Bits And Pieces -- A Very Slow News Day -- February 22, 2021

Apple: Apple surpassed Samsung as world's largest smartphone maker in 4Q20.

• this feat was last achieved by Apple in 2016
• 80 million new iPhones
• largely driven by launch of first 5G-enabled iPhone series
• improved camera features
• 10 million more iPhones sold year-over-year (2019)
• Apple's global smartphone market share increased by almost 15%
• Samsung: closest rival to Apple
• market share decreased by almost 12%
• sold eight million fewer devices than the year before (2019)
• having said that, still a lot of growth available for Apple
• global sales of all smartphones, 4Q20: 384,622,300
• Apple global sales: 79,942,700
• Apple's percent of the pie (and the size of the pie is growing): 21%
• Apple's near 15% increase in market share yielded it an "upgrade super-cycle"
• 1Q21: Apple saw its largest number of iPhone upgrades ever
• the phone alone generated ore than $65 billion in revenue for 1Q21
• iPhone 12 mini: sales performed poorly but probably helped Apple overtake Samsung thanks to its small form factor and relatively affordable $699 price tag
• Apple likely to continue the iPhone 12 mini into 2021
• might bring in new buyers, who then might "buy up"
  
• will introduce the iPhone 13 in 2021
  

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The Literature Page

If I were still adding books to my library, I would probably buy Bettany Hughes' Venus and Aphrodite, 2021. I very much enjoyed her book on Helen of Troy; very well written and great vocabulary-builder. 

Link here to WSJ review. My hunch is that Bettany Hughes covers a lot of the same ground as she did in Helen of Troy but it is likely filled with cocktail trivia. 

When our public library opens again, I may take a look. 

Links to Bettany Hughes over at my literature blog:

• Greek words, Greed locations;
• Helen of Troy c. 2005;
• short blurb;