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iPhone 4 and 3GS Continued to Lead U.S. Smartphone Sales in Q3

Xenomorph

Xenomorph

macrumors 65816
Aug 6, 2008
1,397
829
St. Louis
alent1234 said:
there are those of us on family plans where a smartphone means an extra $25 a month and the phone bill has to be paid. no point in buying the most expensive if your phone is unused 99% of the day
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Exactly. I was going to post something like that (Family Plans).

Many people are on family plans. That means it costs (even with fees and taxes) as little as $15/month for their phone. Maybe a teenager is paying for this out of their pocket.
A $100/$200 up-front cost of a new phone (don't forget AppleCare!), plus the $18 upgrade fee may hurt.

For many people, even the 3GS is overkill. What does it lack compared to a 4 or 4S to most users? A camera flash? What if they don't even plan on taking pictures? Why would they want to pay $200+ extra (up front) for that? I know people that even *prefer* the 3GS to the 4/4S just because of the shape! Not everyone wants or needs the 4/4S.

The extra $15 a month for data is easier to swallow for most people than thinking about spending hundreds up front for features they may never use.

Besides, the 3GS is still a GREAT phone.
 
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lkrupp

macrumors 68000
Jul 24, 2004
1,877
3,805
840quadra said:
I am non-plussed by this news with all of the recent Android phone releases, and the overall delay of a new iPhone by Apple.

Curious (as others have said) to see what Q4 holds.
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Seeing what MacRumors has become I guess it's no surprise to see a moderator jumping on the doom and gloom bandwagon.:(
 
mrsir2009

mrsir2009

macrumors 604
Sep 17, 2009
7,505
156
Melbourne, Australia
IMO buying a 3GS on contract is a bit silly, because for a mere $99 more you can get the iPhone 4, which is worlds better. Unless of course the plans cost more for the iPhone 4...
 
J

JAT

macrumors 603
Dec 31, 2001
6,473
124
Mpls, MN
KnightWRX said:
From my understanding, that's when you bring your own phone. When you buy on subsidy (which the guy I was responding to obviously did with a free iPhone 4), you're still tied for an expensive voice+data contract for a couple of years.

Yet you cheap out of 200$ or so...
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But, they are still cheaper. Length of contract is just time. Unless we are talking about people who may use a phone for oh...3 months, then....never again? I personally don't know anyone like that, but I suppose it's possible.

US and (I think) Canada fees are much higher. On average.
 
840quadra

840quadra

Moderator
Staff member
Feb 1, 2005
9,256
5,968
Twin Cities Minnesota
lkrupp said:
Seeing what MacRumors has become I guess it's no surprise to see a moderator jumping on the doom and gloom bandwagon.:(
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I am not sure how my being amazed is equal to doom and gloom. :confused:

I am happy for the achievements of Apple, in spite of the strong competition.

::EDIT::

I think I get the confusion, people use the word Non-Plussed incorrectly all the time. It means surprised, not disappointment like most people think. Just trying to be clear.
 
Eidorian

Eidorian

macrumors Penryn
Mar 23, 2005
29,190
386
Indianapolis
Spectrum Abuser said:
A 3G with a GoPhone plan is a popular option with a lot of people. Buy the 3G off contract for $250-$350 and put it on a pay as you go and suddenly you have an in-expensive monthly bill. As low as $5-$50 a month depending on your usage.
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Where can I get an iPhone 3GS for less than the suggested $375? Not that I would get a 3GS, even for free on contract, but I would like to know. I could get an iPhone 4 used for comparatively, dirt cheap from my friends and in near mint condition.

The 8 GB iPhone 4 is insane for the suggested $549 against the used 16/32 GB market.
 
BaldiMac

BaldiMac

macrumors G3
Jan 24, 2008
8,761
10,890
I'm amazed at the people who claim that a laggy interface should be expected because of the low price. "Laggy" is a technical issue, not a function of price. A $200 iPod touch with a similar resolution screen, more hardware features, and a slower processor isn't held to such low standards.

As far as the claims that Amazon is going to fix the problems with software updates, I don't see how Amazon is going to fix problems that Google has been unable to fix in the year since Gingerbread was released. Unless you think the next version of the Fire is also going to be based on Gingerbread and not Ice Cream Sandwich, why would they devote the resources? For that matter, where would they get the resources? Are they really going to hire the best people away from Google?
 
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samsandy

macrumors member
Sep 28, 2011
64
0
New Zealand
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lilo777 said:
co.ag.2005 said:
how is Apple making billions off of a product line a failure?
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Those billions will not be there tomorrow. As iOS is losing its market share, Apple will not be able to charge the same premium it once could.
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It is dropping its prices(not by much) and that's why it keeping the 3GS so it can attract the people looking at lOw end phones. Good move by apple keeping it!
 
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lilo777

macrumors 603
Nov 25, 2009
5,144
0
samsandy said:
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It is dropping its prices(not by much) and that's why it keeping the 3GS so it can attract the people looking at lOw end phones. Good move by apple keeping it!
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I agree. But the fact that iPhone market share stagnated combined with the fact that many people now have the choice of buying cheaper iPhone models means that Apple profits will drop. Nothing wrong with that.
 
rdowns

rdowns

macrumors Penryn
Jul 11, 2003
27,397
12,521
lilo777 said:
Those billions will not be there tomorrow. As iOS is losing its market share, Apple will not be able to charge the same premium it once could.
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I know how you love to post anti-Apple screed but you're wrong. iOS is not losing market share.
 
MacNewsFix

MacNewsFix

macrumors 6502a
Oct 27, 2007
653
0
Twin Cities
No surprise here. Until I recently upgraded to the iPhone, I carried both my Android (running Eclair) and my iPod Touch (1st Gen). What a pain in the culo (and only eclipsed by trying to deal with media management on the Android).
 
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lilo777

macrumors 603
Nov 25, 2009
5,144
0
rdowns said:
I know how you love to post anti-Apple screed but you're wrong. iOS is not losing market share.
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Actually, it might. I believe the share stagnated in phone market (about 27%?) And in tablets it dropped from 90+% to 60+%.
 
BaldiMac

BaldiMac

macrumors G3
Jan 24, 2008
8,761
10,890
lilo777 said:
I agree. But the fact that iPhone market share stagnated combined with the fact that many people now have the choice of buying cheaper iPhone models means that Apple profits will drop. Nothing wrong with that.
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iPhone market share has not stagnated, it is growing.

Q3 2011 was an anomaly in that it compared the iPhone 4 launch quarter to the last quarter before the iPhone 4S was released.
 
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firewood

macrumors G3
Jul 29, 2003
8,108
1,345
Silicon Valley
ThanksSteve said:
The question is: does iPhone have enough of the market share to stop Android from using and winning with the Windows strategy of cheap and in more total products?
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If you look at the profit margins of most PC manufacturers from their PC hardware business, that Windows "strategy" does not look that much like a winning strategy for those manufacturers currently.

And the iPhone has a long way to drop before it's market share is as small as the highly profitable Mac line of computers.

So that looks like plenty enough market share.
 
marksman

marksman

macrumors 603
Jun 4, 2007
5,764
5
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JangoFett124 said:
Schtumple said:
I bought the 16gb 4 2 days before the 4S came out because it would've cost me £175 upfront for the 4S, the 4 was free. Not everyone has banks of money specifically for buying the latest and greatest, some people just want a decent phone, not the best.
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When you're paying anywhere from $80 and up per-month for a phone with a two-year contract, paying a bit more for a superior phone comes out to a few dollars a month and is the smart choice. Most people can't see past the "free phone" to realize the decision they're actually making.
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That is flawed logic.
 
F

firewood

macrumors G3
Jul 29, 2003
8,108
1,345
Silicon Valley
daxomni said:
Since when is a $2,000 cell phone contract "cheap?" Or are you simply saying they're all idiots?
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Cheap is anything in the monthly basket that doesn't take their maxed out credit card(s) over limit before payday. Not all, but given the profits of credit card companies from credit card interest, a vast percentage of consumers are stupid and/or completely failed by any educational system. They wouldn't know an NPV calculation if it hit them in the face.

Unfortunate.
 
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daxomni

macrumors 6502
Jun 24, 2009
457
6
Spectrum Abuser said:
Since when is a $2100/$2200 cellphone bill any cheaper?
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I have an aunt who likes cheaper prices for non-essential expenses like mobile phones. She pays less than $500 over the course of two years of service. And yes, that's a lot cheaper than $2,000 in case you're not aware. She doesn't have an iPhone because there is still no way to get such a thing for a cheap price after you add up all the various expenses. You'd be forgiven for thinking anyone with basic math skills should be able to figure that out. Instead we have millions of people claiming that they're picking up "cheap" iPhones with top-dollar service contracts that quickly wipe out whatever discount they think they're getting
 
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