Apple Sneaks by Android in Fourth Quarter U.S. Smartphone Sales

[fertilized-egg]

I'm pretty sure everyone Android fan boy declaired Andriod the winner and iOS the loser.

It's just odd that Android is declared the winner when most of the major companies who make Android phones are struggling or seeing their profits dwindling down.

The only thing that apple boasts about their electronic part in iphone 4s is actually made by Samsung.

apple defense force, you mad?

Umm...Apple never boasted about their Retina display? Apple never boasted about their exterior design? None of that is Samsung.

Plus A5 is designed by Apple with major IPs from ARM and Imagination(PowerVR).

 

[linux2mac]

It matters, but it's also subject to intelligent critique. (Well, often not by MacRumours fans - but intelligent analysis by the real world - in particular the analysts.)

The intelligent will note that:

• Apple was ahead by 0.1% - which is likely less than the statistical noise in the measurements. If you look at a political poll - if the numbers are within the margin of error it's called a "dead heat", not "candidate X is 0.1% ahead of candidate Y - Y is doomed".
• Apple introduced a highly anticipated new model early in the quarter, so intelligent analysis would consider that Apple got a "bump" from people who were waiting for the new model, and most likely that "bump" won't be seen in following quarters (until the Iphone 4S² or whatever the next model is called comes out)

Yes, Apple had a good quarter for Iphones - but the rabid fanboys claiming that this "is the end of Android" are "Chicken Littles" - completely misunderstanding the data.

I am just curious about what compels a Windows user to think they need to make posts on a Mac specific website to supposedly correct any misunderstandings us Apple users have about Apple, iOS devices, and Macs.

 

[kaizenmx]

It's just odd that Android is declared the winner when most of the major companies who make Android phones are struggling or seeing their profits dwindling down.

I guess it's true that denial is the fruit of people's ignorance. In this case, a bunch of apple defense force.

Both HTC and Samsung are no way in hell in hell struggling for profits.

Some people really need to pull their head out of their ass...

 

[voonyx]

"Apple's share of the U.S. market doubled from a year ago to 44.9 percent in the October to December period, just beating Google's Android smartphones, which slipped to 44.8 percent from 50 percent."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/25/apple-google-microsoft-idUSL5E8CO4QP20120125

Seems like aiden "misunderstood the data"

 

[fertilized-egg]

Both HTC and Samsung are no way in hell in hell struggling for profits.

Samsung is doing well but HTC just saw its profit decline. So that's one single company among the largest Android OEMs who's enjoying healthy growth profit, which is exactly what I've said above. What's with your strong disdain for the easily seen facts?

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I am just curious about what compels a Windows user to think they need to make posts on a Mac specific website to supposedly correct any misunderstandings us Apple users have about Apple, iOS devices, and Macs.

And what makes certain users seem to think that this web site only has Apple worshipers coming here. The same users forget that Apple now covers a wide range from Phones, music devices, computer ect.
They can use one but not the others. Some people seem to forget that little fact.

 

[voonyx]

Samsung is doing well but HTC just saw its profit decline. So that's one single company among the largest Android OEMs who's enjoying healthy growth profit, which is exactly what I've said above. What's with your strong disdain for the easily seen facts?

facts don't mesh with spin

 

[vincenz]

And they did it with 3 different models of phones. Let's see, Android has what, 50 different ones floating around at the moment?

 

[AJH1993]

Still choose Android customization over the iOS home screen of icons. Come at me.

Don't see what everyones beef about Android is. I think it's awesome... no lag, LTE, big screens. To each ones own I guess!

 

[*LTD*]

And they did it with 3 different models of phones. Let's see, Android has what, 50 different ones floating around at the moment?

That's the entire point. That's exactly what this is all about.

And that Android number is a helluva lot more than 50.

In fact, around 70 are available in the US alone.

Samsung alone have 50 devices that run Android.

This gives you some idea.

http://www.google.com/phone/#manufacturer=all&category=all&carrier=all&country=all&reset_filters=1

Play with the filters. Select "all countries, all manufactures, all operators" and prepare to be dazed and confused.

 

[kaizenmx]

Samsung is doing well but HTC just saw its profit decline. So that's one single company among the largest Android OEMs who's enjoying healthy growth profit, which is exactly what I've said above. What's with your strong disdain for the easily seen facts?

So the company's profit margin goes down for 1 specific quarter, and they are already struggling? Like I said. Denial.

Seriously, man. Go look at yourself.

 

[Speedy2]

Apple clearly worked hard to bring iPhone sales even with Android sales in the US for this last quarter.

Waiting 18 months to update a phone, then bringing out the new model during the holiday season (while simultaneously selling older models as low as 99 cents in the U.S.) was a very good strategy to get a short term record sales burst.

Yeah, I'm sure Apple delayed the launch on purpose and had quite a bad last quarter with low iPhone sales just to have more marketshare in the holiday quarter.

In the quarter previous to this one, worldwide Samsung sold 28 million as compared to 17 million by Apple. This quarter, Samsung alone will be almost even with a predicted 35 million vs 37 million by Apple. Obviously those figures don't include all the other Android phone makers' world sales.

You object to comparing apples (US sales) to oranges (worldwide sales), and yet you do the same thing:
Samsung's numbers also include several million Bada phones and tiny bit of Windows phones. Apple's sales on the other hand directly translate to iOS sales.

If your point was to show that Android has a higher worldwide market share, you could have done a better job!

 

[uknowimright]

btw, has anyone seen any info on Foxconn still losing money?

 

[fertilized-egg]

facts don't mesh with spin

Spin can be done in many ways. Apple does it but anti-Apple crowds, who often loudly complain about Apple's misleading marketing, gladly do that too.

One real life example. I know a geek who rants about how A5 isn't made by Apple but by Samsung so Apple doesn't have any technical expertise, etc.

Then one day we had discussions about video cards, he was very enthusiastic about a AMD graphic card... which of course is made someone else, such as MSI, with the graphics chip produced by TSMC. But he insisted it was made by AMD.

On any given Apple forum, you get a bunch of people endlessly shouting about Apple products being made by Samsung, Foxconn, etc, but as far as I can tell, nobody trolls AMD or nVidia forums telling them it's TSMC and OEMs who make the chip and the cards. Somehow when it comes to attacking Apple, sometimes even the dumbest logics prevail.

 

[*LTD*]

Spin can be done in many ways. Apple does it but anti-Apple crowds, who often loudly complain about Apple's misleading marketing, gladly do that too.

One real life example. I know a geek who rants about how A5 isn't made by Apple but by Samsung so Apple doesn't have any technical expertise, etc.

Coulda fooled me, the way the A-series runs the rest of the hardware and the OS.

Nothing even comes close to the way Apple marries hardware with software.

 

[fertilized-egg]

So the company's profit margin goes down for 1 specific quarter, and they are already struggling? Like I said. Denial.

Seriously, man. Go look at yourself.

Err.. I don't think you read the articles on HTC's financial performance. They cut their future forecast and it was a pretty significant dip in their profitability and even shipments. That's not just "1 specific quarter" kind of deal because HTC consistently brings out new phones. It means HTC is getting squeezed by external forces such as Apple and Samsung.

Other than HTC, you probably know LG, Sony-Ericsson, Motorola, Dell, Acer, etc have all been struggling to consistently stay in profit. That's not success.

 

[samcraig]

That's the entire point. That's exactly what this is all about.

And that Android number is a helluva lot more than 50.

In fact, around 70 are available in the US alone.

Samsung alone have 50 devices that run Android.

This gives you some idea.

http://www.google.com/phone/#manufacturer=all&category=all&carrier=all&country=all&reset_filters=1

Play with the filters. Select "all countries, all manufactures, all operators" and prepare to be dazed and confused.

As I wrote on the top of page 4 - the whole 70+ phones vs 1 is a blip in the scheme of things. It's relatively meaningless. You're either investing in the iOS ecosystem or the Android ecosystem. How many different devices access those ecosystems is really not all that important except as a marketing bullet point. It only matters within that ecosystem.

Apple has nothing to worry about - they can only cannibalize their own market. No one else is making iOS devices. Samsung, HTC, etc - sure - they care about their phones and how much of the Android marketshare they have because they are competing WITHIN the ecosystem.

But that's two completely different "issues."

 

[i.mac]

The only thing that apple boasts about their electronic part in iphone 4s is actually made by Samsung.

apple defense force, you mad?

Which Sam.i.clone.apple.stuff.dung subsequently copied....

 

[rjohnstone]

Which Sam.i.clone.apple.stuff.dung subsequently copied....

Proof?
Show us where exactly Samsung copied the A5... or the A4 for that matter.

 

[JAT]

And what makes certain users seem to think that this web site only has Apple worshipers coming here. The same users forget that Apple now covers a wide range from Phones, music devices, computer ect.
They can use one but not the others. Some people seem to forget that little fact.

Well, I'll agree that "worshippers" need not be the only people here. However, the rest of your post implies that Apple's iDevices are not Apple products. Sometimes I can auto-correct bizarreness or errors for my comprehension, but this one has too many possible choices. Aiden has little interest in any Apple products, be they hardware, computers, software, mp3 players, etc. His continued mocking of those that do have interest, here at an obviously Apple-specific site, is confusing. Esp now that SJ has died, since ridiculing him was Aiden's main purpose in being here. It inches closer and closer to pure trolling.

 

[fertilized-egg]

His continued mocking of those that do have interest, here at an obviously Apple-specific site, is confusing.

That's been the phenomenon in Apple-centric site for years. In other sites, other than occasional trolls, you don't get posters who persistently participate in topics that they dislike so much just to be the "voice of reason" against the "worshippers." Yet in Apple-centric sites, that's now almost an accepted norm.

Then again Apple has always been the main target of geeks who couldn't accept the idea that a company refuses to be another commodity Windows PC builder and some buyers are "irrational" enough to buy computers that aren't rock-bottom priced. Now that Apple is succeeding in an unbelievable way with mobile devices with a thriving Mac business, it can't be helped that the same complainers feel more desperate about educating the "worshippers".

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Well, I'll agree that "worshippers" need not be the only people here. However, the rest of your post implies that Apple's iDevices are not Apple products. Sometimes I can auto-correct bizarreness or errors for my comprehension, but this one has too many possible choices. Aiden has little interest in any Apple products, be they hardware, computers, software, mp3 players, etc. His continued mocking of those that do have interest, here at an obviously Apple-specific site, is confusing. Esp now that SJ has died, since ridiculing him was Aiden's main purpose in being here. It inches closer and closer to pure trolling.

No it does not imply iDevices are not Apple products and I am trying to figure out how you can draw that conclusion.
What it says is iDevices are among many of Apple products. This means an iPhone users can and often times is a Windows user and can really dislike OSX. Or the use OSX but like Android better and so on.

Caaling Aiden a troll kind of degrades your entire post and view. Linux has been called out multiple times for spreading FUD.

 

[voonyx]

I love threads like this because there's so much back patting going on among the androids as they agree with each other and propose silly reasons why apple is so successful

 

[Taz Mangus]

It's just odd that Android is declared the winner when most of the major companies who make Android phones are struggling or seeing their profits dwindling down.




Umm...Apple never boasted about their Retina display? Apple never boasted about their exterior design? None of that is Samsung.

Plus A5 is designed by Apple with major IPs from ARM and Imagination(PowerVR).

Not to mention the 8MP camera lense that I if I am not mistaken is designed in-house at Apple. I don't believe that Samsung supplies those parts either.

 

[Judas1]

It was expected that Apple iphone sales would skyrocket since the 4s just came out. Nothing to see here. Move along.