Cheap Phones Are Driving What Little Growth Is Left in the Smartphone Market -- The Motley Fool

As it stated in The global smartphone market has been maturing for years, with overall unit volumes continuing to plateau. Who needs unit growth? The figures underscore why Apple will soon stop reporting unit sales in its most important hardware businesses. For a company that revels in bragging, flat unit volumes often fail to impress investors. Apple has instead been able to generate considerable growth from its iPhone business using price increases, and it will only report iPhone revenue going forward.

Why Yandex Just Launched Its First Smartphone -- The Motley Fool

And that became an even more apt comparison on Wednesday when -- in a move that echoes Google with its popular Pixel 3 devices -- Yandex introduced its first smartphone, dubbed Yandex.Phone. It will also be the first to be fully powered by Alice, the company's Alexa-esque AI assistant catering to the Russian market. It might seem strange that Yandex is entering the crowded smartphone market considering that global smartphone sales have effectively stalled in recent quarters. But that's not the case in Russia, where -- according to research from Counterpoint Market Pulse -- smartphone sales climbed 25% year over year in the second quarter of 2018. But foreign brands still command the vast majority of smartphone unit sales in Russia.

3 Ways Disney World Is Cashing In on Your Smartphone -- The Motley Fool

referring to And Disney World benefits as mobile tech introduces new ways to cash in on its growing attendance. Still, mobile ordering at Disney World isn't perfect. Visitors to Disney World and Disneyland can download the free mobile app, unlocking ride-specific diversions across the parks. Play Disney Parks made its debut this summer, and the monetization opportunities may not seem apparent at first. Disney World regulars will tell you there's no longer a slow season at the resort.