There are presumably more Android phones and devices out there now than there are iPhones (and iPod Touches). However, it seems Android users keep holding their wallets much closer to their chests than iPhone users and iOS users in general.

Case in point, according to a new report from Distimo, the App Store for iPhone generates almost 4x as much revenue as Google’s Android Market in the US. This also includes revenues from in-app purchases. Even looking at just the App Store for iPad, it outclasses Android Market with 2x the revenue.

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Even though consumer spending this upcoming holiday season may be “careful and controlled,” there’s no doubt that we’ll be struck by the spirit of giving again. If you’re a retailer – online or offline – by all accounts, customers will this year use mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to find your store and your products, more than they have before. So get ready, build a mobile web site if you don’t have one or improve the one you already have.

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First there was the Mac line of computers, then Apple added the iPod, then the iPhone, and little over a year ago, the iPad. Over the past 10 years, Apple has gone from being a computer company to being a true consumer brand.

This can be easily illustrated by looking at search trends, in this case the overall interest in Apple’s various product lines over the years (courtesy of Google Trends).

Read on for a very revealing chart…

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The website of the UK bookstore Blackwell was unavailable for more than 7 hours this Wednesday, December 10. Blackwell is the largest academic bookseller in the UK, and one of the first to start selling books online.

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The online bargain-hunting on Black Friday caused problems for several e-commerce websites, but none was affected worse than Sears.com. The website buckled under the pressure of the increased visitor numbers and was unavailable for large parts of the day.

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