Apple's Share of Tablet Market Sinks on Lack of Product Launches in Early 2013

[Fairthrope]

Couldn't agree more. Haven't traveled much outside the US lately, but domestically I see people with tablets all the time, and they are nearly always iPads. The few that aren't are usually e-readers. Phones, yes. See lots of people with android phones. But not android tablets.

I do travel overseas and it's just the opposite now. Rather than Atlanta or Forth Worth, try take a look around Dubai, Haneda, Changi, Incheon, Shanghai or even here at Suwanabhumi.

BUT, losing iPad sales didn't really go to Android tablets though. They went to phablets. Customers on this side of the world just can't afford to carry two phone numbers, one for iPad and one for voice. So they get a phablet, and use LINE chat app and do away with voice calls altogether.

Go take a look. This thing killed WhatsApp and Skype in Asia and are now phone calls/chat du jour.

http://line.naver.jp/en/

I do not blame Apple for declining sales. I blame bad economy. People are much poorer than before and they don't have Apple budget like they used to, sorry.

 

[maxosx]

There's a positive side to this. It could be said that out of adversity comes an opportunity to change. Instead of pointing the finger or blaming poor reporting, I hope this wakes Apple up to the importance of being consistent. Without releasing product on a regular basis it seems all they do is talk about it. People start wondering.

 

[pirg]

I never said they did provide hints, I'm saying the trend apple is seeing down is a downward slope and I see nothing on the horizon that's going to change that and asked you what you saw that makes you think it will. You came up with a scenario that Apple was lucky to pull off to begin with and the liklihood of it happening again are close to impossible. You clearly have a problem with me labeling your argument as a gut feeling... How about wishful thinking instead? And there's nothing that needs to be "proven" I'm going by market trends and the market is very clearly moving away from Apple. Don't believe me? Read the first post. If that's too much work then just read the thread topic instead.

The issue isn't if apple will "survive" they likely will thanks to their dedicated fan base. The issue is how much market share can they continue to lose and still be relavent?

That's a good question. When will they become irrelevant by your standards? Here they are bleeding, nay hemorrhaging, and yet every new commercial compares the product to apple.

Every company knows apple is the one to beat. Fact.

They've lost so much marketshare yet all anyone can talk about is apple. What's the magic marketshare number where their sales start collapsing and they become irrelevant?

These silly talking points never get old. Such a disconnect from reality that it's amazing.

Apple becoming irrelevant is something a few misinformed people online have been saying for years. Meanwhile, they continue to make money hand over fist and outsell brand new products with their "outdated"devices. The rdf truly has shifted.

 

[IJ Reilly]

That's a good question. When will they become irrelevant by your standards? Here they are bleeding, nay hemorrhaging, and yet every new commercial compares the product to apple.

Every company knows apple is the one to beat. Fact.

They've lost so much marketshare yet all anyone can talk about is apple. What's the magic marketshare number where their sales start collapsing and they become irrelevant?

These silly talking points never get old. Such a disconnect from reality that it's amazing.

Apple becoming irrelevant is something a few misinformed people online have been saying for years. Meanwhile, they continue to make money hand over fist and outsell brand new products with their "outdated"devices. The rdf truly has shifted.

It's a new variation on a very old theme. We heard this for decades, and especially when the Mac held a paltry market share in the low single digits: the Mac was irrelevant, and so was Apple. But they weren't even then, at least not for the millions of people who were still buying Macs. Now that Apple is transformed into one of the world's largest tech companies, the relevancy concept takes on a new form. It seems Apple is now trivial if it doesn't totally dominate every segment of every market. It's a crazy concept, and a standard to which no other company is held, but the fact that it persists only goes to show that some people just plain hate Apple, and will seek out rationalizations for how they feel, no matter how peculiar they may be.

 

[pirg]

It's a new variation on a very old theme. We heard this for decades, and especially when the Mac held a paltry market share in the low single digits: the Mac was irrelevant, and so was Apple. But they weren't even then, at least not for the millions of people who were still buying Macs. Now that Apple is transformed into one of the world's largest tech companies, the relevancy concept takes on a new form. It seems Apple is now trivial if it doesn't totally dominate every segment of every market. It's a crazy concept, and a standard to which no other company is held, but the fact that it persists only goes to show that some people just plain hate Apple, and will seek out rationalizations no matter how peculiar they may be.

Precisely. No one can deny that Apple's growth is slowing down or that they have new competitors in the market or that they need something exciting in the near future. But irrelevancy? And that too based on a market share study. There's only one word for that and you nailed it: hate. Simple and plain.

I really do wonder at what point these people think apple becomes irrelevant. They've been losing marketshare for what? Two years now?

Still haven't seen a commercial comparing the surface to the galaxy tab though...wonder why...

The irrelevancy is astounding!

 

[rGiskard]

What a surprise. People are realizing that for the price of an iPad Mini, one can buy an Android tablet with a Retina equivalent display and an OS that has grown to be quite refined.

 

[2IS]

There's only one word for that and you nailed it: hate. Simple and plain.

Wrong... Again. Simple philosophy for simple minds. I hate Apple so much I own an iPhone since the 3G (and never any other smart phone brand) AppleTV, 2 iPads, a MacBook Air and eagerly awaiting haswell equipped rMBP to buy one of those?

I've clearly debunked your hate theory, the fanboy theory on the other hand is sticking to you stronger than ever.

----------

Every company knows apple is the one to beat. Fact.

And they are being beaten. I'll point you to the existence of this thread once again as evidence. You can ignore it, but a little difficult since you're posting in it.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Precisely. No one can deny that Apple's growth is slowing down or that they have new competitors in the market or that they need something exciting in the near future. But irrelevancy? And that too based on a market share study. There's only one word for that and you nailed it: hate. Simple and plain.

I really do wonder at what point these people think apple becomes irrelevant. They've been losing marketshare for what? Two years now?

Still haven't seen a commercial comparing the surface to the galaxy tab though...wonder why...

The irrelevancy is astounding!

Back in the day, I used to get into quite a few debates with diehard Apple-haters, and it was surprising how many of them professed to be Mac users. It might even have been true for some, though I suspect it was a sham in many cases. Nobody uses products from a company they dislike or regard as irrelevant, unless they feel like they have no other choice. When things don't add up, it's usually because something is missing.

As the tablet market matures I'd expect one or more of the analytics companies to begin studying market segmentation, just as they do in other industries. Then we'll find out where Apple stands.

Until then, if this is irrelevancy, then bring on more irrelevancy.

 

[2IS]

I have this lady friend who sometimes confuses me being realistic with her as me hating her. She isn't very bright either.

As far as your wish to bring on more irrelevancy...

https://www.macrumors.com/2013/08/0...0-of-smartphone-market-ios-drops-to-13-share/

It's well on it's way to being granted.

 

[pirg]

Wrong... Again. Simple philosophy for simple minds. I hate Apple so much I own an iPhone since the 3G (and never any other smart phone brand) AppleTV, 2 iPads, a MacBook Air and eagerly awaiting haswell equipped rMBP to buy one of those?

I've clearly debunked your hate theory, the fanboy theory on the other hand is sticking to you stronger than ever.

You've debunked nothing. I used android extensively for almost three years, went through at least six different phones and made the choice to go to apple because android offered me nothing that Apple didn't for my needs. I don't make excuses for Apple, they need to step up.

But to call them irrelevant is ridiculous. Apple is about as relevant as it gets. Your denial of that changes nothing.

You've got brand new phones being compared to the ip5 on commercials, not to the s4.

You've got tablets being compared to the ipad not the galaxy tabs. What exactly makes apple irrelevant? You fail to answer that question. Again.

So please by all means tell me what makes the s4 more relevant than the iPhone.

And they are being beaten. I'll point you to the existence of this thread once again as evidence. You can ignore it, but a little difficult since you're posting in it.

Correct apple is being beaten by hundreds of companies combined. And Toyota is being beaten by every other car manufacturer combined. And Wal-Mart is being beaten by every other department store combined.

What a thing to hang your hat on!

 

[IJ Reilly]

What a thing to hang your hat on!

To hang your hat on something, you need to start with a hat.

 

[pirg]

To hang your hat on something, you need to start with a hat.

To be fair they do have hats, they're just made of tin foil.

 

[2IS]

You've debunked nothing. I used android extensively for almost three years, went through at least six different phones and made the choice to go to apple because android offered me nothing that Apple didn't for my needs. I don't make excuses for Apple, they need to step up.

But to call them irrelevant is ridiculous. Apple is about as relevant as it gets. Your denial of that changes nothing.

What's ridiculous is your reading comprehension. Take the white tainted glasses off, maybe that will help. Please show me where I said Apple IS irrelevant.

I'll help you out since it's quite clear, simple things elude you. It was never said, so don't waste your time looking for it.

Your brand preference has nothing to do with it. I prefer Apple over Android too but that doesn't mean anything in the context of this discussion.

 

[pirg]

What's ridiculous is your reading comprehension. Take the white tainted glasses off, maybe that will help. Please show me where I said Apple IS irrelevant.

I'll help you out since it's quite clear, simple things elude you. It was never said, so don't waste your time looking for it.

Your brand preference has nothing to do with it. I prefer Apple over Android too but that doesn't mean anything in the context of this discussion.

Let's cut the extraneous crap, shall we? I'm having a discussion no need to get defensive.

please tell me why apple is going to be irrelevant then And at what point will they become irrelevant? Is it when their market share hits a certain number? Or is their irrelevancy dependent on other factors? What convinced you that they are becoming irrelevant? I'd love your theories on Apple's impending irrelevancy.

 

[2IS]

Why is pretty clear. Apple, MS, Google are the 3 main players here and Apple is showing a shrinking market share while both the others are growing. This trend cannot continue indefinitely if Apple is to hold onto it's current position.

It's simple math. If you don't believe me look at Palm and Blackberry to name two examples. How do you think their demise started? It started with a shrinking market share, they didn't become irrelevant over night.

As far as "when" if I could answer questions like that, I'd be a rich man. Apple has a lot of liquid assets, they can absorb a shrinking market for a while, but not forever. And it may never happen if they release products that help stabilize their shrinking market. Don't think for a minute Apple doesn't recognize this. There's a reason why there is a lower cost iPhone coming.

 

[pirg]

Why is pretty clear. Apple, MS, Google are the 3 main players here and Apple is showing a shrinking market share while both the others are growing. This trend cannot continue indefinitely if Apple is to hold onto it's current position.

Goodness man. Their market share is shrinking because there are more players in the market! What in the world is preventing you from seeing that? Their shrinking market share is not translating to shrinking sales nor is their bottom line being affected in anyway!

It's simple math. If you don't believe me look at Palm and Blackberry to name two examples. How do you think their demise started? It started with a shrinking market share, they didn't become irrelevant over night.

You know what else palm and BlackBerry lost? Sales, revenue, profit, loyalty, usage. You're acting as if the marketshare loss was mutually exclusive to their anemic performance.

As far as "when" if I could answer questions like that, I'd be a rich man.

Oh so it's just a gut feeling huh. Sounds familiar...

Apple has a lot of liquid assets, they can absorb a shrinking market for a while, but not forever. And it may never happen if they release products that help stabilize their shrinking market. Don't think for a minute Apple doesn't recognize this. There's a reason why there is a lower cost iPhone coming.

And their liquid assets are growing by the billions every three months. Of course apple recognizes they need to step up but they are nowhere even remotely close to going the way of palm or blackberry. It's unreal that you're comparing those situations to Apple's current one. What a joke.

 

[Dmunjal]

Why is pretty clear. Apple, MS, Google are the 3 main players here and Apple is showing a shrinking market share while both the others are growing. This trend cannot continue indefinitely if Apple is to hold onto it's current position.

It's simple math. If you don't believe me look at Palm and Blackberry to name two examples. How do you think their demise started? It started with a shrinking market share, they didn't become irrelevant over night.

As far as "when" if I could answer questions like that, I'd be a rich man. Apple has a lot of liquid assets, they can absorb a shrinking market for a while, but not forever. And it may never happen if they release products that help stabilize their shrinking market. Don't think for a minute Apple doesn't recognize this. There's a reason why there is a lower cost iPhone coming.

Apple could reverse this trend. What if they did the following with this Fall's announcement?

1. iPhone 5S and 5C
2. iPhone 6 with 5" screen
3. iPad Mini Retina
4. iPad 5 thinner like the iPad 2

Is this realistic? Why not? Samsung is doing just this today with Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy S4, Note 3, Note 8, NG Nexus 10.

With more cash and more resources, why can't Apple realistically deliver this? This is why Apple is falling behind. Poor execution.

 

[2IS]

Goodness man. Their market share is shrinking because there are more players in the market! What in the world is preventing you from seeing that?

How about that Google's market share isn't shrinking? Kinda throws a monkey wrench into your theory.

----------

Apple could reverse this trend. What if they did the following with this Fall's announcement?

1. iPhone 5S and 5C
2. iPhone 6 with 5" screen
3. iPad Mini Retina
4. iPad 5 thinner like the iPad 2

Is this realistic? Why not? Samsung is doing just this today with Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy S4, Note 3, Note 8, NG Nexus 10.

With more cash and more resources, why can't Apple realistically deliver this? This is why Apple is falling behind. Poor execution.

They absolutely can reverse it. Will these products be enough? That remains to be seen. I'm certainly not saying it's "too late" for Apple, I'm saying that this trend cannot continue indefinitely.

----------

Of course apple recognizes they need to step up

So you agree with what I'm saying but you're angry that I'm bringing it up... Genius argument you got there smart guy.

And no, it's not a gut feeling. It's a fact that if they lose market share indefinitely they will be irrelevant in the market in time, not knowing exactly when doesn't equate it to being a gut feeling. Talk about logic fail.

 

[pirg]

How about that Google's market share isn't shrinking? Kinda throws a monkey wrench into your theory.

Lol. "Google" in this case is Samsung, htc, lg, motorola, huawei, polaroid, asus, insert random company here.

can you name one case where one company has a higher market share than hundreds of other companies combined?

Toyota has less marketshare then all other companies combined. Is Toyota irrelevant or becoming irrelevant?

Better yet, can you name another instance where a company is compared to hundreds of its competitors (who also compete with each other) as a proof that it is failing?

Talking points. That's all this whole thing is...

----------

So you agree with what I'm saying but you're angry that I'm bringing it up... Genius argument you got there smart guy.

Your lack of comprehension is unlike any I've ever seen.

 

[2IS]

Lol. "Google" in this case is Samsung, htc, lg, motorola, huawei, polaroid, asus, insert random company here.

can you name one case where one company has a higher market share than hundreds of other companies combined?

Toyota has less marketshare then all other companies combined. Is Toyota irrelevant or becoming irrelevant?

Better yet, can you name another instance where a company is compared to hundreds of its competitors (who also compete with each other) as a proof that it is failing?

Talking points. That's all this whole thing is...

----------



Your lack of comprehension is unlike any I've ever seen.

Considering you're ignorant enough to have acknowledged the issue and are still arguing, I'm quite glad you think I lack comprehension.

Your reasoning as to why apple is losing market share doesn't matter. They are losing market share. It's going to hurt them in the long run. They know this, I know this, and you've even acknowledged it. Making excuses for it won't prevent it form hurting them. It just introduces ignorance into the equation.

 

[pirg]

Considering you're ignorant enough to have acknowledged the issue and are still arguing, I'm quite glad you think I lack comprehension.

Your reasoning as to why apple is losing market share doesn't matter. They are losing market share. It's going to hurt them in the long run. They know this, I know this, and you've even acknowledged it. Making excuses for it won't prevent it form hurting them. It just introduces ignorance into the equation.

Yes I agree, your ignorance has definitely been introduced into this equation.

You do know that google is failing miserably too right? Look at how little money they make compared to the apple/samsung/Microsoft conglomerate. Your reasoning as to why they make so little money compared to those three combined doesn't matter.

They know it, you know it, I know it, Google has no chance of catching up to those three combined. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Ah ignorance...

Btw I take it your avoidance to answer the question I asked means "no, I cannot think of one other instance where this happens"

 

[2IS]

Yes I agree, your ignorance has definitely been introduced into this equation.

You do know that google is failing miserably too right? Look at how little money they make compared to the apple/samsung/Microsoft conglomerate. Your reasoning as to why they make so little money compared to those three combined doesn't matter.

They know it, you know it, I know it, Google has no chance of catching up to those three combined. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Ah ignorance...

Google doesn't need to catch up to all of them combined, and neither does Apple.

What apple does need to do is stop losing market share before it starts negatively affecting their profits. A problem Google does not currently have.

Yes, ignorance indeed. Another simple concept that needed to be spelled out for you.

 

[pirg]

Google doesn't need to catch up to all of them combined, and neither does Apple.

What apple does need to do is stop losing market share before it starts negatively affecting their profits. A problem Google does not currently have.

Yes, ignorance indeed. Another simple concept that needed to be spelled out for you.

Wait so apple doesn't need to catch up to them combined, but you're combining them to show apples marketshare is shrinking?

Did you just stop trying?

 

[IJ Reilly]

To be fair they do have hats, they're just made of tin foil.

Touché. I admire your patience. I lost mine for this particular mindset circa 1998.

 

[Liquorpuki]

What apple does need to do is stop losing market share before it starts negatively affecting their profits. A problem Google does not currently have.

Yeah, Google doesn't have that problem because taking into account their 12 billion Motorola acquisition, Android has yet to be profitable, period. They're already negative

Lucky for them, that negative margin is offset by their dominance in search, which gives them room to F around while they figure out how to monetize off Android