actually. with only 4% of the worldwide phone sales, while it's the best selling single phone. Statistically it would be saying that 96% of the world opted for a phone that wasn't the iPhone X.
so the numbers actually show that 96% of the world doesn't think the X is the best phone
A shame for consumers it's so expensive.
That's why there are lower priced alternatives to everything, mostly. But if consumers like AND want it badly enough, many will figure out a way to save up / earn enough to buy it. These are then so-called aspirational products. They exist at many different price levels and each level entails work and patience if done in the usual way, earning it. A consumer might buy a used low priced iPhone, like the OS but realize it's a little slow. May upgrade to a newer model which is snappier and pretty darn good. But if he/she like the newest flagship, and price is just not as much of a barrier as it once was (graduated, new job, raise, success, investment like Apple paid off and the dividend buys his X (happens!), then Aspiration is achieved. The next aspiration may be a new fridge (priced one recently?), a new car *cough* Porsche, a new house, a new whatever.
If one calls that consumerism, may be true. But many different ways to feel good and be good.
So people buy Plus phones based on size? So if the Plus models stopped people would go to Samsung even though if they prefer iOS instead of Android?
Yes, they do in many parts of the world. In APAC (Asian-Pacific) large format phones are very popular because smartphones are the primary media consumption device for most rather than be stuck at home with a stationary computer or flat screen. Also, many large formats were bought by first or second smartphone owners who didn't grow up with the gradual size increases, so there is no tradition of using a smaller phone and being comfortable with it. For many cultures, the expression of wealth in having and showing off with a device or object is part of the ownership game. When the original large format Samsung phones and phablets came out, they proved wildly popular there. Apple played catch-up finally with the iPhone 6/6+ and satisfied a huge pent up demand for an Apple large phone. If Apple did not serve that market demand, a lot of potential Apple owners would move to whatever product meets their needs, and could be an Android product. Reverse would likely be true if Ndroid phones suddenly dropped large format as well.
In US, N. America, and Europe, cell phones of all types were our history for now almost 20 years so many of us still like smaller or medium sized phones for familiar or practical reasons, that's ok. But large phones still sell well and maybe are liked by cross section of gamers, media consumers, those whose eyesight is poorer, those that have no medium size tradition, etc.
I would love to have an iPhone again, but I can´t keep up with Apple and having to buy a new one every two iOS releases.
I know you now mean issues with iOS slowdown. IMO, do full backup, wipe, re-install original OS if possible, and then use the most stable OS you can get. IMO, NEVER upload a new iOS till you're clear it is stable. As for slowdown / battery issues, if phone is 6 or newer, then upgrade to iOS 11.3 and check battery life, adjust peak performance setting to your liking, no if problems still, get new battery and recheck.
At 15.6% of the market, Apple is a long, long way from being dominant.
At 15.6%, yes, iOS is a small player in the entire market. BUT, at 15.6% of the entire market by unit sales (roughly quarterly or annually), it is the number two maker following Samsung with 23-24% (and Samsung losing overall ground). Oweing to the fact that Apple only sells in the upper mid (SE at $349+) and high end (all other Apple phones), and has ASPs of $650-798/quarter, Apple does dominate this important price tier completely, bringing in more revenue and importantly more profit (85-90% of the entire market, not just high end) and everyone else (re: Samsung and all other Android makers) fights for the last 10-15% to split among about 4 majors (Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Vivo/Oppo) and purportedly 200-400 other small-tiny makers by volume.
Yes, all those Android makers do make up and sell the other 84% of smartphones by volume, but individually, those volumes trail off quickly and are tiny comparatively, only seeming large in aggregate.
Here's a couple of examples: during I believe the 3rd or 4thQ, 2017, Samsung's best selling line by volume was...not the S8 or 8+, but the Galaxy J2 Prime, a "cheap" $120 phone selling well in India, Middle East, and Africa, primarily on cost, which is fine if people need it. LCD, 8GB, older MediaTek CPU, minimal profit because of its cutthroat price competition, but a lot of them sold. Eventually if you remember, the S8/8+ did sell decently due to price adjustments, discounts, bundles, and BOGOs to get out the inventory before the S9 intro. Overall, industry estimates stated the S8/8+ combined for 45M sales in its sales year.
The same industry research firms (Canalys, Counterpoint, etc.) say The Apple iPhone X sold 29M units in 9 weeks availability in Q4 2017 (out of a total of 77M) and sold 16M in Q1 2018 (about a 5M/month clip) and already matched the 45M Galaxy S8 series sales in only 5 months of availability by itself, with no help from iPhone 8/8+ sales. If this holds true, as of end of May 2018, the iPhone X would have sold a total of 55M units and counting. Assuming a slowdown as newer models are readied and anticipated (normal), we might say the X will sell, conservatively 12M in June Quarter, and 8M in Sept. quarter, allowing for a shorter 47-48 sales year. Total sales for the X could then be 65M units, well short of the "100M" originally ordered but cut back on.
Is that a failure? Less than hoped and planned for (by Wall Street and uncharted waters for Apple) but if Apple annual sales stay flat at 210M units, you had the X make up 31% of sales at ASP of $1050 or better. Couple that with 8/8+ which combined are higher than the X contribution AND also have high ASP than the previous 7/7+, I think we can see some positives for Apple and their first foray into the "premium" market. Apple has learned from this experience and has adjusted its orders for upcoming models appropriately.
Samsung would dearly love to have such a failure but has already warned that despite the S9 launch, will have a tough go of it, mobile division wise, in coming quarters (see last two earnings reports).
