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Apple's iPhone 11 Was the Most Popular Smartphone in Q1 2020
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True. However, because of the fragmentation of Android, Apple makes the lions' share of profits in the smartphone sector. However, break down the business by phone model, instead of operating system and the stats/metrics are very different.
I don’t think high end android phones are selling in any numbers to come anywhere close to Apple. Most of the sales come from mid range and budget handsets. People in the US and parts of Europe and Australasia might be buying flagship android phones but that only accounts for a small percentage of their sales. The rest of the world are buying midrange and budget phones.
Apple's iPhone XR, which was the best-selling smartphone in the year-ago quarter, took the fourth spot with 4.7 million units shipped.
Article Link: Apple's iPhone 11 Was the Most Popular Smartphone in Q1 2020
Fifth, not fourth.
Indeed, Android is getting better but it's still a long way off. Which is a shame, the fact is that the hardware out there today in the Android market puts Apple to shame in many respects. A colleague dropped off some paperwork a couple of days ago and I got a look at his new Oneplus 8, it just made my iPhone 11 look old already.
Q1: iPhone 11
Q2: iPhone SE
Q3: iPhone SE
Q4: iPhone SE
Q2: iPhone SE
Q3: iPhone SE
Q4: iPhone SE
Your iphone looks "old" most probably because it's familiar. I looked at the oneplus 8 on their website and it does look cool with nice specs.
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What is interesting, is the pro max, according to estimated numbers, is outselling the 11 pro. It's surprising the iphone 11 is outselling less expensive Samsung models.
Almost 28 million for all the iPhone 11 models sold on 1Q. Crazy really
Can imagine iPhone holding top 4 spots if I’m honest this time next year
Can imagine iPhone holding top 4 spots if I’m honest this time next year
I don't think it was the main thought behind your comment, but when people talk about why Apple is rarely the first to deploy hardware technology X in their phones, the manufacturing scale that this article highlights is often overlooked. In the lifecycle of new technology, it starts off being viable to manufacture in smaller quantities and then as it begins to mature it becomes easier to mass produce. This can *sometimes* be a situation that ties Apple's hands when deciding what can be put in their phones. As with OLED back just before the iPhone X came out (and why OLED only shipped on the premium model that year), Apple was having to wait for OLED production to hit a scale that could support the volume of devices they'd need to sell. The larger volume of sales also requires a longer production ramp time which makes pivoting harder and gambles have to be made as to whether tech will be ready when they need it and sometimes Apple plays it safe. It's a side effect/trade-off of their method this article describes of making fewer phone models and making them well such that the demand for those few models is very high.
Samsung has the most capability here as their flagships don't sell as many units as Apple's (though of course their overall handset numbers are higher) so they don't have as much scale to worry about, coupled with the fact that they are a huge (and very successful) global hardware manufacturer. Even with that capability though we've seen other smaller Android based companies come out with flagship phones with pretty cool tech that even Samsung can't get into their phones and make some waves.
Apple can and does benefit from this though because it lets smaller phone manufactures put out products with more edgy and cool features and lets them see what sticks with folks/what gets good reviews and can use that as an input into their decision making as to what goes into the next iPhone.
You're probably right, I mean for me and the vast majority of iPhone users, it's a phone and does the basic things I need it to do, it is a habit, convenience, unwillingness to take the time to look at other phone options that makes me stick with it.
It's not because they offer the best value or performance. Tim knows this.
OS and user performances To me is the most important thing on a phone so no matter what the features they have iPhones will always be the go to phone to get.
Feature wise though they are pretty close with android. Yes they aren’t as quick as android for certain features but when they bring it they normally add it very well
Value? What does value mean. And performance? Performance is individual based on what is being measured. Time to open an app, is different than time to complete a task. Support? Providing updates to a 5s 7 years after release, seems like Apple is promoting a good value for it's iphones.
Happy with my 11 for sure. Didn’t know if I could live with what was supposed to be a downgraded screen coming from my X but this phone is superior in so many ways.
I plan on keeping it until the 12 Pro comes out but who knows... I love this thing so much I may not want to give it up so soon!
I plan on keeping it until the 12 Pro comes out but who knows... I love this thing so much I may not want to give it up so soon!
All good points. I do wonder how many upgraded older handsets because they thought their device was slow, rather than it being due to Apple intentionally forcing you to upgrade by slowing your phone but not telling customers they were doing it.
Just kidding, don't want the Apple Gushers coming after me again.
Oh really? The lowest cost NEW iPhone was the most popular one? Big surprise. It was the same thing with the XR. I'm sure now with the SE release, you will probably see the SE in the top spot or second for the next quarter...
If Apple is using those stats to justify the rumored screen sizes of the Pros (6.1"/6.7"), then they are not approaching that logically. The majority of people weren't buying the XR (now the 11) because of the 6.1" screen or the battery. They were rushing to it because the flagship iPhone price started at $1000.
I really hope these screen size rumors turn out to not be true. 5.8 is PERFECT for the smaller Pro. I tried using my brother's 11 (which he got because it was the cheapest, he wanted the Pro), but that 6.1" screen and the frame are just too big for my hands to handle reliably.
If Apple is using those stats to justify the rumored screen sizes of the Pros (6.1"/6.7"), then they are not approaching that logically. The majority of people weren't buying the XR (now the 11) because of the 6.1" screen or the battery. They were rushing to it because the flagship iPhone price started at $1000.
I really hope these screen size rumors turn out to not be true. 5.8 is PERFECT for the smaller Pro. I tried using my brother's 11 (which he got because it was the cheapest, he wanted the Pro), but that 6.1" screen and the frame are just too big for my hands to handle reliably.
Wow, the iPhone 11 sold as many units as the next three phones combined. I guess Apple isn’t as doomed as I keep hearing?
How do they know how many iPhones or others were sold?
Who's providing them with that information? Is Apple revealing its sales to a 3rd party? Are our credit card companies telling them? Does Best Buy sell or pass along its sales data?
What are the inherent problems or sampling biases with the data? What portion of iPhone sales go through channels that they have no access to?
Why does MR report such data as GOSPEL without giving such information and without analyzing or telling us about the data's limitations?
Why do MR readers immediately accept the findings as TRUE and then debate its implications -- in the usual old fashion way of Android vs. iPhone?
Let's start raising questions FIRST about the validity of the data -- and insist on information about how the data is gathered! Then, we'll a basis for figuring out what's on.
Off my soap box -- can you tell I'm a mild-mannered data analyst by day; masked crime avenger at night?!
In the meantime, I'll go back to my iPhone 4 and my iPad Air--and await the Bat Signal!
Who's providing them with that information? Is Apple revealing its sales to a 3rd party? Are our credit card companies telling them? Does Best Buy sell or pass along its sales data?
What are the inherent problems or sampling biases with the data? What portion of iPhone sales go through channels that they have no access to?
Why does MR report such data as GOSPEL without giving such information and without analyzing or telling us about the data's limitations?
Why do MR readers immediately accept the findings as TRUE and then debate its implications -- in the usual old fashion way of Android vs. iPhone?
Let's start raising questions FIRST about the validity of the data -- and insist on information about how the data is gathered! Then, we'll a basis for figuring out what's on.
Off my soap box -- can you tell I'm a mild-mannered data analyst by day; masked crime avenger at night?!
In the meantime, I'll go back to my iPhone 4 and my iPad Air--and await the Bat Signal!
MR are relying on whatever 3rd party says so, in this case, Omdia. Interesting the same company wrote a report not so long ago about why Apple smartphone sales were in decline and they needed to do more than they were to change that.
Well I was replying to @DNichter who said
Android is an operating system, it is not a phone. The Apple Gushers are out in force tonight
True. There are a lot of Android phones though (they are all the same) and none can sell as well as iPhone. That was my point, but you knew that.
Agreed, well mostly, there are some superb devices out there that can run rings round an iPhone. But when you put Android on them, they all then tend to blend together.
Some observations:
If you look at 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max in Q1'20:
- of Pro's, 52.5% are Max size, 47.5% are normal size
- of all 11's , 15.3% are Max size, 84.7% are normal size
- of non-Max size, 16.3% are Pro, 83.7% are non-Pro
- of all 11's, 29.1% are Pro, 70.9% are non-Pro
Conclusions:
- If you only looked at the Pro vs Pro Max, it would seem like people preferred the Max size (52.5%), but when you look at the non-Max sized, there is an overwhelming preference for the cheaper non-Pro (83.7%), thus it can be concluded that: those that want Max have no choice except Pro, thus skewing the Pro vs Pro Max; and if there was a non-Pro Max, then you have to wonder how many people who had chosen the cheaper 11 would choose an 11 Max if it was available.
- Considering that the overwhelming choice is for normal size over Max size (84.7%), you have to wonder what that size break up would be if there was an even smaller size available. Rumours are, we are about to find out with the 12.
- Also considering the overwhelming choice for the larger size in the Pro range (52%), you have to wonder what the break up in choices would be if there were 3 different sizes available in both Pro and non-Pro, so 6 phones to choose from. I am surprised Apple haven't gone down this path. Same goes for MacBooks - they could do a 12, 14, and 16", all in both Air and Pro. The idea that people who want bigger screens also want the fastest processors, doesn't really add up. I for one, have no need for a fast processor, but do prefer a bigger screen. The screen is my main preference, so I end up with a Pro, but due to the expense, delay upgrading as long as possible (which can be a long long time, especially since I already have a processor that is way overkill).
If you look at 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max in Q1'20:
- of Pro's, 52.5% are Max size, 47.5% are normal size
- of all 11's , 15.3% are Max size, 84.7% are normal size
- of non-Max size, 16.3% are Pro, 83.7% are non-Pro
- of all 11's, 29.1% are Pro, 70.9% are non-Pro
Conclusions:
- If you only looked at the Pro vs Pro Max, it would seem like people preferred the Max size (52.5%), but when you look at the non-Max sized, there is an overwhelming preference for the cheaper non-Pro (83.7%), thus it can be concluded that: those that want Max have no choice except Pro, thus skewing the Pro vs Pro Max; and if there was a non-Pro Max, then you have to wonder how many people who had chosen the cheaper 11 would choose an 11 Max if it was available.
- Considering that the overwhelming choice is for normal size over Max size (84.7%), you have to wonder what that size break up would be if there was an even smaller size available. Rumours are, we are about to find out with the 12.
- Also considering the overwhelming choice for the larger size in the Pro range (52%), you have to wonder what the break up in choices would be if there were 3 different sizes available in both Pro and non-Pro, so 6 phones to choose from. I am surprised Apple haven't gone down this path. Same goes for MacBooks - they could do a 12, 14, and 16", all in both Air and Pro. The idea that people who want bigger screens also want the fastest processors, doesn't really add up. I for one, have no need for a fast processor, but do prefer a bigger screen. The screen is my main preference, so I end up with a Pro, but due to the expense, delay upgrading as long as possible (which can be a long long time, especially since I already have a processor that is way overkill).
Nobody wants to talk about that Apple reduce the iPhone 11 by $50 dollars? That was a huge move, even though this phone is a lot of the same from the iPhone XR, the fact that they reduced the price of this phone was a really smart move, it was already popular iPhone before, and now when you add in a discount/Plus a trade-in of an old device, that’s a lot of fun for the money.
My XR seems to me to perform well. In what way do you consider them junk? I’m not looking for an argument; rather I’m genuinely curious how the 11 could be so superior.