Author: Writer

Although you cannot completely do away from your leather billfold, but this new technology called mobile wallet is gradually invading on your leather wallet. Well, one good thing that it is doing is saving paper and conserving environment.

MasterCard is the one of the companies that is doing well in mobile wallet market.

It has a belief which wants the world to look beyond cash. Recently it has upgraded the shopping experience with new innovations to Mobile Wallet Technology. It has added new service called ShopThis! This will help customers to leverage this new market. Well, it is a good option as world is getting more aware and inclined towards digital payment services.

Digital Wallet is all set to for transforming natural way of transaction. Mobile Commerce is claimed to be the largest growing sector by 2020. Mobile ticketing and mobile money transfer will follow. The main reason behind this growth is increasing use of mobile payment services. But still a large chunk of population prefers traditional Cash and Card payment. One major reason according to AMR report is Security concern among them with technological infancy. A recent report published by Allied Market Research projects that the market for Global Mobile Wallet will reach $5,250 billion by 2020 at CAGR of 127.5%.

Mobile Wallet has really transformed shopping experience of many consumers with its enhanced and astounding features.

It has brought the physical and digital market virtually at one place. Looking at its potential, many telecom companies are coming together to innovate and give a better product. This will act as a catalyst for market growth. PayPal has emerged as best player in Mobile Wallet solutions. As per survey by Forrester to 4000 consumers, PayPal got 38% of vote while Amazon followed it with 35% of vote. Google is the biggest player in NFC (Near Field Communication) mobile technology with the launch of mobile wallet technology in 2011.

Application, Mode of Payment and Stakeholders are there segments that form Mobile Wallet market.

Application segment is further divided as Mobile commerce, Mobile ticketing, Mobile money transfer etc while Mode of payment segment is comprised of NFC and remote payment. Stakeholder’s segment includes Service providers, Handset manufacturers, Mobile operators, OSS/BSS solutions etc.

Author: Ashish Gedamkar

Apple released its newest tablet version, the iPad Air, on November 1, 2013. Based on the success of Apple’s iPad 4, iPad mini, and earlier tablets, the company has high hopes for the success of the iPad Air model. The tablet is based on the company’s MacBook Air, a lighter, more portable version of the MacBook laptop computers.

With the subsequent release of the iPad mini with Retina display (iPad mini 2) tablet, the company has a complete offering of tablet models for the consumer to choose from. More aggressive competition from makers like Samsung (with the Galaxy), Amazon (with the Kindle), and smaller makers of low-cost devices in the $40 to $100 range will put pressure on the iPad Air to meet and exceed its sales expectations going into 2014.

iPad Air Impact on Sales

Apple’s release of the iPad Air and iPad mini 2 were part of a strategy to boost lagging overall tablet sales. Through the first three quarters of 2013 (prior to the November release of the iPad Air), sales of all iPad models were at 57 million, up 32 percent from the same year-to-year sales in 2012. Sales for the fourth quarter of 2013 are not expected to grow at all, based on analyst’s estimates, coming in at an aggregate of 13 to 14.53 million units sold. One analyst, Chuck Jones of Forbes Magazine, is holding out that the release of the iPad Air and iPad mini 2 will boost fourth-quarter 2013 sales to around 27.5 million iPad units, representing an increase of 96 percent over fourth-quarter 2012 totals.

Comparative Sales Data for Apple Tablet Computers

The success of the iPad Air is already being challenged by Amazon’s Kindle Fire HDX 8.9. In a recent series of television ads, Amazon takes dead aim at Apple, comparing the two products side by side. A look at the models signals some concerns for the iPad Air against claims about its resolution (267 pixels per inch) and weight (469 grams for the gray model and 478 grams for iPad Air’s silver model). The newer version Kindle has a resolution of 339 ppi and a weight of 386 grams, which is 18 percent lighter than the lightest Air model. Although the Kindle retails for less than the Air ($229 versus $499), performance comparisons suggest that the Air may be a better machine for power users, while those with more casual needs may prefer the less expensive Kindle.

Projected Growth for the iPad Air

The tablet market has been dominated by Apple for years, ever since the inception of the first iPad model. This dominance has been taken away by the emergence of the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Galaxy 3 tablets. What will depress future sales of the iPad tablet overall and models like the iPad Air specifically will be its pricing strategy relative to its competitors. As competitor devices are made for less and sold on slimmer profit margins than Apple’s iPads, the debate comes down to comparative quality and price. If players like Amazon and Samsung can continue to match Apple’s innovations with less expensive, more lightweight, and fully functional devices, Apple’s current market share of 29.6 percent (down from 40 percent a year ago) will continue to fall, going to its rivals like Samsung, which has a current market share of 20 percent (up from 12 percent).

Byline

Christoph Mortensen is a freelance tech writer based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Aside from the iPad Air, Christoph writes on the iPhone 5, accessories such as the kensington ipad keyboard case, popular Bluetooth keyboards, the Xbox One and other tech subjects as well.