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Android Jumps Past iOS in Overall U.S. Smartphone Usage

Popeye206 said:
Makes sense. Android is really becoming the defacto alternative to iOS.

This is not about iOS vs Android. Both are doing well. It's the others who need to worry like RIM and MS. Where RIM was trying to beat the iPhone 2 years ago, now they have two platforms kicking their butt.

However, it's really not a fair comparison when you compare the iPhone vs Android. One is a phone and the other an OS. Wake me up when one single model of an Android based phone out sells the iPhone, then you can say Apple is in trouble.
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I love that argument - who told Apple to only make 1 phone? Nobody it was their decision. This is PC vs Mac all over again - history repeating itself.

I can't wait to see how Steve Jobs spins this somehow at WWDC - my guess is he'll throw iPod Touches and iPads into their numbers so it doesn't look as horrible as the Nielsen chart shows.

At the end of the day, the truth hurts - Android is the new defacto platform for mobile and that means developers, developers, developers.

Next up...tablets :D
 
syc23 said:
You don't hear about Ferrari and Porsche worrying about their market share. Neither should Apple. Let the other guys squabble in the lower end of the market leaving Apple to continue to deliver a premium product and user experience.
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Fiat owns 85% of Ferrari.
Volkswagen owns 49.9% of Porsche.
 
AidenShaw said:
Of course, because Apple is making the same mistakes that let Windows get +95% market share in spite of Apple's early lead in PCs.

A "closed" eco-system has no chance against an "open" eco-system.
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When will you people learn.....Apple is not about market share, they are in business to make MONEY. Yes they would like to have as much market share as they can but they make high end products and sell them at a high price. No phone or product is better than another, it's all in what YOU like. I like Apple products, I switched from MS for a reason, I liked what OSX and iLife did more than what MS offered. For me it's the best, maybe not for you. What's better a FORD or a BWM? They both get you from point A to point B one just has more style. That doesn't mean it's better, it's what YOU like.

Also both eco systems are CLOSED. Google just licenses Android out, you still have to ROOT or JAILBREAK both to add more features.
 
Android will rule in numbers... It ha more handsets on more carriers and cheaper hardware. iOS can't compete with that unless Apple keeps old generation devices at lower prices which I find hard to believe...
 
Oh, let's not get carried away. This will NEVER be PC vs Macs again. That was a unique historical situation that is not being repeated.

1. Apple has never led the phone market in market share. This is not a case of Apple "losing" to Android, since Apple has not lost anything. Both Apple and Android are growing gangbusters. Both are doing well, both will do well.

2. When the iPhone started, Steve Jobs wanted a small percentage of the market in the first year. He got more than that, and now has a percentage none of us would have believed possible back then. Apple is doing great.

3. The phone market is so vast, no one company will ever control it all. If that's your goal, forget it, Napolean, it won't happen. Not for Android, not for Apple, not for anyone.

4. If you are a developer, iOS is where it's at for getting compensation in a non-adware environment.

5. And yes, it is the iOS marketshare that matters to developers, because all those iPod touch owners buy apps too.
 
Android is winning 'cause it's cheaper than apple, which is from the recession, people want cheap when they both do the same with a few minor exceptions.
 
JimEJr said:
Where are the Android users that these stats support? I barely seen folks with Android devices. The vast majority clearly have iPhones. Maybe I need to be in a more tech centric urban area than Richmond, VA. I don't really care who's leading, I buy MY device for MY reasons, just saying from observation.
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Hehe, up here in Arlington all I see is either iPhone or Android for personal phones, but everyone (in both camps) seems to have a BB as well...
 
In related news, all models of Ford vehicles combined outsold the toyota prius.

Film at 11.
 
Tones2 said:
Boy, you are sniffing a serious amount of glue.:rolleyes: His motivation is to make brainwashed fanboys BELIEVE Apple is making the best darn tech gadgets in the world, such that Apple can make the most darn profits and he can get the biggest darn bonus. And with THAT, he is a genious.
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What makes a product "Best" in its category is defined by different people differently. For some people "best" is a free phone because they can't afford anything else. Some people pour over the specs and select the "best".

For me, "best" is the phone that operates the most intuitively to my way of thinking. I want something that I don't need to refer back to the manual to use its features. My Android Incredible came with a 8" x 11", 73 page manual that I need to use to operate the phone... that fact speaks volumes to what separates the Android from the "best."
 
How about Profit Share?

That's awesome... Android OS is run on exponentially more devices than iOS is. Of course Android is going to be ahead in Market Share. They reach a wider customer base, from low end Android devices closer to feature phones up to flagship devices that better compete with the iPhone and iOS.

If you really want to know how the two are doing, you should be looking at Profit Share as well. My guess... Apple and iOS are the leader in that.
 
mobilehavoc said:
I love that argument - who told Apple to only make 1 phone? Nobody it was their decision. This is PC vs Mac all over again - history repeating itself.

I can't wait to see how Steve Jobs spins this somehow at WWDC - my guess is he'll throw iPod Touches and iPads into their numbers so it doesn't look as horrible as the Nielsen chart shows.

At the end of the day, the truth hurts - Android is the new defacto platform for mobile and that means developers, developers, developers.

Next up...tablets :D
Click to expand...

You do realize that Apple takes in healthy profit from selling Mac's right? They do not need 90% market share to turn a massive profit. They would love it but don't need it.
 
Just a sample size of one, but I'm a good example of a customer that Apple might not get:

Sprint user for years. Good discounts, etc. and the service has worked fine for me over the years. For me to switch carriers for an iPhone I'd spend $40-$50 a month more. As much as I want an iphone (I own a 3gs I use internationally and really like it), unless Apple and Sprint make a deal I'm probably gonna end up with an Android phone to replace my barely functional Palm Pre. I'm heading out of the country for a couple months, hopefully Sprint has the iPhone when I return, haha...
 
AaronEdwards said:
Fiat owns 85% of Ferrari.
Volkswagen owns 49.9% of Porsche.
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Right and what is your point?

If they weren't making money they would be sold off or shut down. They are high end cars sold to the rich. But let me guess you are stupid to buy an over priced Apple or iProduct right? Just like anyone that buys a BMW, Ferrari or Porsche is dumb. What is dumb is thinking one product is better than another. What is better, the iPhone, Android or a Star Tec? I guess if the only thing I want to do is make phone calls my old Star Tec is the best if it still works. My point is it depends on what your needs are.
 
Android has two clubs

Non iPhone market: free phones and $50 dollar phones
iPhone competitors: $200 phones: HTC Evo, Droid Incredible, etc..

I'd like to see a breakdown of Android by these metrics.

Take all the MetroPCS and Free junk out of the stats and lets see whose premium offerings are reigning supreme.

We can take out the 3GS to make everything "equal".
 
ptysell said:
And yet the entire Android platform generates less revenue in a year than iTunes does in a single quarter.
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Thats because Android users want everything for free. Its so easy to "aquire" apps for your Android device. Why pay? If I was a developer I would stay away from the Android Market. The App Store is where the money is at.
 
Why do these numbers never make sense to me? Massive iOS device sales, no reports of Android sales, yet -bam - Android takes over the world? I just don't get it...

There are reports like this, then debunked, then a new one, then debunked. What is really going on?
 
It Doesn't Take a Genius

It doesn't take a genius to predict that when proprietary OS, making essentially one model of phone, is compared to essentially the rest of the world, that the open OS, having perhaps 30 companies manufacturing perhaps 50 or so models of phone at any time, that they will garner a bigger market share.

Apple couldn't get enough parts to compete with 30 companies if they tried. They don't want to. Apple is not trying for world dominance. They are trying for perfection. Just as there are more Ford Pintos in the world than Bentleys. Who cares.

So, in response to this "amazing" statistic, I say, SO WHAT!
 
Not the Least Bit Surprised

I've watched Apple go from "outsider" to The Big Heavy in The Room, innovating about as quickly as a battleship takes to turn around, focusing on beauty, beauty, beauty as Android allowed its system to be used in some butt-ugly phones that -- hey! -- actually seemed to work pretty well, to the point where they are refined to become exciting looking, versatile systems that JUST GET THINGS DONE. The iPhone has become a Thin Fashion Model, and we are all just paparazzi awaiting her entrance/exit at Cannes each year (San Francisco). I've had it, and will be happy to pick up a great Android system phone this year on Verizon. (Oh yes, and MobileMe was a total bust; after upgrading it wouldn't pick up my contacts anymore....)
 
In for the unwarranted android hate even though it's a personal choice and impacts our personal lives in no way! :p


those android using smug filthy bastards. we should get together and put them in camps of some kind and reeducate them of the greatness of iphones and terminate the ones who don't oblige to our views :D
 
mds said:
Just a sample size of one, but I'm a good example of a customer that Apple might not get:

Sprint user for years. Good discounts, etc. and the service has worked fine for me over the years. For me to switch carriers for an iPhone I'd spend $40-$50 a month more. As much as I want an iphone (I own a 3gs I use internationally and really like it), unless Apple and Sprint make a deal I'm probably gonna end up with an Android phone to replace my barely functional Palm Pre. I'm heading out of the country for a couple months, hopefully Sprint has the iPhone when I return, haha...
Click to expand...

Another name for a sample size of one. An anecdote... ;)
 
mobilehavoc said:
I love that argument - who told Apple to only make 1 phone? Nobody it was their decision. This is PC vs Mac all over again - history repeating itself.

I can't wait to see how Steve Jobs spins this somehow at WWDC - my guess is he'll throw iPod Touches and iPads into their numbers so it doesn't look as horrible as the Nielsen chart shows.

At the end of the day, the truth hurts - Android is the new defacto platform for mobile and that means developers, developers, developers.
Click to expand...

I suspect you're just trolling because I can't believe that you're as clueless as you pretend.

The Android platform is so highly fractured that to write an app for one Android phone doesn't mean you got the platform covered... far from it. Apple's IOS platform is huge, and has only shrunk in market share by a couple points (PIM is the one taking a beating) since the last survey.

The controlled environment of the IOS, which extends to iPods, and iPads, makes for a more profitable platform for developers. This not wishful dreaming, it's a fact any developer will tell you, or you can jump into the archives and learn for yourself.
 
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