iOS Adoption Remains at Lowest Levels Since 2014 as Android Captures Record 87.5% Market Share

[MacRumors]

The latest data from market research firm Strategy Analytics claims Android captured a record 87.5% share of the worldwide smartphone market in the third quarter, reflecting the period between late June and late September.

Strategy Analytics director Woody Oh on Android's continued dominance:

Android's leadership of the global smartphone market looks unassailable at the moment. Its low-cost services and user-friendly software remain attractive to hardware makers, operators and consumers worldwide. However, several challenges remain for Google. The Android platform is getting overcrowded with hundreds of manufacturers, few Android device vendors make profits, and Google's new Pixel range is attacking its own hardware partners that made Android popular in the first place.

While most of Android's gains can be attributed to the continued demise of BlackBerry and Windows smartphones, which are now practically non-existent on the market, iOS adoption remains at its lowest levels since mid 2014.

iOS recorded 12.1% market share in the quarter, down slightly from 13.6% in the year-ago quarter, allegedly due to a lackluster performance in China and Africa. That nearly mirrors the platform's 12.2% market share in Q3 2014.

iOS and Android together account for 99.6% market share in what has become a two-horse race over the past several years. Windows Phone is virtually dead, and BlackBerry recently said it is done designing its own smartphones.

Article Link: iOS Adoption Remains at Lowest Levels Since 2014 as Android Captures Record 87.5% Market Share

 

[cyphers72]

Basically an irrelevant number. As smartphones penetrate India, Africa, and other countries with extremely large no-income populations, the only factor is cost. That's not a "market". Android phones get dumped there in large quantities with low quality. A more relevant number is a country by country marketshare. Though, even that is easily misinterpreted.

 

[ghost187]

I wonder if "forked android" overtook its official brother.

 

[applesith]

Most of the world is poor, so this makes sense.

Apple never tried to be the most accessible by price.

 

[BootsWalking]

Basically an irrelevant number. As smartphones penetrate India, Africa, and other countries with extremely large no-income populations, the only factor is cost. That's not a "market". Android phones get dumped there in large quantities with low quality. A more relevant number is a country by country marketshare. Though, even that is easily misinterpreted.

It's not irrelevant if you consider the possibility that the worldwide smart phone market is approaching saturation, meaning that the only revenue growth these companies will see will be in services for smartphone users.

 

[8281]

With saturated phone markets I don't understand Apples hesitation to create a lower priced, but quality phone. Don't just offer last year's phone for cheap, actually produce an entry level phone for the ecosystem. Every luxury automaker does the same without diluting their brand.

 

[tmanto02]

Yet Apple still commands more than 50% of global smartphone revenue share

 

[aaronhead14]

Well, duh.... This is what happens when you make a phone that's arguably worse than the previous model...

 

[Mildredop]

I switched to Android in 2011. This year, I thought I'd give iOS a go and bought an iPhone 7.

After five weeks, I've switched back. iPhones are great phones, but the software is frustrating, awkward and unintuitive. Apple really are being left behind - they're not listening to their consumers (or, at least, the ones who are leaving) whereas Android are.

Most annoyingly, I'm just outside the returns period for my iPhone.
[doublepost=1478117719][/doublepost]

With saturated phone markets I don't understand Apples hesitation to create a lower priced, but quality phone. Don't just offer last year's phone for cheap, actually produce an entry level phone for the ecosystem. Every luxury automaker does the same without diluting their brand.

Do they? I've been to third world countries. I must've missed all the "lower priced" Range Rovers and Bentleys.

 

[masterhiggins]

I think it's a clear sign that they need to make the iPhone thinner by removing all ports and the screen.

 

[kingpushup]

"Since 2014" would mean that only 2015 (only iOS 9) saw a higher adoption rate.

This is what we in the biz call Low Quality journalism.

 

[shareef777]

Basically an irrelevant number. As smartphones penetrate India, Africa, and other countries with extremely large no-income populations, the only factor is cost. That's not a "market". Android phones get dumped there in large quantities with low quality. A more relevant number is a country by country marketshare. Though, even that is easily misinterpreted.

Yeah! Who cares what poor people use!? /s

 

[blackcrayon]

I switched to Android in 2011. This year, I thought I'd give iOS a go and bought an iPhone 7.

After five weeks, I've switched back. iPhones are great phones, but the software is frustrating, awkward and unintuitive. Apple really are being left behind - they're not listening to their consumers (or, at least, the ones who are leaving) whereas Android are..

Funny, I think the same thing when I use my Android devices. Seems more like what you're used to than anything else.

 

[Sefstah]

Wow Tim, you suck

 

[KALLT]

iPhones are great phones, but the software is frustrating, awkward and unintuitive. Apple really are being left behind - they're not listening to their consumers (or, at least, the ones who are leaving) whereas Android are.

Examples?

 

[shansoft]

I switched to Android in 2011. This year, I thought I'd give iOS a go and bought an iPhone 7.

After five weeks, I've switched back. iPhones are great phones, but the software is frustrating, awkward and unintuitive. Apple really are being left behind - they're not listening to their consumers (or, at least, the ones who are leaving) whereas Android are.

Most annoyingly, I'm just outside the returns period for my iPhone.
[doublepost=1478117719][/doublepost]

Do they? I've been to third world countries. I must've missed all the "lower priced" Range Rovers and Bentleys.

Apple has done a crappy job since iOS 9, both software and hardware...

But Android is listening to their consumer? Are you sure we are on the same page here?

Google is unarguably the worst when it comes to listening to their customer on Android.
It's literally a platform for them for data gathering + ads. Nothing more.

If they truly do listen, android will be closer to iOS than ever before.

 

[TXCherokee]

It's not irrelevant if you consider the possibility that the worldwide smart phone market is approaching saturation, meaning that the only revenue growth these companies will see will be in services for smartphone users.

Except it is still, somewhat, irrelevant in that iOS services make about twice what Android services do. Apple has the 10% of the market that uses and spends money with and on their devices. It's even more of a divide on tablets. Every year there is a post holiday report showing the money spent by tablet users on holiday shopping and its in the neighborhood of 4-5x more on iPad then all other tablets combined (IIRC).

 

[H2SO4]

With saturated phone markets I don't understand Apples hesitation to create a lower priced, but quality phone. Don't just offer last year's phone for cheap, actually produce an entry level phone for the ecosystem. Every luxury automaker does the same without diluting their brand.

Never looked at it from this angle but yes. The 116d doesn't tarnish an M5 at all.

 

[Sedulous]

And yet I hardly ever see anyone using anything other than an iPhone/iPad. These research numbers seem inverted.

 

[BootsWalking]

Except it is still, somewhat, irrelevant in that iOS services make about twice what Android services do. Apple has the 10% of the market that uses and spends money with and on their devices. It's even more of a divide on tablets. Every year there is a post holiday report showing the money spent by tablet users on holiday shopping and its in the neighborhood of 4-5x more on iPad then all other tablets combined (IIRC).

Agreed that Apple makes more total revenue and profit on equipment sales but future earnings growth is in services and for that market share is more important.

 

[illegalprelude]

In other news, Android profitability remains at an all time zero with so many OEMS being suckered into a vision of bankruptcy with only Google to gain from it all.

 

[macUser2007]

Apple has done a crappy job since iOS 9, both software and hardware...

But Android is listening to their consumer? Are you sure we are on the same page here?

Google is unarguably the worst when it comes to listening to their customer on Android.
It's literally a platform for them for data gathering + ads. Nothing more.

If they truly do listen, android will be closer to iOS than ever before.

I use both iOS and Android. I used to use mostly iOS until Android 5 and since then I have started using Androids as my daily drivers.

Android used to be ugly, copying iOS but with all the problems of Windows Mobile 6.

For the last few years, iOS has been playing catch up to Android (stuff like multi-tasking, widgets, even folders, if I remember), but Android is pulling ahead, rather steadily. I think the differences are still not major, but I do find iOS less user-friendly and clunkier that Android 6 and more so than Android 7.

Overall, Apple has been disappointing both in terms of OS and somewhat in terms of hardware.

And to all the smug "it's because they are poor" replies above, get your nose out in the real world. The Galaxy S7, which is soon to be replaced by a new and supposedly much improved model, still manages to beat the newest iPhone's camera, which is the biggest smart phone differentiator for many consumers. Moreover, there are a number of Chinese companies which have entered the market with $600+ devices, some of which are arguably equal to the iPhone 7, and just slightly cheaper. So yes, while the emerging markets may be poorer than the US, their population is much larger, overall.

Apple has dropped the ball, both with Mac OS and iOS, and to a large extent with hardware, and I personally don't see anything in the pipeline which will change this.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

And yet iOS still has by far the better app and product ecosystem and Apple are making more money than Google. Go figure!

 

[trifid]

Wow.. history is repeating itself, Apple being ultra greedy and losing vision and marketshare like in the late 90s, rival OS reaching 90% marketshare.

New Apple dark ages approaching?

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

It's not irrelevant if you consider the possibility that the worldwide smart phone market is approaching saturation, meaning that the only revenue growth these companies will see will be in services for smartphone users.

That assumes people never replace their phones and when doing so switch OS'. It also assumes no one ever replaces phone.

We'll still see change in these numbers even when adoption reaches 100% (which it never will) as people switch carriers, get new phones, and jump between Android and iOS.