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Looks like the Free OS given away by Google to every manufacturer on the planet is working to dominate marketshare. It's not winning marketshare because of its merits or superiority in technology. It's winning because its given away by Google to anyone for free.

your point is invalid, just because US provider seem to rip everyone off doesnt mean this is world wide the case. the iPhone 4 and now the iPhone 4S can be purchased for free on providers here just as well as every Samsung phone out there.

edit: if u mean the actual OS and not the phones itself then i'm sry. read it wrong ^^
 
I'm surprised that some people said here that iOS is "plateauing" while it's share increased 38% last year. Also, this is a "smartphone" chart, ie all iPads and iPod touches do not count.
 
Enter the Void

I think the takeway from these numbers is that Android marketshare has likely peaked and will be under incresed pressure from iOS going into 2012. Android filled the void when Apple had limited distribution through ATT. Now that Apple has launched the iphone 4S on 3 carriers, what used to be a void is increasingly contested. The real test of customer preference will come when Apple has a free (or close to it) phone on all the carriers. The 99 cent 3GS is limited to ATT, as of now. I assume ATT negotiated to be sole US source, so the "free" iphone probably has to wait until iPhone 5. Also note that these numbers don't include the iPhone 4S launch.
 
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As expected.

Universally licensing your OS to anyone that can slam together a box (at all price points, regardless of unoptimized software, hardware quality and user experience) is designed for massive volume.

This is the story of Android, and we're seeing it playing out here.
 
The chart may be about smartphones, but some of the discussions are about iOS vs Android.

Did you look at the topic of the thread ? That's because this thread is about Android and iOS now controlling over 80% of Smartphone sales in the U.S.

The iPad and iPod Touch have nothing to do with this.
 
Not the BOGO free crap again :rolleyes: iPhone is being offered free, Android also, but then again, there are models of Android that sell for as much as top end iPhones. And frankly, those models are some of the best selling devices (Samsung Galaxy S II being a prime example).

Android is not getting a free ride on better carrier subsidies. The carriers are subsidizing both platforms in equal ways.

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No, just looking at their market share numbers quarter to quarter, iOS seems to have plateaud in the 20-30% range.

Last time I looked, the Samsung Galaxy S II is selling for $49 each--that's hardly a "prime example".
 
Wow.

I knew RIM was in trouble, but this, combined with their other difficulties this year, makes me think they're not going to be viable for much longer.

iOS seems likely to start to plateau, while Android in all its forms will probably keep growing.

Where will Windows Phone fit in? I don't see it making inroads against iOS, and while it could potentially slow Android's growth, Android has the advantage of a huge existing base.

These are Q3 numbers, wait for Q4, I think you will see a different picture.
 
I would have loved for Nokia to actually go somewhere with Maemo/Meego. The N900 was an awesome device when it was introduced. I was pretty pissed that it was incompatible with my carrier's frequencies.

A friend of mine had the N900 and the thing was built like a tank. She recently upgraded to an SGSII and I was very tempted to buy it off of her but I couldn't justify another handset.

It's a real pity that Nokia have left the Meego and the N9 out in the cold to die as that's another handset I'd love to try.
 
I'd like to see what the non-US market is like, especially in the high-growth Asian market.

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As expected.

Universally licensing your OS to anyone that can slam together a box (at all price points, regardless of unoptimized software, hardware quality and user experience) is designed for massive volume.

This is the story of Android, and we're seeing it playing out here.

No no. They've meet the necessary requirement for innovation (more sales, as you like to say), while iOS can barely keep up.
 
Last time I looked, the Samsung Galaxy S II is selling for $49 each--that's hardly a "prime example".

Really, still over 150$ here. Depends on your carrier. Of course, Orange in the UK were giving out the iPhone 4 like 3 months after its release in 2010 and many carriers offer increased subsidies after a model has been out for months (like the Samsung Galaxy S II which is getting long in the tooth).

Why are some of you trying to pretend like Android is more subsidized than iPhone ? What's it to you that not everyone buys the damn Apple phone ?
 
Really, still over 150$ here. Depends on your carrier. Of course, Orange in the UK were giving out the iPhone 4 like 3 months after its release in 2010 and many carriers offer increased subsidies after a model has been out for months (like the Samsung Galaxy S II which is getting long in the tooth).

Why are some of you trying to pretend like Android is more subsidized than iPhone ? What's it to you that not everyone buys the damn Apple phone ?

iphones were free from launch providing you got a large contract, same with the SGSII too. I was told it would be 200 on my contract :eek:
 
GO Android!

Android Rocks and Destroys all others!

IOS has flattened already.........

:cool:
It seems some people don't know how to read a chart when it's right in front of their noses. What part of a 38% GROWTH implies iOS has flattened. That's more year-over-year growth than Android showed over the same time period.

Not the BOGO free crap again :rolleyes: iPhone is being offered free, Android also, but then again, there are models of Android that sell for as much as top end iPhones. And frankly, those models are some of the best selling devices (Samsung Galaxy S II being a prime example).

Android is not getting a free ride on better carrier subsidies. The carriers are subsidizing both platforms in equal ways.

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No, just looking at their market share numbers quarter to quarter, iOS seems to have plateaud in the 20-30% range.

Pardon me--plateaued? 8% overall growth and 38% individual growth year-over-year? (Never, but NEVER look at quarter-by-quarter. It's simply too dynamic.) Android showed 10% less platform growth than IOS even though it does hold the highest overall growth. Android is far more likely to plateau than IOS at this rate.
 
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Really, still over 150$ here. Depends on your carrier. Of course, Orange in the UK were giving out the iPhone 4 like 3 months after its release in 2010 and many carriers offer increased subsidies after a model has been out for months (like the Samsung Galaxy S II which is getting long in the tooth).

Why are some of you trying to pretend like Android is more subsidized than iPhone ? What's it to you that not everyone buys the damn Apple phone ?

The latest iPhones have been available free on contract in the UK on the launch day ever since the 3G was released.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 4.0.1; en-gb; Galaxy Nexus Build/ITL41F) AppleWebKit/534.30 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/534.30)

I dont know why people are trying to bash Apple's numbers. The Android share is split between at least Samsung, HTC, Motorola, LG (and more).

The figures look great for Google but not as good for the OEMs as Apple has 100% control in its stake of the U.S (and worldwide) Market.
 
Look out, everybody! Windows Phone 7 DOUBLED in market share from 2010!

Yes it went from 1% to 2%, on the other hand Window Mobile went from 7% to 3% in the same period. So the MS plattforms in total went from 8% to 5%, meaning they lost roughly half their customers.
 
Pardon me--plateaued? 8% overall growth and 38% individual growth year-over-year?

Really, looking at the chart in the OP, I see 2009 - 24%, 2010 - 21%, 2011 - 29%...

Maybe you need to look at more than 1 year's "growth" when the prior year had a "decline" ?

Again, percentage charts are not indicative of overall market growth. They just tell you the story in a static way. Number of units sold would tell a much more worthwhile tale.
 
Really, still over 150$ here. Depends on your carrier. Of course, Orange in the UK were giving out the iPhone 4 like 3 months after its release in 2010 and many carriers offer increased subsidies after a model has been out for months (like the Samsung Galaxy S II which is getting long in the tooth).

Why are some of you trying to pretend like Android is more subsidized than iPhone ? What's it to you that not everyone buys the damn Apple phone ?

You're jumping to conclusions, Knight; I'm not one of those who feels that way. On the other hand, it completely pisses me off when people try to say that Android's popularity is due to quality when it's clearly obvious that most of its sales--at least in the US--is due to BOGO and bargain-basement pricing. All you have to do is watch commercial television in the US to see Android phones advertised well under $100 each or go to a store like Target or Walmart* and see a huge selection of <$100 Android phones compared to the single iPhone model at that price and the 4S at $300. Quite honestly pricing is the only reason Android holds the share it does.
 
I hope Apple is able to shake up the providers way of milking us for every half data snipet we use. As we do more on more while on the go, either we need a reasonable Wifi network like gas stations or alternative plans and solutions.

In the end data usage must be unlimited with just basic fees.

One of the key sales points with the iPhone is data use. Increased data use is what enables the high subsidies to begin with. Carriers need to make money somehow. Doubt even Apple could get away with "hey, pay people to buy our phone - but don't you dare make money out of people using it".

p.s.

unlimited data deals are generally worse for the vast majority of consumers. just saying.
 
at least in the US... to the single iPhone model at that price and the 4S at $300.

Uh ? Are you making stuff up ?

The iPhone has currently 3 models on the market, 2 of which are priced under 100$, one which is free (much better than BOGO). And the iPhone 4S starts at 199$ (159$ in Canada actually).

And again, the best selling Android models aren't the cheap ones. The Samsung Galaxy S II managed to sell 5 million units in 85 days when it launched, and it didn't launch as a BOGO deal on carriers.
 
Concluding, from this data, that one smartphone OS is *better* than another is probably mistaken. People choose their phones based on a variety of factors, including price, availability, coverage, and personal history.

Some takeaways:

While smartphone growth in the US has been very rapid, it still is "only" at around 38% of all mobile subscriptions. There is some debate as to if, how, and when the remaining 62% of mobile subscribers will become smartphone subscribers. Its widely predicted that the "tipping ponit" (at which time half of all new mobile subscriptions become smartphone subscriptions) will occur sometime in the next year. It will be a significant event, but it will also mark the end of the "high growth" era in smartphone adoption. Increasingly vendors will be chasing customers with either little ability to pay for a data plan, or little desire to make use of one. From that point, growth will mainly come by winning customers from competing platforms.

Secondly, it shows how rapidly a market leader can fall. Who would have predicted, in 2006, that RIM and Blackberry would be slipping towards irrelevance?

Thirdly, its a huge assumption to think that the smartphone business will EVER be dominated by a single Operating System, the way that Windows came to dominate (~98%) the desktop computer business. Network Effects certainly apply in smartphones. But the market for them is so big it certainly is possible that at least two, and maybe three or four, different operating systems can co-exist and thrive. Each offering its users different options.

Lastly, lest we forget, the US is but a small part of the global mobile business. There are now more than 5 billion mobile phones in operation worldwide (they outnumber people in some markets.) The highest penetration of smartphone users is in Singapore, where 60% of mobile phones are smartphones. Strangely enough, Japan, which we normally think of as an advanced nation, eager to embrace new technology, has only about 12% smartphone adoption. (The reasons for this are complex, relating back to Japan's somewhat unique Government-orchestrated industrial policy.)
 
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