• Even though Thanksgiving and Black Friday are next week, the holiday shopping frenzy is already in full force – and there’s no doubt consumers will turn to their tablets and mobile phones to shop.
• Speaking of tablets, one analyst believes the iPad Mini will generate “more demand than it cannibalizes.”
• While the iPhone 5 has been on the shelves for just two short months, Apple is reportedly already starting production for its next generation of the smartphone – the iPhone 5S.

‘Tis the season to use tablets and smartphones to shop. According to a survey of 550 consumers about their expected shopping channels this holiday season, 44 percent of online shoppers anticipate making a purchase on a tablet, and 41 percent say they would use mobile for shopping. Thirty-two percent of mobile and tablet users believe they will make a “big-ticket” purchase on these channels this holiday. “Overall, mobile platforms are the fastest-growing channels for making purchases,” writes Steve Smith for MediaPost.

Apple’s new “iPad Mini creates more demand than it cannibalizes,” says Cowen and Co. analyst Matthew Hoffman, because it will most likely attract entry-level tablet buyers, reported AllThingsD. The analyst firm recently conducted a study of 1,225 U.S. adults about their tablet-buying preferences and found that 12 percent said they would buy an iPad Mini in the next 18 months. Most interesting is that more than 50 percent of those who plan to purchase the iPad Mini are first-time buyers – something app developers and marketers should keep in mind.

While Apple only debuted the iPhone 5 in September, the technology powerhouse is already speculated to start trial productions for its next iPhone – the iPhone 5S – in December. According to Business Insider, which sources a Chinese business newspaper, the iPhone 5S is expected to hit full production in the first quarter of 2013, hinting at a possible spring release. There are also reports that Apple is developing a new iPad – also for the first quarter – that could be the iPad Mini featuring a retina screen. As with all Apple products, time will tell. 

• With less than two weeks until Apple’s speculated Oct. 17 iPad Mini release, reports show that mass production of the smaller iPad has begun.
• Though the iPhone 5 has just barely hit shelves, some mobile mavens have already started wish lists for their dream iPhone 6.
• As the holiday travel season starts in less than one month, popular smartphone app HotelTonight’s recent acquisition of PrimaTable should allow more personalized recommendations for guests looking to snag last-minute rooms.
• Retailers will be able to learn how to promote m-commerce – especially during the upcoming holiday season – at next week’s Internet Retailer Mobile Marketing and Commerce Forum, where Fiksu and our customer Lemon are co-presenting.

Apple’s Asian component suppliers have commenced mass production of the rumored iPad Mini tablet that is expected to directly compete with Amazon’s recently released tablets, according to The Wall Street Journal. With an expected 7-inch size, the so-called iPad Mini will enter a crowded, low-cost tablet market that includes Barnes & Noble’s Nook and Amazon’s hot Kindle Fire HD. Though its price tag hasn’t been announced, speculation is that the iPad Mini will retail for less than the $499 price of the latest full-size iPad.

As Apple’s iPhone 5 continues to break records, including selling 5 million units during its first weekend, some users are already sharing their desires for the iPhone 6 - even though Apple’s usual product timeline would have the hypothetical release a year off. Some wish-list items include fingerprint screening, near-field communication technology, more storage, and an improved Siri, reports CNET. Apple’s design philosophy is modest: “Our goals are very simple – to design and make better products. If we can’t make something that is better, we won’t do it,” said Apple’s chief designer Sir Jonathan Ive.

With the holiday season kicking off in just a few short weeks, travelers will inevitably flock to hotels worldwide in order to spend time with friends and family. But spontaneous tourists don’t need to plan months ahead, as they can use last-minute booking app HotelTonight for their accommodations. Now, the wildly popular smartphone app just became a little more personal. HotelTonight recently acquired PrimaTable, which provided members-only access to reservations at fine restaurants in San Francisco and New York. According to Mashable, HotelTonight and PrimaTable will combine their algorithms to make hotel booking more personal, creating more relevant search results and rational pricing for users. Read more about HotelTonight’s mobile app marketing success story here.

Retailers looking to boost their mobile efforts during the holiday season can turn to next week’s Internet Retailer 2012 Mobile Marketing and Commerce Forum for actionable advice. Fiksu and our customer Lemon, a digital wallet app, will co-present on new frontiers in app promotion, focusing on Lemon’s successful experience navigating the complex mobile app ecosystem. The discussion will also cover iOS and Android app marketing, as well as attaining customer loyalty. The show takes place Monday, Oct. 8, though Wednesday, Oct. 10, in San Diego. Details and registration here. 

Following its Sept. 12 announcement, Apple’s new iPhone 5 device generated record-breaking sales well before hitting shelves on Sept. 21. This Wednesday, Apple released iOS 6, its latest operating system that powers the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, containing more than 200 new features. As part of the new OS, the company unveiled the Advertising Identifier, its new marketing attribution standard to track and attribute in-app advertising. Simultaneously, we unveiled our new SDK Version 3.0 to help marketers navigate this change and ensure a seamless transition to the new Advertising Identifier.

In the first 24 hours following its introduction, interest in the iPhone 5 triggered more than 2 million pre-sales, doubling the previous record set by the iPhone 4S, according to Bloomberg. For AT&T, these early sales made the iPhone 5 its fastest-selling iPhone ever. In fact, because demand for the new phone exceeded supply, Apple said some shipments might now not arrive until October. “It goes to show they’ve got a loyal existing customer base, and with each device they release it becomes more attractive to Android switchers as well,” said Jan Dawson, a mobile analyst at Ovum to The New York Times.

After unveiling the iPhone 5, Apple released iOS 6, which contains more than 200 new features and enhancements, such as improved maps, the Passbook app, an improved Siri, camera panoramas, shared photo streams, FaceTime over cellular and more. “In the end, iOS 6 is to software what the iPhone 5 is to hardware: a big collection of improvements, many of which are really clever and good, that don’t take us in any big new directions,” wrote David Pogue in The New York Times.

With the availability of iOS 6, Apple introduced the Advertising Identifier, which provides a new, standardized way for advertisers to track and attribute in-app advertising. At the same time, we released our new SDK Version 3.0 to help app brands ensure a seamless transition to the new identifier, which will ultimately replace UDID. As a marketer, you probably have questions about the Advertising Identifier and the transition period that is sure to follow. We invite you to join us and discuss these topics on free webinar, “Apple’s Announcements – How Marketing Apps on iOS Will Change,” on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at noon p.m. EDT. Register here.

While all eyes remain focused on Apple’s official Sept. 12 unveiling of the iPhone 5 and iOS 6, other major mobile competitors are holding their own media events to launch new products ahead of Apple’s highly anticipated launch. Still, reports point to Android’s continued position as top dog in terms of world market share for mobile devices. And, with the holiday travel season just around the corner, mobile users will want to check out the red-hot HotelTonight app that lets spontaneous travelers check-in to hotels for last-minute stays around the globe. 

September is shaping up to be a huge month for mobile industry announcements. On Sept. 5, Nokia unveiled its new Lumia Windows phone, which will serve as the flagship handset in its Microsoft alliance, reports USA Today. “The Lumia 920 is a smartphone experience so immersive that you’ll never want to put it down,” said Jo Harlow, executive vice president of smart devices at Nokia, in a ZDNet piece. Similarly rushing to beat the iPhone was Motorola, which revealed a top-of-the-line Droid Razr phone at a Sept. 5 New York event. CNET reports that the device will feature a sharper screen and a higher-capacity battery.

On Thursday, Sept. 6, Amazon is expected to debut new Kindle devices. Technology companies used to divulge new products at enormous conferences, such as the Consumer Electronics Show, but have now followed Apple’s footsteps to create their own press events. “It seems that the rumor of an Apple announcement is having an effect on competitors’ announcements, unless it’s an amazing coincidence,” said Gartner technology analyst Michael Gartenberg to The New York Times.

Though we are just days away from the iPhone 5’s unveiling, Android remains “king” of the world mobile market. According to the latest smartphone sales figures from Kantar Worldpanel Comtech, the Google-powered operating system stakes a more than 61 percent share in eight key regions, including the U.S., European Union and Brazil. That’s a nearly 10 percent overall increase in the past year. In the U.S. market alone, however, Android’s holdings fell 4.5 percent in favor of Apple’s iOS platform.

As consumers eagerly await the new iPhone, Apple is allowing existing users to cash in on their current devices. According to TheNextWeb, Apple is offering through its Reuse and Recycle program up to $345 for older iPhone models. Users can simply input their devices’ model, color and donation, and Apple will calculate what it believes the product is worth. After agreeing to return power cable cords with iPhones, Apple will then generate a gift certificate for the user, redeemable for a new purchase in its online store.

Wildly popular smartphone app HotelTonight, which allows users to book same-day reservations for hotels, has now dropped in to 10 U.S. and U.K. cities and has tallied more 3 million downloads to date. In the past year, HotelTonight has impressively launched apps for iPhone, iPad and Android. “Hitting the 3 million download mark and announcing ten new cities shows how serious we are about our aggressive expansion and fulfilling our promise to be ubiquitous,” said Jared Simon, co-founder and COO, HotelTonight, to TheNextWeb. Read how HotelTonight teamed up with Fiksu to help “book its success” here.