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iPhone 5 Launch Props Up Apple's Share of Smartphone Market as Samsung Keeps Rolling

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Research firm IDC yesterday released its estimates of global mobile phone and smartphone shipments for the third quarter of 2012, revealing that the iPhone 5 launch helped Apple gain market share over the year-ago period that saw customers holding out for the iPhone 4S launch. The few days of iPhone 5 sales in the quarter were not, however, enough to halt a continuing slide in market share over the past few quarters as Samsung in particular has maintained very strong growth at the top of the market.

In the smartphone market, Apple's shipments of 26.9 million iPhones were up a healthy 57.3% year-over-year, outpacing overall market growth of 45.3% and boosting Apple's share from 13.8% to 15.0%. Apple's share was, however, pegged at 16.9% in the prior quarter.

idc_3Q12_smartphones.png
Worldwide Smartphone Shipments in 3Q12 in Millions of Units (Source: IDC)​
With Samsung still declining to release official sales number, IDC estimated the company's smartphone shipments at 56.3 million during the quarter, doubling year-over-year and pushing Samsung's leading share of the worldwide market to 31.3%. And with Nokia's share of the smartphone market imploding as it tries to reinvent itself on the back of Windows Phone 8, no other manufacturer besides Samsung and Apple has a market share above 8%.
iPhone shipments finished the quarter nearly flat from the previous quarter, reaching a total of 26.9 million units. Although the iPhone 5 was only on the market for one week in 3Q12, the aggressive rollout of the device resulted in more than 5 million iPhones sold in the first weekend of availability, which helped buoy Apple's shipment totals. iPhone sales weren't dampened by the introduction of its Maps software, which was not completely ready for use. Instead, the iPhone 5's larger screen and 4G LTE connectivity generated user interest. What remains to be seen is how Apple will fare during the holiday quarter, when the iPhone 5 will be available in more countries worldwide.
Click to expand...
In the overall mobile phone market, Apple continues to ride the smartphone boom with its 57.3% annual unit growth easily outpacing the overall market's 2.4% growth. The performance enabled Apple to take 6.1% of the mobile phone market during the quarter, up from 3.9% in the year-ago quarter but down from 6.4% in the previous quarter.

idc_3Q12_phones.png
Worldwide Mobile Phone Shipments in 3Q12 in Millions of Units (Source: IDC)​
With Apple providing guidance yesterday of $52 billion in total company revenue for the current quarter, it seems that the company is unsurprisingly projecting a significant boost in iPhone sales numbers as the iPhone 5 sees a full quarter of availability in the early launch markets and Apple works to extend the device to its goal of 100 countries by the end of the quarter.

Article Link: iPhone 5 Launch Props Up Apple's Share of Smartphone Market as Samsung Keeps Rolling
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/10/26/iphone-5-launch-props-up-apples-share-of-smartphone-market-as-samsung-keeps-rolling/
AppleInTheMud

AppleInTheMud

macrumors 6502
Jun 19, 2012
427
120
Vojens Denmark
Cos Samsung makes the best phones. It's no wonder.


Love my Apple stuffy... But iPhone? No thanx. No more. Im in 2012 and not 2007 - iPhone just cant do the stuff I need.
 
Naimfan

Naimfan

Suspended
Jan 15, 2003
4,669
2,017
Interesting.

Went to the Apple Store yesterday to look at a 5. Wound up with a 4S - I preferred how it felt in my hand - it's more substantial. The 5 felt . . . too light and almost flimsy (but only almost).
 
M

MMOTotal

macrumors regular
Aug 9, 2012
176
0
Azeroth
AppleInTheMud said:
Cos Samsung makes the best phones. It's no wonder.


Love my Apple stuffy... But iPhone? No thanx. No more. Im in 2012 and not 2007 - iPhone just cant do the stuff I need.
Click to expand...

What do you NEED from a phone that the iPhone does not do. I express the "need" part of your comment.
 
haruhiko

haruhiko

macrumors 604
Sep 29, 2009
6,532
5,876
nick_elt said:
Samsung's rise is pretty impressive even if your not a Samsung fan
Click to expand...

The release of iPhone 4S partly helped Samsung achieve that tremendous growth. Think about it, in late 2011, you'd had your iPhone 4 for 18 months already, if you don't understand what does dual core etc. mean, would you want to buy a phone that looks exactly the same and hold it for another 12 months or more?

Many people bought the S2 then S3 just because of this. They couldn't care less about "Android" or "Open", they just wanted a phone that's .. different.

If some people think that Apple's early release of the iPad 4 is a strategic mistake, I think the iPhone 4S is a much bigger one.

I think that the iPhone 5 will gain back some momentum against Samsung but well Samsung has a lot of hardcore religious fans now.
 
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Y

yly3

macrumors 6502
Jan 9, 2011
345
4
This is great news. Maybe it will force them finally to make a significant upgrade. Had a 4S, now have a 3GS and can't say I miss it too much for basic things obviously, maybe the camera a bit. It's running iOS6 and I am more than happy.
 
cmichaelb

cmichaelb

macrumors 68020
Aug 6, 2008
2,280
739
Italy
nick_elt said:
Samsung's rise is pretty impressive even if your not a Samsung fan
Click to expand...

They do make some nice stuff and have a ton of different phones out there including feature phones. They saturate the market.

yly3 said:
This is great news. Maybe it will force them finally to make a significant upgrade. Had a 4S, now have a 3GS and can't say I miss it too much for basic things obviously, maybe the camera a bit. It's running iOS6 and I am more than happy.
Click to expand...

Why did you downgrade from a 4S?
 
turtlez

turtlez

macrumors 6502a
Jun 17, 2012
977
0
it's the OS that makes the iPhone not as good. Look at the physical side of the phones and the iPhone rips the samsung to shreds. Apple's iOS needs a complete revamp. They change the designs in all their products physically, why never update the design of iOS? It is extinct.
 
P

PaulChowHK

macrumors regular
Jan 13, 2011
169
0
The problem Apple too afraid change the look so the making the phone over and over again. Maybe they afraid losing stock value. Samsung making bold changes. Now Apple losing good relation with Samsing. What going to happen if Sansung inventing next generation touch screen and Apple no can buy? I thinking they making big mistake
 
Krazy Bill

Krazy Bill

macrumors 68030
Dec 21, 2011
2,985
3
Sammy is still kicking arse.

MMOTotal said:
What do you NEED from a phone that the iPhone does not do. I express the "need" part of your comment.
Click to expand...
The ability to run any app I chose without being "blessed" by a higher authority. :eek:

Oh... and a MicroSD slot.
 
M

mjtomlin

Guest
Jan 19, 2002
384
0
nick_elt said:
Samsung's rise is pretty impressive even if your not a Samsung fan
Click to expand...

Not really.

Maybe if Samsung released actual SALES figures... the numbers here are guesstimates at how many units Samsung has SHIPPED. Samsung has a history of flooding the market with umpteen number of models. They make a model (copy) for almost every model/line their competitors put out.

So until we see some real sales numbers, then, meh. Besides, these percentage numbers don't translate into how well a company is actually doing. One could drop a percentage point, but actually have increased sales.
 
P

PaulChowHK

macrumors regular
Jan 13, 2011
169
0
haruhiko said:
The release of iPhone 4S partly helped Samsung to achieve that tremendous growth. Think about it, in late 2011, you'd had your iPhone 4 for 18 months already, if you don't understand what does dual core etc. mean, will you want to buy a phone that looks exactly the same and hold it for another 12 months or more?

Many people bought the S2 then S3 just because of this. They couldn't care less about "Android" or "Open", they just wanted a phone that's .. different.

If some people think that Apple's early release of the iPad 4 is a strategic mistake, I think the iPhone 4S is a much bigger one.

I think that the iPhone 5 will gain back some momentum against Samsung but well Samsung has a lot of hardcore religious fans now.
Click to expand...

IPhone selling very bad in Korea. Oriental know how to fighting by hitting you in pocket book. Look at Japan and China. Chinese fight by not buying Japeses products. Doing much damage to Japan economy. This only small sample but if all China not buy they will taking long time recover. Apple should carefully decide better to negotiate then to suing.
 
AppleInTheMud

AppleInTheMud

macrumors 6502
Jun 19, 2012
427
120
Vojens Denmark
MMOTotal said:
What do you NEED from a phone that the iPhone does not do. I express the "need" part of your comment.
Click to expand...

All info on homescreen.

Folders for every kind of documents you need and want.

SCREEN SIZE - Im on a Note 2

I can splitscreen... Do 2 Apps at a time.

Maps ! That actually works outside USA

and soooo on...
 
TopToffee

TopToffee

macrumors 65816
Jul 9, 2008
1,040
975
I'd love to see UK sales figures, but we only ever seem to see either US or worldwide here at MacRumors.

I say this because (in a totally unscientific just "looking around" sort of way, I'm convinced there are WAY more iPhones than Samsungs over here.
 
Man9z0r

Man9z0r

macrumors regular
Feb 25, 2011
136
1
SLO, CA
I have to agree with most of the other posts. Apple makes a really good looking product but iOS is dated. It has looked the same since day one and is just dated!

I agree that iOS doesn't do everything I need it to do!
 
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