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Verizon iPhone Leads U.S. Mobile Phone Sales in February as Android Surge Continues
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google didn't win, they just commoditized the smartphone market like intel/ms/dell/hp commoditized the PC market so long ago
with iOS 4 and Android 2.2 the software can do pretty much what most people expect of a smartphone. no reason to pay iphone prices for a phone since companies that don't care about margins are now getting into the game. happens in almost every market.
with the iPad apple has such huge sell numbers that they can take advantage to sell cheap. with smartphones the carriers and manufacturers play games where the profit is made on google ad sharing, insurance, etc
1)I think with Apple reportedly not releasing the iPhone 5 till 2012, that is a huge open door for Android and RIM to come in and grab more share/customers.
2)I don't think the iOS has come a long way...I have the 3GS model which is 3+ years old...the only difference between the 3GS and the 4 is better camera/video and Facetime. iOS has barely changed. I have NUMEROUS iOS enhancements that Apple could put into the iPhone yet they still do not exist. iPhone 3/4 is very nice, but I have to tell you that as I see more and more Androids out there, the Androids look extremely competitive if not better than iPhone.
3)Don't underestimate RIM/Blackberry. They OWN the business space. Too bad Apple has never figured out how to play/sell well to businesses otherwise iPhone would likely have killed Blackberry by now. My wife got the new Torch...although it's no iPhone, it's quite a nice device and is PAID FOR by her company like 99% of "company" phones so whatever shortcomings about Blackberry, she's not paying for it like a general consumer. My bet is that RIM will try extremely hard to make their Blackberries better with touchscreen and web surfing. But the primary reason for a BB in business is not web surfing or playing angry bird games or watching Youtube...it's email/calendar, notifications, and some business apps.
There will be no iPhone 5 this summer.
There will be no iPhone 5 this summer.
Not a big surprise here
I am more excited to see the numbers between ATT and Verizon when iPhone 5 launches this summer. I think there may be more VZW folks holding out for 5 that didn't jump ship on 4
There will be no iPhone 5 this summer.
So you're saying that the Wintel camp didn't win? I'm pretty sure they did ... let me check ... yep, they crushed market share and revenues when compared to Macs. Sounds like winning to me.
Woe be unto he who bases future technology developments on what is available today.
they're not selling cheap, they're making more per unit than their competitors who charge more to the end user. it's because they are smart about supply pricing and have their own retail chain that they're able to realize big profit with a (relatively) low price tag.
Two words: UI responsiveness. The huge boost the A4 provides makes the iPhone 4 worlds better than the iPhone 3/3GS. In relation to Android devices, their UI responsiveness SUCKS, even when they're running a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, which makes using them an exercise in frustration.
iOS rocks the socks off Android from a UI responsiveness perspective, and this is a CRUCIAL PIECE in growing and maintaining a user base. Most people don't care about the tech specs. They just want a device that meets their needs and feels "fast," and Apple has been able to provide that far better than any other smartphone maker.
Poor little iPhone...
You can have had the mobile space crown Apple, but you gave it to Google. Soon you will be third fiddle to Microsoft and Google.
You really don't get it do you?
What you say would be correct in a world where Verizon & AT&T were the only phone carriers (which isn't that unlikely anymore, but that's a different story...).
As the poster you reply to states, you can get phone plans for $25 - $30 with unlimited data/texts and while Android phones are options here, iPhones are not.
My peer has the iPhone 4...and I use it here and there...I really don't think there's anything different in regards to snappiness. Inherently there SHOULD be a bit more speed on the 4 but it's nothing I've noticed.
I haven't seen the Android for long periods of time...but the A devices I've seen and used are very snappy. Of course, everything takes a bit of time to learn to use so you can't just say the Android sucks. Android is selling more than iPhone...the facts are in.
Android doesn't suck. Maybe a particular device running Android but that's like blaming Microsoft because your HP/Dell/Compaq/Toshiba(insert your vendor here) has 1 particular model that ain't so great.I'd love to get the iPhone 5...but my contract is up in Sep, the iPhone 5 is gonna be here in 2012 according to Apple and other sources. Can I wait? I dunno...and what will the iPhone 5 have that will ENTICE me to keep me as an Apple customer? If it's simply a (like the iPad 2) faster chip and more internal memory and 1 or 2 features(while, say, the Android has all sorts of better/cooler features), then nope...it's Android time.
I don't have a billion apps like some folks. My iPhone is really a video camera/camera, web surfer, and emailer device which I occassionally run an app like ESPN Scorecenter. The iPhone really needs to fix some simple PHONE features/annoyances like the Contact list, a Redial feature, and a few other things. Not to mention the years-old problem(s) of long voice memos and/or video footage that cannot be trimmed or synched with the almighty iTunes. Lame.
Overall I LOVE my 3GS...but sooooo many cool(er) phones and features out there this year that when my contract ends, I will shop wisely.
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My LG Optimus S has a 600 MHz processor, but runs Android 2.2, and that's one of the main things I love about it.
Even though it doesn't have the beefier processor, it still feels "fast" to me despite its lacking hardware.
Actually, that article on appleinsider was about how iOS as a whole completely crushed android as a whole in both web viewing and in app sales. That's one thing that gets irritating about you fandroids, you insist on comparing the entire platform (hundreds of phones by dozens of companies) to one model of phone, rather than platform to platform, just so you can claim victory
True, but M$ has already announced that nokia won't be it's only manufacturer, and vice versa, nokia is still pursuing other options as well. Personally, I think the HP/Palm has more potential to take on Apple as a unified system, but they don't have a good track record so far...
True... In theory. The difference this time around is that despite the larger, and growing, market share study after study has shown that statistically, android users dont buy apps and iOS users buy lots of apps. So the reality is there is a slightly larger market share where developers don't make squat, and a slightly smaller market share where developers have already earned over 2 billion dollars
The sad thing is this:
Apple had a HUGE tech advantage with their touch-screen iOS software. They were light-years ahead of the competition when the original iPhone debuted. They could've licensed the software with some decently strict quality controls (screens must be X size, processor must be X fast, etc.) and stomped the market while Android was still an idea in some moron's head at Google.
They could've been Microsoft for the new-era: iOS on every Phone, iOS on every tablet, etc.
And they made the same, stupid mistake as they did in the 80s: they picked device profitability over software profitability. They've locked themselves into a cycle where they need to constantly hit their hardware revisions out of the ballpark, both in specs and aesthetics, to keep pace.
Apple had a HUGE tech advantage with their touch-screen iOS software. They were light-years ahead of the competition when the original iPhone debuted. They could've licensed the software with some decently strict quality controls (screens must be X size, processor must be X fast, etc.) and stomped the market while Android was still an idea in some moron's head at Google.
They could've been Microsoft for the new-era: iOS on every Phone, iOS on every tablet, etc.
And they made the same, stupid mistake as they did in the 80s: they picked device profitability over software profitability. They've locked themselves into a cycle where they need to constantly hit their hardware revisions out of the ballpark, both in specs and aesthetics, to keep pace.
Actually unfortunately that's exactly iOS problem. Since 3.x and especially with 4.x iOS has become completely bloatware. The 3G was nearly unusable with the first 4.x version. With 4.3.x the battery life with the 3GS and iPhone 4 really sucks (something like minus 20% compared to 4.2). It seems iOS now needs a fast new processor and new better hardware for every new release.
And that's really a bad thing and reminds me of the Windows 95, 98 era. Apple really made some bad design errors there. iOS needs a major overhaul if it wants to stay competitive and not end like Symbian in maybe 3 years. Android's overhaul is Honeycomb, Microsoft started WP7 and RIM now uses (or will use) QNX. Just Apple didn't realize that the smartphone world changed since 2007.
Edit: BTW: I personally think that WP7 will be the next "big thing". Microsoft dictates the hardware, vendors aren't allowed to modify the OS look and feel (they learned that from Windows). MS is strict on the market place. And they now have Nokia that sold 31 million smartphone the last quarter (+4 million compared to the quarter before - they only currently lose marketshare because they are growing slower than the market, like Apple too BTW). And the foundation of WP7 (complete GPU support within the GUI, etc.) is really superior to Android and in some parts even better than iOS (for example when it comes to kinetic scrolling in really large lists).
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Android is on a lot of phones, we know that. However, App sales are telling and that's a big difference between this and the 80s / 90s desktop OS battle - A lot of the people getting are Android phones just want a phone. They don't care to play games or download apps, they simply want a device which will make calls and have the basic bells and whistles expected of even the most rudimentary smartphone. For a comparison, see third party software sales on Wii and Xbox 360, despite the former having a much higher market share.
Beyond that and focusing purely on a fantasy "everyone wants the same thing from their phone", it's a different ball game. Unti Google put up the walls and insist on a centralised, prominent and well monitored marketplace, iOS is going to dominate this field. The App Store is a slice of genius and as a result it's a downright no-brained that iOS is the format to develop for.
Beyond that and focusing purely on a fantasy "everyone wants the same thing from their phone", it's a different ball game. Unti Google put up the walls and insist on a centralised, prominent and well monitored marketplace, iOS is going to dominate this field. The App Store is a slice of genius and as a result it's a downright no-brained that iOS is the format to develop for.
competition, as many pointed out, is always a good thing! it leeds to better products and lower prices, which benefits us users.
i have to agree with those who think that iOS needs an overhaul. as far as i can remember, it hasn't changed much since its initial release.
i think apple has to add an app drawer just like android has and let you put only those apps you choose on your homescreens. i know, they added folders to iOS, so that you can organize your apps, but this isn't the same.
further, i hear many complains about the notification system of iOS.
these are 2 points apple need to address, if you ask me. snappiness is good, but it's not the only thing that counts.
i have to agree with those who think that iOS needs an overhaul. as far as i can remember, it hasn't changed much since its initial release.
i think apple has to add an app drawer just like android has and let you put only those apps you choose on your homescreens. i know, they added folders to iOS, so that you can organize your apps, but this isn't the same.
further, i hear many complains about the notification system of iOS.
these are 2 points apple need to address, if you ask me. snappiness is good, but it's not the only thing that counts.
Not a big surprise here
I am more excited to see the numbers between ATT and Verizon when iPhone 5 launches this summer. I think there may be more VZW folks holding out for 5 that didn't jump ship on 4
I definitely agree with that.
While I disagree with #2 and I don't underestimate RIM, the one that's eating away at RIM's market share (at least according to the article) is Android not Apple. Honestly I have used Androids and BB's they're just not my cup of tea. It all boils down in this part of the debate to personal preference which in my opinion can never truly be unbiased. I do still believe it has come a long way in terms of what it was with the iPhone 2g. In my eyes I have seen it progress slowly with each iOS version, as I become less dependent of things I had to download from Cydia to make my user experience better. If I eventually get to the point where I don't need Cydia apps at all, I can call that progress. Just my 2 cents.
Then there's the BREW market... mostly apps on dumbphones... where developers have earned over 3 billion dollars. Lucrative for carriers, too.
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Hey, is there a good analysis anywhere that shows how many iOS developers actually make a living from sales?
Two billion dollars spread out over 350K apps averages less than $6,000 an app. But it's more likely that most either earn nothing (free apps) or just a few hundred dollars, while a comparative few make the majority of income.
Thanks for any pointers!
How does that disprove what he said? It's a pretty silly argument considering that Google is making news for a serious effort to reduce fragmentation.
And your statistics only apply to phones that access the Android Market. That cuts out millions of Android phones, particularly in China. The ones that don't use the Android market being the largest source of fragmentation.