MacRumors

Research firm comScore today released the results of its latest survey of mobile phone users in the United States, finding that Google's Android and Apple's iOS continue to dominate the smartphone landscape.

The highlight of comScore's report is Android passing 50% of installed smartphone user base for the first time, grabbing 50.1% of the market during the three-month period of December through February. That marks a gain of 3.2 percentage points since the previous three-month period and a gain of 17 percentage points over the past year. But Apple's iPhone has also seen strong performance, gaining 1.5 percentage points over the previous period and 5 percentage point year-over-year to hit 30.2% of the market.

Notably, Apple has also moved passed Motorola in overall mobile phone user base in the United States, with Apple's share growing by 2.3 percentage points over the previous three-month period while Motorola's share shrank by 0.9 percentage points. Apple now holds the third highest share of mobile phone user base in the United States, placing behind Samsung and LG.

comScore's data tracks installed user base rather than new handset sales, making it more reflective of real-world usage but slower to respond to shifting market trends than some other studies. The difference between those two types of studies was highlighted in a Nielsen report from last week which showed very similar number to comScore's data among "all smartphone owners" in the United States. But with the strength of the iPhone 4S launch, Nielsen's numbers showed that Android's 16-point lead over the iPhone was narrowed to 5 points when looking only at those who purchased their devices within the past three months.

Over the past two days, a couple of high-profile research analysts have issued reports predicting that Apple's stock will reach the $1000/share milestone within the next year or two, a move that would see that company's market capitalization push toward an unprecedented trillion-dollar market capitalization.

Yesterday, analyst Brian White issued his first research note on Apple in his new position with Topeka Capital Markets. White had previously worked at Ticonderoga Securities, which ceased operations earlier this year. In his initiation report for Topeka, White offers a 12-month price target of $1001 for Apple, citing the appeal of 4G LTE, booming growth in China, and an expected Apple television set as drivers for the company's growth.

We are initiating coverage of Apple with a Buy rating and a 12-month price target of $1,001.00. Driven by an ever expanding portfolio of innovative products, a growing integrated digital grid, unmatched aesthetics and a brand that is able to touch the soul of consumers of all backgrounds, Apple fever is spreading like a wildfire around the world and we see no end in sight to this trend. As such, we believe the Apple story still has a long way to play out in the coming years and we expect the next 12-18 months to be particularly exciting for the Company on multiple fronts.

White also points to Apple's dividend and share repurchase program, with growth of that program in the future, as an additional driver for investor interest in Apple's stock.

Meanwhile, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster weighed in with his own report early today, and while his official 12-month price target for Apple moves from $718 to $910, he believes that the stock will roll on to reach $1000 in 2014.

While our 12-month price target is $910, we believe shares of AAPL can reach $1,000 beyond our one year price target window, specifically in 2014 when we believe investors will begin to factor in CY15 numbers. Even conservatively applying the 12x forward year EPS multiple (CY13) that Apple is currently trading at to our CY15 estimate of $80.18, we reach a $960 share price. Furthermore, we believe factoring in an Apple Television could add more than $4 in EPS (5%) by CY15, which could yield over a $1,000 share price (12 * ~$84).

Munster estimates that half of the predicted $400 billion growth in Apple's market cap will come at the expense of its competitors, while the other half will come from new money entering the tech sector.

Given Apple's current share count of roughly 930 million, a $1000 price would see the company pushing toward a market capitalization of $1 trillion. As we noted last month, Microsoft set the standard for highest market capitalization for a publicly-traded company back in 1999 at $604 billion. Apple is roughly $20 billion short of that number as of today, but when adjusted for inflation, Microsoft's peak market cap would have corresponded to over $800 billion in today's dollars.

Apple today updated its investor relations page to note that it will announce its earnings for the second fiscal quarter (first calendar quarter) of 2012 on Tuesday, April 24. The earnings release typically occurs just after 4:30 PM Eastern Time following the close of regular stock trading, and the conference call is scheduled to follow at 5:00 PM Eastern / 2:00 PM Pacific.

MacRumors will provide running coverage of the earnings release and conference call.

The release should provide some early sales numbers for the new iPad, which launched with just two weeks left in the quarter. The company previously announced that the device sold three million units in its first four days of availability, and strong sales undoubtedly continued for the remainder of the quarter, boosted in part by a quick expansion into international markets with the device being available in over 30 countries by the end of the quarter.

Mac Otakara points to a news report [Google translation] from TV Tokyo's World Business Satellite in which a Foxconn recruiter claims that the company is hiring 18,000 new workers to support production of the iPhone 5. According to the recruiter, the device is planned to launch in June.

The exchange took place at Foxconn's plant in the suburbs of Taiyuan, China, where 80,000 workers are already employed. The brief clip of the reporter talking to the Foxconn recruiter appears just over seven minutes into the news segment.

It appears unlikely that a recruiter would be specifically provided with information on Apple's device launch plans, although knowing something of Foxconn's hiring goals and targeted job needs could offer them insight into the production roadmap.

While there have been a few reports indicating that Apple could return to its mid-year launch timeframe with the next-generation iPhone, many observers believe that an interval of just 8-9 months from the iPhone 4S debut is too short for Apple's liking and development cycle. Consequently, a repeat of the later September-October timeframe as occurred last year has been seen as the most likely scenario for a 2012 iPhone launch.

Last month, we noted that Avatron had announced forthcoming support for the new iPad in its Air Display software that allows users to add an iOS device as a wireless external monitor for their Mac.

With the new iPad's Retina display running at 2048x1536, Air Display would be able to display a relatively large OS X desktop, but at very small size. But Avatron has been working to make Air Display compatible with the high-resolution "HiDPI" mode that has been quietly built into OS X. Apple has kept the HiDPI feature hidden by default due to an absence of any Macs with ultra high-resolution "Retina" displays that could use it to significant effect.

The updated version of Air Display is now available [App Store, $9.99], allowing users to set the new iPad as a 1024x768 HiDPI display, taking advantage of the device's Retina display to display the high-resolution elements and text present in OS X Lion.

If you have Mac OS X Lion and a Retina iOS device, now you can turn on "HiDPI mode." HiDPI is a built-in Mac OS X feature that makes UI elements render at double resolution. It's absolutely stunning on a Retina display. By default, Mac OS X disables HiDPI because until now, there has been no Mac display with high enough resolution. Air Display on a new iPad, with its 2048x1536 264-dpi Retina display, finally brings HiDPI to life.

MacStories has some hands-on reports with the new version of Air Display, noting that the feature works very well without significant lag or compression visible when windows are still. When moving windows around the desktop, resolution is degraded as the app works to keep up with the on-screen movements, but for viewing relatively static content the app delivers "incredible image quality".

Air Display is compatible with most Macs running Mac OS X Snow Leopard or later. Notably, late 2008/mid-2009 15-inch MacBook Pro models and early 2009/mid-2009 17-inch MacBook Pro models are not compatible with the Air Display Connect computer-side application when running OS X Lion.

As we also noted last month, Apple's work on HiDPI mode is becoming more visible in OS X Mountain Lion, with the beta version of Messages available for OS X Lion showing some of the fruits of that labor to the public.

In Anandtech's lengthy iPad review, they reveal knowledge of an internal Apple project for a game controller for iOS:

I know of an internal Apple project to bring a physical controller to market, but whether or not it will ever see the light of day remains to be seen. As smartphones and tablets come close to equalling the performance of current game consoles, I feel like the controller problem must be addressed.

Apple is not the first company to have considered such a device for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Several 3rd party companies have worked on similar devices over the years. iControlPad was one of the first and is now shipping. Ion Audio's iCade followup (pictured above) also allows users to enclose their iOS device within a controller offering physical buttons and controls. Apple has even applied for a patent on a similar design.

These 3rd party solutions however have generally been relegated to keyboard emulation over Bluetooth rather than full fledged dock-supporting accessories. In fact, we'd heard that Apple had originally supported these accessory makers in their quest to make official dock-connector game controllers, but then the approval process was mysteriously halted. Some had speculated at the time that Apple was working on their own game controller solution. We've heard little else about this, though Atari's recently announced Arcade Joystick does now use the dock connector.

In a roundup of touch panel supplier news, Digitimes reports that G-Tech Optoelectronics is not only ramping up production of cover glass for the new iPad but is also working with Apple on anti-reflective glass for the next-generation iMac. The iMac is due for an update in the near future as Intel's Ivy Bridge processors become available later this month.

G-Tech is ramping up its production capacity of cover glass from 1.8 million units a month currently to three million units in 2012 as the company is likely to take up 25-30% of total cover glass orders for Apple's iPads in the year, according to an industry estimate.

G-Tech is also expected to supply AR (anti-reflective) glass solutions for Apple's all-in-one (AIO) PCs with the new products to also serve as a growth driver for G-Tech, indicated industry sources.

Apple's iMac has utilized a glass front for a number of years, leading to some user complaints due to the reflectivity interfering with usability in bright environments. An anti-reflective glass would likely help alleviate some of these complaints.

Apple utilizes a similar glossy display glass standard on the MacBook Pro, but offers a build-to-order option of an antiglare matte display on 15-inch and 17-inch models.

ChangeWave Research today released the results of a survey addressing users' experiences with the new iPad, finding that 98% of the professional and early-adopter consumer audience targeted by the firm rate themselves as either "very satisfied" (82%) or "somewhat satisfied" (16%) with the device. The number compares favorably to the already-strong 95% satisfaction rating (74% very/23% somewhat) for the iPad 2 in the weeks leading up to the new iPad's introduction.

Among the key features of the new iPad is obviously the Retina display, with 75% of respondents citing it as one of their favorite features. Other top features such as long battery life, LTE capability, and device speed registered in the 20-22% range. On the negative side, price was the biggest issue, with 26% of respondents noting device cost and 23% of respondents citing wireless data costs as their key dislikes. Other mentioned drawbacks such as size/weight and storage capacity all registered with under 10% of the surveyed customers.

Interestingly, ChangeWave also surveyed customers about any issues with heat on the new iPad, and was able to compare those results with ones obtained back in June 2010 regarding much-publicized antenna issues on the iPhone 4. The new survey found that 89% of users experienced no problems with heat on the new iPad, with none of the respondents who even experienced the problem citing it as a major one. This contrasts with the iPhone 4 antenna issue, where 35% of respondents reported at least some issues with antenna performance and 7% calling the issue a "very big" one.

ChangeWave's survey was conducted March 22-28 and included 200 owners of the new iPad. The sample size is a relatively small one, but the results should show at least a general perspective on how customers are viewing the device.

Meanwhile, influential ratings and reviews magazine Consumer Reports has released its new tablet ratings, giving the new iPad a "recommended" label and placing it atop the rankings among 9-12 inch models. The recommendation comes after the magazine noted some issues with heat on the new device, but ultimately feels that it "didn't find the temperatures to be cause for concern".

Notably, the Retina display on the new iPad has resulted in Consumer Reports recalibrating its expectations for tablet displays, with the new iPad garnering the only "excellent" rating among tablet displays, while other displays have in many cases been shifted downward to make room at the top.

As a result of the standout performance of the new iPad's screen, we have recalibrated our standard of excellence for tablet screens. The iPad alone now receives an excellent overall score for display quality. A number of current models, including the iPad 2 (which remains on sale and is a fine performer), that received excellent scores under the past standard will now be adjusted to receive very good scores overall. Likewise, some models that received good scores may also be adjusted downward, and some overall scores have changed slightly.

Perhaps the only "negative" of the new iPad cited by Consumer Reports is the observation that the Retina display can "magnify imperfections" in low-resolution web content, with the magazine suggesting that in some cases such content appears worse on the new iPad than on the lower-resolution iPad 2.

ifoAppleStore reports that Apple will be adjusting its scheduling practices for retail store employees as of April 15th, placing greater weekend demands on its full-time workers and requiring greater weekly commitments from its part-time staff. The moves come as traffic at Apple stores continues to rise and the company seeks to bolster staff presence during the busiest times.

According to the report, while Apple has been requiring many of its full-time staff to work one of the two weekend days per week, the company is now redefining Friday as a weekend day and requiring Specialists, Creatives, and Geniuses to work two out of the three weekend days per week.

Soon, Apple will add Friday to its official list of “weekend days,” and full-timers must work two of those three days, or possibly a shift that includes both Saturday and Sunday. The changes will affect Family Room and Red Zone Specialists, Creatives and Geniuses, and seems to stem from a recognition of increased store traffic on Fridays.

For part-timers, Apple will be requiring a minimum weekly commitment of 24 hours, up from 16 hours. The change will potentially squeeze those workers who have multiple jobs or other commitments that led them to join the Apple store on a part-time basis in the first place.

The report suggests that Apple will be trying to do a better job of accommodating requests for time off, hoping to soften the blow of the increased commitments, but the company does realize that it may lose some of its staff, particularly part-time workers, due to the changes.

Over the weekend, Apple informed developers that the company has now increased iAd payouts from 60% to 70% of revenue.

We have made the following changes to the Developer Advertising Services Agreement for the iAd Network, effective immediately.

- The revenue share for the iAd Network is now 70% to the Developer.

This move had been previously predicted in mid-February by AdAge and confirmed by Apple the following day, but went into effect as of April 1. While the 10% increase is expected to further entice developers to use the iAd service, AdAge reports it is also to compensate developers for decreasing ad revenue.

The extra money will compensate for lower ad rates and serve as added incentive for developers to build businesses on Apple devices, even though they may grab a bigger audience or more ad revenue creating apps for Google's Android devices, which now outnumber Apple smartphones in the U.S.

Apple has repeatedly cut the minimum advertising expenditure for iAds, and most recently has removed the per-click fees from ads, now relying on impressions alone, according to the original report.

Variety reports that actor Ashton Kutcher will be playing Steve Jobs in an upcoming independent movie called Jobs.

The film will chronicle Steve Jobs from wayward hippie to co-founder of Apple, where he became one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of our time.

The movie is set to start production in May while Kutcher's CBS sitcom Two and Half Men is in between seasons.

Ashton Kutcher was first known for his role as Michael Kelso in the sitcom That '70s Show but has since seen success in movies and other TV series. Kutcher has also been recently involved in Silicon Valley startups and technology investing.

Despite the timing of the news on April Fools, the author notes that they discussed holding the story until Monday, but were worried about losing the scoop. The story is presently on the front page of Variety's website.

The Hollywood Reporter also reports on the news and provides the comparison shot above between Kutcher and Steve Jobs from 1977. It should be noted that this is a separate project from the Sony project that had acquired the rights to the Walter Isaacson authorized biography.

It's April 1st again -- also known as April Fools' Day. Today also represents Apple's 36th anniversary, having been founded on this day in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

Here are a couple of the more ambitious pranks floating around the internet today:

Hungry Hungry Hippos for iPad

ThinkGeek has introduced a modernized version of the classic Hungry Hungry Hippos game for the iPad, but now with "capacitive-padded heads."

Electronic Hungry Hungry Hippos iPad Game is everything you remember about HHH. All four hippos are present and hungry, except this time, the hippos fit over your iPad and the game board is an app!

Readers will remember that ThinkGeek first introduced the iCade as an April Fools prank that later became a shipping product.

Google Maps for NES

Google has created an 8-bit version of Google Maps for the NES platform - a cartridge based game console from the 1980s.

You can explore it yourself on Google's maps site.

Earlier this month, we reported on word from the U.S. Department of Justice that regulators were looking at filing suit against Apple and e-book publishers over the "agency model" of pricing championed by Apple leading up to the launch of its iBookstore. Under the model, retail book prices are set by publishers, with retailers receiving a cut of the proceeds.

Of most concern to regulators, Apple's agreements with the publishers included "most favored nation" clauses that prevented publishers from selling their books through any other retailers at lower prices than offered through Apple's iBookstore. Reuters now reports that the parties involved in the dispute are continuing to move toward a settlement in order to ward off a lawsuit, and that the settlement is likely to see the removal of these clauses. As a result, the publishing industry will likely in some form return to the previous wholesale model in which retailers set their own prices for books.

While negotiations are still fluid, the settlement is expected to eliminate Apple's so-called "most favored nation" status, which had prevented the publishers from selling lower-priced e-books through rival retailers such as Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) or Barnes & Noble Inc (BKS.N), the people said.

The deal could also force a shift, at least temporarily, in pricing control from publishers to retailers, one of the people said.

Such a move to a "wholesale model" would not only benefit consumers but also Amazon, which had been the leading bargain e-book retailer with its Kindle reader.

Under the wholesale model, Amazon priced e-books at or even below cost in many cases in order to draw in customers who would then purchase other items from its online store. But the practice generated concern among publishers that their works were being devalued, and many were happy to sign on with Apple's agency model in order to create more price stability.

Analysts estimate that a return to the wholesale model could add $1 billion to Amazon's revenues this year given its commanding 65% share of the e-book market and the impact of discounted pricing on sales of other items in its store. Book sales make up only a small portion of Apple's revenue, with estimates pegging iBookstore sales at roughly $50 million annually, and the company is expected to see little impact from any pricing changes in the book market.

Apple has updated its marketing for the new iPad in Australia after regulators in that country criticized the company over "misleading" marketing claims related to the iPad's 4G capabilities. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced on Tuesday that it would pursue injunctions, fines and other remedies.

Apple responded by offering full refunds to Australian customers who felt misled about Apple's 4G advertising.

Apple has seen similar complaints over the iPad's 4G marketing in other countries including Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Currently, the iPad only works on 4G LTE networks in the United States and Canada. The Norwegian complaint is more significant than those in the other countries. Like Australia, Norway has actually instructed Apple to change the wording of its marketing materials.

The Norwegian Forbrukerombudet, or Consumer Ombudsman, has expressed particular concern over the heavy focus on the new iPad's 4G LTE support and the description of the product as "designed with next-generation wireless technology".

Because the iPad's LTE support is incompatible with Norwegian wireless networks, the fact that the iPad supports LTE makes no difference to potential buyers in Norway and is thus "misleading". The Ombudsman has given Apple until April 10, 2012 to make the necessary changes.