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Apple Edges Out Research in Motion in U.S. Smartphone Market Share

Just wait...

Just wait until the iPhone is available on Verizon and other networks. At this point the only thing holding back iPhone's market share is the available networks that it's compatible with. Soon as the AT&T exclusivity is finished you'll see a surge in iPhone acceptance. :)
 
alywa said:
For as much talk about Android -vs- iPhone, we're still not dealing with a real test of the various OS's popularity.

Bottom line: iOS is available on 1 device, on 1 carrier in the US. Android is on dozens of devices, on all the major carriers.

We will see a real test if (and only if) the iPhone is available on all 4 major US carriers. I am quite confident iOS will do well. Will android be larger? Quite possibly, but as a user of both operating systems (and reasonably tech savvy), I can declare unequivocally that I prefer iOS. Android, at this point, offers nowhere near the fit, finish, and end-user satisfaction of iOS. What android does offer, however, is flexibility in carrier and phone styles.

Don't get me wrong... Android has a great notification system, and the ability to use widgets (or not) is nice, but for other things like media playback / syncing, web surfing (pinch to zoom, scrolling, etc are so much smoother on iOS), and quality app availability, android is very far behind iOS.

If and when the iPhone is available on other carriers, we'll see where they stand... all of the numbers now simply reflect Verizon / Sprint / T-Mobile -vs- AT&T. How does Android do on AT&T... I don't know the answer to that, but I'd guess much worse than the iPhone.
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You're reading into this too much. First off Apple chose to put the iPhone on Att and not support the other carriers so don't defend Apple. This article shows is the US smartphone marketshare were iOS is the leader, and I hope nobody says "were the iPad, iPod Touch and Apple TV numbers" this is only talking about smaphones.

I figure Android will pass iOS this quarter in overall markershare this quarter but I find it funny that Android fangirls were saying that Android had already pass iOS in marketshare were it's only in third place right now.
 
lsvtecjohn3 said:
but I find it funny that Android fangirls were saying that Android had already pass iOS in marketshare were it's only in third place right now.
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They think it's a sprint to the finish and haven't yet caught on that it's a marathon that's just getting started. Apple knows this of course, and so does Google, but you get the ill-informed fans breathlessly hanging on each quarter's numbers as if it meant anything at all.
 
lilo777 said:
Only AAPL shareholders are interested in profit share. Phone users are more interested and concerned about hand set share because this is where app developers will go.
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What developers are choosing severely fragmented Android over iOS? Any mobile device developer with half a brain knows that they have the best chance to make money on the iOS platform and not with Android.

If fragmentation and weak App Store, er, "Marketplace" wasn't enough, there is the rampant rooting of Android (the tinkerer's phone) that enables easy piracy of Apps amongst their 14 year old boy user-base that seals the deal. For developers, millions of users with no money and no morals equals no profits.
 
lsvtecjohn3 said:
You're reading into this too much. First off Apple chose to put the iPhone on Att and not support the other carriers so don't defend Apple. This article shows is the US smartphone marketshare were iOS is the leader, and I hope nobody says "were the iPad, iPod Touch and Apple TV numbers" this is only talking about smaphones.

I figure Android will pass iOS this quarter in overall markershare this quarter but I find it funny that Android fangirls were saying that Android had already pass iOS in marketshare were it's only in third place right now.
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I don't have a smart phone, just a regular one, so I'm not really up on this, but I think they might mean world wide, these are just US numbers. I think I read someone referring to that in an earlier post. I seem to remember a story about this too. The human mind is so horrible, we read things just to not remember them correctly.
 
Consultant said:
Of course. RIM is way behind.
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How does "... a statistical dead heat ... " equate to "... way behind"?

Keep in mind that this listing is of the installed user base, not new sales, so Android's growth figures look significantly larger, but that growth can't help but slow for next year since the current number is based on an originally insignificant number of users last year.
 
I guess we have statistical proof that men are younger than women. :rolleyes:

That would explain why younger people and males are the groups more willing to use Android phones.
 
Well have you seen those "Droid Does" commercials? They're borderline misogynistic, implying that anything feminine is bad. On principle, I refuse to ever buy a Droid. The iPhone commercial are much more gender equitable and Apple places value on aesthetics, which is a factor for many women. Aesthetics is a huge factor me. No matter how well something runs, I'm not going to be particularly interested in buying it if it looks terrible. Similarly, how attracted I am to a guy partially depends on their personal style. Some dating tips for you guys- you can always judge a guy by his shoes, a fact that many straight women realize (subconsciously or consciously).

Anyway, I digress. It's not a matter of how tech-savvy women are in comparison with men. It's all a matter of marketing, and Apple includes women in its marketing, whereas a number of Android devices specifically exclude women in their marketing. As a female tech-nerd, I find those sorts of marketing campaigns grossly offensive.
 
ScaryMerry said:
Well have you seen those "Droid Does" commercials? They're borderline misogynistic, implying that anything feminine is bad. As a female tech-nerd, I find those sorts of marketing campaigns grossly offensive.
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I actually hadn't noticed that. Which commercials?
 
alywa said:
I actually hadn't noticed that. Which commercials?
Click to expand...

Pretty much any Droid ad. They are exactly as described, screaming to women to stay away, screaming to adult men to stay away, and enticing young men to become androids. It's basic marketing psychology when you need to address a market segment that needs reassuring.
 
tigress666 said:
how about this

Android: Tinkerer
iPhone stock: Person who just wants it to do what they want as is without having to mess with it
iPhone JailBroken: Tinkerer

There are plenty of female geeks/tinkerers too you know.
Click to expand...

Yes ma'am.
 
ScaryMerry said:
Well have you seen those "Droid Does" commercials? They're borderline misogynistic, implying that anything feminine is bad. On principle, I refuse to ever buy a Droid.
Click to expand...

NebulaClash said:
Pretty much any Droid ad. They are exactly as described, screaming to women to stay away, screaming to adult men to stay away, and enticing young men to become androids.
Click to expand...

It's a good thing then that Droid is a Verizon exclusive brand and the marketing is from them. Android on the other hand is not a brand tied to any particular marketing campaign and is used by women as much as men, all over the world.

Again, Americans thinking only the US matters. :rolleyes:
 
alywa said:
Wow... that ad did suck. Talk about overcompensation. Might as well throw in some UFC tickets and a ride to the event in a Hummer.
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Tell me about it. I felt personally offended in that I happen to have a mirror screen protector on my iPod and I do use it as a mirror when applying make-up on the go. Seriously, what's wrong with that? I have similar issues with the attitude of many men towards the VW Bug. My dad made a comment once that basically said that since it's a car marketed towards women, it's less desirable. What's wrong with marketing a car to women? Don't women need cars too? (In the interest of not sounding like a hypocrite, I wouldn't have as much of a problem with the male-targeted Droid campaign if it didn't insult women in comparison. Making others feel bad to make yourself feel better is called bullying, folks.)

KnightWRX said:
It's a good thing then that Droid is a Verizon exclusive brand and the marketing is from them. Android on the other hand is not a brand tied to any particular marketing campaign and is used by women as much as men, all over the world.

Again, Americans thinking only the US matters. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

*sigh* Please read the entire post before retorting in that manner.

From my previous post "...whereas a number of Android devices specifically exclude women in their marketing."

I used the Droid as a specific example. There are other Android devices that have male-targeted advertising campaigns, though not as obnoxious as the Droid one.
 
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ScaryMerry said:
Do you remember those commercials that criticized pretty phones and tried to make the Droid seem super manly?

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2009/12/04/ad-wars-droid-manly-iphone-girly/

Totally pissed me off. Hello, patriarchal society in which being feminine is an insult. :mad:
Click to expand...

Wow, what a nutty commercial, thanks for the link! I found this revealing quote in the comments section regarding development for the platforms:


"As someone who writes software for handheld devices, I look at the Apple technology and I look at the android technology.

Now I don't mean the phones. The hardware is just asian manufacturing of US patents and so what? I'm sure everyone's weapon is made by the lowest bidder, as they say in the army.

I am talking about the CODE technology. The API's that allow the code monkey to do stuff.

Now I despise apple, I refuse to write apps for the app store because it is the spawn of the devil, but their code is awesome. Looking at Apple API's and xcode, and then looking at Eclipse and android..... it is like comparing a Porsche to a Hyundai.

Anyone who knows anything about the code behind the magic knows that Apple have this battle won already.

Motorola are not just trying to catch up, they are falling WAY behind.

For them to have spent so much money and still be dependent on Android..... Android is not a software company like microsoft and Apple. Android is an open source project. It is a bunch of hippie communists who hate the world and think they can stop capitalism by writing free software that doesn't work properly.

Well, that is a bit strong, but it is basically true.

For motorola to be reliant on Android tells me one thing: they are not and never will be a software company.

And as Bill Gates and Stev-o have worked out in their own ways, the modern world of tech is all about the software technology."

Posted By cynik, Switzerland: December 5, 2009 7:01 AM
 
KnightWRX said:
Again, Americans thinking only the US matters. :rolleyes:
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I don't get it. Are you upset because the USA Droid commercials are crap? Aren't yours in Canada? Or are they nice, giving you nothing to complain about, so you just revert to a tired complaint about another country. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

I'd be happy if I didn't have to see them. Oh wait, I use a DVR. I'm ok.
 
KnightWRX said:
It's a good thing then that Droid is a Verizon exclusive brand and the marketing is from them. Android on the other hand is not a brand tied to any particular marketing campaign and is used by women as much as men, all over the world.

Again, Americans thinking only the US matters. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Actually, 'Droid is a Motorola trademark, not a Verizon one. Even so, almost all of the Android marketing is aimed at the male customer, not the female.
 
ScaryMerry said:
Tell me about it. I felt personally offended in that I happen to have a mirror screen protector on my iPod and I do use it as a mirror when applying make-up on the go. Seriously, what's wrong with that? I have similar issues with the attitude of many men towards the VW Bug. My dad made a comment once that basically said that since it's a car marketed towards women, it's less desirable. What's wrong with marketing a car to women? Don't women need cars too? (In the interest of not sounding like a hypocrite, I wouldn't have as much of a problem with the male-targeted Droid campaign if it didn't insult women in comparison. Making others feel bad to make yourself feel better is called bullying, folks.)
Click to expand...

Some of you might remember that the original '63-1/2 Ford Mustang was marketed as, "The woman's sports car." Look where that went.
 
Vulpinemac said:
Actually, 'Droid is a Motorola trademark, not a Verizon one. Even so, almost all of the Android marketing is aimed at the male customer, not the female.
Click to expand...

Droid is a Lucasfilm trademark --- which Verizon paid Lucasfilm for a license to use on their phones.
 
i am surprised android hasn't past apple yet.
that will change this christmas right?
next year when the iphone hits Verizon, android will take a big hit
 
Vulpinemac said:
Some of you might remember that the original '63-1/2 Ford Mustang was marketed as, "The woman's sports car." Look where that went.
Click to expand...

1963 was hardly a woman-friendly year, and as most women in the 60s were not able to be financially independent (and capable of buying cars), of course it flopped. Bad example.
 
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ScaryMerry said:
1963 was hardly a woman-friendly year, and as most women in the 60s were not able to be financially independent (and capable of buying cars), of course it flopped. Bad example.
Click to expand...

Pardon me, but did you just say the Mustang flopped? Sorry, but my point was that despite being marketed as a woman's sports car, guys bought it up like mad and built it into the muscle car it became. Maybe the marketing flopped, but the car proved itself a winner. On the other hand, I see more women driving Jeep Wranglers than I see driving Mustangs. Why? Isn't a Wrangler for the 'Mountain Man'? The free spirit who goes where he wants, when he wants and doesn't worry about roads?
 
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