Apple again trounces Samsung in US smartphone wars

Apple and Samsung both saw the same gains in their US smartphone shares last quarter, but the iPhone was by far the top device, according to research firm ComScore.Related storiesDialed in 110: Lessons for Android (podcast)Samsung's diva actKodak patent complaints target Apple, RIMLooking at the US smartphone market for the past three months of 2013, ComScore pegged Apple with a 41.8 percent share, up 1.2 percentage points from the prior three months. Samsung also grabbed a 1.2 point gain, giving it a 26.1 percent slice of the market. That left Motorola in third place, followed by LG and HTC, none of whom saw growth in their cut of the US smartphone arena last quarter, according to ComScore.Among actual smartphone platforms, Android saw its share dip but remained on top with a 51.5 percent share, leaving Apple in second place. Third-place BlackBerry eked out a 3.4 percent share, narrowly beating Microsoft's 3.1 percent share. Nokia's largely defunct Symbian closed out the top-five list with just 0.2 percent.Overall, 156 million consumers in the United States owned smartphones last quarter, up by 3.2 percent from the prior quarter. That number is about half of the total population of the US.ComScore

Apple admits to screwing up retail staffing levels, report says

Apple's VP of retail told store leadership teams that the company "messed up" when it implemented a new way to schedule staff for its retail stores, indirectly spurring layoff rumors, The Wall Street Journal reported today.The executive, John Browett, told store management to let employees know that corporate had made a mistake with the new system, which cut hours for some employees and left some Apple retail stores understaffed, two unnamed sources told the Journal.The changes caused panic among employees, leading to news reports of layoffs.Browett, who took over the position in April, also told employees that there were no planned layoffs and that Apple is continuing to hire new staff.The new system was in place for weeks, but Apple has since reverted to its old formula. The changes are still being reversed, Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet told the Journal.CNET has contacted Apple for more information and we will update when we hear back.