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

[gnasher729]

Originally Posted by daviesified

Very positive overall, but isn't it a little bit surprising that the iPhone 5 only accounted for around half of iPhone sales?

You'd have to look at the exact terms that the company offers. At O2 in Britain, the iPhone 4 contract cost is ridiculously high so you would have to be stupid not to buy an iPhone 5. Maybe Verizon contracts are the opposite.

Originally Posted by newagemac

One of the best things about owning an iPhone is the resale value. After buying my first iPhone in 2008, I always get the newest one and never have to pay for the phone itself. The previous one is always worth at least $200. In fact, I often make money by getting a new iPhone!

I'd say an iPhone 4 for $200 would make an excellent iPod Touch, even if you're not interested in the phone at all.

Originally Posted by newagemac

I don't see any numbers showing iOS users defecting to Android. But iOS sure seems to be taking a ton of sales from Android lately where they are equally available and at similar price points. Especially in the U.S., iOS is growing rapidly. Latest reports here show the iPhone now over 50% marketshare and Android continuing to drop.

Some people look at world wide smartphone market share. What they miss is that worldwide, people buy gazillions of _cheap_ Android phones which are then counted as smartphones, but they are not really what any potential iOS user would be defecting to. iPhone unit sales are growing, and iPhone market share of the total phone market is growing as well.

[absurdamerica]

Originally Posted by Mark Booth

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

I'm going to stick my neck out there and say you're totally wrong.

Verizon has never had a cheap to free iPhone option available until this quarter. The 4S sales reflect pent up demand on this specific carrier. You'll see this effect less so with AT&T and the 5 will be the best selling iPhone to date just like each previous model.

[ChrisTX]

Originally Posted by Lancetx

Based on Verizon's official numbers today, for every one person that does what you did, there must be two going in the opposite direction and switching from Android (or another OS) to iOS...

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.

Originally Posted by alent1234

i played with my father in law's S3 a few days ago, and i don't plan to trade my iphone for it.

lots of little annoyances on it

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

[jrswizzle]

Originally Posted by newagemac

You're giving anecdotal evidence and I'm referring to real statistics. Tech forums are not very indicative of reality. And macrumors in particular is flooded with fandroids and Apple haters who would never consider the iPhone so I would take most "I switched from iPhone to Android and couldn't be happier!" posts with a grain of salt. Not saying that's you though.

The proof is in the pudding. Verizon was a huge Android seller. Now nearly two thirds of their activations are iPhones. The picture can't get much more clearer than that.

The problems with what you're saying for a lot of people here are:

1) You use logic
2) People think sales = best phone and they NEED their personal choice to be the best for everyone
3) People are insecure

Sales numbers are sales numbers. And while that says something GENERALLY about the OS and the consumers, to say the phone that sells the most is the best is wildly inaccurate and TOO general.

One day, people will just be happy with what they have because they picked the phone/OS that fit theirs needs/preferences - beit Android, iOS, WP8, or BB10.

----------

Originally Posted by samcraig

Indeed. Which is why I have always loved the notion that you can get stats to say whatever you want them to.

Unless the complete breakdown is given - it's conjecture how the numbers play out.

Exactly - really until Apple releases their quarterly earning tomorrow (and even then we won't know EVERY detail), any numbers comparing is speculative.

[E.Lizardo]

Originally Posted by Mark Booth

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

I doubt that.In my case
1)don't care
2)Not a problem
3)Not a problem,and if it was Google maps is back anyway.

I think you are giving those point WAY to much weight.

[Azadre]

Originally Posted by Mark Booth

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

"No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame."

[Ryth]

Originally Posted by ChrisTX

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.

RFLOL...well I'm glad you are interpolating this data and coming to the conclusion that iOS users are running for Android.

Sorry dude but reality is different then taking a few people from the MacRumors forums, yourself and a few friends and saying iOS users are defecting in tons to Android.

[cappadonna]

Originally Posted by jvmxtra

Let's not kid ourselves.

These numbers might be good but still shows many lost opportunities by not providing different size phones(please see sammy's figure) and also proving that apple is selling tons right now because of their brand recognition and not because device is awesome.

Stop living in the past glory apple. You haven't done crab since iphone 4 came out.

How are lost opportunities shown by these numbers when they're higher than all the android devices on Verizon combined by nearly double?

Would you only give Apple credit if they captured one hundred percent of Verizon sales?

[tbrinkma]

Originally Posted by cappadonna

How are lost opportunities shown by these numbers when they're higher than all the android devices on Verizon combined by nearly double?

Would you only give Apple credit if they captured one hundred percent of Verizon sales?

Nah, it'd probably take 125% or so.

[adildacoolset]

Originally Posted by alent1234

i played with my father in law's S3 a few days ago, and i don't plan to trade my iphone for it.

lots of little annoyances on it

Played with my father's S3, my brother's S3, my grandfather's S3, and my uncles's S3. Clinically speaking, I'd have to be mad to swap out my iPhone 5 for it. The first thing that strikes me is that the display of the S3 is awful. After using the iPhone 5 a lot, that 20 ppi less and the pentile matrix gives a very noticeable fuzziness. Combined with the way the over-saturated amoled display looks terrible in some apps

----------

Originally Posted by E.Lizardo

I doubt that.In my case
1)don't care
2)Not a problem
3)Not a problem,and if it was Google maps is back anyway.

I think you are giving those point WAY to much weight.

Plus, the elimination of the 30-pin connector was inevitable. It had to happen some day. Someone would have to be stupid to think apple would keep it forever.

[MacFan1957]

Originally Posted by samcraig

What I find funny is that it would bother you enough to post this so early in the thread almost inviting the debate. Well played

Well that wasn't my intention. It just frustrates me the way Fandroids pick only the data that shows them as "winning", hence my comment.

Also how long in the thread was I supposed to wait, 2, 5, 10 pages deep?

[ChrisTX]

Originally Posted by Ryth

RFLOL...well I'm glad you are interpolating this data and coming to the conclusion that iOS users are running for Android.

Sorry dude but reality is different then taking a few people from the MacRumors forums, yourself and a few friends and saying iOS users are defecting in tons to Android.

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.

[iMikeT]

Welcome to three hours ago MacRumors.

I'm surprised this wasn't posted sooner as I saw this in the pre-market hours.

[alent1234]

Originally Posted by ChrisTX

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.

so what makes the s3 so special? when i was playing with one on sunday it's pretty much like my old HTC Inspire and the crappy droid pro i have to carry now

[ConCat]

Originally Posted by ChrisTX

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.

Why would a slowly improving economy be a reason for people wanting cheap stuff?

[SeattleMoose]

My wife and I upgraded our old 2005 Verizon flip phones (October 2012) for a couple of 4S phones. They do everything we want/need flawlessly.

[ChrisTX]

Originally Posted by alent1234

so what makes the s3 so special? when i was playing with one on sunday it's pretty much like my old HTC Inspire and the crappy droid pro i have to carry now

NFC, Screen Size, Android, and the fact that it's different, but good enough. I could have listed User replaceable battery, and memory as well but those aren't deal breakers for me. In my opinion as a long time Apple user, the iPhone 5 was a mediocre upgrade. There's nothing truly groundbreaking with the iPhone 5. Maybe a longer display, LTE, and Apple maps could be seen as ground breaking to some, but I had higher expectations. If Apple canning Fortsal isn't proof that Apple sees Android as a threat, I don't know what else is. Keep in mind, I'm not saying that iPhone is bad, I just believe that people are getting tired of incremental updates. That's great if you're OK with incremental updates to the iPhone, but I am not, and I know I'm not alone.

Originally Posted by ConCat

Why would a slowly improving economy be a reason for people wanting cheap stuff?

A slowly improving economy means that we have not recovered, but are getting there. Maybe cost effective would have been a better term than "cheap". However, why would anyone buy a 4S(other than price) over an iPhone 5? I have a coworker however, that said he was talked into buying a 4S over an iPhone 5 because the VZ employee felt that it was a better upgrade choice given the insignificant upgrade of the iPhone 5. I'm not sure if he was making the story up, or if he opted for the 4S instead because of the cheaper price. But the idea is that if the 4S, and the iPhone 5 were the same price, no one would be buying the 4S.

[alent1234]

Originally Posted by ChrisTX

NFC, Screen Size, Android, and the fact that it's different, but good enough. I could have listed User replaceable battery, and memory as well but those aren't deal breakers for me. In my opinion as a long time Apple user, the iPhone 5 was a mediocre upgrade. There's nothing truly groundbreaking with the iPhone 5. Maybe a longer display, LTE, and Apple maps could be seen as ground breaking to some, but I had higher expectations. If Apple canning Fortsal isn't proof that Apple sees Android as a threat, I don't know what else is. Keep in mind, I'm not saying that iPhone is bad, I just believe that people are getting tired of incremental updates. That's great if you're OK with incremental updates to the iPhone, but I am not, and I know I'm not alone.

there is nothing ground breaking about the S3 either

large screens have been around for 2 years
so have removable batteries. i hated it on my HTC i used to have
NFC? who cares? i don't go to Mcd or 7-11
google maps on the S3 don't seem to work indoors. it works a lot better on my iphone 5. just like the other 2 android phones i've used. and even then there are 20 Nav apps in the app store so no google maps for a while was no big deal

[kdarling]

Originally Posted by Mad Mac Maniac

The numbers don't add up....

...(snip)...

Edit: Oh, nevermind. I'm guessing they include LTE tablets in that 7.3M number. Move along... nothing to see here...

That, plus we cannot mix sales and activations figures when doing math.

They're different units:

• Sales = new devices sold
• Activations = new AND used devices activated

The more people who upgrade, the more secondhand phones that are activated, especially with iPhones which are popular on the used market. For AT&T, used phones are usually ~11% of activations. No idea of the ratio for Verizon.

[TMar]

No real surprise. Apple has the best free phone on the market ATM.

[Bahroo]

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

[Danoc]

Tomorrow will help a lot understanding or fighting the Apple's doomsday. I am getting tired of reading "larger iPhone" everywhere.

Anyways, those first figures are impressive. Here in Canada, I see so many iPhones 5.

People are critiquing Cook a lot, but he is the one who leads the development and the release of the iPad mini, the sexier Apple product for a long time.

[tdtran1025]

They win because of true LTE, despite being the most expensive. ATT's dead spots continur to irritate customers.

[Bahroo]

Originally Posted by ChrisTX

NFC, Screen Size, Android, and the fact that it's different, but good enough. I could have listed User replaceable battery, and memory as well but those aren't deal breakers for me. In my opinion as a long time Apple user, the iPhone 5 was a mediocre upgrade. There's nothing truly groundbreaking with the iPhone 5. Maybe a longer display, LTE, and Apple maps could be seen as ground breaking to some, but I had higher expectations. If Apple canning Fortsal isn't proof that Apple sees Android as a threat, I don't know what else is. Keep in mind, I'm not saying that iPhone is bad, I just believe that people are getting tired of incremental updates. That's great if you're OK with incremental updates to the iPhone, but I am not, and I know I'm not alone.


A slowly improving economy means that we have not recovered, but are getting there. Maybe cost effective would have been a better term than "cheap". However, why would anyone buy a 4S(other than price) over an iPhone 5? I have a coworker however, that said he was talked into buying a 4S over an iPhone 5 because the VZ employee felt that it was a better upgrade choice given the insignificant upgrade of the iPhone 5. I'm not sure if he was making the story up, or if he opted for the 4S instead because of the cheaper price. But the idea is that if the 4S, and the iPhone 5 were the same price, no one would be buying the 4S.

No Android phone still performs as well as a iPhone 5. There is scroll latency, pinch to zoom latency and touch latency still all over Android Jelly Bean. Android does not follow your finger as fast as iOS and i feel like i am dragging menus and stuff like that. Jellybean isnt consistent enough or at least there isnt enough Jelly Bean code in alot of Android Apps because I see animation lag, and other types of graphical lag in certain Android apps that are just buttery smooth on my i5. A bigger screen iPhone would be nice but i would only want a bigger screened iPhone if it was edge to edge screen and it didnt really make the phone much bigger then it is now

[tigress666]

Originally Posted by ChrisTX

In my opinion as a long time Apple user, the iPhone 5 was a mediocre upgrade. There's nothing truly groundbreaking with the iPhone 5. Maybe a longer display, LTE, and Apple maps could be seen as ground breaking to some, but I had higher expectations.

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).