Apple Regains Market Share in Some Countries with Strong iPhone 5s Sales

[Max(IT)]

You've got it backwards. Specs only matter when they favor Apple. Market share is only important when Apple leads or in the case of this article where they gained. The countries where they lost market share? Market share isn't important and they only sell 3 phones versus 867 different Android phones from 89 different manufacturers which are mostly cheap junk. In any area where Apple is behind, statistics don't matter.

Did I get it right?


Disclaimer: This was intended to be a humorous post. It's beyond my control if there is a bit of truth to it.

Personally, I'm not all about specs for sure. But I can't stand for someone saying MotoG is the same as iPhone 5C.

And surely I don't care about market share, because there are too many factors involved.
But I think it is much more interesting to analyze numbers within the same "class" worldwide.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Personally, I'm not all about specs for sure. But I can't stand for someone saying MotoG is the same as iPhone 5C.

And surely I don't care about market share, because there are too many factors involved.
But I think it is much more interesting to analyze numbers within the same "class" worldwide.

The Moto X would be a better comparison for the 5C. I think the Nexus 5 is a fair comparison spec wise to the 5S with each having their strong points but dollar for dollar the Nexus blows it away.

 

[parapup]

Personally, I'm not all about specs for sure. But I can't stand for someone saying MotoG is the same as iPhone 5C.

Why not? Esp so if you don't fall for the specs game? For Apple's marketing department may be it's not the same - but for someone not caring about the camera Moto G is every bit as good as iPhone 5C - in fact in the battery life department it might best the 5C.

[ Laptops are a good comparison - Apple's laptops are costlier than competition but there are real advantages over the competition as well - they use better displays, have better battery life, the unibody design really matters for a laptop and for the most part they last longer. But with phone I just can't come up with what advantages iPhone 5C would have over a Moto G if you look past personal preferences and subjective stuff. ]

 

[SolarShane]

iPhone6 may change these figures even a bit more in Apple's favor.

Yeah.. Because people sure are going to go hog wild for a 4.7" iPhone that's as big as a 5.1" phone.

 

[nikaru]

The Motorola G is perfectly comparable to those devices and the fact that it costs around 1/3 of their price just shows that nowadays you don't need to go high end to have a good smartphone experience.

Guess what, I have a Moto G, and the whole android experiance is a mess, the play store is a mess, the icons that change their place when you download a new one is killing me, the google now is activated constantly when you try to unlock the device, the music app is a ****, the camera is a ****, the back black panel alrdy is lossing its color after few weeks of use. In summery, there are tons of things I hate in this phone, so I dont agree that 1/3 of the price can give you the same experiance. For its price tag Moto G is a OK phone, for someone who dont care much it may be the perfect phone. KitKat is years behind iOS 7 and I use both OSs every single day for many hours so im talking about personal first hand experiance. In terms of overall design, materials and quality the iPhone superpass any other phone. Thats my opinion. You can have yours.

Comparing Moto G with the iPhone is like comparing Ford with Ferrari. Ford will always sell more cars than Ferrari no matter what but that doesnt make it better.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Who is selling phones for under $400? The Moto G is under $400 without contract and so is the Nexus 5... are there really that many other phones out there under $400?

If so, please point me towards them because I'd love to take a look.

Are you serious?

Yes... there are A LOT of Android phones sold under $400

We only ever talk about a handful of famous Android phones on tech blogs and forums (Galaxy S, Galaxy Note, HTC One, Moto X/G, Nexus)

But there are HUNDREDS of cheap Android models being sold across the world.

There were 230 million Android phones sold over the Holiday quarter. How many of them were those few aforementioned phones?

Not that many.

Again... we only ever hear about a handful of well-known Android phones... but there are soooo many more. And it's those other cheaper phones that make up the bulk of "Android"

You know the average selling price for Android phones is around $300... right?

 

[sofila]

Nexus 5 32 gb 399€
iPhone 5S 32 gb 839€

Different phones and specs, different OS, they share some "defect" as non expandable memory or replaceable battery but no way that the first one is worth less than a half of the second one

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A gentle way to say that neither iPhone 5s is worth twice the Nexus 5

 

[Born Again]

Could you at least read some basic charts ? Everywhere ?
Apple is gaining share in:
GB
France
Spain
Australia
Japan
EU5

no exactly third world countries ...

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Japan is a small country ???
On which planet do you live ?

Erff

That's earth

Anyways it's not doing as well as the headline

 

[Michael Scrip]

It makes total sense. You complain just because you don't understand the BIG difference between the vehicle industry and the smartphone industry. In the smartphone industry (or PC industry, or tablet industry), OS type matters the most, because the OS decides the software development environment which in turn decides the real capability of the devices.

I understand the difference between the automotive market and the smartphone market.

I was just suggesting a new way to define the smartphone market.

I'm getting tired of the idea that Android is "winning" purely on volume... when no one talks about what that volume actually consists of.

Is two Android phones selling for $60 really twice as important as one $600 iPhone?

That's the way these numbers are interpreted. Volume is rewarded... no matter what it is.

 

[mib1800]

The only conclusion I can see is that iphone is way overpriced without subsidies. People are not idiots like some of apple fans here think. Why would anyone pay more for a phone that basically has nothing special and lesser specs over its rivals. Clear and simple explanation. That's why apple is being clobbered all over the world where the price of phone better reflect real ownership cost (and not distorted by carrier subsidies)

Like I said before iphone can only compete when it is cheap or free (i.e in the "low" price segment)

 

[Michael Scrip]

Apple's "single company" limiting factor is a self-imposed strategic decision. Fewer device and form factor options are a byproduct of that choice, which ultimately results in lower market share.

I don't see people saying, "you're comparing an entire platform to a single company" when Apple (constantly) points out Android's fragmentation - also a byproduct of their strategic choices.

Pick one or the other... we either compare them (including the baggage that comes with each company's strategic decisions), or we don't compare them. We shouldn't selectively point out negatives for one while dismissing them as unfair comparisons for the other.

That's the problem... no one ever talks about the extra baggage of Android. They only look at the raw numbers: market share, shipments, etc.

And by those numbers... Android is a rousing success. 80% market share... or 8 out of 10 smartphones sold today run Android.

But no one mentions that 5 out of those 8 are garbage phones that will never see an update... or those phones were sold with an already outdated version of Android... or those phone were particularly poor performers in the first place.

Nope... all Android phones get counted the same and get added up to a huge number.

But Android's baggage is never factored in.

 

[MattyW]

Are you serious?

Yes... there are A LOT of Android phones sold under $400

We only ever talk about a handful of famous Android phones on tech blogs and forums (Galaxy S, Galaxy Note, HTC One, Moto X/G, Nexus)

But there are HUNDREDS of cheap Android models being sold across the world.

There were 230 million Android phones sold over the Holiday quarter. How many of them were those few aforementioned phones?

Not that many.

Again... we only ever hear about a handful of well-known Android phones... but there are soooo many more. And it's those other cheaper phones that make up the bulk of "Android"

You know the average selling price for Android phones is around $300... right?

By most accounts the Galaxy S line {excluding the Note} alone sells almost as many phones as Apple so the premium market for Samsung phones {the biggest Android vendor} is almost as large as Apple's, not to mention the multitude of other Android flagships.

In fact recent data has shown that Samsung supposedly outsold Apple's launch weekend for the 5S with the S5 {at least in the US and Canada} >> Mind you I have difficulty believing this but the stories have been popping up in my RSS feeds recently.

Link: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/6...s-apple-iphone-5s-on-launch-weekend-sales.htm

 

[Michael Scrip]

Again, context matters. There's nothing hypocritical about Apple posting market share numbers when they are in their favor. It means a lot more to be gaining market share when you also lead in profit share, developer support, accessory support, third-party integration, etc.

Having an 80% share means a lot less if you have none of those things.

Exactly.

Android has the most market share... but they don't enjoy any of the benefits that usually come with a platform having the most market share.

#winning

 

[mib1800]

But no one mentions that 5 out of those 8 are garbage phones that will never see an update... or those phones were sold with an already outdated version of Android... or those phone were particularly poor performers in the first place.

Nope... all Android phones get counted the same and get added up to a huge number.

But Android's baggage is never factored in.

From a techie point of view iphone is garbage because it can't do many things (except flaunt an aluminuium can ) compared to a phone half its price.

 

[Michael Scrip]

By most accounts the Galaxy S line {excluding the Note} alone sells almost as many phones as Apple so the premium market for Samsung phones {the biggest Android vendor} is almost as large as Apple's, not to mention the multitude of other Android flagships.

Image

In fact recent data has shown that Samsung supposedly outsold Apple's launch weekend for the 5S with the S5 {at least in the US and Canada} >> Mind you I have difficulty believing this but the stories have been popping up in my RSS feeds recently.

Image

Link: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/6...s-apple-iphone-5s-on-launch-weekend-sales.htm

Right... but that goes back to what I was saying earlier.

Most Android phones are NOT the Galaxy S series and are not even flagships at all.

The question earlier was "are there really that many other phones out there under $400?"

The answer is a resounding YES.

The Galaxy S series sells a healthy amount... and they may even eclipse sales of the iPhone over certain periods of time.

But "Android" is made up of more than a handful of well-known flagship phones.

 

[Jvanleuvan]

From a techie point of view iphone is garbage because it can't do many things (except flaunt an aluminuium can ) compared to a phone half its price.

From MY techie point of view, Android is a much larger headache!

we're currently trying to deploy MDM. IOS has management built right in, I just need to send my users a .mobileConfig file and tell them to click "Install" That's it! Management done. Plus I can give specific instructions because all of the prompts look exactly the same on any IOS device(including ipads/ipod touces etc..)

on Android I need an app, because apparently android doesn't have any built in management like IOS. So I have to send my android users a link to the play store and tell them to download and install the app. (which they may have trouble doing because they aren't really technical, or may never have registered, etc... OR may not even have the play store and may have Amazon's market)

Then I have to tell them to click "back" on their device, which is again, a different location and icon depending on which device they have. so I can't give "Specific" instructions.

Then they have to click a registration URL to send an application intent to the app to register them to my companies MDM. and the Intents dont seem to work on every device, just most of them.

We tried to automate this, by having a hosted webpage that ran JavaScript and tried to open the intent URLs in the background, but many android devices do not support multitasking (or at least suspend the web browser's JavaScript engine when the store is open) though it did work great on the nexus devices. Tried to force the intent URL in a pop up. but that setting is a nightmare of differences between each device.

Also, assisting users with registering their phones with our exchange server is a NIGHTMARE on android.

On IOS i can publish ONE set of instructions that works for ALL devices (even older IOS versions, though the screens are a different color, the options are all the same)

It seems like nearly no two android devices have the same options menu to set-up email accounts. so we cannot possibly post any step-by-step instructions for our users; we have to refer them to support.

Then, we built internal websites for specific uses. These sites check out on HTML standards, they render fine in IE, Chrome, Safari, and on ALL IOS devices, and on most Android devices, however on some, (two Motorola's some older Samsungs, and the chrome browser on the nexus 7s) they do not render correctly (still works just ugly)

Then, even with the app on many (but, again not all) android devices the user has to open the app and authorize the app as an admin for our MDM to have certain features available.


Then some android devices don't even come close to following activesync policies, once again any IOS device newer than a 3gs does.

Then the keyboards!!! some of android's keyboards work very poorly, they don't "layer" properly over the webpage and cause any footer(static bottom) content to move above the keyboard and block usable parts of the screen! but only on some devices. Once again ALL IOS devices work fine (even old IOS versions) sow we have to remove footers for android devices. and the list just goes on-and-on....

 

[mib1800]

From MY techie point of view, Android is a much larger headache!

we're currently trying to deploy MDM. IOS has management built right in, I just need to send my users a .mobileConfig file and tell them to click "Install" That's it! Management done. Plus I can give specific instructions because all of the prompts look exactly the same on any IOS device(including ipads/ipod touces etc..)

on Android I need an app, because apparently android doesn't have any built in management like IOS. So I have to send my android users a link to the play store and tell them to download and install the app. (which they may have trouble doing because they aren't really technical, or may never have registered, etc... OR may not even have the play store and may have Amazon's market)

So you are doing all these steps for "dumb" users and not someone who has more technical knowledge and enthusiast? I thought we are talking about the latter . Anyway, I can give a long laundry list of what Android is capable of which Iphone can't do (even with jailbreak).

btw: our corporate MDM deployment is no more complicated - point to a Playstore link -> install the app-> app configure all necessary settings no prompts necessary (except user id/password).

Even to some typical buyers, iphone is just entry level specs (screen size/resolution, camera, other hardware) but with a luxury price. If these people have no affinity with Apple, it is just crazy to pay over-the-top price for having an Apple logo and aluminium can material.

 

[kdarling]

Is two Android phones selling for $60 really twice as important as one $600 iPhone?

Depends on whether you care more about the maker or the user.

If a phone gave vital smartphone communications to someone who otherwise would not be able to afford any, then I'd say yes, it's just as important as an higher priced phone, if not more so.

It's like asking, are two $600 iPhones really twice as important as one $6,000 Vertu? After all, the latter has a titanium frame, sapphire screen, and 24 hour concierge service.

And by those numbers... Android is a rousing success. 80% market share... or 8 out of 10 smartphones sold today run Android.

Correct, Android phones sell at about five times the rate of iOS phones. (E.g. 800m vs 160m.)

But no one mentions that 5 out of those 8 are garbage phones...

Sounds like a made up number, but okay, even if only 300m out of 800m are phones YOU consider to be comparable to the iPhone, that's still almost twice as many Android sold as iOS.

Side comment: Sales numbers are not something that traditional Apple fans worry about. In fact, they used to take pride in being in the fewer number. This worry over numbers is something that newer iPhone fans seem to have drug in over the years.

 

[PadreQuevedo]

The Big-Screen iPhone 6 will sell like hotcakes.

Will sell to people who already own IOS devices. Don't expect Android users to downgrade to IOS.
iPhone is dead.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Depends on whether you care more about the maker or the user.

If a phone gave vital smartphone communications to someone who otherwise would not be able to afford any, then I'd say yes, it's just as important as an overpriced phone, if not more so.

Correct, Android phones sell at about five times the rate of iOS phones. (E.g. 800m vs 160m.)

Sounds like a made up number, but okay, even if only 300m out of 800m are phones YOU consider to be comparable to the iPhone, that's still almost twice as many Android sold as iOS.

Side comment: Sales numbers are not something that traditional Apple fans worry about. In fact, they used to take pride in being in the fewer number. This worry over numbers is something that newer iPhone fans seem to have drug in over the years.

Sales numbers is what market share is all about.

It's the sales over the last 3 months. They add them up and see which platform or companies have which percentages.

Apple has traditionally had lower sales numbers in a few markets... but they excelled in other areas.

If there are 20 companies selling Android phones... and one company selling iOS phones... yeah there will be some huge discrepancies.

What I'm looking for is the results.

Like I said earlier... Android has the most market share... but they don't enjoy any of the benefits that usually come with a platform having the most market share.

Since Android phones outsell Apple phones five to one... shouldn't Android be five times greater is all aspects?

Android app downloads have passed iPhone app downloads. Not surprisingly... there are five times as many Android smartphones being sold.

However... Android app revenue doesn't mirror that... it's still less than iPhone. It may take ten times as many Android phones sold to finally equal iPhone app revenue. That means the revenue per device is less on Android. Developers notice this.

I'd argue that the iPhone platform is actually stronger... despite selling fewer devices.

Every 3 months we see articles titled "Android Dominates Smartphone Market Share"... but there's never really a compelling story after that.

 

[macs4nw]

Okay that isn't based on any fact
And japan is very small country
The headlines are misleading

It may have been nothing earth-shattering, but the fact is, averaged out, it was a small net increase.

However my comment was mostly regarding the following line: "customers in the U.S. generally react better to "full releases" like the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 than "incremental" updates such as the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c", and the next iPhone is of course rumored and expected, to be a "full release".

 

[mib1800]

However... Android app revenue doesn't mirror that... it's still less than iPhone. It may take ten times as many Android phones sold to finally equal iPhone app revenue. That means the revenue per device is less on Android. Developers notice this.

I'd argue that the iPhone platform is actually stronger... despite selling fewer devices.

Every 3 months we see articles titled "Android Dominates Smartphone Market Share"... but there's never really a compelling story after that.

Appstore revenue importance is way way over-rated. All it shows is that it gives game developers an avenue to make money (since most of revenue came from games) and Apple to feed off this gravy train. Maybe kids/teenagers spent more money in Appstore but the number of affected users/buyers maybe numbered a few tens of million. Compared this to the hundreds and hundreds of million of users for "essential" free apps (e.g. google,fb,tw,whatsapp etc) which you never pay a single cent upfront. But the indirect revenue (gained by the companies that made these so-called free apps) is in the order of hundred of times more than Appstore revenue.

You got it all reversed. Appstore revenue (or other similar indicators) is never really compelling but market share is. There are so many indirect industry-wide benefits that market share gives which are not apparent. If you can't maintain market share only means you go into obscurity into the future. Once a upon a time a huge proportion of smartphone market share/profit was attributed to Nokia (using the Symbian platform). It all went downhill for Nokia when it lost its market share to Apple/Android over a period of time. Will iOS go the same way as Nokia (symbian)?

 

[Max(IT)]

Why not? Esp so if you don't fall for the specs game? For Apple's marketing department may be it's not the same - but for someone not caring about the camera Moto G is every bit as good as iPhone 5C - in fact in the battery life department it might best the 5C.

[ Laptops are a good comparison - Apple's laptops are costlier than competition but there are real advantages over the competition as well - they use better displays, have better battery life, the unibody design really matters for a laptop and for the most part they last longer. But with phone I just can't come up with what advantages iPhone 5C would have over a Moto G if you look past personal preferences and subjective stuff. ]

Yes, why not ... For someone not caring about performance, camera, network connection .... a Galaxy Ace could be as good as an iPhone 5C also

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Guess what, I have a Moto G, and the whole android experiance is a mess, the play store is a mess, the icons that change their place when you download a new one is killing me, the google now is activated constantly when you try to unlock the device, the music app is a ****, the camera is a ****, the back black panel alrdy is lossing its color after few weeks of use. In summery, there are tons of things I hate in this phone, so I dont agree that 1/3 of the price can give you the same experiance. For its price tag Moto G is a OK phone, for someone who dont care much it may be the perfect phone. KitKat is years behind iOS 7 and I use both OSs every single day for many hours so im talking about personal first hand experiance. In terms of overall design, materials and quality the iPhone superpass any other phone. Thats my opinion. You can have yours.

Comparing Moto G with the iPhone is like comparing Ford with Ferrari. Ford will always sell more cars than Ferrari no matter what but that doesnt make it better.

In this case "Ferrari is selling also more cars than Ford"

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The Moto X would be a better comparison for the 5C. I think the Nexus 5 is a fair comparison spec wise to the 5S with each having their strong points but dollar for dollar the Nexus blows it away.

You are right, but at that price Nexus 5 is unbeatable.

 

[tdale]

Hate these stats. Compare year to year and document the release dates of the iPhone and Galaxy so that the slowdown in the 6 months towards the next release is off set by at least 2 months sales of the new model so you can compare. Document the changes of telcos in that timeframe, to get a better overall picture of why share went up or down

 

[Oletros]

A snapdragon 400 is not even comparable to A6.
Not even speak about the camera, or the lack of LTE .... or dual band wifi ... or IPS display ... or 1080P video recording ...

----------


....

Repeat what you want, the Motorola G is comparable to the iPhone 5C.

When even Apple centric sites compare it favorably against the 5C and say that user experience is comparable it us for some reason.

By the way, it has an IPS display