Richardson is joined by associate director Jan Stryjak to talk about the European smartphone market outlook. Jan shares some updates on COVID-19, and how the market has been performing. He also talks about the new Apple iPhone 12 series and how it can give the much-needed boost to 5G in Europe. The discussion touches upon the gap that Huawei has created and the smartphone makers benefitting from that.
The adverse economic effects brought by the COVID-19 pandemic caused a decline in smartphone sales across several regions. The SEA (South East Asian) market, which includes countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines, was no different. But as the lockdown restrictions are now easing, this market is seeing good recovery. There is not one, but several factors responsible for the growth, and we are going to talk about these in our latest podcast.
The lockdown period brought upon the pent-up demand, and smartphone makers are coming up with aggressive marketing strategies to cater to the users. Competitive pricing and innovative marketing strategies such as shopping through WhatsApp have helped smartphone makers bounce back. E-commerce platforms are also running promotional sales with discounts and more, which has further helped the growth. With users concerned about exchanging currency notes that could spread the COVID-19 virus, digital payments are slowly replacing cash.
In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Maurice Klaehne is joined by research associate Tanvi Sharma to talk about the SEA smartphone market. The discussion revolves around the impact of coronavirus on the smartphone market, brand strategies, and the shift from offline to online sales. The episode also highlights how brands are recalibrating and diversifying production to ensure minimal disruption if such a situation arises again.
The foldable phones have been around for a few years now, especially if you remember the clamshell form factor. Even the Nokia Communicator was a foldable smartphone with a small screen on the outside and a bigger display on the inside. But a lot has changed over the years, as we moved from phones with alphanumeric keypads to full QWERTY keyboards and now a fully evolved touchscreen smartphone. A smartphone with a flexible, foldable display, which was once just a concept, is now a reality. The current foldables come in different form factors, offering different functionalities.
We have seen the Royole FlexPai and Huawei Mate Xs with an outward folding display, and the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 2 with an inward folding display. When folded, these are smartphones, and when unfolded, they completely transform into a tablet. Samsung and Motorola also launched clamshell smartphones offering a near edge-to-edge foldable display when opened.
In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Maurice Klaehne is joined by VP of Research Neil Shah to talk about foldable smartphones. Having used the Galaxy Fold before, and currently using the Galaxy Z Fold 2, Neil shares his thoughts on foldables, and his first impressions of the new Samsung foldable phone. The discussion also touches upon different foldable form factors that we have seen so far, the challenges from design and software perspective, and more.
Apple introduced the App Store on iOS as a digital distribution platform for games and apps and revolutionized the way software is distributed on mobile devices. Roughly, 15-20 years ago, one would have to visit a store to buy a game or software, and the store would charge around 50% as a mark-up fee. The App Store, on the other hand, takes a 30% cut from developers. Google followed the same model on Android. Both Apple and Google tout about the role of the respective app stores in creating new jobs in the “app economy”. And while Apple says it treats all developers equally, there are sops given to the likes of Amazon Prime Video by charging a lower % cut. This has led to a battle royale between Apple and Epic Games.
Recently, Fortnite creator Epic Games bypassed the App Store payment gateway, after which Apple booted the game out of the App Store and also terminated their account. In return, Epic Games filed a lawsuit against Apple, after which Apple also filed its counterclaims alleging breach of contract. In a court filing, Epic Games accused Apple to maintain its monopoly over in-app payments on the iOS platform and inflating prices. This battle that would eventually hurt Epic Games more as millions of Fortnite players access the game from Apple devices. It will be interesting to see how this battle will eventually resolve.
In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Peter Richardson is joined by Dr. Richard Windsor to talk about the App Economy and the problems related to it. He is the Research Director at large at Counterpoint Research, and also the founder and owner of the research company, Radio Free Mobile. In the podcast, Richard deep dives to explain about the battle royale that is happening between Apple and Epic Games. The discussion also touches upon iOS 14 mandating App Tracking Transparency and the implications. He also shares his views on a better way to grow the app economy.
The global smartphone market is undergoing a major change as we transition from 4G to 5G. And despite the slowdown due to COVID-19, 5G smartphone sales are growing as they penetrate the mature markets like China, South Korea, Europe and the US. Typically, when a new generation of cellular technology comes in, it is more expensive in the beginning. This has happened with 4G, where the initial smartphones were expensive. But with the economies of scale and penetration in emerging markets, 4G smartphones and 4G smart feature phones are now affordable. We expect the same to happen with 5G smartphones.
There are various factors that drive the cost of 5G smartphones. As the technology is still in its nascent stage, smartphone makers need to add a separate baseband, RF antennas and passive filters for 5G to work. But there are other factors, such as high refresh rate displays, bigger batteries and multiple camera setups, which drive the cost of 5G smartphones.
In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Peter Richardson is joined by analysts Shobhit Srivastava and Ethan Qi to discuss factors that are driving the Bill of Material (BoM) cost of 5G smartphones. In the discussion, we take a deep dive into the differences between sub-6GHz and mmWave implementations, and the additional costs that are involved with mmWave. We also touch upon the role of component vendors in bringing down the cost.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a big shift in consumer behavior and spending patterns. As more people stay at home to work or learn remotely, the spending on smartphone apps has increased as well. According to Counterpoint Research’s latest Consumer Lens Survey, video streaming has emerged as the highest spending smartphone app category in the US.
The pandemic has forced people to limit their outdoor activities. As a result, they are spending more time on entertainment through mobile devices. Monthly average spending on video streaming in the US is around $13. Students spend the highest, followed by salaried employees. Gaming and music streaming take the second and third spots, respectively. The pandemic has also made the right pitch for podcasts.
In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Maurice Klaehne is joined by research director Jeff Fieldhack and senior analyst Pavel Naiya to discuss how Americans are entertaining themselves amid the lockdowns. Pavel offers insights on different apps and services consumers are spending their money on. Jeff, on the other hand, sheds light on how carriers were well prepared to offer uninterrupted internet access, even with the spike in usage. He also talks about different promotional offers that carriers have been running for streaming services.
For those interested in a detailed analysis of app spending and other smartphone consumer behavior, the report is available on our research portal for subscribed clients.
As the COVID-19 outbreak continues in several countries across the globe, working from home and distance learning from home has become the new normal. Having stable and reliable internet connectivity beyond smartphones has become a top priority. As a result, a lot of pent-up demand for broadband is coming from both developed and emerging markets. With fiber and other fixed wired broadband connectivity being elusive for many consumers, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) is turning out to be a viable alternative.
FWA technology has been around for quite some time now if you remember LTE and WiMAX. However, these technologies have complexities involved with laying the cables and fiber to offer last-mile connectivity. These technologies also failed to offer stable internet speeds as wired line broadband. But that changes with 5G.
Fixed wireless access (FWA) is emerging as one of the leading use cases for 5G New Radio (NR) architecture, something that we recently highlighted in our report. We at Counterpoint expect that the global consumer 5G FWA will reach more than 50 million connections in 2025 and increase to more than 450 million in 2030.
In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Maurice Klaehne and senior analyst Tina Lu are joined by Shiv Putcha, founder and principal analyst at Mandala Insights to talk about FWA. The topic of the discussion covers primary drivers for FWA momentum, current deployment status and challenges. We also offer an insight onto the outlook of Fixed Wireless Access for the next 10 years.
Detailed analysis on FWA momentum, adoption, opportunities, ecosystem growth, and the outlook is available for licensing here.
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