Mobile Insider is delivered first thing every morning exclusively to BI Intelligence subscribers.
XIAOMI BOOSTS SHIPMENT PROJECTIONS BY NEARLY 50%: China-based smartphone maker Xiaomi says it’s on target to ship 60 million units this year, up from a January projection of 40 million. Founder Lei Jun says the company shipped 11 million units in the first quarter, driving a same-quarter revenue jump of 150% over last year. (Tech in Asia, Marbridge Consulting)
Last week, a 100,000 unit run of the Xiaomi Redmi Note sold out in 34 minutes. Prices for the Android-powered phablets start at 799 yuan (about $130). (GizChina)
RELATED: XIAOMI’S NEW CAMPUS & XIAOMI EYES INDIA
MOBILE CURRENCY SERVICE M-PESA DEBUTS IN EUROPE: Through a licensing deal with telecom giant Vodafone, the mobile money service that’s taken Sub-Saharan Africa by storm is set to roll out in Europe. After initial rollout in Romania, Vodafone says it will eye expansion to other countries in eastern and central Europe.
“Romania looks like an archetypal M-Pesa market,” writes Mobile World Live’s Richard Handford. “It has a high penetration of mobile phones but more than one-third of the population do not have access to conventional banking services.”
M-Pesa, which launched in 2007 in Kenya, is ubiquitous in the country, where a high percentage of the population is unbanked. The service acts as a bank and a credit card for users. According to the Financial Times, one-third of Kenya's $44 billion economy "washes through the [M-Pesa] system." (Financial Times, Mobile World Live)
BLACKBERRY'S 'BOLD' MOVE: BlackBerry CEO John Chen says the company plans to resume production of the Bold 9900 handset introduced three years ago, and discontinued in February. "The handset [business] must be made profitable," Chen explained in a conference call with analysts. But relying on a three-year-old device to turn around profits is an optimistic strategy at best. (WSJ)
In yesterday's chart from BI Intelligence, we tracked BlackBerry’s flagging device sales, and predicted that “its hardware business is effectively over.” The company's services business, though, does seem to be on the rise.
BIG SCREEN IPHONE 6 IS COMING: Production on the 4.7 inch screen for the upcoming iPhone 6 could begin as early as May, while the 5.5 inch screen will be delayed by a few months, according to a report in Reuters. The larger-sized iPhones, which are expected to go on the market in the fall, are getting a lot of attention because of the way in which Apple is finally being forced to chase Samsung's model, rather than the other way around. Apple has always led on smartphones, as other manufacturers have sought to emulate its first moves. But Apple has been slow to recognize people's affinity for large screens. Now, reports of the big-screen phones suggest that the company is coming around. (Reuters)
GOOGLE ASKS DEVELOPERS TO CRACK DOWN ON SHADY APPS: In a policy update targeted at Google Play app developers, Google lambasted apps that use “deceptive ads," which simulate alerts and notifications. The company also called out apps that generate unsolicited text messages and install tactics in which apps are downloaded without “informed user action.” The policy puts the onus on developers to self-police. (TechCrunch, Android Police)
MICROSOFT PULLS FAKE GOOGLE APPS: Microsoft is also cleaning house within its Windows Phone Store, removing imposter Google apps priced at $1.99 apiece. The apps were published under "Google, Inc" and included fake versions of Google services like Hangouts, Voice, Search, Maps, Google+, and Gmail. The only app Google publishes on the Windows Phone platform is for search, and is free to download. (The Next Web)
BUDGET HANDSET REVIVES MOTOROLA'S UK PROSPECTS: Motorola has returned from the dead in the UK, according to data showing the company’s smartphone market share at 6% to end February, up from essentially nothing just six months prior. The surge came after the November introduction of the Moto G, priced as low as $215 off-contract. The handset has attracted “a very specific consumer profile … generally they come from lower income groups,” writes Dominic Sunnebo. Almost half of Moto G users in the UK are aged between 16 and 24, and 83% are male. (Kantar Worldpanel ComTech)
Here's what else BI Intelligence subscribers are reading …
Here's How Much Wal-Mart Pays In Interchange Fees On Payment Card Transactions
BlackBerry Will Increase Revenue From Services, As Its Hardware Business Is Effectively Over
THE FUTURE OF RETAIL: 2014 [SLIDE DECK]