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I find it amazing that every Chinese Android phone I see pop up in my RSS feed has the latest version of Android (4.x) possible but I check out the local Fry's ad and nearly all the budget phones are running 2.2/2.3.

Simply not the case, just from 2013

Samsung Pocket Plus/neo/young

Huawei ascend y/y300/g330

alcatel touch s

lg L3 2

acer/sony ...

All 4.x

Barely anything gets released with 2.3.x and you can always put another rom on those
 
You think that's bad? You can literally get one free with with a PIZZA in America (Domino's, on contract, of course).

If it's on contract, then it's not free.

I bet Verizon and AT&T would love for people to get an iPhone 4 for "free" with their Domino's pizza and then have to pay the contract for the next 2 years...
 
I have been developing iOS applications commercially for over three years. How did you come to your (incorrect) conclusion? As the market share diminishes, surely the demand for iOS development will also shrink, and it will be harder to find jobs [at the rates I am used to]. That is my concern.

My conclusion was reached by realizing that you have no idea how to choose which platform to develop for beyond "popularity" which you also gauge by a very poor metric. Of course, as you pointed out, I was incorrect in assuming there are no ignorant developers.
 
Shipped versus sold? What is the actual Total Addressable Market? Are Android phones being replaced year after year? Multiple times here year? How many total Android users are being added to the market each year not counting upgrades of existing android phones?

I see carriers in Canada practically giving away Android phones. I also see crappy ISPs trying to give away Samsung tablets in exchange for signing up for a contract.

What is the actual size of the user base? What is the actual size of the user base actively engaged in buy/using apps?

What exactly are you trying to convey? Metrics about Android phones/tablets = baloney, metrics about iPhones/iPads = the golden truth? Teach me please, I'm an uneducated caveman.
 
If it's on contract, then it's not free.

I bet Verizon and AT&T would love for people to get an iPhone 4 for "free" with their Domino's pizza and then have to pay the contract for the next 2 years...
You have to pay for the service regardless of whether you are on a contract to use the device so... the "free" price is a loyalty bonus for agreeing to be a loyal customer for a contract term. It is sort of like the signing bonus given out by record companies to performers.

You are not going to save any money if you buy a device outright and then pay month per month. Most carriers do not give a discount for BYOD. You are trading some "freedom" in exchange for a "free" product.
 
Wow. Talk about a complete lack of context!

How does millions of Android-based phones sold in China make iOS apps useless?

They dont own iphones in china? Facetime, imessage ,shared photo stream,...

Who is going to put money in passbook if 95% of the market uses something else? apple doesn't need complacency
 
What exactly are you trying to convey? Metrics about Android phones/tablets = baloney, metrics about iPhones/iPads = the golden truth? Teach me please, I'm an uneducated caveman.

I am given to understand by other comments that Apple is the only one that actually reports sold instead of shipped. That's probably why people don't really buy this report. And there's a lot of truth to that. There's no real way to know, but if a lot of OEMS are not selling despite all those shipments, then this marketshare doesn't really reflect what's going on.
 
What exactly are you trying to convey? Metrics about Android phones/tablets = baloney, metrics about iPhones/iPads = the golden truth? Teach me please, I'm an uneducated caveman.
Metrics on Sold iPhones/iPads are actual numbers sold directly to customers. Apple has activation stats for all of their devices.

Also, when someone upgrades an iOS device, they typically either sell or give their old device to someone else meaning that the total addressable market increases by one for each new unit purchased whereas Android devices typically have very little appeal in the resale market.

Finally, many android devices even sold in the last year cannot be upgraded to the latest version of Android whereas iOS devices sold in the last two or three years can be upgraded to the latest version.

This means that even older iOS devices can access all of the latest software on the App store whereas many Android devices are being left behind even a year after they were released.

If you are a developer trying to figure out which market to target, you would want to know what the active install base is, what percentage is using the latest version of firmware and what the growth rate of the install base was. What you don't want is to know how many units were sent to a store to sit on the shelf.
 
Umm, did you seriously just compare the Beach Boys to the Beatles? The Stones, maybe, but not the Beach Boys.

I happen to remember those days very well and yes, the comparison then was the Beach Boys vs Beatles. The Stones weren't even on the radar for a bit. It was the beginning of the 'British Invasion'. Luckily for those of us old enough to remember, everyone won. As kids we didn't see it as an 'invasion' just more great music. I didn't know anyone who didn't love both.

And that's the analogy, it wasn't Beach Boys vs Beatles (I.e. Apple vs Android). There was easily room for both.
 
Most of the 80% is garbage

Of course you have to look at market share, but a lot, if not most, of the Android phones are just garbage and get very little usage. That has been changing and at some point, which is coming, Apple will have to compete in price as well. My son has an android smartphone that cost me 40 bucks. How many apps has he purchased? Zero. How many downloads, a dozen. What does he use the phone for? Surprise, calls and SMS. As a developer for both platforms I can also attest that I have a very successful app on both platforms with exactly the same look and feel and I get more than twice the downloads on iOs then Android even though in my country there are probably 3 times more Android phones. As for app usage I get twice the usage on iOS as well.
Android is good but iOS is much better for the all types of users.
Android UI is extremely poorly designed. The OS is fast but battery life is ridiculous. My Android phones with no SIM card die in 24 hours! With almost no usage. I am surprised people are not crying about this
 
You have to pay for the service regardless of whether you are on a contract to use the device so... the "free" price is a loyalty bonus for agreeing to be a loyal customer for a contract term. It is sort of like the signing bonus given out by record companies to performers.

You are not going to save any money if you buy a device outright and then pay month per month. Most carriers do not give a discount for BYOD. You are trading some "freedom" in exchange for a "free" product.

You do save on prepaid. ATT go phone + off contract phone is cheaper than on contract att
 
I don't get how these numbers are even remotely accurate. Most people I've seen in NJ and now MO all have iPhones. People at my prior and current job have mostly iPhones.

Something doesn't add up.

The only thing I can think of is the metro area of the cities are iPhone users and those out in the suburbs/farmland are andriod users...
 
Except for those numbers that Apple counted that was shipped phones to Verizon that Verizon still hasn't sold?

Apple reports shipped numbers in addition to channel inventory.

iPhones sold = iPhones shipped - change in channel inventory

"shipped phones to Verizon that Verizon still hasn't sold" are a part of the channel inventory.
 
Metrics on Sold iPhones/iPads are actual numbers sold directly to customers. Apple has activation stats for all of their devices.
So does google .

And this argument has been used for years, if stores werent actually selling android sets, they wouldnt be offering them.

Also, when someone upgrades an iOS device, they typically either sell or give their old device to someone else meaning that the total addressable market increases by one for each new unit purchased whereas Android devices typically have very little appeal in the resale market.
BS, they are handed down or given just as well. Lets not pretend an samsung S2 now is any less good now then an iphone 4

It increases just as much for android and the other devices.



Finally, many android devices even sold in the last year cannot be upgraded to the latest version of Android whereas iOS devices sold in the last two or three years can be upgraded to the latest version.

Complete BS, even ignoring custom roms (wich gave even the oldest android phones the latest version) something like an S2 got updated until 4.2.x

And thats ignoring an inherent (and important) difference between IOS and android, android doesnt need to change version to update its stock apps

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/122...d-gets-major-update-new-navigation-info-added


If you are a developer trying to figure out which market to target, you would want to know what the active install base is, what percentage is using the latest version of firmware and what the growth rate of the install base was. What you don't want is to know how many units were sent to a store to sit on the shelf.

Either way you look at it, android is gaining market share and has been for years. Slowly but steadily iOS wich once ruled is being pushed out of the market, and not just the low/mid end.
 
I have watched many users over 50 switch from iPhone to the gs3 / gs4 just because they have a bigger screen.. Many still have iPads, MacBooks and didn't want to move away from iPhone, but if your eyes are failing I guess a bigger screen just makes sense.

Otherwise I hardly see anyone with android devices here in Brisbane, still tons of iPhone users. Could be a city thing.

Are these stats worldwide?
 
Except for those numbers that Apple counted that was shipped phones to Verizon that Verizon still hasn't sold?
Source? You do realize that Apple has a record of every device activated regardless of country and carrier including Wifi only iPads? Each device has a unique device ID which allows them to filter out reactivation of any device.

@k995: The fact that you talk about updating stock apps shows you completely missed the point. You are looking at it from an end user point of view. I am looking at it from a developer point of view. My concerns would be:
"What APIs are available to me?" "What version of an API is available to me?" "What features do I need to cut or exclude to that I can get the maximum addressable market?".

With iOS, there is less risk with requiring everyone using your app to be on iOS 6.x.

If you cannot understand why fragmentation is a problem then you simply cannot be made to understand why these shipping numbers are completely useless.

Even if you can update core app, those apps are still going to be limited to the lowest common denominator or will function differently on different versions of android. I consider that a big problem.
 
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Sure they do.



Yep, those are Apps on iOS.



:confused: Passbook doesn't hold money?

I have no idea what point you are trying to make.

The less market share an eco system has, the less likely developers and companies are inclined to support it.

Less usable apps (increased by the lower marketshare among friends) means people will be less inclined to buy it completing the circle.
 
Apple needs to get a grip on the market. It sells an eco system, one that increasingly is getting passed by and overlooked. It cannot afford to be pushed into a corner, if 90+% of the market doesnt use apple apps they are largely useless.

If we're talking 100 people, then it's not worthing developing for 10 people. But, that 10% is still what, 100-200 million users, if not more, who are spending billions on apps and accessories every year. Haven't downloads from the Play store only just reached App Store levels? And it took 90% market share to achieve what Apple's achieving with 10%?

The market is still very much open for iOS developers.
 
I just feel badly for Windows Phone and Blackberry. They both have great operating systems and great hardware. It's sad to see them not getting adopted higher.

It's not good for one OS to have 80% of the market

I'd love to try a Windows Phone out, but I don't want to either pay an absurd premium on an unlocked device or be at mercy to another contract.

I love my Virgin Mobile service and my HTC One V, which I got on sale for $50.00 around Christmas last year.
 
Except for those numbers that Apple counted that was shipped phones to Verizon that Verizon still hasn't sold?

When did that happen? I think you either misunderstood or you are misrepresenting some reports that Verizon is obliged to sell more iPhones than they have so far. Apple hasn't shipped these phones, and Apple doesn't count them as sold.
 
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