Apple Still Holding Second Place Among Global Smartphone Manufacturers

[Popeye206]

In life, momentum is very important. Look at the percentage gain for the competition, its 300%+. Apple has only gained 87%. Sure, Apple has some momentum, but their competition is steamrolling over them.


Today, Apple / iOS is the default standard for everything. However, the more users that Android has, the less important iOS will become. Then we will start to see "The Great iOS Exodus". Developers will favor Android for first -run apps, the ecosystem will become the de facto standard. This will cause many iOS users to move to Android to get the better apps. This process will be self-feeding, the more users leave, the less devs will develop for iOS.

Just remember where you read about The Great iOS Exodus. Its coming....sooner than many think

I'll remember and chuckle... the only thing Android is "steam rollering" is everything but iOS - and iOS is on the same steam roller.

Also... developers will go where the money is and iOS is too big to walk away from and it continues to grow. As does Android... so again, it's going to be companies like Microsoft and RIM who are going to be begging people to look at them.

BTW... why do you continue to think that iOS has to die for Android to live???? There is a huge market for both. I just don't understand why you're so anti-iOS. It's what Google/Android copied for goodness sake.

 

[unlinked]

I'll remember and chuckle... the only thing Android is "steam rollering" is everything but iOS - and iOS is on the same steam roller.

Also... developers will go where the money is and iOS is too big to walk away from and it continues to grow. As does Android... so again, it's going to be companies like Microsoft and RIM who are going to be begging people to look at them.

BTW... why do you continue to think that iOS has to die for Android to live???? There is a huge market for both. I just don't understand why you're so anti-iOS. It's what Google/Android copied for goodness sake.

iOS is hardly steam rolling anything. It is holding its own in a rapidly expanding market. Plenty of success in that but lets not overplay it.

 

[Popeye206]

iOS is hardly steam rolling anything. It is holding its own in a rapidly expanding market. Plenty of success in that but lets not overplay it.

Lets not underplay it either. Apple and Google are leading the market... I'm sure the people at Nokia, Microsoft and RIM are sure feeling a little flat.

Also... don't overplay google either. It was within the last year most phone companies other than Apple, Nokia and RIM adopted Android... large growth is expected.

 

[nylonsteel]

have not been impressed with nokia for last 5 years - glory days are over
good for aapl coming on strong
rimm better watch its back

 

[DeathChill]

To be fair the software comparison numbers posted on the first page are not really correct; they include two forks of Android used in China which are not similar to the Android sold here. In fact, I don't believe they can even run Android applications!

 

[firewood]

Apple might not want to be #1. It would put them under anti-trust scrutiny that the #2 or #3 company can avoid (since the #2 company can't have a monopoly). Apple just wants the juiciest and most profitable portion of the market for a fat #2 share. Then they can keep doing things their own way. As long as they stay above #5, they'll still keep plenty of developer attention, being Apple.

 

[ciTiger]

Something of interest for the "Money men" ...

 

[ciTiger]

Apple might not want to be #1. It would put them under anti-trust scrutiny that the #2 or #3 company can avoid (since the #2 company can't have a monopoly). Apple just wants the juiciest and most profitable portion of the market for a fat #2 share. Then they can keep doing things their own way. As long as they stay above #5, they'll still keep plenty of developer attention, being Apple.

Apple doesn't want to be Number 1? Ahhh...
I can't really agree with you there

 

[Full of Win]

I'll remember and chuckle... the only thing Android is "steam rollering" is everything but iOS - and iOS is on the same steam roller.

Also... developers will go where the money is and iOS is too big to walk away from and it continues to grow. As does Android... so again, it's going to be companies like Microsoft and RIM who are going to be begging people to look at them.

BTW... why do you continue to think that iOS has to die for Android to live???? There is a huge market for both. I just don't understand why you're so anti-iOS. It's what Google/Android copied for goodness sake.

iOS will be around for years - Apple has enough dough to keep it going However, it's days as the de facto OS are numbered.

 

[Burger Thing]

Amazing numbers for Apple, especially considering that they only sell basically one model - which therefore maximizes their profits. I think the numbers could be even higher but they are limited by production constraints. In many places/regions around the world the iPhone 4 is really hard to get and is on back order. Antenna Gate? Seems that people couldn't care less.

 

[mr1970]

iOS will be around for years - Apple has enough dough to keep it going However, it's days as the de facto OS are numbered.

Not entirely. Its days as the smartphone OS in use on the largest number of handsets are numbered. There's no obvious reason why it won't continue to provide the best user experience and provide Apple with a huge share of the profit in the market.

The key point here is not whether Android ends up on more devices - it will. The point is that this is not a rerun of Mac vs Windows, where people had to make a choice between a better user interface & fewer viruses against something that was far cheaper, good enough, and had a vast range of software. iOS has the software and, although iPhones are more expensive, they're not so much more expensive that anyone who's not in the "value" segment will notice the difference. I've been paying 40 GBP in mobile phone charges a month for years; switching to the original iPhone really didn't change that much.

What's actually interesting in the numbers quoted is the ongoing collapse of Nokia. This is a company who used to utterly own the mobile space; when I got my first mobile back in the mid-90s they were the only way to go unless you went a bit mad and got an Ericsson. Now it seems they're going to end up in a niche unless they do something really radical, and I'm minded to think that a move to Android is probably it. Otherwise, that's the 30% iOS & Android are going to divvy up. You'd have been committed to a secure institution if you'd bet on that 5 years ago.

As for WP7...Ballmer needed to be fired years ago. It's a decent phone three years too late. I'd hate to be working there.

 

[Steve121178]

BTW... poor little MS down there at 3.1 Million units. At least they beat "Other"! LOL!

You're judging them after only having WM7 on the market for 3 months? Good one.

 

[Popeye206]

You're judging them after only having WM7 on the market for 3 months? Good one.

And I'm judging them based on what LG said in one of their statements that WM7 Phones are not selling up to par.

That all aside... MS has been way behind for a while and given that Android is their competition with OEMs, MS seems to be struggling to have WM7 get traction.

 

[garybUK]

It's funny how you are all so so blind, funny how Nokia are still reporting huge growth in their volumes of sales (okay not the % of Android) but still growing..... yet you all seem intent on its downfall..

I only buy Nokia.. why? Features are second to none, the sat nav and cameras are amazing, the software isn't as bad as people make out and you can really feel change coming with MeeGo.

Plus it's European, i'd rather my money goes to Finland and back at us in projects funded by the EU than it go into an American companies pockets... just saying, no offence intended.

 

[Tailpike1153]

It's funny how you are all so so blind, funny how Nokia are still reporting huge growth in their volumes of sales (okay not the % of Android) but still growing..... yet you all seem intent on its downfall..

I only buy Nokia.. why? Features are second to none, the sat nav and cameras are amazing, the software isn't as bad as people make out and you can really feel change coming with MeeGo.

Plus it's European, i'd rather my money goes to Finland and back at us in projects funded by the EU than it go into an American companies pockets... just saying, no offence intended.

Nokia really hasn't had a "hype phone" for people on this side of the pond. I think the feeling for some people about Nokia is that it is just a phone nothing else. Apple iPhone gives you a status symbol. Android gives you escape from the "sheepple" masses and "true freedom" to anything you want with your phone. Nokia gives you a phone. There isn't anything sexy about a just phone. Nokia doesn't need hype to sell products in numbers but it does need something to remain relevant. Perhaps that is MeeGo. i don't know. That's how I see it.

 

[Vulpinemac]

iOS is hardly steam rolling anything. It is holding its own in a rapidly expanding market. Plenty of success in that but lets not overplay it.

That iOS steam roller just got a lot bigger. A report that came out today posted the Verizon's first-day iPhone sales as 500,000 units. This means that once the initial rush is over, combined AT&T/Verizon iPhone activations could well exceed 140% of Android's best figures to date in the US.

 

[unlinked]

That iOS steam roller just got a lot bigger. A report that came out today posted the Verizon's first-day iPhone sales as 500,000 units. This means that once the initial rush is over, combined AT&T/Verizon iPhone activations could well exceed 140% of Android's best figures to date in the US.

It will take a couple of quarters before the whole thing shakes out. Apparently Android does 300K activations a day and the iPhone does 230K so 500K on launch date isn't all that amazing to me.

 

[ImStrapped]

Android is kickin butt cause of its 300 different phone models. They're sort of taking the Microsoft approach of just mass producing their OS onto everything and everywhere possible. Apple on the other hand is keepin it real exclusive and boy is it impressive with a single device out there.

 

[Vulpinemac]

It will take a couple of quarters before the whole thing shakes out. Apparently Android does 300K activations a day and the iPhone does 230K so 500K on launch date isn't all that amazing to me.

You overlooked that the iPhone is doing that 230K on AT&T only. Now, if they also do an average of 250K a day on Verizon as well, that comes out to almost a half-million a day; as I said, 40% MORE than Android so far.

Yes, I know it will take a little time to settle out, but I think the numbers will balance out with Android (on it's dozens of different phones) and iOS (on the iPhone alone) pretty much equal in long-term sales.

Of course, this assumes that current Android users will buy another Android once their contracts expire.

 

[kdarling]

You overlooked that the iPhone is doing that 230K on AT&T only.

A little math scribbling would've shown you that would be impossible.

The figures are for worldwide activations, and it's for all iOS devices, not just iPhones.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

You overlooked that the iPhone is doing that 230K on AT&T only. Now, if they also do an average of 250K a day on Verizon as well, that comes out to almost a half-million a day; as I said, 40% MORE than Android so far.

Yes, I know it will take a little time to settle out, but I think the numbers will balance out with Android (on it's dozens of different phones) and iOS (on the iPhone alone) pretty much equal in long-term sales.

Of course, this assumes that current Android users will buy another Android once their contracts expire.

ummm.... that is 250k per day WORLD WIDE. There is a lot more to this world than AT&T and Verizon.

At 250k per day on just AT&T would mean every AT&T customer would have an iPhone about 13 months. Well under the average life of 18 months for a cell phone.
Verizon selling the iPhone is not going to increase the numbers that much nor decrease Android that much. There is a lot more cell markets in the world than just the US and ones that are a lot bigger.

A little math scribbling would've shown you that would be impossible.

The figures are for worldwide activations, and it's for all iOS devices, not just iPhones.

Wow that reduces the 230 activation of iPhones even more since that includes iPod, iPhones and iPad in that 230k per day number world wide.

 

[Vulpinemac]

A little math scribbling would've shown you that would be impossible.

The figures are for worldwide activations, and it's for all iOS devices, not just iPhones.

And you forget that that figure does NOT include Verizon sales of the iPhone while your 250K for Android DOES include Verizon sales. Care to argue that?
500,000 units in just the US on just one provider is nothing to scoff at, no matter how much you may hate Apple. The fact is that selling half a million of anything in one day in the US is a remarkable achievement, don't you think?

 

[Rodimus Prime]

And you forget that that figure does NOT include Verizon sales of the iPhone while your 250K for Android DOES include Verizon sales. Care to argue that?
500,000 units in just the US on just one provider is nothing to scoff at, no matter how much you may hate Apple. The fact is that selling half a million of anything in one day in the US is a remarkable achievement, don't you think?

Umm go read my post it pretty examplain with math why your entire argument fell apart. 500k in one day while impressive really does not mean much over all because it is Apple which means you get all the fans and built up hype in a quick buy but other than that not much.

Also you have to remember is just starting to offer some good android phones. Before really now they had 1 good android power phone by the end of the 1Q AT&T will have I believe 4 fairly good android power phones and the Galaxy 2 I believe is going to be talked about this week at MWC.

 

[zenio]

Now that Apple is mass marketing via Walmart they'll surge to the top.

 

[AaronEdwards]

I'll remember and chuckle... the only thing Android is "steam rollering" is everything but iOS - and iOS is on the same steam roller.

Also... developers will go where the money is and iOS is too big to walk away from and it continues to grow. As does Android... so again, it's going to be companies like Microsoft and RIM who are going to be begging people to look at them.

BTW... why do you continue to think that iOS has to die for Android to live???? There is a huge market for both. I just don't understand why you're so anti-iOS. It's what Google/Android copied for goodness sake.

Developers will go where the money is. And since the Android base will be bigger due to the OS being found on a wide range of phones, from sub $100 phones up to hi end, there will be more money made there. A developer will not be able to charge Apple users extra as Apple does.