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iOS and Android Combined for Record 99% of Smartphone Sales Last Quarter
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Unless you buy a Nexus phone don't count on your Android phone getting timely OS updates and security fixes like you do from Apple. While Android might have an overall 86.2% marketshare that doesn't mean that its all the same latest version of Android. In fact, only 15% of Android phones have been updated to the latest Android version Marshmallow released last Oct 2015. Here's a webpage to show you how bad update support really is:
https://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html
While I'd like to see more hardware bells and whistles from Apple the fact that there's so little software after purchase support has made me decide to leave Android and move to Apple iOS. This would be the first Apple phone for my personal use.
Can you cite your sources please?
The "revolution" was the creation of a handheld computing platform, rather than just an interface. That was my first thought at the iPhone unveiling 9 years ago. Arguably not that revolutionary a concept (computing platforms already existed) but certainly a big leap forward to put it in your hand and open it up to app & accessory developers.
I highly doubt that. Most everyone I know has an iPhone, and more switching to iOS all the time. The people I know that DO have Android are not very tech savvy, are cheap, or don't have a good income. Further they often complain about their phone and using it. They can't get help from others who have Android because it seems that each Android phone is different. Where setting are for one, may not even exist on another.
iOS is the nearly the same whether you have an iPhone 4s or 6s Plus. Differences between features such as Touch ID, or quality of camera, but the OS itself is the same (convenient!)
Considering app developers still make *more* total money from iOS than Android, in app sales AND advertising, people will continue to develop for iOS first until that's not true. Android has a lot of devices out there, but when you look at how many of those devices are actually getting used, how many are in developing markets, demographic, iOS is doing pretty well.
That said, you can see Apple trying to shift more of its income to services, even offering Apple Music on Android. That should give them more flexibility in pricing and not relying so heavily on high margin hardware.
After several years (since the 3gs) I moved last month from iOS to Android. It look me probably a solid week of intense reading and playing around to get the hang of it. I'm very happy so far. It feels more like like a "computer" and less like an "appliance" is how I've described the difference. Flexibility can be fun too, playing with launchers and widgets. That being said there are a couple of things that I miss - integration with my Alpine head units for example. I've relegated my iPhone 6 (128GB) to "media player" and keep that with me as well.
From the source:
http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3415117
Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users by Vendor in 2Q16 (Thousands of Units)
If iOS ever becomes under 1%, maybe then people will get their updated Macbook Pros and Macs become important to Apple again.
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Well "a google search" is obvious, but I was hoping for a link directly to solid stats like in the article.
A lot of people here are saying more people make money form iOS, but is that true, and if so, to what degree.
EDIT: https://9to5mac.com/2016/04/19/ios-app-store-half-downloads-google-play-store-twice-revenue/
Ranked in my preference, most useful first:
Fast charging
SD cards
Ultra power saving mode (due to OLED displays)
Always-on display
Wireless charging
Waterproofing
Multiple SIMs
I also like the LED notifications on phones, call me old fashioned, but I can glance at it without activating the screen to see if there are alerts. Different colours for different apps.
So far from what i understand better integration with the apps many of us use.
That's google maps, gmail, etc. Notifications work better too from what i've read.
It's an off year or years for apple. why not test the competitor out when you know youre not missing out anymore?
Yeah, for this reason I'm waiting on the new Nexus Marlin before I try a Google phone. I'm using the OnePlus 3 now and liking it since it's "almost pure" Android. Unlocked so no carrier bloatware either. When I was considering trying an Android unlocked was important because I didn't want all the garbage they throw on Android devices - you know, the stuff Apple won't allow them to do to the iPhones.
A decade ago BB thought they were taking over the world. Crazy how quickly things change. I don't see any surprises in these numbers. Android dominates sales in cheap cell phones and has since their release. Not to mention the number of different phones available using Android. Apple has publicly made it known their sales would drop and they have. The big question is what the next 5 years holds for Apple in the smartphone market. More people seem to be leaning towards Samsung and trying out android than in the past. Apple has lost their "cool" factor they once had and if they don't get it back they will see their numbers continuing to fall.
There is always a first for everything and nothing wrong with that. I've had 3 Android devices and will never get something with Android again. Partly because of how Google does certain things and partly because of the hardware quality and Android update behavior of hardware manufacturers that want to you to buy new stuff every 1-2 years.
But the market could use some more competition. Glad that Windows on mobile is gone though.
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That animated dandelion on the lock screen is pretty revolutionary.
BB was very stubborn to change and it cost them.
This is a mistake apple wont make I think.
They realized people wanted larger screens and released the 6 and 6 Plus.
That whole "you can use with one hand" was thrown out the window.
Apple is failing big time. I've been selling iOS apps since 2008 as a small independent, but Apple has kicked off their own death spiral by forcing stupid terms on developers (family share, feature or bury/die). They should dump the captive app store and let us sell directly on the platform (like OS X). It's really their last chance to save themselves.
I also do freelance work for larger companies. Everyone wants Android now - even industries that never did before. And they want it cheap so they don't care about platform differentiation and will do without whatever new bell or whistle is available on whatever platform. All smartphone platforms have arrived at a sufficient level of "functionality parity" so yes, developers are switching to cross platform (write once) implementation to deliver on all platforms. I just realized I need to buy a windows PC to stay in business, which is actually good because now I no longer need to care about the next "Mac Pro".
And the final nail in the coffin is the Lightning connector. I just finished a "proof of concept" app for a customer working on a hardware device. But the project is not going anywhere because it can't be commercially viable because of the need to do a USB-C AND a Lightning version. I also have MFI experience - it's worse than app store red tape.
The smartphone industry is now a commodity industry. Apple is trying hard to be the "Gucci Smartphone", but you don't see the young hipsters featured in their emotional marketing ads shopping on Rodeo Drive, do you?
Peak iPhone is behind us....