Customers have downloaded more than 50 billion apps from the Apple App Store since the service launched in July 2008, according to a new announcement from the company.

Current download rates have reached 2 billion mobile apps per month… or more than 800 apps every second.

Worldwide shipments of tablet devices grew by 142.4% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2013, according to a new report from the International Data Corporation.

49.2 million devices were shipped during the first three months of the year; more than total tablet sales in the first half of 2012.

This week's news report begins with quarterly figures from Samsung and Apple - and a discussion about what the future may hold for iOS.

We also talk about instant messaging versus SMS, the end of Best Buy's European joint venture with Carphone Warehouse, patent wars, white spaces and connected cars.