iPhone Market Share Dips Slightly as Android Increases Lead in Global Smartphone Race

[AppleScruff1]

Why are they meaningless when they do favor Apple?
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=18600595#post18600595

I'm sure there are a few more posts like that too, but overall it's the other way around. People go to lengths to criticize and dismiss these reports, surveys, reviews, etc when there is the least bit negative mentioned where Apple is concerned. Me? I think just about every company on earth would like to be in Apple's position, shrinking market share or not. Apple could take a huge chunk of those markets if they wanted to, but it will come at the expense of their profits. But at what point do they stop hoarding the cash and return it to its rightful owners or spend it on growing the company? $200 billion? 500 billion? A trillion? What's the point?

 

[unlinked]

I'm personally not worried as I do use Gmail myself. There are others who avoid Google entirely for that reason. Is there anyone on Android who has managed to avoid Google 100%?

Anyone with a Kindle tablet.


Or someone who installed a rom and then didn't go seeking out the Google ecosystem but I imagine such people are few and far between.

 

[kalsta]

Stupid again. I live in the UK, and I know the people here, including people who haven't worked in their life and live on benefits, and yes, they can afford iPhones.

Seriously mate, it's clear you have no idea how much of a struggle it is for some people—supporting a family, perhaps a family member with a disability, paying off a mortgage, out-of-control credit card debt, out of work, or homeless… Incredible that you feel you speak for everyone because you and the people around you can all afford an iPhone.

 

[Rootus]

Android made big strides in 2013 while iOS7 took a step backward, and hardware remained largely stagnant. What's really surprising is that market share dropped so little.

Sure, you can argue that the hardware did improve, but outwardly it's the same phone that came out over a year ago and that's what the lion's share of iPhone consumers see. You could also argue that iOS7 brought improvements. But again, what most regular people see is the silly color scheme and the regular UI glitches and reboots.

I think we'd be in a much better position if Steve were still around. Tim Cook is great with numbers but he's not a strong leader nor an innovator.

 

[Fattytail]

I'll be interested to see this same survey at this time next year. I think Apple underestimated the demand for large screen phones. If the iPhone 6 comes out with a big screen, I think you will see a lot of people come back to iPhone.

What's also interesting is that Apple is holding up quite well against "Android", which is actually many, many companies aggregated in one category. Something people tend to overlook. What would be even more interesting is if we could see these same numbers broken up by manufacturer and not just by operating system.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Generally speaking, more marketshare means more potential buyers for your software. Most developers always try to hit as large an audience as possible, and, barring a few higher end exceptions such as games and maybe some office suites, an $80 smartphone will run most apps just as well as a $500.

Though this doesn't mean they're more likely to choose Android over iOS. Just that Android is as potentially viable a platform.

But that's not what's happening in the real world.

8 out of 10 smartphones sold today are running Android. And yet developers still focus on making apps for the iPhone.

That kinda disproves your "largest audience" theory.

It doesn't matter that Android has 80% of the market... developers look at which platform will give them the best results.

And that platform just happens to be the iPhone... despite it having a tiny percentage of the market.

 

[winston1236]

It's not surprising that iOS has horrible numbers in less wealthy countries. I'd bet to say if you solely compared to "flagship" Android devices it wouldn't look so bad.

Then what about Germany? Thats not even close to a "less wealthy" country and Apple is losing there as well?

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Any source for this or it is just made up?

If you don't think this is the case, you're confused. For a long time I thought Google was just a company totally devoid of focus, what with the way they branch in every direction possible. Cars, contact lenses, cellphones, computers, backup management, glasses, email, social networking, translation, web browsing, word processing, video distribution… the list goes on and on.

Then I realized what their focus is:

Ads, and information to power those ads. They would like to know every detail about every person in the world so that they can maximize clicks on their ads. They lack any morale in their means to collect the information on you - they'll exploit bugs in your browser, outright lie to you when they tell you that information collection is optional, and track your every motion, no matter how small, in the physical world as well as the digital one.

That by itself is quite creepy, but it's not (by itself) the part that has lead me to distancing myself from them. What lead me to that was when I took a computer security class which involved labs hacking into (fake) servers and extracting data from them. These servers were set up with more security than most servers have, and breaking into them and stealing everything was trivial. We also had labs where we attempted to protect our own servers from each other. Nobody ever was able to block every attack (and remain online.) Consider the fact that similar competitions exist at BlackHat, where entire teams of security researchers try to defend themselves from each other, and that nobody ever walks away unhacked. It's not possible to make an unhackable system. Everything will be hacked sooner or later, and everything Google has will be stolen. The worst thing Google will do with your data is serve up ads, but for a criminal wiling to break into Google's servers… they could do anything they want with your data.

Thus I've almost completely removed myself from Google. I'm using DuckDuckGo instead of Google Search (it actually strikes me as a better search engine - that's just a happy coincidence), I have my own server/domain set up for email (and I'm planning on moving my website to it in a few months when I have more time).

 

[kdarling]

If someone pays $80 for an Android phone (and there is nothing wrong with buying a cheap phone if it serves your purpose) that person is much less likely to spend money on apps than someone who paid $600 for a phone (whether iPhone or Android).

That sounds reasonable, until you realize that the majority of iPhone sales are in places where it's subsidized, has trade in programs, etc.

In other words, most people who buy iPhones, do so CHEAPLY... from free to $200.

Yet in those same places (e.g. the US and Japan) where people are paying the LEAST for an iPhone, they still buy a lot of apps.

Seriously? What's the point of that thing? It's got a touchscreen, and I can see the little phone icon right there on the dock, so I know it's got Androids dialer in it. SO WHY THE HELL DOES IT HAVE A PHYSICAL NUMPAD? WHAT'S THE POINT OF THAT? IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!

Actually, my wife would love that device

She still prefers flip-phones in the first place, since they make sense to her as far as answering and hanging up (flip open/close), and a built-in resistance to drop damage.

She also has a terrible time with touchscreens, and would love something that she could dial using real buttons. She's used to doing that without even looking at the phone... something that's nearly impossible to do on an all-touch phone.

 

[Oletros]

If you don't think this is the case, you're confused. For a long time I thought Google was just a company totally devoid of focus, what with the way they branch in every direction possible. Cars, contact lenses, cellphones, computers, backup management, glasses, email, social networking, translation, web browsing, word processing, video distribution… the list goes on and on.

Then I realized what their focus is:

Ads, and information to power those ads. They would like to know every detail about every person in the world so that they can maximize clicks on their ads. They lack any morale in their means to collect the information on you - they'll exploit bugs in your browser, outright lie to you when they tell you that information collection is optional, and track your every motion, no matter how small, in the physical world as well as the digital one.

That by itself is quite creepy, but it's not (by itself) the part that has lead me to distancing myself from them. What lead me to that was when I took a computer security class which involved labs hacking into (fake) servers and extracting data from them. These servers were set up with more security than most servers have, and breaking into them and stealing everything was trivial. We also had labs where we attempted to protect our own servers from each other. Nobody ever was able to block every attack (and remain online.) Consider the fact that similar competitions exist at BlackHat, where entire teams of security researchers try to defend themselves from each other, and that nobody ever walks away unhacked. It's not possible to make an unhackable system. Everything will be hacked sooner or later, and everything Google has will be stolen. The worst thing Google will do with your data is serve up ads, but for a criminal wiling to break into Google's servers… they could do anything they want with your data.

Thus I've almost completely removed myself from Google. I'm using DuckDuckGo instead of Google Search (it actually strikes me as a better search engine - that's just a happy coincidence), I have my own server/domain set up for email (and I'm planning on moving my website to it in a few months when I have more time).

Cool story, but where is any indication of Google stealing your data with Android?

Perhaps the ones that are confused are the ones that doesn't answer what has been asked and they write a diatribe unrelated with it.

 

[Menneisyys2]

Nokia is a European company that just stopped making handsets / sold its handset business to an American company.

Nevertheless, R&D remains mostly in Finland, with Finnish workforce. And this is what counts for a European wanting to support European economy.

 

[kalsta]

There is also another aspect to it vs. having higher margins. I can think of two. One, people tend to like expensive things more than cheaper versions. If it can be justified by marketing...

Sure. I think Apple has actually done a good job of positioning themselves as makers of high-quality hardware. People criticise Apple for all sorts of things, but the quality and finish of hardware isn't one you hear too often. That justifies a higher than average price to be sure, but not to the extent that Apple is charging in my opinion.

Another one could be, people with money, who can afford an iphone will be more likely to buy apps, accesories, etc so a bigger ecosystem hence repeat customers.

There probably is some correlation, but that's not to say people who buy a cheaper Android phone don't also buy music to put on it. Losing a customer today could mean losing the same customer tomorrow (repeat customers like you say).

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Anyone with a Kindle tablet.

Kindle tablets don't count in my book. I'm asking about standard Android phones/tablets.

Or someone who installed a rom and then didn't go seeking out the Google ecosystem but I imagine such people are few and far between.

Yes, is there anyone here who has rooted their Android and not using any Google apps?

 

[linuxcooldude]

Again, I never said the goal of lowering prices should be purely altruistic. I think it makes good business sense when your marketshare is dwindling and you're sitting on an absolute mountain of cash.

But when your profit share is much higher then your competition and continues to increase, market share is just another number.

The majority of Android phones, are not flagship phones, which often compete with other Android phones in a lower price point at a razor thin margins. Or Android smart phones that take market share from feature phones or struggling companies such as Blackberry.


Having a large cash reserve is not reason enough for Apple to give it back to the customer through lower prices.

It does not mean Apples owes its customers anything other then what they currently offer, like any other product on the market does.

 

[kdarling]

(Google) would like to know every detail about every person in the world so that they can maximize clicks on their ads.
(...snip...)
That by itself is quite creepy,

Apple just filed a patent for serving up ads based on our mood, which is determined partly by what we're doing, and partly via biometric readings. You can't get much creepier than that.

.. but it's not (by itself) the part that has lead me to distancing myself from them. What lead me to that was when I took a computer security class which involved labs hacking into (fake) servers and extracting data from them.
(...snip...)
Everything will be hacked sooner or later, and everything Google has will be stolen.

Apple was already hacked into a while back, and had to shut down for days.

Thus I've almost completely removed myself from Google. I'm using DuckDuckGo instead of Google Search (it actually strikes me as a better search engine - that's just a happy coincidence), I have my own server/domain set up for email (and I'm planning on moving my website to it in a few months when I have more time).

I think it'd be great if everyone had their own personal server. Let it be the thing collecting all our info in order to make our devices understand us better.

Moreover, each person could then charge for the ads we allow to be shown to ourselves!

Alas, most people can't afford the setup, which is why we end up relying on others to provide free storage and applications in return for us letting them get the advertising fee.

 

[jmerchlinsky]

Apple likes their margins

This is the same old story. Apple's overall sales are going up slowly while their smartphone marketshare is sinking. Apple obviously isn't spooked by these numbers. They are keeping their eyes on total sales and margins. And as long as their sales are increasing they are determined to maintain their margins. That may change if their overall sales start to decline, but after the 5c tease it's clear Apple has no intention of shiiping a low cost phione in the near future.

I believe they ignore smartphone market share and focus on phone market share or simply volume which is essentially the same thing. The interesting thing is that they have maintained the same price point since the original iPhone was being shipped. They seem to be betting that the world's middle class will continue to grow wealthier and work their way up to affording a $650 phone instead of trying to drive the price down to what the masses can afford today.

The one thing that will change this, in my opinion, would be the collapse of the subsidy model in the US. If subsidies go away then Apple will have a real fight on their hands in their home territory and prices will have to come down to compete with the Andriods. If that happens you'll see a more competative Apple that starts taking market share back in the rest of the world.

 

[the-msa]

Ok, let me step back a minute. When I think of smartphones, I think of a phone that requires a data plan. You could technically create a clam shell phone running android with no 3G or LTE chip in it. It could have a 1.5 inch non-touchscreen LCD display. Is such a phone a smartphone? Yes it technically has Android, but it cannot connect to the internet, it has no touch screen, and it has no qwerty keyboard. I would not consider that a smartphone.

lol what. thats a lot of ******** right there.

you can not make an android-phone thats clam-shell. you can not make an android phone without 3g. you can not make an android phone with an 1.5 inch screen, in fact it cant be smaller than 2.6 inch. you can not make an android phone without a touch screen.

these are required as per minimum android compatibility requirement documentations.

would you ever write such a hypothetical post about an iphone? of course not, as it would be blasphemy, right?

 

[peterdevries]

Jobs co-founded the company and took over leadership of the Macintosh team. What do you mean he 'was never part of that group'?

I should have been more precise. What I meant was that Steve never shared the altruistic mindset of the other part of the group. Of course he co-founded, but he always had the business edge, while others such as Wozniak had a decidely more do-good view with the Mac.

But here we are 30 years later, and it seems the Apple iPhone is too good for the unwashed masses. Are you guys all shareholders? You sound more like the John Sculleys of that period of Apple history, than the passionate Mac team we've all been reading about—the team that would have taken lower profit margins to see a Mac in the hands of as many ordinary people as they could.

Those people have for the most part left Apple. Apple is now an organisation governed by institutional investors that have enormous control over the board. Steve Jobs has assembled an absolutely excellent team that through their track record, chemistry and diversity has been able to gain the trust, but this will over time get watered down even further than it might already have.

 

[tdream]

I think that's a far stretch to say everyone is waiting for a larger phone. I know plenty of people that aren't upgrading because they aren't appealed by the new phone iOS 7. If you think about it, a 4S running iOS 6.5 is still a great phone.

Hmmm it's an ok phone, not a great phone by any means. It definitely runs better on not iOS 7 for sure. My iPad 3, (the quickly obsolete one) performed immaculately until iOS so I can definitely sympathise.

I suppose your choice means staying on a 3.5inch phone until it no longer works, but waiting several generations often means you get the best bang for buck too. I had an iPhone 4 and would enjoy jumping back into the apples side of things for the phone too, if they make something in similar stature to the SGN2.

 

[mk_in_mke]

Wow, Android has 83,5% in most of Latin America. That's surprising.



I third this.

Well, at $2,000 the iPhone 5S, do you know a lot of people in Latin America who can afford the toy? Android is cheap, works and they go for it… Not too alarming, rather expected if you ask me...

 

[Tech198]

Ya Android....

You can't expect to a phone tp be always "popular" can you ? If you did, what's the matter with ya

But then, this is where single minded people talked about single minded companies, as thats the only way it should be and we'll beat you with a stick if we mention anything we don't like...

This almost feels like a race, as in, someone has to be the winner.... I don't care who win, i like em both.

 

[LagunaSol]

Apple just filed a patent for serving up ads based on our mood, which is determined partly by what we're doing, and partly via biometric readings. You can't get much creepier than that.

As you well know, filing for a patent for something is a long stretch from actually using it in a marketable product.

Apple's creepiness is theoretical, whereas Google's is standard operating procedure.

I think it'd be great if everyone had their own personal server. Let it be the thing collecting all our info in order to make our devices understand us better.

Google is very displeased with your comment, citizen.

 

[Renzatic]

But that's not what's happening in the real world.

8 out of 10 smartphones sold today are running Android. And yet developers still focus on making apps for the iPhone.

That kinda disproves your "largest audience" theory.

It doesn't matter that Android has 80% of the market... developers look at which platform will give them the best results.

And that platform just happens to be the iPhone... despite it having a tiny percentage of the market.

Yeah, I should've addressed that in my original post. The whole smartphone market has weirded out the usual status quo. In the past, the platform with the largest audience got the most support, and it almost always paid off. But when it comes to iOS and Android, things have weirded out considerably, and flipped around backwards. Now it's just one relatively small platform that nets the most sales, and the other is just...kinda...eh. I dunno what the hell they're doing over in Android land.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

I'm not sure what the concern is, all phones should be able to coexist in the world. For example, there are more cheap cars in the world than luxury cars. So there is a car for everyone's taste and budget, so everybody is happy. Of course, even with phones and other electronic devices, the same rule applies: "You get what you paid for".

 

[ThunderSkunk]

A company capable of producing the iPad mini and the Magic Mouse is capable of much more than the same clunky design aesthetic of the 4/4s/5/5s. When they design a device that looks like the future and works like it, they'll see their numbers explode again.