Huawei Continues to Catch Apple, But Still Fighting to Gain Popularity in United States

[panleya]

Chinese steal our stuff constantly. I know several people who have invented things, sent them overseas to be manufactured, only to see clones within months selling on Amazon from Chinese companies. Americans need to stand up and put an end to this nonsense. DONT buy their crappy knock off products, and lets all work on stopping companies hiring them to build our stuff. I wonder, if forced, could the Chinese actually INVENT something of their own? Currently their batting average is garbage.

 

[ackmondual]

At half the price would make it even better.

Heh... that's how I've been getting my Apple products. A used, Ipad Air 1 with 128GB for only $400... and this was a couple years ago

 

[Breaking Good]

That's a nice looking phone—but I can't help thinking that I've seen it somewhere before?

True. But you can get it from Huawei for $400 less than Apple.

Eventually people will decide that a US$200 Android phone will be good enough to check Facebook and realize they can spend the other US$650 that Apple would charge on other things.

 

[Stella]

Honestly, until these brands can make the same profit numbers as the iPhone who cares. They can outsell on unit volume all day, every day. If they can't challenge Apple where it hurts it's just ink on paper (or "on" pixels on screen). That is the only "catch up" number that really matters. And Huawei is truly in a tier or two below from Apple. Completely different market.

If Apple lose ( enough ) customers, they won't have a profit margin unless they hike the prices... losing too many customers will turn off iOS app developers...

The average customer doesn't care about profit margins ( unless they are being noticeably ripped off ).

 

[meaning-matters]

Where's the 2016 market share column?

 

[H2SO4]

Well for starters, they could've used different screws than the ones Apple invented for their products, lol.

I get it, companies take inspiration from each other and apply it to their own products. Also, phones are starting to look the same and there's less variation between them than 5 years ago. But it's easy to identify which companies are trying to intentionally trying to rip Apple off. Many things about their phones are virtually identical, down to the color options.

I’ll give you the colour things for sure. Not too sure about the rest though.

 

[bobenhaus]

Iphones are becoming just another smartphone brand with nothing special about them. The status symbol or what people think they are getting with an iPhone or Apple Product seems to be diminishing. I actually thats how it should be with all products except really expensive items.

 

[ackmondual]

Chinese steal our stuff constantly. I know several people who have invented things, sent them overseas to be manufactured, only to see clones within months selling on Amazon from Chinese companies. Americans need to stand up and put an end to this nonsense. DONT buy their crappy knock off products, and lets all work on stopping companies hiring them to build our stuff. I wonder, if forced, could the Chinese actually INVENT something of their own? Currently their batting average is garbage.

That's going to be quite an uphill battle. I don't remember which article or documentary, but the history was something like we wanted to save money long ago, so only the Chinese could due it. They worked the arrangements to their advantage that they'd get the training they'd need.

If we were to shift this work into the US, it would require someone investing money into a venture that would take heavy losses until many many years later before they could probably get their investment back. It's too big of a financial hit to US companies. Plus, their work conditions being worse in the US is what makes them so cheap. US workers aren't going work 80 hours a week just so they can meet a brand new shift in customer specifications. Only other give is to up their profits, which no company, US or foreign wants to do.

We are in a rut!

 

[iBluetooth]

Apparently, Huawei has to be able to catch Samsung too. Not just Apple.

Exactly, I think Samsung is their main competitor as they both rely on Android. It's much easier for previous Android users to switch between Android phones.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

If Apple lose ( enough ) customers, they won't have a profit margin unless they hike the prices... losing too many customers will turn off iOS app developers...

The average customer doesn't care about profit margins ( unless they are being noticeably ripped off ).

In theory that is true. However, to-date there is zero evidence that there are a significant number of iOS to other OS smartphones. Most iPhone users feel locked in, happy or not. It's a lot of work to switch platforms. Moreover, Apple has demonstrated it posses something the other manufacturers do not have -- pricing power. The people buying the Huawei's of the world are price sensitive. They aren't going to attract an iPhone user. Maybe LG.

 

[eyoungren]

That's a nice looking phone—but I can't help thinking that I've seen it somewhere before?

That things looks virtually identical to an iPhone. Far more blatant a design ripoff than anything Samsung has ever pulled.

Yeah…iPhone 6/6s/7.

Except that…Huawei seems to have been able to manage getting the camera FLUSH in the rear.

Not something it seems Apple can or is willing to do. Which makes these iPhones (of which I own the 6s+) still so GD fugly to me.

 

[Barry Marshall]

Huawei, the world's third-largest smartphone maker, continued to gain on Apple in the first three months of the year, with an impressive 21.7 percent growth, according to market research firm IDC.

Huawei shipped an estimated 34.2 million smartphones worldwide in the first quarter, capturing 9.8 percent market share, based on data from IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. That's up from an estimated 28.1 million smartphones it shipped in the year-ago quarter.

By comparison, Apple shipped an estimated 51.6 million iPhones in the quarter for 14.9 percent market share. Apple essentially saw no smartphone growth in the quarter as the market remains highly saturated, and due to seasonality factors as consumers anticipate a widely rumored trio of new iPhone models.

Huawei has previously outlined its ambitions to dethrone Samsung as the world's largest smartphone maker within the next four years, a tall task that would require leapfrogging Apple in the process.

"We want to grow into top two market share, and, in the future, top one by 2021," Huawei's consumer head Richard Yu said in February.

Huawei's biggest problem is that it still lacks considerable brand awareness in the western world. In the United States, it does not even crack the list of the top ten most popular smartphone brands, largely because it lacks agreements with the country's biggest carriers Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint.

American customers have to resort to retailers such as Best Buy or Walmart, or Huawei's direct sales website, to purchase one of their unlocked devices, reducing the brand's visibility in the country.

Huawei has yet to reveal any larger plans for the United States, but in Canada, the company will begin selling its flagship P10 and P10 Plus smartphones through nationwide carriers Rogers and Bell starting in early June. Huawei has also been pushing its brand in Canada during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

If Huawei can find success in Canada, then perhaps it will consider tackling the much larger U.S. market next.

Article Link: Huawei Continues to Catch Apple, But Still Fighting to Gain Popularity in United States

More people would but it if 1. The stopped using a mobile OS that is inferior to iOS and 2. They dropped the price.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Honestly, until these brands can make the same profit numbers as the iPhone who cares.

Unless you are a stockholder and wrote that with that hat on, why is this so important? Once you step through some nonsense of hunting for something where Apple is clearly #1 (like that should be vitaly important to us consumers), why would we want Apple's competitors to up their pricing so that they can make the same profit numbers on each phone? Seems to me that what we should want is competitors rolling out phones better than iPhone at lower prices. Yes, that kind of competition would not be good for the corporation but it is exactly the kind of thing that works for us consumers.

So, "who cares?" (For one) I care. I'd rather pay less for iPhone even if that would mean the corporation makes less profit. Am I alone with such sentiment? I would think not.

 

[intofx]

It looks good so you ignore that they are a security risk. Easy way for China to spy on people

 

[Dr. Scott]

Huawei Rumors

 

[makowb]

Chinese steal our stuff constantly. I know several people who have invented things, sent them overseas to be manufactured, only to see clones within months selling on Amazon from Chinese companies. Americans need to stand up and put an end to this nonsense. DONT buy their crappy knock off products, and lets all work on stopping companies hiring them to build our stuff. I wonder, if forced, could the Chinese actually INVENT something of their own? Currently their batting average is garbage.

The main reason that Huawei hasn't done well in the US is this. They actually were caught stealing tech from a major US carrier and my understanding is that they've been blackballed among all of them since. The US government explicitly recommends not using Huawei telecommunications equipment either because they don't trust them.

I've also been told from my Chinese colleagues that Huawei is subsidized by the Chinese government, although Huawei has publically denied this always, I wouldn't trust them with any of my personal information.

 

[v0lume4]

Not surprised, to be honest. Smartphones are commodities these days, unlike they were ten years ago. Really, all I need is a phone that can make calls, text, and browse the web. I don't have to pay $700 for that privilege anymore -- I can pay significantly less. And it's for that reason why Huawei, Samsung, and others own so much market share -- folks will happily pay 25% of the price for a phone that does 80% (if not 100%) of what a flagship device does.

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

I will never buy anything from a Chinese company.

 

[Stella]

In theory that is true. However, to-date there is zero evidence that there are a significant number of iOS to other OS smartphones. Most iPhone users feel locked in, happy or not. It's a lot of work to switch platforms. Moreover, Apple has demonstrated it posses something the other manufacturers do not have -- pricing power. The people buying the Huawei's of the world are price sensitive. They aren't going to attract an iPhone user. Maybe LG.

Agreed, though your bit about price sensitive and Huawei buyers - maybe they just like the look of the phone. I don't think you can just put a blank statement like that - which is basically "Huawei customers are cheap" Most smartphones can be purchased on a Tab, if not subsidized which lowers the up front price significantly.

 

[antonis]

This is a phone for Asian markets where there are a lot of people looking for a good-looking, fashionable device, which may or may not even be all that good, at an affordable price. That’s not the USA.

Not so big of a difference, really. The bold part qualifies for iPhone as well.

 

[dk001]

Nice looking.
Good hardware.
OEM OS version is abominable.
A version with stock Android would be a serious consideration.
If I could find one here in the US.

 

[RamsayBolton]

Add to that the TERRIBLE customer service - it takes at least 3 weeks for them to repair a phone under warranty - that they look for any reason to deny a warranty RMA - and "made in China" does not exactly give anyone a warm and fuzzy on quality control ......

LOL
If you want to avoid "made in china" you have to avoid Apple too.

 

[fourthtunz]

True. But you can get it from Huawei for $400 less than Apple.

Eventually people will decide that a US$200 Android phone will be good enough to check Facebook and realize they can spend the other US$650 that Apple would charge on other things.

They do that now..they buy a Samsung or Lg or some other phone that they've heard of.
And Apple still gets 94% of the profits because they make a better product.
All of those are not the same quality as an Iphone no matter how much of the look they steal.

 

[loon3y]

Aside from your points, I was indicating that hardware made in China, regardless, doesn't indicate something that can be considered "Cheaply made." That's where that forum member Was indicating something made in China must have "Poor quality control." That's nothing more than a sweeping generalization without fact.

Also, this goes without saying, but Apple has significant notoriety, where Huwaei is more limited in this area for obvious reasons.

Nearly everything is manufactured in China, getting manufactured in China isn't cheap quality. Its the Chinese Brands that are of cheaper quality.


Foreign brands have different quality standards and the Chinese vendors meet those standards especially after 10+ years. In fact a lot of businesses are doing manufacturing in vietnams, bangladesh, india, cambodia, because China generally is getting more expensive.

They want to be come a 1st world country and want to go more into services and software rather than manufacturing. But we're still talking about a whole different country with a very corrupt government. They don't value citizens lives nor do chinese corporations. Thats why a lot of chinese brands cut corners on their products even if might harm its customers.

 

[citysnaps]

Bring em on. The more competition the better. Whatever keeps driving Apple to the next level. Better phones for all of us.

That is so adorable! Huawei driving Apple to the next level...