Mobile

For the first time, we have published our TikTok user forecast for Mexico, one of the hardest-hit countries by the pandemic. As people there stayed home more in 2020, many turned to the internet for entertainment, and the number of monthly TikTok users surged 222.5% year over year, according to our estimates.

The group’s report claims the current 25 Mbps download speed minimum is insufficient to meet rising bandwidth needs. At the same time, much of the country’s population still lacks access to speeds even under the current minimum.

Google is dragged into the app store battle: The US antitrust lawsuit follows similar suits against Apple, alleging that the 30% app store fees are anticompetitive.

The FTC is preparing new regulations limiting manufacturers’ ability to prohibit consumers from repairing devices. The move marks a stark departure from the current standard and comes as internet connectivity is being added to a growing number of products.

Nextdoor's next steps: The company is planning to go public on the heels of a successful 2020, owing largely to huge user increases and growing interest among marketers due to its valuable location data.

The gaming gender gap: The number of male teens who found in-game ads the most captivating was more than triple that of female teens, though this may be the result of female preference for mobile over PC and console gaming.

Apple sold more than 100 million iPhone 12 models worldwide in the seven months since their launch. Increased consumer demand for 5G capabilities and aggressive promotions from carriers likely contributed to the sales boost.

Samsung is primed to poach more of the wearables market: The tech giant unveiled its latest UI development for its Galaxy Watch—this, combined with its collaboration with Google could beef up its competitive edge in the wearables market.

The cloud computing giant acquired Wickr, an encrypted messaging app popular with the public sector. The acquisition will allow AWS to tap into increasingly popular encryption services and potentially court future government and military contracts.

Apple ad spend dips: Mobile app install ad spending on iOS devices has dropped off since the arrival of iOS 14.5 and AppTrackingTransparency. Whether marketers permanently shift budgets to Android depends on how good Apple's alternative tracking frameworks prove to be.

India’s painful and ongoing struggle with the coronavirus pandemic will lead to a second consecutive difficult year for brick-and-mortar retail sales. At the same time, the public health anxieties constraining overall retail will continue pushing consumers toward digital solutions. We anticipate an extended boom for ecommerce in India, including 27.0% growth this year, for $66.76 billion in sales.