“Apple won a lawsuit against HTC over patent infringement, and this might cause Google to lose market share over the long-haul if a ban is put in placed, or if other patent lawsuits go in favor of Apple,” Chris Ciaccia writes for TheStreet.”According to Nielsen, Google’s Android operating system holds 42.8% of the smartphone market share as of November 29. HTC is the largest Android OEM, with 15.0% of the market. Apple’s iOS has 28.3% of the market.”
“The International Trade Commission ruled in favor of Apple on Monday regarding a case that phone-maker HTC had infringed upon Apple’s patent for ‘data-tapping,’ U.S. Patent No. 5,946,647. According to the patent application, it allows users to switch between applications and place the phone call in the background on the phone,” Ciaccia writes. “ISI Group’s analyst Brian Marshall noted that while the ruling will not be material to either Apple or HTC, it could be beneficial for Apple down the line. In a research note, Marshall wrote Apple could have a positive share shift if a ban were to take place in the immediate term.”
Ciaccia writes, “J.P. Morgan analyst Alvin Kwock noted in a research report that the second ITC patent case against HTC, which was filed in July, have additional patents that could be more detrimental to user experience if Apple were to come out victorious in the suit. Kwock wrote, ‘…the second ITC case Apple filed against HTC in July 2011 mentions a number of patents that would have much more significant bearing on user experience, including a number of touch features and use of movement sensors – in some cases, if potentially Apple has a upper hand, it could be much more difficult for HTC to design around without sacrificing user experience, thus forcing HTC to settle with Apple on some compensation eventually.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Market share, schmarket share. Profit share is where it’s at, and Apple has the lion’s share.
Don’t steal IP.
Related articles:
U.S. ITC backs Apple in patent ruling against HTC that hits Google – December 19, 2011
HTC told to halt sales of 3G devices in Germany – November 29, 2011
Steve Jobs: ‘I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product; I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this’ – October 20, 2011
Obama could overrule ITC if it seeks to block Android devices due to patent infringement – September 2, 2011