Created by moneysmart‘s creative director Lilian van Zyl, the infographic below provides a simple explanation of the importance of the budget speech 2012/2013 announced today by finance minister Pravin Gordhan and offers a few interesting statistics.

View the infographic after the jump…

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According to a study conducted by Nielsen, a global information measurement analysis company, the high profile and much anticipated launch of the iPhone 4S toward the end of last year had a significant impact on the proportion of smartphone owners who chose an Apple iPhone over other available mobiles.

Posted on Nielsen’s blog site, research results reveal that among those who acquired a smartphone within the last three months (recent acquirers),  44.5 percent of those surveyed in December said that they chose an iPhone, compared to the 25.1 percent in October. Furthermore, 57 percent of new iPhone owners surveyed in December said they chose to get an iPhone 4S. However, Android continues to take the lead among all smartphone users with 43.6 percent of all smartphone users that were surveyed in the fourth quarter of 2011.

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When a writer for the Discovery Channel’s gear and gadget section found himself trying to explain over and over again that he was talking about the Apple iPhone rather than the Apple fruit during a discussion with his family, he found himself inspired and with the help of MBA Online, created this unique infographic.

The infographic below shows how the one we talk, email and chat from measures up against the one that we eat. The infographic includes the comparison between their distribution, composition, weight and history. Interesting stuff!

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If there’s one thing people know about Twitter it’s that you either love it – sharing links and twitpics with others or following interesting new members on a daily basis or hate it – You have no interest in being a part of it and you find it either annoying or overwhelming. Few fall under the category of indifference when their friends or family pull out their smartphones and start Tweeting, Retweeting or following.

This useful flowchart is something that you can share with friends if you feel they may not belong on Twitter, or use it yourself if you’re wondering whether or not Twitter is actually for you and you’re willing to continue being part of the conversation.

Follow the steps in the flowchart below to determine if you or your business really do need a Twitter account:

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Travelstart, an online travel agency with its headquarters in Cape Town that has been in operation for 12 years, recently sought to find out why traditional travel agents charge so much more for flights than the online bunch. The data obtained was quite alarming, finding many bricks and mortar agencies charging customers significantly more in comparison to the cost of  booking flights online.

The research process, conducted by Synovate, included:

• Comparing prices offered on the Travelstart website at the same time that it queried prices from the agencies surveyed.
• Contacting 50 different outlets across 6 travel agency brands, and successfully collecting 317 quotes for flights to 10 international destinations to investigate pricing, consistency and the quality of service offered by the travel agents
• Not revealing to agents contacted  that they were part of a survey, in order to establish the level of service that would be offered to any regular call-in customer. The first price that the agency quoted was used in analysing the results of the survey – so no negotiating took place.

While Travelstart commissioned the research and identified six travel agency brands and 10 popular flight routes, Synovate selected the dates and flight times, the number of passengers and other elements that were used in the research.

The results of the research were displayed in an infographic that compares the price of flights from traditional travel agents and online travel agents.

View the infographic below:

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With the proliferation of broadband networks and mobile devices, the way we pay for things is not only changing at a rapid rate but is expected to continue to do so dramatically over the next few years.

As we begin to move into alternative payment options away from the traditional cash, check and credit card, over time people will be able to quickly and even more easily pay or get paid using their smartphones and the web. It may even become a preferred choice. Even in South Africa, alternative payment methods are continuing to develop and expand. First National Bank’s PayPal withdrawal service was recently opened to all South African banks and the launch of ZunguZ, an app developed by two local entrepreneurs, enables P2P payments inside of Facebook.

Although focussing on the Unites States, the infographic below provides insight into the trends associated with alternative forms of payment over the internet and through mobile phones. Also worth considering, are the obstacle statistics that look into why consumers are resistant to adopting mobile payment options that include concerns about security, fear of overspending and the lack of knowledge of which retailers accept it.

The infographic below explores alternative payment methods with a focus on digital wallets and mobile payments.

View the infographic after the jump.

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Websites need a formula – a vivid blueprint that weaves technicality, design and detail into something iconic, memorable and impressive. Without it, most websites wouldn’t function for more than a moment. The website may have navigation and usability down, but in today’s fast paced climate it’ll crash and burn without social media.

What about SEO, where would it be without content?  These are all factors to consider in order to succeed – from vital tracking and analytics to the often disregarded footer, every detail oils the machine. With all this in mind, R.O.I Media have created the Anatomy of a Perfect Website in an impressive and informative infographic. Pay attention, you may discover something useful.

View the infographic below:

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Google’s mobile operating system has reached a significant milestone with a total of 10 billion applications having been downloaded by users from the Android Market. It took the market about 20 months to serve up it first billion apps and only five more for the second billion. Impressive numbers at a rapid rate.

Now, Android is delivering a billion apps per month, the same figure that Apple revealed at the launch of its latest iPhone 4S in October, that will be reaching South Africa’s shores on the 16th December.

However, Android still has a way to go to catch up to Apple let alone surpass it, which as of October 4, had more than 18 billion app downloads by iOS device users.

Take a look at the Android Market’s growth below:

source: AllthingsD