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Apple Again Trails Market in Smartphone Growth, but Closes on Nokia in Overall Mobile Phones

1) Some people need to stop analogizing that the iPhone is a premium device vs its competition. It may provide a premium experience - but there are many premium phones in the marketplace now. Apple isn't the "porshe" or whatever car you want to say vs a "kia."

2) Yay. Stupid bragging rights on a meaningless stat unto itself. How many here are going to lose sleep or stress out about whether or not Apple has sold as many or more than other companies?

3) Another poster said it well - some people need to let go of the notion that in order for Apple to "win" or "succeed" it means all others must fail.
 
Whilst of course Profits are really really important.
Market share is also really REALLY important long term.

I do have to smile as all I keep hearing here is. Yeah but Samsung sells a lot more junk phones, Apple makes more profit and that's all that matters.

If you take that argument to it's logical conclusion:

Just making number up to demonstrate.

Samsung sells 100 million phones around the world and makes 90 million profit.
Apple sold one really expensive phone for 100 million dollars.

Apple makes the best phones.
 
Rogifan said:
Apple isn't doomed, you're clueless if you think smartphone market share is a meaningful metric.
Click to expand...

Anyone who still thinks that "Apple is doomed" can be someway witty or funny can't really be taken seriously or dignified by a response :) More so because many of them think they are someway smart provoking people with this ****** instead that totally callow.
 
Samsung has so many more different new smartphones for sale to choose from during the year, Apple only has a few.

Not surprised at the figures.
 
samcraig said:
1) Some people need to stop analogizing that the iPhone is a premium device vs its competition. It may provide a premium experience - but there are many premium phones in the marketplace now. Apple isn't the "porshe" or whatever car you want to say vs a "kia."

2) Yay. Stupid bragging rights on a meaningless stat unto itself. How many here are going to lose sleep or stress out about whether or not Apple has sold as many or more than other companies?

3) Another poster said it well - some people need to let go of the notion that in order for Apple to "win" or "succeed" it means all others must fail.
Click to expand...

Same here, why get upset or excited about something we can't even influence or change?

My iPhone works and I like it.

Now bring on that 128 GB larger screen iPhone and I'll help you improve your market share and units shipped!
 
samcraig said:
1) Some people need to stop analogizing that the iPhone is a premium device vs its competition. It may provide a premium experience - but there are many premium phones in the marketplace now. Apple isn't the "porshe" or whatever car you want to say vs a "kia."

2) Yay. Stupid bragging rights on a meaningless stat unto itself. How many here are going to lose sleep or stress out about whether or not Apple has sold as many or more than other companies?

3) Another poster said it well - some people need to let go of the notion that in order for Apple to "win" or "succeed" it means all others must fail.
Click to expand...

I think you need to flip around #3. The meme these days is if someone else is successful that's bad news for Apple. As if the "smartphone market" is some fixed pie and if one player grows it means the others decline.
 
Rogifan said:
I think you need to flip around #3. The meme these days is if someone else is successful that's bad news for Apple. As if the "smartphone market" is some fixed pie and if one player grows it means the others decline.
Click to expand...

I think it goes both ways. But the chicken littles need to take a xanax.
 
well when you're competing against companies who sell crap that costs $7 to make... how about a graph with the +$450 smartphone sales numbers?

In other news, Toyota sold more cars than Ferrari, thus proving that they are better.


Thanks lol
 
Z400Racer37 said:
well when you're competing against companies who sell crap that costs $7 to make... how about a graph with the +$450 smartphone sales numbers?

In other news, Toyota sold more cars than Ferrari, thus proving that they are better.


Thanks lol
Click to expand...

You realize the chart is smartphone vs smartphone on one of the charts.

See my post above - best to stay away from absurd car analogies since your "Ferrari" is sold at Walmart, Costco, etc.
 
bobringer said:
And Honda sells more cars than Audi.

The point here is?

(I'll tell you what the point is... the industry needs to stop treating this as one giant monolithic market. It doesn't work that way in other industries... why does it work that way in the phone business)?

Apple's profits in the phone business are rising. Samsung's profits in the phone business got CUT IN HALF over the past year.

Yet the problem is... Apple's market share?
Click to expand...
Spot on !

I rarely see a Samsung and never see a Nokia amongst my colleagues and friends. The phones people want are iPhone's. The only phones some people can afford are Nokia's with Samsung somewhere in the middle. I know this sounds obnoxious but its a fact. Unless Samsung's are cheap they won't sell many, that means low low margins for them.
 
nexusrule said:
Anyone who still thinks that "Apple is doomed" can be someway witty or funny can't really be taken seriously or dignified by a response :) More so because many of them think they are someway smart provoking people with this ****** instead that totally callow.
Click to expand...

Anyone saying that Apple is doomed is because is clueless or just trying to start a flame bait

----------
Jambalaya said:
Spot on !

I rarely see a Samsung and never see a Nokia amongst my colleagues and friends. The phones people want are iPhone's.
Click to expand...

Yap, because your colleagues and friend are all the consumer market
 
It would seem to me the only market on the high end side of phones Apple is crushing are the people who want bigger screened phones.. I think once Apple releases that, market share won't be a big problem:D

I know many of my android friends who are waiting on their upgrades to see what the 6 has to offer.
 
jambalaya said:
spot on !

I rarely see a samsung and never see a nokia amongst my colleagues and friends. The phones people want are iphone's. The only phones some people can afford are nokia's with samsung somewhere in the middle. I know this sounds obnoxious but its a fact. Unless samsung's are cheap they won't sell many, that means low low margins for them.
Click to expand...

hilarious post!
 
bobringer said:
And Honda sells more cars than Audi.

The point here is?

(I'll tell you what the point is... the industry needs to stop treating this as one giant monolithic market. It doesn't work that way in other industries... why does it work that way in the phone business)?

Apple's profits in the phone business are rising. Samsung's profits in the phone business got CUT IN HALF over the past year.

Yet the problem is... Apple's market share?
Click to expand...

You and the 21 people who upvoted you need to do a better job of understand what you're reading. The article isn't comparing total sales, it's comparing growth, huge difference. If Audi sells 100 cars this year and 200 next year they have a 100% growth. If Honda sells 500,000 cars this year and 600,000 next year they have a 20% growth.

One has more sales but the other has more growth. And just to put it in perspective for you. Samsung had more sales AND higher growth than Apple.

The silver lining for Apple is that their sales ARE increasing, just at a slower rate than everyone else, and they have a pretty large profit margin on their devices, but this news isn't as insignificant as you seem to think it is.
 
Rogifan said:
Apple isn't doomed, you're clueless if you think smartphone market share is a meaningful metric.
Click to expand...

There was a joke there

----------
gnasher729 said:
When you compare Apple and Nokia total phone sales, and Apple is getting close, with Apple selling nothing but high-end phones and Nokia being the king of the cheap phone, then you know that Apple is doing something very right, and Nokia is doing something very wrong, and that for several years.
Click to expand...

That's just it
They've been doing awful for a while - Nokia
 
Rogifan said:
Apple isn't doomed, you're clueless if you think smartphone market share is a meaningful metric.
Click to expand...

Every metric becomes meaningless to many macrumors members as soon as said metric doesn't favor Apple. Until that happens, it's typically a highly referenced "go to" metric.
 
What high end iphone?

In all countries where there is little subsidy (I.e. High iphone price) Apple got trashed badly. Iphone pretends to be high end but not many are biting. Just an illusion of grandeur.

Only in high subsidy countries where iphone can be bought for dirt cheap, iphone thrives. Doesn't this mean iphone belong to the "crap" category like many ifans like to use?
 
Jambalaya said:
Spot on !

I rarely see a Samsung and never see a Nokia amongst my colleagues and friends. The phones people want are iPhone's. The only phones some people can afford are Nokia's with Samsung somewhere in the middle. I know this sounds obnoxious but its a fact. Unless Samsung's are cheap they won't sell many, that means low low margins for them.
Click to expand...

You're right. It does sound obnoxious but nothing you've stated can even be remotely construed as fact.

Fact<- I don't think that means what you think it does.
 
These car segment comparisons are missing one important point - most companies have brand offerings in different segments. Yes, Honda outsells Audi as someone said, but if I want Audi's German engineering at a lower price point, I can buy a WV (same company). If I want a more upscale Honda, I can buy an Acura (same company).

Almost all car brands belong to bigger parent companies because it's very hard to survive as an independent selling to only one segment. Take Jaguar and Volvo as examples of prestigious European brands - both couldn't make it on their own, both absorbed by Ford, and both later sold off to companies in India and China respectively.

Tastes change, so car manufacturers diversify their risk by offering different form factors, price points, features, and even brand positioning. If Scion market share takes a hit, it's not nearly as big a problem when Toyota and Lexus thrive. SUV sales went way down when gas prices sky-rocketed, but Jeep survived because Chrysler also sells cars with good fuel economy.

Since Apple made a decision to offer a limited number of devices in a narrow pricing segment, these market share numbers matter... a lot. Small changes in carrier subsidies, consumer taste, and price sensitivity could pose bigger risks to Apple because they aren't as diversified.
 
Mockenrue said:
These car segment comparisons are missing one important point - most companies have brand offerings in different segments. Yes, Honda outsells Audi as someone said, but if I want Audi's German engineering at a lower price point, I can buy a WV (same company). If I want a more upscale Honda, I can buy an Acura (same company).

Almost all car brands belong to bigger parent companies because it's very hard to survive as an independent selling to only one segment. Take Jaguar and Volvo as examples of prestigious European brands - both couldn't make it on their own, both absorbed by Ford, and both later sold off to companies in India and China respectively.

Tastes change, so car manufacturers diversify their risk by offering different form factors, price points, features, and even brand positioning. If Scion market share takes a hit, it's not nearly as big a problem when Toyota and Lexus thrive. SUV sales went way down when gas prices sky-rocketed, but Jeep survived because Chrysler also sells cars with good fuel economy.

Since Apple made a decision to offer a limited number of devices in a narrow pricing segment, these market share numbers matter... a lot. Small changes in carrier subsidies, consumer taste, and price sensitivity could pose bigger risks to Apple because they aren't as diversified.
Click to expand...

Besides, if someone really wants to have smart phone market share analysis on a per segment basis which segment would iPhone belong to? It would probably belong to a second tier segment because it would be a stretch to place it into the same segment with, say, Galaxy Note 3 that has 3x RAM, 2.85x display resolution and a whole host of features missing in iPhone (pressure sensitive pen input, multi-window OS, barometer, memory card support etc.)
 
Jambalaya said:
Spot on !

I rarely see a Samsung and never see a Nokia amongst my colleagues and friends. The phones people want are iPhone's. The only phones some people can afford are Nokia's with Samsung somewhere in the middle. I know this sounds obnoxious but its a fact. Unless Samsung's are cheap they won't sell many, that means low low margins for them.
Click to expand...

Your post did make me chuckle! In the UK the iPhone isnt as elite as you would like to think it is. In fact, I would go as far to say it is the phone chavs are most likely to have.

If were deciding facts based on your logic, the majority of the people I work with have Android based phones and those with iPhone are looking to switch to Android having seen them.
 
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