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The rise of genAI apps highlights a shift in AI adoption and mobile preferences, revealing revenue potential despite the availability of free on-device options like Apple Intelligence and Google Gemini. This indicates a consumer preference for custom AI tools over default options.

Apple wants to reduce spending on originals and license more content, having invested $20 billion in original content to compete. Consumer research shows 41% of viewers choose services for specific content, while 37% prioritize library size. Our take: Apple's blend of traditional marketing tactics with its tech-forward approach represents a calculated move in the premium streaming wars.

Features like Apple Card Family grab teens early in their financial journey. Apple can steer them toward Apple Pay and cross-sell to them over time. Only regulatory headwinds may stand in Apple Pay鈥檚 way.

Apple Wallet began offering users a new ticket experience with information like venue maps, local weather forecasts, and recommended Apple Music playlists integrated directly in the wallet. Google Wallet also beefed up its event ticket feature in an August rollout, letting users digitize physical tickets by scanning them in the app. But subscription management features didn鈥檛 catch on.

With the exception of Apple TV+, the most popular US subscription streamers offer ad tiers. (Apple TV+ offers advertising only in the few live sports games it airs.) For the most-used services, ad tiers tend to offer higher average revenues per user (ARPU) than ad-free tiers. But that鈥檚 not universally true.

Apple, Google, Samsung, and Huawei are all launching AI-enabled smartphones with conversational search functionality. As more consumers get accustomed to those capabilities on mobile, desktop behaviors will start to shift. Brands and retailers will reassess their search strategies.

Mobile duopoly under scrutiny: Apple and Google own the platforms, mobile devices, operating systems, app stores, and browsers. UK regulators are preparing to enact more stringent regulations.

Apple CarPlay is the top connected car system in the US, with 46.0 million consumers using it this year. Google鈥檚 Android Auto is second with 32.1 million users. We expect the gap between Apple and Google to widen through 2028, when Apple CarPlay will secure nearly 30% of the connected car market compared with Google鈥檚 20.3%.

(Given that Sensor Tower鈥檚 data includes only Apple Store and Google Play, China鈥檚 share is likely to be underrepresented. Google Play is blocked in the country, and many of the AI apps that originated in the country are available only domestically.).

In addition, the smartphone market is slated for a genAI shake-up with the introduction of Apple Intelligence, which understands smartphone users at a deeper level and promises to aid their day-to-day tasks in more intelligent ways. Apple is reportedly partnering with Baidu on genAI technology for its upcoming iPhone.

A meteoric rise: DeepSeek鈥檚 AI assistant has already become the top free app on the Apple App Store, surpassing ChatGPT. However, the app was hit with a large-scale cyberattack on Monday, limiting new user sign-ups. The company also released an image-generation model comparable to DALL-E 3.

That led to Microsoft鈥檚 Copilot PCs, Apple鈥檚 M4 Macs, and smartphones such as Google Pixels and Apple iPhones touting AI as a key upgrade. On-device AI functionality is expected to push adoption and upgrade cycles. However, 45% of US smartphone users are not willing to pay extra for AI on smartphones, per YouGoV.

It continues to be the most downloaded free app on the US Apple App Store and on Google Play this week, per Appfigures. The shift to RedNote has created unexpected cultural exchanges. RedNote鈥檚 English interface hosts mostly Chinese content, prompting US users to learn the language to engage and contribute more. Meanwhile, Chinese users are picking up TikTok slang.

Both Microsoft and Apple attempt to refresh their lines with built-in AI features. Microsoft, Apple, and others are integrating AI capabilities directly into their operating systems and devices, signaling a potential resurgence in the PC market.

Updated phone models from Apple, Samsung, and Asus this year feature powerful CPUs and high-quality displays that are primed for gaming and can handle more graphically complex titles. This could encourage consumers to pay for premium mobile versions of AAA games that were traditionally reserved for consoles. Our take: As we move into 2025, the mobile gaming landscape will likely evolve further.

Most companies with pocketbooks deep enough to purchase the browser, like Amazon or Apple, would create their own antitrust concerns, which could influence a judge鈥檚 decision to force a sale. Data syndication is a less flashy but just as significant cudgel.

RedNote was the most downloaded free app on the US Apple App Store and on Google Play on Tuesday, per Appfigures. With 300 million active users, mostly from China, RedNote鈥檚 numbers pale in comparison to TikTok鈥檚 projected 1.8 billion users in 2024, per Business of Apps.

And 45% would use health/fitness platforms (e.g., Peloton, Apple Fitness) if their health plan offered free subscriptions. This article is part of 蘑菇AV鈥檚 client-only subscription Briefings鈥攄aily newsletters authored by industry analysts who are experts in marketing, advertising, media, and tech trends.

Is India the next China? Retailers from Apple to Dior to Levi鈥檚 are looking to expand in the world鈥檚 fastest-growing retail market, but success isn鈥檛 guaranteed.

Meta, Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI鈥檚 Sam Altman, Google, and Amazon have each contributed $1 million to Trump鈥檚 inaugural fund. From this group, only Amazon and Google made $200,000 contributions to Biden鈥檚 inaugural fund four years ago.

Samsung鈥檚 strategy: While smartphone rivals like Apple and Google are duking it out on AI in smartphones, Samsung, the world鈥檚 biggest-selling TV brand for the 18th year in a row, is expanding into AI to push TV upgrades. Samsung鈥檚 Vision AI platform uses AI to improve picture and sound quality.

Since Apple launched ATT with iOS 14.5 three years ago, opt-in rates observed by Adjust have almost doubled, as more apps have incorporated the prompt and adjusted their onboarding experiences accordingly. ATT isn鈥檛 a perfect comparison to Chrome鈥檚 consent-based cookie model. It was up to individual apps to deploy ATT prompts, and they did so at their discretion.

Apple is losing over $1 billion per year on Apple TV+. True, according to a report from The Information. The 鈥淪everance鈥� streaming service still doesn鈥檛 have ads, which could help contribute to that lost revenue. March 20, 2025. Which department store is jumping into scripted TV with a series about its history? A) Macy鈥檚 B) Bloomingdales C) Nordstrom D) Kohl鈥檚.

Both Affirm and Klarna partnered with Apple to get their installments in Apple Pay. The firms also made deals with Google Pay鈥攁s did Afterpay and Zip. Klarna and Affirm also teamed up with Marqeta to embed their installment offerings in payment apps that work with the issuer processor. Worldpay made Klarna a default payment option for all Worldpay merchants.