iOS and Android Combined for Record 99% of Smartphone Sales Last Quarter

[Abazigal]

I have literally no idea what you mean by "pulling their weight". Am I supposed to fulfill some app purchase quota? Why is that?

As far as I'm concerned, I want maximum value for minimum money. I personally don't pay for apps (Android or iOS) since there's no paid app I need, and this suits me perfectly.

The apps I have, for communication/navigation & transport/media/banking/web browsing & news etc are all free.

Which doesn't answer the question of why more people are evidently paying for apps (or at least paying more for apps) on iOS compared to Android. By your logic, there too should be people on iOS with your mindset as well, who don't buy apps because they legitimately don't see a need for them, or are content using free alternatives. Why then the disparity in numbers?

So in the very least, Apple has somehow been able to attract a class of iOS users who are generally more willing to spend on content. Which to me is a virtuous cycle of sorts. I pay for apps, and am in turn rewarded with a wider selection of higher-quality apps released for my platform first or exclusively. What's not to like?

 

[symphara]

What else would you call anyone who pirates software, regardless of whether it is on Android, iOS, Windows or Mac or any other platform?

Look, I understand why you're so angry and nasty. Lots and lots of Apple fanboys are. They're being taken for a ride and sold grossly overpriced stuff, in the hope that social signalling will make them feel superior about themselves.

When that doesn't quite happen and they're simply left to ponder if the reality is that they've been duped, I'm sure it hurts. I sympathise. Try not to take it on us though, we're not thieves merely because we think Android is better, and we certainly didn't part you with your cash. We just don't think you spent it wisely

 

[admob71]

Which doesn't answer the question of why more people are evidently paying for apps (or at least paying more for apps) on iOS compared to Android. By your logic, there too should be people on iOS with your mindset as well, who don't buy apps because they legitimately don't see a need for them, or are content using free alternatives. Why then the disparity in numbers?

So in the very least, Apple has somehow been able to attract a class of iOS users who are generally more willing to spend on content. Which to me is a virtuous cycle of sorts. I pay for apps, and am in turn rewarded with a wider selection of higher-quality apps released for my platform first or exclusively. What's not to like?

If paying 2 bucks for an app makes you feel this happy and superior to the common man in the street mate I am genuinely pleased for you. We all need to get our little victories where we can. Good for you sir, I salute you.
[doublepost=1471615084][/doublepost]

Look, I understand why you're so angry and nasty. Lots and lots of Apple fanboys are. They're being taken for a ride and sold grossly overpriced stuff, in the hope that social signalling will make them feel superior about themselves.

When that doesn't quite happen and they're simply left to ponder if the reality is that they've been duped, I'm sure it hurts. I sympathise. Try not to take it on us though, we're not thieves merely because we think Android is better, and we certainly didn't part you with your cash. We just don't think you spent it wisely

Lol, best reply all day.

 

[Abazigal]

Look, I understand why you're so angry and nasty. Lots and lots of Apple fanboys are. They're being taken for a ride and sold grossly overpriced stuff, in the hope that social signalling will make them feel superior about themselves.

You don't have to concern yourself with how I choose to spend my money, just like I personally couldn't care less what smartphone you are using. Suffice to say that I am very happy with my Apple devices to date. I have no problem with what model of smartphone other people use (because it really doesn't impact the way I use my iPhone), but it never fails to amaze me how so many people love to take issue with my choice of device, just because it's an iPhone.

Should I feel honoured?

When that doesn't quite happen and they're simply left to ponder if the reality is that they've been duped, I'm sure it hurts. I sympathise. Try not to take it on us though, we're not thieves merely because we think Android is better, and we certainly didn't part you with your cash. We just don't think you spent it wisely

Again, what business is it of yours what smartphone I choose to use?

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

Nice! I'm part of the 1%*

*My work got me a Blackberry Passport

 

[mrflibbles]

You don't have to concern yourself with how I choose to spend my money, just like I personally couldn't care less what smartphone you are using. Suffice to say that I am very happy with my Apple devices to date. I have no problem with what model of smartphone other people use (because it really doesn't impact the way I use my iPhone), but it never fails to amaze me how so many people love to take issue with my choice of device, just because it's an iPhone.

Should I feel honoured?



Again, what business is it of yours what smartphone I choose to use?

Don't feed the trolls

 

[Abazigal]

It's no mystery - at the very least, iOS products are bought by people who are on average more afluent, and thus have more money to spend on apps (I guess, games mostly). Coupled with Apple's focus on fashion tech, it's no wonder. People pay lots of money for fashion, to be seen as fashionable, and to signal their superiority to others. You are a prime example.

How does purchasing apps mean I am more fashionable, or at least want to be perceived as such? It's not as if I can tell what apps you have on your iPhone simply by looking at the external case of your iPhone? Do people go around peering into other people's home screen and go "OMG, you have Omnifocus and 1password in your dock. Cool!"

Win goes to Android, if its users get better value for money as far as apps go. On top of the far better value for money for the devices themselves. No wonder the market share is growing.

There's value in getting an app later than on iOS, or not at all?

No, you're very smug in your belief that you're somehow better because you bought into an overpriced and largely inferior product eco-system that focuses on fashion tech.

And what's wrong with "fashion tech"? I have a device that looks great and works great. It's the best of both worlds, so what's not to love?

Don't feed the trolls

I intend to burn every last one of them with fire till none remain.

And my comments are directed as much to everyone else reading these threads as much as they are aimed at the posters. Even if they are trolls as alluded by you, I can at least reach out to those who might otherwise be taken in by such untruths and logical fallacies.

 

[admob71]

You don't have to concern yourself with how I choose to spend my money, just like I personally couldn't care less what smartphone you are using. Suffice to say that I am very happy with my Apple devices to date. I have no problem with what model of smartphone other people use (because it really doesn't impact the way I use my iPhone), but it never fails to amaze me how so many people love to take issue with my choice of device, just because it's an iPhone.

Should I feel honoured?



Again, what business is it of yours what smartphone I choose to use?

I think my friend that when you appeared to go out of your way to prove that Android users were poor thieves, and iOS users were rich affluent pillars of society. Maybe, just maybe that may have rubbed a few folk up the wrong way.. # just saying

Have a lovely day old boy.

 

[MrX8503]

You are talking about one developer talking about 1 game. Out of a million plus apps, hardly a big enough sample to say most Android users are thieves now is it. Talk about generalising...

Have a lovely day sir.

Android has what? 80% of the marketshare, yet iOS generates more revenue. So...there's a ton of free apps on Android, users aren't buying, or they're stealing.

EDIT: This doesn't prove that most Android users are stealing. It just means it's a collection of those 3 reasons

 

[N0ddie]

Some of the disparity could be down to app prices on their respective store. My wife has only recently got an S7 edge and has noticed that the same app on the App Store does cost more than the Google Play store.

A quite Google to check this out does show that this is the case.

*EFA. After some further Googling, there's some cheaper on 1 store and others on the other store.

 

[MrX8503]

It's possible that it's cheaper because Android users won't pay a high price.

 

[Abazigal]

I think my friend that when you appeared to go out of your way to prove that Android users were poor thieves, and iOS users were rich affluent pillars of society. Maybe, just maybe that may have rubbed a few folk up the wrong way.. # just saying

When then are Android smartphone users frequenting a Pro-Apple forum?

I can understand the acrimony if this were a pro-Android website like Androidpolice or heck, even Cnet or Engadget or BGR, but look at the URL in your browser. Just where do you think this is?

 

[symphara]

But hey, what do I know. I am apparently just another smug iOS user. Let me just go back to playing with Overcast, Fantastical, Tweetbot and other iOS-only apps.

I totally missed this. So you congratulate yourself for paying actual money on apps where excellent free alternatives exist, including on iOS? Dude, you're special. Apple should clone you.

When then are Android smartphone users frequenting a Pro-Apple forum?

I have several Android phones, a Macbook, two iPads, a Blackberry Playbook tablet, an nVidia Shield console, a Nexus tablet, a few Windows PCs, a big ESXI server with lots of VMs and a few Linux machines.

I buy whatever technology I like, what I find useful, or what I find interesting and want to explore.

I am no company's slave, and I have a lot of trouble understanding slavish attachments to corporations that sell hardware or software, even when they make excellent products. Apple certainly doesn't make only excellent products - some are (or were) very good, some are mediocre, all are, I think, overpriced to a smaller or larger extent.

Last but not least, this site is about rumours for Apple products. I have no idea why you think that translates to it being a pro-Apple site. It's not called applefanboyz.com. Any person with interest in Apple or the computer/smartphone industry in particular has a legitimate reason to read and post here. You're certainly not the gate keeper.

 

[JasonH42]

When then are Android smartphone users frequenting a Pro-Apple forum?

I can understand the acrimony if this were a pro-Android website like Androidpolice or heck, even Cnet or Engadget or BGR, but look at the URL in your browser. Just where do you think this is?

This isn't a "pro-Apple" forum, it's a forum on web site for those interested in Apple products.

I own a Macbook Pro and a Galaxy S7 Edge. Is that confusing to you? I have owned most iPhone models and simply found my last, a 6S+, to be too big, heavy and plain in design by comparison to the S7 Edge with identical screen size.

I'm neither poor nor a thief.

 

[admob71]

When then are Android smartphone users frequenting a Pro-Apple forum?

I can understand the acrimony if this were a pro-Android website like Androidpolice or heck, even Cnet or Engadget or BGR, but look at the URL in your browser. Just where do you think this is?

I am sat in front of my imac right now, which I have done for many years, can I join in this debate, or am I not on the VIP list either?

Plus, the topic has Android in the title, surely that gives us reason to join in. ;-)

 

[yaxomoxay]

When then are Android smartphone users frequenting a Pro-Apple forum?

I can understand the acrimony if this were a pro-Android website like Androidpolice or heck, even Cnet or Engadget or BGR, but look at the URL in your browser. Just where do you think this is?

This is not a pro-apple website. It's a website focused on Apple products and whatever in the world of technology relates to Apple and the products/services it provides.

Instead of looking at the URL up above, read the mission statement below:
"MacRumors attracts a broad audience of both consumers and professionals interested in the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac platforms."

 

[Abazigal]

I totally missed this. So you congratulate yourself for paying actual money on apps where excellent free alternatives exist, including on iOS? Dude, you're special. Apple should clone you.

So where's the free alternative podcast player with smart speed? Or the free Twitter client with as great a UI as Tweetbot, with an equivalent desktop app? Some good apps I use are free, some are paid, and if I need to pay, I will.

I don't see what's wrong or unacceptable or embarrassing about this. I pay for apps which I like and which I think will bring me great utility. I get a great app in return and support the developer while I am at it. This in turn provides the developer with the resources necessary to continue updating his app and making new ones.

A smartphone is a tool like any other device. What I get out of it ultimately depends on what I invest in it, so I fail to see the point of spending good money on a pocket computer, only then to scrimp and save on apps.

So what? It's suddenly uncool to pay for apps now???

 

[symphara]

I don't see what's wrong or unacceptable or embarrassing about this.

There's nothing wrong or unacceptable. But you clearly brag about buying rather trivial apps for which you have essentially identical free alternatives, and this is just not something you brag about.

It's like bragging about buying bottled water, in Switzerland. Or bragging that you drive your kids to school. It's uncool. Seems foolish, if anything. Why would you draw attention to your own foolishness?

I don't "scrimp and save on apps". I just cannot think of any paid app I'd want to have. Whatever app I ever needed, I have no problem finding a free one, particularly since most apps I use are either developed by Google, or are attached to some other service that makes money differently (e.g. buying tickets, banking, online shopping etc).

 

[jujufreeze]

I have the iPhone 6s Plus, I just bought the Nexus 6P to try Android. The phone was inexpensive as it was less that half what I paid for my iPhone. Slightly larger screen at 5.7, and crazy clear/sharp. The operating system was very surprising, I downloaded Android 7.0 and IOS 10. I was surprised how much more I preferred Android. Downloaded all the same Apps, I have to say I am sold! I just placed my order for a Note 7. I'm sold on Android and decided to get a phone far more advanced than iPhone. I'm shocked Android is so much nicer and the broad range of high end phones. I thought Apple was king. I strangely feel bad as I am a real Apple fan, have been for 18 years.

Tried out that phone. Similar in feature to my 6s Plus but I am super jealous of the fast charging on that phone. It uses new Usb C standard and charged twice as fast as my iphone.

 

[Abazigal]

There's nothing wrong or unacceptable. But you clearly brag about buying rather trivial apps for which you have essentially identical free alternatives, and this is just not something you brag about.

It's like bragging about buying bottled water, in Switzerland. Or bragging that you drive your kids to school. It's uncool. Seems foolish, if anything. Why would you draw attention to your own foolishness?

I don't "scrimp and save on apps". I just cannot think of any paid app I'd want to have. Whatever app I ever needed, I have no problem finding a free one, particularly since most apps I use are either developed by Google, or are attached to some other service that makes money differently (e.g. buying tickets, banking, online shopping etc).

That's you, and I have nothing against that.

It just so happens that there are great, useful apps that I want which are incidentally paid (such as Protube, 1password, reeder, notability, todoist, just to name a few), and so I pay for them. It's not as though I am going around randomly buying apps on a whim just so I can boast about having paid for this app or that; they are legitimately apps that I want to own and try.

Have I paid for apps that I subsequently don't use? More than my fair share, but that's just the nature of trying out various apps so I can find the best one for my needs. It's fun being able to experiment with a myriad of apps because there usually isn't this one master app to "rule them all", and needs change over time, so an app which sufficed for me a while back might no longer be suitable today.

I think I have played around with more than 10 email apps (a mix of free and paid) until I settled on Outlook (was using airmail for a while). And if a new mail app gets released, I have no qualms about purchasing it to give it a try and see if it offers any added utility over and beyond what outlook is currently offering me.

I am not trying to boast about how much I spend on apps here, I am simply sharing about the way I view apps and my attitude towards spending on stuff I think might offer me value.

 

[MacBH928]

we need more competition, but somehow the global standards usually end only in 2 to 3 products just like in consoles (Sony, Microsoft), computer CPUs (Nvidia, AMD), Office Suite(almost MS office only) and OSs (OS X, Windows, Linux).

But good for Apple, they build both the hardware and the software. The above market share is really Apple vs Google's Android+ every phone manufacturer in the world.

 

[bommai]

I'm just curious how you sell a .4 of a unit? How does one sell a percentage of a phone? Shouldn't the unit number be whole numbers?

It clearly says the units are in thousands. So 0.4 is 400 units.
[doublepost=1471625177][/doublepost]

Crazy how quickly Windows phone has just died completely. Microsoft really has seemed to have given up.

They have. They already said that. That is why they are making apps for Android and iOS and not even updating Windows Phone.

 

[8281]

Hehe, that's such a dry comment... "lack of innovation"... what do you need that your current iPhone can't do? Honestly, list two things. Now show me an Android that can do exactly that while keeping your information safe + while integrating elegantly with your other devices. I'm not saying that it doesn't exist... I'm genuinely interested in learning about this. Clearly you've done your research.

I bought a Galaxy S7 this year just to try Android. I figured as a self-described techie I should probably use both mobile OSs at some point. Anyway, the biggest drawback has been messaging. iMessage is way better, although if you have people using Hangouts or some other service that offers desktop messaging, it doesn't matter as much. The S7 has some cool camera tricks like saying "shoot" or putting your hand up to take a picture that the iPhone can't do. You can also put your hand over the phone to snooze an alarm or turn the phone screen down. Sounds gimmicky, but in practice it's sort of neat.

Of course, there's the usual features like more storage, more memory, OIS, OLED screen that the iPhone doesn't have (without plunking down a lot of cash for the +). The camera on the S7 is also pretty impressive. My whole family and most of my friends have iPhones and they were blown away by the pics.

Other than that, it's all Google Apps. If you hate Google, then it's not for you, but they work pretty seamlessly and Google's cloud services are better than Apple's IMHO. Inbox, Calendar, Music, Drive, Maps, Calendar all work better together than what Apple offers. For people working on PCs and Apple products, it's hard to beat. Photos in particular is an awesome service. Plex also mostly covers what iTunes can do, in some cases better.

In two years, I may go back to an iPhone, we'll see.

 

[Textime]

You won't believe for what kind of device I ditched my iPhone as only an media device. It has everything I need and helps me to focus and saves me a lot of time. I don't spend my time anymore without sense with this device.
I'm an iPhone user since 2008 but I have to admit that Blackberry is so classy. I'm just loving it.

 

[mi7chy]

HP already did it.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/21/11068496/hp-elite-x3-announced-specs-windows-10-mwc-2016

Not really since the HP is ARM based so doesn't run professional software that Surface Pro can. Surface Phone is expected to be x86-64 based so a pocketable version of Surface Pro. One device that rules them all.