Apple PC Share Grows, Android For Amazon, Spotify Hits U.S., New iPhone Date Rumors

BY Kit Eaton

Apple PC Share Grows. Apple's share of the U.S. PC market has soared to a 10.7% all-time high, up from 8.5% at the end of 2010--taking the third place as a PC retailer behind HP and Dell. In one important sense, Apple's bucking the trend, since the U.S. PC market as a whole has actually declined year-on-year by about 5%...and increasing sales of the iPad (and perhaps a sense of change in the mobile computing paradigm) is being blamed for this. --KE

Amazon's Android Tablets, New Kindles En Route. This is about as concrete as a rumor can get: The Wall Street Journal is saying Amazon has a 9-inch Android-powered tablet PC on the way, and it may arrive "by October." Crucially it may lack things like a camera, meaning it's pitched at supporting Amazon-sourced content like ebooks and movies--rather then being an iPad competitor. Two revised Kindles are also due, one a "cheap" one, presumably aimed at Barnes and Noble's Nook innovation. --KE

Spotify Spotted Today In U.S. After years of anticipation, streaming music service Spotify is hitting the U.S. today, starting at 8 a.m. Eastern. Priority membership is being dolled-out to those who pre-registered, so we're not sure exactly when a broader public opening will happen. It will have a similar three-tier subscription service to Europe's, though: With a free ad-supported layer, then a $5 and $10 per month fee. Now that's out of the way...what about those Spotify-Facebook rumors? --KE

New iPhone In October? Or August? The Apple tech press is alive with rumors that the iPhone 5 is now due in October, possibly the 4th. It's based on recent changes to unlimited tariffs and new data throttling on Virgin timed for this date--with an guess we'll see a pre-pay iPhone hit the U.S., and also planned changes to AT&T's insurance policies at the same time. Meanwhile different rumors, based on job opportunities for the U.K. Apple stores, could indicate a mid-August timescale. So unless it's a staggered launch, we don't know! We do know millions of folk are anticipating it hotly, though. --KE

--Updated 5:00 a.m. EST

[Image: Flickr user goxunureviews]

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