June 2011

Apple’s iPhone debuted four years ago, and we sometimes take for granted how much has changed since then. The phone altered the smartphone landscape and ushered in the modern era of intelligent, connected devices. Apple hasn't cruised easily to the top; in fact, it continues to trail nemesis Google’s Android in smartphone market share. But it shook up the industry and forced changes and upheaval among many competitors. Here’s a look at some stats on how things have changed over that period, both for Apple and for other companies operating in the same space.

Although new consumer electronic devices/digital video services are making inroads with TV programming, subscription television is still the dominant TV service for consumers -- cord-cutting trends are not yet a threat.

Consumers with consumer devices viewing online video content claim to watch between seven and eight hours weekly of programming, it says. But there is no cause for alarm. Overall, there is an 11% penetration rate of specific consumer electronic connected video devices. Still, the study warns that subscription TV sellers must be vigilant in being innovative to combat growing competition.

White House communications staffers are investigating using social media sites beyond Facebook and Twitter to broaden the Obama administration's public engagement and, perhaps, to communicate in different ways, a White House aide said.

That investigation is driven partly by a belief that social media changes so rapidly the government must be willing to experiment with new platforms, and because outside advisers to the administration already are using newer platforms, White House New Media Director Macon Phillips said. Former America Online Chief Executive Officer Steve Case, who serves on President Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, for example, uses Quora.com, an online question-and-answer site, Phillips said. As Twitter grows and develops, White House staff has noted that users tend to favor Tweets from individuals over institutions, Phillips said, even when an individual is Tweeting in his or her role as an agency or corporate official. The White House still intends to send the majority of its Tweets from its official Twitter account, Phillips said, but is looking closely at the trend as more officials and staff begin Tweeting.

One of the leading architects of a bipartisan Senate effort to build a nationwide data network for firefighters and police officers is suggesting the bill become part of the chamber’s deficit reduction plan.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, told reporters this week that such an approach “would be my hope,” though he added that currently there is “certainly no commitment from anybody” to proceed that way with the bill. For Chairman Rockefeller, the bill is ripe to become part of the budget package because it could raise new federal revenue at a time when top Senate negotiators are seeking offsets and other means of tamping down the deficit. “When you think about it, [the bill] does reduce the deficit by $10 billion, and it's wildly popular,” the senator said, adding, “It's very hard to be against it." Rolling the public safety network bill into a deficit reduction package could boost its legislative prospects, if for no other reason than that the budget is sure to command lawmakers’ attention during a packed Senate schedule over the next few months. Chairman Rockefeller is aiming to get the 'D-Block' bill through the Senate by the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11.