Apple Overtakes LG to Become No. 2 Mobile Phone Maker in U.S.

Wow. How did a company who sold computers enter a market with just a smartphone and a few years later become the #2 phone maker in the U.S. of ALL phones both smartphone AND non-smartphone? And they have pretty much all the profit as well.

That's just crazy right there. Apple basically stole Samsung, Motorola, RIM, and LGs cookies. Those companies had been making cell phones for a looooong time. How the heck did they let a newcomer come in and do that to them?

Sure Samsung is still doing ok but even they had decades of a head start on Apple. It shouldn't even be close. If Apple keeps on this upward path, Samsung is next to topple which would be astonishing considering the huge number of dumb phones they still sell.

Lets be honest. Apple would easily be in 1st is Samsung had but 1 mobile device. Being that apple only has one model phone, iPhone, and Samsung has how many different models, with different price ranges... Idk, I kinda can't stand that apple is number two to a copy-cat company like Samsung.

Next Target - Axis of Evil

I hope Apple can sink the "axis of evil"...Samsung/Google phones.

SeattleMoose said:

I hope Apple can sink the "axis of evil"...Samsung/Google phones.

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Why? How is that going to help you buy another iPhone?

newagemac said:

Wow. How did a company who sold computers enter a market with just a smartphone and a few years later become the #2 phone maker in the U.S. of ALL phones both smartphone AND non-smartphone? And they have pretty much all the profit as well.

That's just crazy right there. Apple basically stole Samsung, Motorola, RIM, and LGs cookies. Those companies had been making cell phones for a looooong time. How the heck did they let a newcomer come in and do that to them?

Sure Samsung is still doing ok but even they had decades of a head start on Apple. It shouldn't even be close. If Apple keeps on this upward path, Samsung is next to topple which would be astonishing considering the huge number of dumb phones they still sell.

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Pretty crazy stuff on Apples part. Msft also did with gaming systems which was pretty crazy too.

newagemac said:

Wow. How did a company who sold computers enter a market with just a smartphone and a few years later become the #2 phone maker in the U.S. of ALL phones both smartphone AND non-smartphone? And they have pretty much all the profit as well.

That's just crazy right there. Apple basically stole Samsung, Motorola, RIM, and LGs cookies. Those companies had been making cell phones for a looooong time. How the heck did they let a newcomer come in and do that to them?

Sure Samsung is still doing ok but even they had decades of a head start on Apple. It shouldn't even be close. If Apple keeps on this upward path, Samsung is next to topple which would be astonishing considering the huge number of dumb phones they still sell.

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When apple does it, they do it pretty darn well.

With the exception of social networking(ping) and TV box sets. And maps.

The thing is that they used hardware which other companies had begun to use, but Apple knew very well how to implement it.

When better phones are made, Apple will make them

newagemac said:

Wow. How did a company who sold computers enter a market with just a smartphone and a few years later become the #2 phone maker in the U.S. of ALL phones both smartphone AND non-smartphone? And they have pretty much all the profit as well.

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Easy. Apple had no legacy phones to stay backwards compatible with. Now they do, and it shows in their small upgrade steps.

Starting from scratch is the same reason why a company who sold advertising was able to enter a market with just a smartphone and a few years later become the #1 phone OS in the world.

Sure Samsung is still doing ok but even they had decades of a head start on Apple. It shouldn't even be close.

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Market timing.

Notice that Apple didn't try selling a smartphone until Samsung and others had spent billions and decades building up the user base and world infrastructure... something that Apple could not have done on their own.

How you like them apples?

I think it's more interesting to note why was LG so high up and at #2? Their smartphones are terrible. No where to the level of Sammy, HTC, Moto, Apple.

How did this happen? The iPhone (iPad) is a stealth hand top super-computer with client-server access to big iron! The ultimate "slim client".

Trivia question. What was the first throughput definition of super-computer?

Data: What is the throughput of the latest iPhone, in offline, wifi, and LTE mode?

Rocketman

SeattleMoose said:

I hope Apple can sink the "axis of evil"...Samsung/Google phones.

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That is just wrong...

pgiguere1 said:

While I agree that the HTC One line is underrated compared to Samsung's Galaxy line, you're making a couple of bold claims here.

I'm not sure what you mean by "runs circle around the iPhone 5".

The One X has a worse CPU and GPU, similar screen but with worse colour gamut and no in-cell touch for the "painted on top of glass" illusion. It is bulkier, has worse battery life, worse camera and no 64GB option while also having tasteless Beats by Dr Dre branding, HTC Sense skin that nobody likes, and is late on Android updates (it just got 4.1 while 4.2 has been out for a little while).

You could say that you like its design better or that you like its bigger screen better, but both of those are more subjective, so I don't know why you talk like it's an unquestionable fact that the One X is better. If you want to compare measurable hardware, the iPhone 5 is clearly a higher-end phone than a One X, which is also normal given that it's a newer phone. The rest (OS choice, screen size, aesthetics) is just like, your opinion, man.

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Well said.

AutoUnion39 said:

I think it's more interesting to note why was LG so high up and at #2? Their smartphones are terrible. No where to the level of Sammy, HTC, Moto, Apple.

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LG had a huge customer base with their dumbphones before the smartphones became popular. Lot of people change phones every 2 even 3 years so it makes sense they held a high position until now.

pgiguere1 said:

While I agree that the HTC One line is underrated compared to Samsung's Galaxy line, you're making a couple of bold claims here.

HTC Sense skin that nobody likes, and is late on Android updates (it just got 4.1 while 4.2 has been out for a little while).

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4.2 is only out a couple of weeks. Not having it yet doesn't count as late. It is a fairly small update as well. Then again they haven't released 4.1 fully yet either. Not for any of the US variants (I don't think anyway) and certainty not for the UK version I have.

As for nobody liking Sense. People love to say that on the internet but that doesn't make it true. Still HTC are in a lot of trouble, still releasing too many phones and profits and market share falling.

How on earth was LG #2?

Amazing how different is the US market from the European market

As Planned....

"The Assimilation Continues".

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Oletros said:

Amazing how different is the US market from the European market

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Yes.

goobot said:

Just the fact that apple only sells 3 phones (2 old models) at a time while the other competition will sell dozens of new just shows how well apple is doing in the phone market.

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It doesn't show how well Apple is doing in the phone market so much as how no other mobile phone company understands the basic concept that features are either worth including or they're not. Once you apply that basic concept to your entire lineup, you realize that you should only release a new phone once there's a new feature worth having.

iPhone 5 - A 16:9 screen became a feature worth including.
iPhone 4S - conglomerate of minor new features (double antennas, faster, etc.,)
iPhone 4 - A retina display
iPhone 3GS - conglomerate of minor new features (compass, faster, etc.,)
iPhone 3G - 3G
iPhone - Touch screen interface that doesn't suck and isn't confusing

SeattleMoose said:

I hope Apple can sink the "axis of evil"...Samsung/Google phones.

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At my day job I develop Android apps - that kind of comment sounds like something I'd expect my supervisor to say about Apple (that they're an "axis of evil".) There's no reason to talk about your opposition like they're evil just because they're inferior.

Rocketman said:

Trivia question. What was the first throughput definition of super-computer?

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The computers designed by Seymour Cray for CDC were marketed as supercomputers. But most early photos of supercomputers are of the Cray-1, which ran at 80 MHz, and could sustain a throughput of some matrix math at up to 240 megaflops, but weighed over 7 tons and required a 150 kilowatt power source. An iPhone 3G could almost sustain that amount of flops, and on battery power. A 3GS was a bit slower at DP flops, but the iPhone 5 is a lot faster at FP throughput.

ArtOfWarfare said:

At my day job I develop Android apps - that kind of comment sounds like something I'd expect my supervisor to say about Apple (that they're an "axis of evil".) There's no reason to talk about your opposition like they're evil just because they're inferior.

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I can understand that comment if it was coming from Apple, but as a consumer, why do you view Google/Samsung as your opposition?

The Korean competition is good for all of us!

Apple is just an amazing company. The fact that Android fans visit this site just as much as Apple fans supports that notion.

I've never visited a single Android forum - and before the iPhone 5 came out I owned a Razr Maxx.

Do they even have forums? Do Apple fans EVER visit them? lol

newagemac said:

Wow. How did a company who sold computers enter a market with just a smartphone and a few years later become the #2 phone maker in the U.S. of ALL phones both smartphone AND non-smartphone? And they have pretty much all the profit as well.

That's just crazy right there. Apple basically stole Samsung, Motorola, RIM, and LGs cookies. Those companies had been making cell phones for a looooong time. How the heck did they let a newcomer come in and do that to them?

Sure Samsung is still doing ok but even they had decades of a head start on Apple. It shouldn't even be close. If Apple keeps on this upward path, Samsung is next to topple which would be astonishing considering the huge number of dumb phones they still sell.

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Apple is doing well because they are excellent at system integration and pulling different piece from various components from different vendors and deliver excellent products. Samsung and LG strength are in the component side. When we talked about innovation, a lot of them are from the components. The IPad mini LCD panel come with GF2 screen contribute the thinness of the device. Apple is using a technology developed by the component maker to make a better device. Samsung and LG both has excellent component technology and they put them in their smartphone, hence their smartphone are doing well.

It is not easy to put multiple phones out. Essentially you have to have multiple teams working overlapping each other in order to have product out every 3-6 months instead of every 12 months like Apple Iphone is currently on. It is not just a matter of hiring more engineers. The strategy, logistic, manufacturing and inventory of multiple devices are pretty important as well. And it guarantee a lower margin product since each device only sell a much smaller number. As a consumer, I am glad to have competitors working like crazy on smart phone and tablets. But some of them may have to exit the market if they are continue to loss money. I would imagine that Apple will have to respond to the multiple products a year strategy that Samsung is pulling off. By March next year, Iphone 5 will be behind competition and the sales will suffer mightily. Samsung is counting on it. I wonder is Apple management ready to change the Iphone product cycle?

http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/ipad-4...-responsible-for-its-329-price-tag-digitimes/

The iPad Mini features the GF2 (DITO film) touch screen technology, which according to the source, has extremely low yield rates as a result of which it has a higher entry price of US $329. In contrast, other 7-inch tablets like Amazon Kindle or Google Nexus have OGS or G/G structures which cost almost half of GF2.

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JayJayAbels said:

Apple is just an amazing company. The fact that Android fans visit this site just as much as Apple fans supports that notion.

I've never visited a single Android forum - and before the iPhone 5 came out I owned a Razr Maxx.

Do they even have forums? Do Apple fans EVER visit them? lol

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I thought this was an Apple forum? Not an iPhone/ios forum.

So by your logic people that own -

iPads
iPods
Notebooks
Mac Computers

shouldn't visit MacRumors UNLESS they own an iPhone as well??

You do realise that its possible to own an iPad, iPod, Notebook and/or Mac Computer and an Android device?

Some people are so blinkered its worrying.