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Yes, that is my point, Apple cannot be making 95% (as you and others always claim) of global smartphone profits if iPhone made 75% [<$6B]of Apples profits, then Samsung can make <$0.3B profit for that calculation to make sense, when we know they made nearly 15 times that number from their mobile division alone. Add in hardware profit from iPhones, and I still argue that Samsung probably makes at least as much as Apple does from smartphones.
apples revenue from their ecosystem totally dwarfs samsung mobile phone division no question about that.
 
apples revenue from their ecosystem totally dwarfs samsung mobile phone division no question about that.[/QUOTE

Why do you keep moving the goal posts? You made claims about mobile hardware profits...now it is sales from the App Store? No one is arguing that since Samsung doesn't have one? (Samsung makes more money from fridges!! /s)
 
Actually Apple owns the revenue 4 to 1 on Google when it comes to App Store. Also 95% of the hardware profits. So market share by unit is irrelevant when most Android devices are cheap and used mostly as feature phones.
The holy trinity of retail: revenue, volume, and market share. Shrinking market share is always dangerous, just like shrinking volume or profits
 
The holy trinity of retail: revenue, volume, and market share. Shrinking market share is always dangerous, just like shrinking volume or profits
Again, context is everything.

Apple's market share looks small compared to Android, but don't forget that 14% market share is still a very large number in absolute terms. Apple recently sold its 1 billionth iPhone, which means that at any one time, we are looking are more than half a billion active iPhone users. Apple also has more than enough users to maintain its own ecosystem and make it a thriving and self-sufficient platform in its own right.

Besides, Apple already has problems meeting demand for their iPhone every launch quarter, so I am not sure how lower prices might necessarily translate into larger market share if Apple can't produce enough iPhones to meet the higher demand anyways.

Chasing market share for the sake of market share is a fool's errand. Apple clearly has the volume and profits, and its market share is just as respectable when compared to any other company out there. If you want to paint it as "Apple vs the rest of the world", bear in mind that Apple's recent profits was more than Google, Facebook and Microsoft combined, and this was in Apple's "off" quarter.

But sure, let's focus on profitless market share in a vacuum, because that's the only way we can make Apple look bad.
 
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Android has come a long away.

I believe this year will be the 1st year I buy an Android phone because of the lack of innovation from Apple and the iPhone 7.

As this will be the first year I probably won't buy a new phone after 2yrs of having this 6+. I'll just keep it and see what the 8 brings.
 
At what point do developers stop making apps for iOS? Wasn't that the issue the Mac had in the 1990's, a smaller and smaller market share, so developers abandon it?

That isn't going to happen anytime soon, considering iPhone apps make developers significantly more money compared to the Android version of the same app.
 
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For people that will say that the S7 and now Note 7 (make no mistake, I like the Note 7 and im considering buying 1 depending on what the iPhone 7 Plus has) are selling well lets not forget its context:
Galaxy S7 are only up compared to the S6 and S5 which were, somewhat, failures in sales compared to expectations.

Samsung sold around 25 million premium phones in the first two quarters of 2016, compared to 40 million of Apple just last quarter.​

comparing Samsung's S7 vs Apple's iPhone 6, 6S, 5, 5S and SE.. that really shows Apple's strength /s​

there seems to be huge discrepancy between what you are saying and Kantar said in June of 2016:

"Starting with the US, in the three months ending May 2016, Samsung accounted for 37% of smartphone sales and Apple 29%. However, sales of their respective flagship models reveal a much closer competition, with the Galaxy S7/S7 Edge accounting for 16% of sales and the iPhone 6s/6s Plus at 14.6%. What’s more, when we look at where these purchases are coming from, just 5% of Samsung purchases came from those switching away from Apple, while 14% of Apple purchasers came from those switching away from Samsung. In both cases, the majority of sales came from customers repurchasing and upgrading within their preferred brand. Among those intending to change devices within the next year, 88% of current Apple users and 86% of current Samsung users intend to stay loyal."
 
Seems to be curved screen and wireless charging. I cant think of anything else.
Yes Curved screens, Wireless charging, edge less displays (Xperia Xa series etc), Waterproof and dust proof phones, The note series and some others have reinvented the phone stylus. Iris scanner. Lots on the software side of things. Both have been innovative, people just choose to be ignorant.
 
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Again, context is everything.

Apple's market share looks small compared to Android, but don't forget that 14% market share is still a very large number in absolute terms. Apple recently sold its 1 billionth iPhone, which means that at any one time, we are looking are more than half a billion active iPhone users. Apple also has more than enough users to maintain its own ecosystem and make it a thriving and self-sufficient platform in its own right.

Besides, Apple already has problems meeting demand for their iPhone every launch quarter, so I am not sure how lower prices might necessarily translate into larger market share if Apple can't produce enough iPhones to meet the higher demand anyways.

Chasing market share for the sake of market share is a fool's errand. Apple clearly has the volume and profits, and its market share is just as respectable when compared to any other company out there. If you want to paint it as "Apple vs the rest of the world", bear in mind that Apple's recent profits was more than Google, Facebook and Microsoft combined, and this was in Apple's "off" quarter.

But sure, let's focus on profitless market share in a vacuum, because that's the only way we can make Apple look bad.

The smartphone market is turning over so quickly that Apple's share could change fairly suddenly. Android 6.0 is a fine OS and Amazon sells a fine smartphone that runs it for $60. I don't think Apple can launch a phone at the same prices as last year and expect to sell it in huge numbers at that price in the middle of 2017. Sure they'd sellout at launch. That is fine. But unless Apple wants to lower the price later on (which it hates to do on its products and it won't even do it two years after a laptop is introduced), I think Apple needs to come out of the gate with a cheaper phone.

Since this is a similar design, cost of manufacturing this phone probably has come down form the 6 and 6s, so Apple may be able to maintain margins while cutting $50 or even $100 off the price.
 
The smartphone market is turning over so quickly that Apple's share could change fairly suddenly. Android 6.0 is a fine OS and Amazon sells a fine smartphone that runs it for $60. I don't think Apple can launch a phone at the same prices as last year and expect to sell it in huge numbers at that price in the middle of 2017. Sure they'd sellout at launch. That is fine. But unless Apple wants to lower the price later on (which it hates to do on its products and it won't even do it two years after a laptop is introduced), I think Apple needs to come out of the gate with a cheaper phone.

Since this is a similar design, cost of manufacturing this phone probably has come down form the 6 and 6s, so Apple may be able to maintain margins while cutting $50 or even $100 off the price.
I doubt the people buying a $60 smartphone were ever in the market for an iPhone anyways.

The funny thing is that all signs seem to point towards the next iPhone actually becoming more expensive, not less. Rumoured increase of base storage to 32 gb, storage options up to 256 gb, a possible pro model with smart connector (and accompanying accessories). We have seen this happen with the iPad Pro and it seems like Apple will be trying the same trick with the iPhone line next.

Won't it be poetic? To have Apple raise their prices, and see sales increase as well?
 
The grass always seems greener on the other side.
The grass is always greener wherever it is watered. In this case, Apple have dropped the ball, and Android phones are so far ahead they aren't even in the same league.
 
Surely eyebrows are being raised at the merits of Cooks leadership?

If you can't offer innovation, time to start offering value.
The thing is, the iPhone is a mid priced phone with a price tag ABOVE even the top tier phones from other manufacturers. Where I live, I can buy a Galaxy S7 Edge for only slightly more than an iPhone SE 16gb. That's crazy. In order to buy the top tier iPhone 6s Plus would cost around TWICE THE PRICE. Even then, it isn't as good a phone as the S7 Edge.
 
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The thing is, the iPhone is a mid priced phone with a price tag ABOVE even the top tier phones from other manufacturers. Where I live, I can buy a Galaxy S7 Edge for only slightly more than an iPhone SE 16gb. That's crazy. In order to buy the top tier iPhone 6s Plus would cost around TWICE THE PRICE. Even then, it isn't as good a phone as the S7 Edge.

Agreed. The price difference made me take a look at the S7E and I just simply couldn't justify another iPhone at that point. I never was dissatisfied with my iPhone by any means but they are sure asking a lot for them. Many people here will defend Apple's pricing but let the crying begin when they ask an extra $150 for the iPhone pro that starts at 64GB memory. Another 300 bucks to get it up to 256. Grand total $1,650 :)

In a time that technology prices are going down across the board it seems that Apple would love to push prices up. Luckily they have a fan base that seems to take pride in paying well above what everybody else does.
 
Again, context is everything.

Apple's market share looks small compared to Android, but don't forget that 14% market share is still a very large number in absolute terms. Apple recently sold its 1 billionth iPhone, which means that at any one time, we are looking are more than half a billion active iPhone users. Apple also has more than enough users to maintain its own ecosystem and make it a thriving and self-sufficient platform in its own right.

Besides, Apple already has problems meeting demand for their iPhone every launch quarter, so I am not sure how lower prices might necessarily translate into larger market share if Apple can't produce enough iPhones to meet the higher demand anyways.

Chasing market share for the sake of market share is a fool's errand. Apple clearly has the volume and profits, and its market share is just as respectable when compared to any other company out there. If you want to paint it as "Apple vs the rest of the world", bear in mind that Apple's recent profits was more than Google, Facebook and Microsoft combined, and this was in Apple's "off" quarter.

But sure, let's focus on profitless market share in a vacuum, because that's the only way we can make Apple look bad.
Apple struggling to meet demand has years ago, last year and even the year before they were in equilibrium, and this year they cut production:

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/15/apple-suppliers-fall-after-report-on-production-cut.html

No one is saying they should pursue market share in vacuum, remember, it's all three together. I am not saying that Google or Samsung are better off, either, but to say a shrinking market share is nothing to worry about is indeed worrying.

I know of a major consumer goods company that slashed bonuses and did a full reorg due to a 7% year over year growth, this might sound ridiculous, why would they do that if they grew? Well, turns out the market itself grew 14%, which meant that in reality whole volume and profits increased, market share shrunk
 
Question, how much innovation does a user really need in a phone? At some point the return would exponentially decline. I suspect the sales results are more of a pricing issue then innovation.

Price would definitely contribute, as consumers have a much larger area of choices.
Android also gives user and app developers a lot more choices and options than IOS too, so it is a double whammy.

IOS users typically spend more through paid apps than Android, but that has been on the decline as well.

At the end of the day, Android allows so much more flexibility for OEMS's and app developers. I think people always saw the swiss cheese in IOS and knew Android didn't have those same holes, but IOS once had a bit better end user experience that required very little tech savvy. Android has become one of the easiest OS to use, and the learning curve has been long gone. I think this is driving android adoption in addition to more flexible price points.

With IOS, Apple will block some of the stupidest features in an app. That doesn't happen with Android. Many Android versions of apps have more features and options than their IOS counter parts because of Apple's stupid developer rules (and many of them are very stupid and mind boggling.) Having to truncate features and options in an app would speed development time for IOS over Android... which is a conversation that never seems to pop up much and I think is a pretty valid point.

I honestly have not missed my iPhone since I switched. The only things that I might miss would be some airplay functionality, but how often is that used? And most TV's and sound systems natively support casting.
 
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I doubt the people buying a $60 smartphone were ever in the market for an iPhone anyways.

The funny thing is that all signs seem to point towards the next iPhone actually becoming more expensive, not less. Rumoured increase of base storage to 32 gb, storage options up to 256 gb, a possible pro model with smart connector (and accompanying accessories). We have seen this happen with the iPad Pro and it seems like Apple will be trying the same trick with the iPhone line next.

Won't it be poetic? To have Apple raise their prices, and see sales increase as well?

That would be crazy. But I'm certain prices won't go up. And don't dismiss the $60 Amazon BLU phone. It runs Android 6.0 and is quite capable. Maybe people won't buy it instead of a new iPhone. But it will probably compete with the used iPhone market.

And it isn't just that phone. Top of the line Android flagship phones other than Samsung go for $400 now. I expect that drops to $350 or even less next year. Those phones will need to drop their prices when a $60 phone exists.
 
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