Verizon Activates 6.2 Million iPhones in 4Q 2012, Nearly Two-Thirds of Total Smartphone Activations

Mark Booth said:

Not surprising to me at all. The iPhone 5 will be the first iPhone that is less popular than the model that preceded it! Why?

1) Elimination of the 30-pin dock connector.
2) Relatively thin aluminum case with an anodized finish that chips/scuffs too easily.
3) A Maps app that, while adding turn-by-turn, sucks in just about every other regard.

Mark

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1) okay i mean this is somewhat a true fact although all will be forgotten about the change in a year

2) this anodized finished is stronger then the plastic all over the Galaxy phones. I had a case on my Galaxy S3 and i would take care of it everyday, wipe it down with a clean microfiber cloth, clean the case and shake out the grit in my pockets before i put my phone in there with nothing else. And what do you know after all that? The back had so many hairline scratches and I had the Pebble Blue version so it was noticeable. I treat my i5 with a case the same exact way and the back of my phone is absoultely flawless. The coating all around is flawless, but i will say the chamfered edges ARE easier to scratch, you get like little white dots overtime but there very minute in my case and you cant even see them unless you look really close. My i5 is holding up better then my old 4S and 4, the glass backs would of been scratched up already

3) doesnt really make a difference I mean the app store had plenty of very good alternatives like Waze and others, and now we got Google Maps WITH no ads for now so.

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tigress666 said:

Why does everyone discount processor and ram as upgrades? To me that was why I wanted a new phone over the 4. The 5, being a much bigger upgrade from the 4S for that than the 4S was to the 4, the obvious option was to go for the 5. Also the 5 is lighter and tougher than the 4 or 4S. The form factor is not to be ignored. After using the 5 for so long I take for granted how light it is, it was a nice feeling when I got it, and the 4 feels clunky and obnoxious to hold after having a 5 for a while now. It's nice to have a phone I can even hold in two fingers and still have a good grip cause it's light and easy to get a good grip on). And every drop test has shown the 5 to be super tough which is a good upgrade as well (without stopping looking eloquent. I liked the looks of the 4 and I like that the 5 evolves from that. And yes, looks matters. It's easier to be satisfied with what you got if you don't cringe everytime you look at it.

Now, I will say iOS6 was a disappointment and I think that is the real achille's heel for the new iphones. It's not horrible but it did go backwards in some respect and it had really only one big outstanding feature that turned out to be a step backwards (Apple should not have rushed it. I think it has potential but the fact they put it out when it was so inaccurate really takes away any potential it had. A map program, no matter how nice UI or good features, is absolutely worthless if it is not accurate). And in my experience it's kinda buggy (it sometimes refuses to play music which makes my alarm not go off and it sometimes doesn't respond to touch, and I'm pretty sure it's the OS cause my ipad 2 started having that issue too).

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I5 is most certainly more durable and tougher then any previous iPhone besides the 1st generation. Its made so solid too honestly this device feels much more of a premium product then the old 4S/4. Lighter, thinner too it feels great in my hand. As for iOS 6, yeah they defitnetly could of done more. With iOS 6.1 theyll fix up some bugs, make Safari faster, improve Siri a litle more and make the device feel a little faster then it is now overall. I dont think iOS 7 will be a overhaul, i think iOS 7 is going to really touch up iOS though, like redesignedapps, new font maybe? Quick reply for messages, new looks for alot of things imo and a new designed multitasker (bigger thumbnail picture of the app and where you last left off etc)

ChrisTX said:

I haven't seen any official numbers but take a look in the forums here, there are a TON of ex iPhone users with Android devices now. I'm one of them, and I know PLENTY in person that have done the same. It's not a knock on iOS(though it needs some serious revision) but it's further proof that the times are changing, and that people want something different, and are willing to give Android a try.

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According the numbers we keep seeing it seems like their are just as many Android users that are coming over to the iPhone. I have a good friend that is and know PLENTY (as you said) in person that have done the same.

Let's also not forget some people that could just now be switching from Blackberry. My best friend is not leaving her Blackberry to iOS.

Times aren't changing and Apple isn't in trouble. People are just wanting something different.

ChrisTX said:

So it seems like Android users are defecting to iOS, while iOS users are defecting to Android. Interesting.

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Just anecdotally, amongst my network of friends/family/co-workers, I'm seeing only movement off Android to iOS and none going the other way, although among that group, I see more new smartphone buyers going with Android. Make of that what you will. It fits with my pet theory that Android appeals to the first-time smartphone buyers, but iOS starts to look very attractive once a person gets a sense of what smartphones are all about.

tomorrow is gonna tell us the full story which as usual will have ppl

and stocks

There is no positive way to spin this. It is a huge warning flag when your old products are outcompeting your new products. This has never happened before in iPhone history - the game has undeniably changed.

Personally I don't think the 5 is the issue - it's iOS - advancements have slowed to a crawl over the past couple of years.

ChrisTX said:

I think the idea is people that had Android, experienced earlier versions like Gingerbread, on less than capable devices such as the Razr/S2/Captivate, etc...Honestly before ICS, and even the S3 I never would have considered Android in a million years. However, the experience on my S3 has been great, and even better on my Nexus 4. Android has really come a long way with ICS, and Now Jellybean, and in my opinion is a worthy competitor. I think the people defecting from Android(I know a few that went this way too) had bad experiences with bad devices rightfully so.

On the flip side however, the sleep/wake button on my iPhone 4 was broken, and I had an upgrade available just waiting to be used. ICS brought some VAST improvements over gingerbread, so I decided to take the plunge with Android. The experience has been mostly positive. I think the idea is that while the satisfaction ratings tend to remain very high with the iPhone, some people are bored with the same old thing, and want to try something else. People now view Android as good enough, or in a lot of cases better.



It's not a perfect device(much like the iPhone) But it certainly has it's strengths. However beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I've also purchased a Nexus 4, and while it certainly provides the better user experience. The lack of LTE, and user expandable memory (8gb, and 16gb only) keep me coming back to the S3. Neither phone is perfect, and while I still remain heavily invested in Mac, and iOS through the iPad it was time for a change. The argument Apple makes for keeping the display on the iPhone smaller due to one handed usability at this point is a mute point. /rant

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Not sure why everyone keeps limiting themselves to IOS or Android, but if I were to make a switch from IOS, I think i would start by looking at the Windows Phone based on what I have seen.

damir00 said:

There is no positive way to spin this. It is a huge warning flag when your old products are outcompeting your new products. This has never happened before in iPhone history - the game has undeniably changed.

Personally I don't think the 5 is the issue - it's iOS - advancements have slowed to a crawl over the past couple of years.

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so what is so different about ICS? i played with a S3 for at least an hour over the weekend and i saw very little difference with previous versions of android.

i check out the google show as well as apple's wwdc and both platforms haven't offered much innovation in the last year or two

alent1234 said:

so what is so different about ICS? i played with a S3 for at least an hour over the weekend and i saw very little difference with previous versions of android.

i check out the google show as well as apple's wwdc and both platforms haven't offered much innovation in the last year or two

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I agree, I think the big deal about ics and jelly bean is that it is smoother than previous android versions. But is that really innovation? One thing that's pretty cool is Google now, but other than that it's not like the android phones bring out new innovations every time a phone is released.

Often it's just screen upgrades and processor upgrade (the same things that people say are "incremental" when Apple does it!)

But I would like to know what innovations android has had if someone can tell me, and how they continue to innovate vs Apple.

I agree with you that neither side has done anything innovative in a while.

I didn't move from iOS to Android until 4.x, so I don't have a meaningful frame of reference vis a vis earlier Android versions.

damir00 said:

There is no positive way to spin this. It is a huge warning flag when your old products are outcompeting your new products. This has never happened before in iPhone history - the game has undeniably changed.

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Wow, let's ignore 4 pages of posts where this point has beaten to death, and continue to proclaim Apple's impending bankruptcy.

To reiterate:

- This is only ONE carrier's results
- This carrier has never had a previous version iPhone on it before that it subsidized for free with contract, making this a unique use-case.
- Further unique about Verizon is that their user base tends to be families of 3 or more people with shared data/voice/text plans. Most of their customers are seeking maybe a couple of top-of-the-line models for say, the primary accountholder and spouse, while lines 3-99 on such accounts tend to be kids or freeloaders. For those latter lines, it's pretty logical to assume that when it's time for an upgrade, they will get the cheapest phone available, and if the $0 phone happens to have an Apple logo on it, so much the better.

scaredpoet said:

Wow, let's ignore 4 pages of posts where this point has beaten to death and continue to proclaim Apple's impending bankruptcy.

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I for one am enjoying reading some of the things people are coming up with too explain this away lol

damir00 said:

There is no positive way to spin this. It is a huge warning flag when your old products are outcompeting your new products. This has never happened before in iPhone history - the game has undeniably changed.

Personally I don't think the 5 is the issue - it's iOS - advancements have slowed to a crawl over the past couple of years.

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I sold my 4S a few weeks back on Verizon. I'm thinking of upgrading my AT&T 3GS to a 4S since I've been eligible since May.

The iPhone 5 doesn't interest me. I can get a 16GB 4S for $99. Why pay double that or up to $399 for a 5?

CNN posted the same story with the "only" moniker lol.

scaredpoet said:

Wow, let's ignore 4 pages of posts where this point has beaten to death, and continue to proclaim Apple's impending bankruptcy.

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Who said anything about an "impending bankruptcy"?

Roll eyes indeed.

jrswizzle said:

God, if you had a trademark on that phrase, a lot of people on these boards would owe you a sh** ton of money!

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It's too generic

ChrisTX said:

You're right...been a LONG couple of days.

EDIT: Also proof that people still want cheaper stuff(slowly improving economy perhaps). Probably the reason why the iPhone 5 is losing sales to the 4S.

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Buying the 4S instead of the 5 is a very practical thing to do. Not a significant difference between the two as far as functionality is concerned.

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Bahroo said:

Lol i ****ing love my iPhone 5... I just stare at its beauty and elegance of it,

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Alright...snap out of it...get back to work.

oh i thought android was taking over? i guess verizon didn't get the memo?

ChrisTX said:

I'm not saying the majority, but it allover as well. I see a lot more Android phones now thanks in part to the S3 than I ever saw previously. I'm glad that Apple has ushered in the new mobile era with the iPhone, but you can't deny the overwhelming presence of Android. Let's be honest here, the iPhone 5 was a minor revision over the 4S. Only Apples earning report tomorrow will paint an accurate picture.

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There is a difference between anecdotal evidence and statistical evidence. What you are saying is contradicted by data:

http://www.kantarworldpanel.com/glo...S-Maintains-Lead-Among-US-Smartphone-OS-Sales

Money quote:

"In particular, 36% of iOS sales were derived from other smartphone users over the last year. While this figure remains stable over time, the proportion of Android users moving towards the Apple brand increases. 19% of iOS sales over the last year were derived from Android users, compared to 9% in 2011,” continues Parlato."

So the percentage of people defecting from Android to iOS is increasing. Your anecdotal data is just that, anecdotal.

nj1266 said:

There is a difference between anecdotal evidence and statistical evidence. What you are saying is contradicted by data:

http://www.kantarworldpanel.com/glo...S-Maintains-Lead-Among-US-Smartphone-OS-Sales

Money quote:

"In particular, 36% of iOS sales were derived from other smartphone users over the last year. While this figure remains stable over time, the proportion of Android users moving towards the Apple brand increases. 19% of iOS sales over the last year were derived from Android users, compared to 9% in 2011,” continues Parlato."

So the percentage of people defecting from Android to iOS is increasing. Your anecdotal data is just that, anecdotal.

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These points have already been made. But I'm still fairly certain that the Android users defecting were on older less capable handsets running older versions of Android like Gingerbread, etc...In which case, I don't blame them for defecting. I have a friend that switched from the Nexus S to the iPhone 5 because he wanted to try something else. I guess I was on the other side of the fence, an iPhone user since day one, that just happened to want to try Android. Both platforms have their strengths, but so far the experience on the Nexus 4 has been my favorite.

ChrisTX said:

These points have already been made. But I'm still fairly certain that the Android users defecting were on older less capable handsets running older versions of Android like Gingerbread, etc...In which case, I don't blame them for defecting. I have a friend that switched from the Nexus S to the iPhone 5 because he wanted to try something else. I guess I was on the other side of the fence, an iPhone user since day one, that just happened to want to try Android. Both platforms have their strengths, but so far the experience on the Nexus 4 has been my favorite.

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It very well could be what you're saying but without any stats to back it up it ends up not holding much water

cappadonna said:

It very well could be what you're saying but without any stats to back it up it ends up not holding much water

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I love Apple as much as anyone else, and have been a Mac user for a very long time. Trust me, I want to see Apple continue to innovate like they used to. But right now in the iOS space, they just aren't doing anything different anymore.

ChrisTX said:

I love Apple as much as anyone else, and have been a Mac user for a very long time. Trust me, I want to see Apple continue to innovate like they used to. But right now in the iOS space, they just aren't doing anything different anymore.

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I agree with you. But neither is the other side. The word innovation gets tossed around too much. The popularity of android is because of all the choice it provides (and that's a great thing), it's not because every android phone innovates in brand new different ways and is completely different from the one before it or every android version is full of all new innovation.

Neither side has really innovated in years.

MacDav said:

Buying the 4S instead of the 5 is a very practical thing to do. Not a significant difference between the two as far as functionality is concerned.

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That's my point. If you're an iPhone owner that diligently waited for 2 years for a major iPhone revision, and didn't get one, but instead got an iPhone 5. You either upgrade to the longer iPhone 5, or look elsewhere, and that's what I and others have done.

cappadonna said:

Neither side has really innovated in years.

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Gingerbread to Ice Cream Sandwich was a major revision. Even Jellybean brought project butter, and Google Now. iOS 6 brought broken maps, nixed the YouTube App, and broken wifi. I think outside of not owning up to the broken Apple maps, that's one of the reasons Scott Forstall was let go from Apple late last year. Let's hope Jony Ive can breathe some new life back into iOS.

ChrisTX said:

Gingerbread to Ice Cream Sandwich was a major revision. Even Jellybean brought project butter, and Google Now. iOS 6 brought broken maps, nixed the YouTube App, and broken wifi. I think outside of not owning up to the broken Apple maps, that's one of the reasons Scott Forstall was let go from Apple late last year. Let's hope Jony Ive can breathe some new life back into iOS.

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I'll give you Google Now, one of the best innovations in years from any company. So simple, yet so amazing.

As for project butter, how is trying to make your OS smoother an innovation? Apple on the other hand, really hasn't innovated at all. Google Now is definitely a great innovation though.