Apple: King of All Mobile PCs

If the iPad truly is a PC and not the “media tablet” that some claim, then Apple is the largest mobile PC vendor in the world. According to DisplaySearch, Apple shipped 10.2 million mobile PCs in the fourth quarter of 2010–iPads, MacBooks and MacBook Pros–to claim a 17.2 percent share of the mobile PC market. That makes it the new global leader.

With iPad Sales, Steve Schools the Street Again

In need of a chuckle? Take a look at Wall Street’s first-year iPad sales forecasts. They ranged from 1.1 million at their most conservative to 7 million at their most bullish, and averaged out at 3.3 million. Which is laughably short of the 14.8 million iPads Apple ended up selling in 2010.

PC Sales Weakened in Q4–Everyone Blame the iPad

PC sales were weaker than expected in the fourth quarter. Might it have a little something do with the iPad? Yes.

Film Critics Don't Just "Like" "The Social Network"–They Love It

“The Social Network” won the National Society of Film Critics’ best picture award, while David Fincher got best director, Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg was named best actor, and Aaron Sorkin received the best screenplay award.

Remember the Parrot!

There’s lots of cool stuff on display at CES this week. But bear in mind that lots of it will be DOA–or worse, it will never arrive, period.

News Byte

EBay Rang Up $2 Billion in Mobile Sales in 2010

EBay said today that global mobile sales more than tripled in 2010, generating nearly $2 billion in gross merchandise volume. (GMV is the total value of all successfully sold items on eBay, regardless of whether the buyer and seller finalized the deal.) While that’s good news for the retailer, which has seen overall revenue growth slow down, it is still a small sliver of the overall pie. In comparison, eBay reported total GMV of $44.9 billion in the first three months of 2010. In the U.S., eBay said mobile sales grew nearly 175 percent year-over-year, generating nearly $850 million in GMV in 2010.

Go-Go Gadget Economy

After a disappointing 2009, the consumer electronics industry grew 13 percent in 2010 and is expected to grow another 10 percent this year to $964 billion, according to a new forecast by the Consumer Electronics Association. And, if the year turns out better than expected, consumer electronics sales could surpass $1 trillion in 2011. “I’m bullish,” Consumer Electronics Association analyst Steve Koenig said on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show. “That number is truly within reach. It’s clear that global retail sales of tech products have rebounded. Tech is at the vanguard in leading the recovery.”

The Social Web's Big New Theme for 2011: Multiple Identities for Everyone!

Even as Facebook extended its dominance in 2010 to the point where it seems to have a social Web monopoly, it was a landmark year for social network competition. Where in the past, tech industry watchers derided new start-ups for launching “yet another social network,” an increasing number of users seem to be constructing multiple online presences that utilize the strengths of various platforms and networks.

RunKeeper Hopes to Be Your App for That New Year's Resolution

The RunKeeper Pro app, usually $9.99, is free from now through the end of January. Since the promotion started yesterday, downloads of the app have been up more than 10 times the normal number for a single day.

2011: The Year of the Tablet–Apple’s Tablet (And Analyst Notes About It)

Much as they were in 2010, tablet sales will be a high point of 2011–but even more so. According to Caris & Co. analyst Robert Cihra, tablet sales will more than triple, rising 226 percent to 54 million units. And of those, Cihra believes Apple will claim 67 percent.

Web Ad Dollars Finally Overtake Newspapers