For many features and SOME security updates, Android gets updated. But most of the major security issues (especially the recent ones) have required an update to the actual OS, and is not available through Google Play Services. Which means you're right back to waiting for the OEM and/or carrier to make the update available. Or you don't get it at all if your phone is 1-2 years old.
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Global Smartphone Market Grows in Q1 2016 as iPhone Share Shrinks to 14%
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For many features and SOME security updates, Android gets updated. But most of the major security issues (especially the recent ones) have required an update to the actual OS, and is not available through Google Play Services. Which means you're right back to waiting for the OEM and/or carrier to make the update available. Or you don't get it at all if your phone is 1-2 years old.
Well... You can get iPhone 5C refurbished for around 200 dollars or less. Brand new casing, brand new battery. I would say iPhone 5C could easily satisfied need for consumers in developing nations.
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Android is improving it. Samsung, LG, Huawei, HTC are all updating their phone regularly. In fact, Samsung and Huawei are pushing monthly security updates to their flagship phones.
Same thing can also be said to Apple devices no longer supported by Apple. iPhone 4S users probably will never receive any updates anymore. While outdated Android phone can still receive updates for core apps.
Quite frankly, I like Google's approach better. I should be able to enjoy newest Safari without update entire iOS. It would be cool that Apple updates its core apps, so that ild devices users can use updated version of Apple's core apps.
P.S. There is rumour that Google is making Android as GMS (Google Mobile Services). If this is true, Google can update entire OS from Google Play Store.
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First off, who's selling a refurbished 5C for $200? I looked on Apple and I couldn't find one.
Second, the 5C came out 2.5 years ago. You can get BRAND NEW Android phones that were introduced in 2016 for under $200. Samsung also sells phones like the J3 (which are classified as "smartphones" in their sales numbers, BTW). This is also a 2016 model and sells in India for $138 US, brand new, off contract.
These are "throwaway" phones. They don't get resold used nor do they get refurbished. If they stop working they get thrown out and a new one is purchased. This is why Android has such ridiculously high sales figures every year - because people are throwing away their old phone and getting a new one. Unless you want to believe people are keeping their phones and there are 5 billion Android users in the world right now.
It's also why these reports are meaningless. They are taking sales estimates for a quarter and then claiming it represents market share. The only way to truly measure market share is to look at the number of actual devices IN USE around the world. Not how many were sold.
I don't care how much the manufacturers make off what I buy; whether it's Canned corn, tvs, phones or cars.
ask Ferrari (to use a car example) if they care about market share compared Toyota.
As a cell phone consumer why do you care about market share and what does it get you.
I must be lucky. Found 'em right here in the good ole US of 'Merica.
https://www.boostmobile.com/shop/phones/apple-iphone5s/
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-Talk-Apple-iPhone-5S-16GB-Prepaid-Smartphone/50285046
https://www.cricketwireless.com/cell-phones/smartphones/apple-iphone5s-16gb-silver.html
"It has to do with the fact most people in the world can't afford a $600+ phone." - Well thanks to Apple, they don't have to afford one. Apple will sell them an inexpensive one.
iPhone 4s is receiving updates for 5 years plus app updates and will continue to receive app updates for years.
What about 2011 android devices? HTC thunderbolt or inspire? Atrix 4g? Galaxy s2? Lg Optimus s?
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When it's time to go, he'll be gone.
I don't really care much - just like I don't care about profits. I do think that marketshare and/or profit can sometimes inform a consumer on the likelihood of device support. Not definitively. There are many companies with huge marketshare that have little support and there are many tiny companies with virtually no marketshare that have amazing support.
Marketshare can also speak to adoption. Sometimes it's good piece of mind to buy something you know is a widely popular item vs being an early adopter. An example (although not great since we're not talking a financial investment exactly) would be - Would I spent $1.00 right now to buy the Skype App or $1.00 to buy a newly launched communications App - or even one that has been around but isn't as ubiquitous. I would be far more comfortable paying for the Skype app because it's far more likely to be used by other people I know...
Not the best example - but one nonetheless
Pushing monthly updates to their "flagship" phones. The key word being "flagship". You think the majority of Android devices sold (which are NOT flagships) will see these kinds of updates?
The iPhone 4S was released in the Fall of 2011. It will get iOS updates until the Fall of 2016 when iOS 10 comes out. That's a full 5 years of updates. The Galaxy S3 was released 6 months later. Did it get Marshmallow from last year? No. Lollipop from 2 years ago? No.
Android won't be made as GMS. It's a pipe dream by those who don't really understand how Android is constructed at its lowest level. Google let the genie out of the bottle with Android and they aren't going to be able to put it back in.
I'm just saying for an apple fan website they sure know how to make apple look bad. Apple will never have high global market share because of the quality and cost of the products. There are many people in the world who are grateful to have a smartphone they probably don't even know it has android on it.
That's the mistake. This isn't a fan site. It's supposed to be a site to get news and rumors about Apple and related technology. It's naive to say it makes Apple look bad. Apple doesn't look bad at all. They lost some market share... BFD. They'll gain some later, and lose some more after that. What this site should never be is some sychophantic circle jerk of "Apple is winning" articles. Not sure how you think Apple will never have a high global market share. they already have the second highest. No need to make excuses for their market share. Pretty sure everyone else on that list, minus Sammy, would club baby seals have Apple's market share. Perspective.
What Apple so gracefully neglects to say, about "record" Android switchers, is how many people switch to Android from iOS.
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And the 4S is a slow phone with it getting slower every software update. Also, it doesn't really get the full software update as there are always many features left out to make it work properly.
And who cares? Enjoy the phone you like and let others enjoy the phone they like. There will always be Android and iOS around and they are both great with both having flaws. For you, Apple is the best but for others it's not. It doesn't really matter.
I must be lucky. Found 'em right here in the good ole US of 'Merica.
https://www.boostmobile.com/shop/phones/apple-iphone5s/
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-Talk-Apple-iPhone-5S-16GB-Prepaid-Smartphone/50285046
https://www.cricketwireless.com/cell-phones/smartphones/apple-iphone5s-16gb-silver.html
"It has to do with the fact most people in the world can't afford a $600+ phone." - Well thanks to Apple, they don't have to afford one. Apple will sell them an inexpensive one.
So you have nothing OFFICIAL from Apple then? Just links to carriers with specials who require you to activate with them to get that price? Nice try, thanks for playing.
Sorry to disappoint, but it won't be "Revolutionary." But can I interest you in a thinner iPhone 7 with 16gb as a standard? It may also come standard with reduced antenna lines and a flush camera for your convenience.
Wow. Official from Apple. You're really going to play that card? That's as weak as it gets. If you only considered phones sold by Apple their market share wouldn't even register. The overwhelming majority of iPhones are sold by carriers who require you to activate them to get that price. To be fair, you did add that little caveat of "sold by Apple" to hedge your bet. If Apple depended on phones "sold by Apple" this website probably wouldn't even exist. Nor would that monster profit. But okay. You win.
The same way Samsung "neglects" to report mobile device sales numbers or Amazon "neglects" to report Prime users... It's a strategic decision.
Besides, the actual number is irrelevant. What matters is that the number of Android switchers is higher than the number of defections.
Based on every 3rd party churn/loyalty report I've seen and the total number of Apple devices growing YoY, it's apparent that Apple wins more switchers than it loses.
Unless there is a deal that I just can't pass up I don't see myself moving away from my iPhone 6S/Samsung S7 anytime soon. I'm probably setting my sights on the Note line (again) or maybe a Nexus if it's priced right.
This was suppose to be a new design year but so far I'm not impressed with the leaks. Maybe Apple is doing a better job at fooling everyone.
It's all about clicks, and negative headlines sometimes garner more clicks than positive ones.
Hmm, I'm pretty sure samsung did some major design changes with the Galaxy phones, every year, like the Note 5 was miles apart in design to the Note 4. The iPhone 6 Plus is the exact same as the 6S Plus and from the rumours will be the same as the iPhone 7 Plus too...
Apple has kept the design and where the home button is placed for years now, so yeah they do a LOT more incremental changes then anyone else does I think.
Market share determines if a phone survives and gets future updates.
Without a certain level of market share, it becomes cost prohibitive to continue in that market.
Apple has the high profit margin to keep them going, but it cannot sustain that indefinitely if market share drops too low.
MS just sold off Nokia feature phone manufacturing division to Foxconn.
They could not achieve enough market share to justify making the product any longer.
They will continue support of existing MS Windows Phones devices, but they have no plans on making anymore.
They also licensed the Nokia brand back to Nokia. Nokia is planning on making Android phones, not Windows Phones.
Windows Phone is essentially dead now.
So yes... market share is very important.
Not as weak as you comparing phones over 2 years old, locked to carriers and requiring activation to get the special price to BRAND NEW "smartphones" from companies like Samsung, who sell unlocked phones produced in 2016 for WELL under $200.
My original point still stands: most Android phones sold around the world (that make up those huge market share numbers) are low end junk phones that sell for under $200. Comparing the market share of those phones to the iPhone is like comparing the sales of Toyota Corollas to Mercedes. Sure Toyota sells way more cars, but nobody is cross shopping a Corolla with a Mercedes.
The only meaningful market share statistic would be the total sales of the iPhone against phones like the Galaxy S7, LG G5, HTC 10 and similar. But those kind of numbers greatly upset the haters, who so desperately want to find SOME numbers that show Apple in a bad light. So they play with numbers like market share to show how Android is "winning" while ignoring real numbers like these:
- iOS users spend 5X as much online shopping as Android users.
- iOS users purchase 6X as much digital content (music, movies, TV shows) as Android users do.
- iOS developers/The App Store revenues are 2X higher than Google Play, despite Google Play having 2X the downloads (average iOS user spends 4X as much on Apps).
The reasons for these numbers are simple: people who buy cheap throw-away "smartphones" aren't actually using them for anything but calls, texting and Facebook, and don't spend any money in their respective ecosystem after they buy that device. So selling a gazillion of them does nothing to help the rest of the user base (as samcraig implied above by stating adoption is good for "peace of mind") by getting developers to invest in your platform or accessory makers to target your devices. They're just producing landfill materials.
Samsung makes a solid phone, sure, but don't look past this year's yet-to-be announced flagship Nexus from HTC. Should be an amazing device.
profit is important not market share. A company that is not making money for great market share will be sold as just as MS did.
Android is ****? Ok since when, 2014 maybe? Android Lollipop closed the gap with iOS and Marshmallow pulled both platforms even. I use an iPhone 6 Plus and a Nexus 6 daily and can attest to this from a completely unbiased view. You on the other hand seem to be out of touch with reality on the issue.