Nielsen: Apple's iOS holds at 28% in US as Android rises to 43% smartphone share

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  • Reply 21 of 121
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    When you split up Android across their vendors do they eve have as much handset marketshare as the Blackberry?



    Back in March the highest US percentage for an Android supplier was HTC at 12%. Of course things have changed a lot in the past 5 months, and I can't find a more recent comparison. I doubt any other individual manufacturer can match Apple's share here in the US.

    http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/03/v...urer-and-plat/



    Worldwide Samsung was barely behind Apple in smartphone share a few weeks ago, and with Sammy claiming 10M Galaxy 2's in the first 6 months (and that's with no significant North American sales yet), they've probably surpassed Apple for the time being. Once the new iPhones begin shipping I'd expect the positions to change again. It hard to beat the iPhone for reputation and desirability.





    http://www.businesswire.com/news/hom...rtphone-Vendor



    http://www.redmondpie.com/samsung-cl...-since-launch/
  • Reply 22 of 121
    Quote:

    When it comes to searches and every other metric of actual use on a smartphone it seems that the iPhone dominates. Where the hell are these Android phones being used?



    Just speculating here....perhaps a bunch of Android growth has occurred among older demographics who were enticed to upgrade to a smartphone through BOGOs or cheap Android phone prices and these people being somewhat luddite and accustomed to their dumb-phones or feature phones or blackberries, which are not conducive to real data usage (plus Android's more complicated UI) pretty much let their new smartphones' capabilities go to waste.
  • Reply 23 of 121
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz View Post


    A lot of android phones are replacement dumbphones. All iPhones are all smartphones.



    Not that I do not disagree, but you can not buy an android phone without a data plan, do you think people are paying for something they are not using.



    I know you can root a android phone like you can jailbreak an iphone, theoretically people could be using the phone without a data plan. My son iphone is a handy-me-down and it does not have a data plan so it is glorify feature phone (not really a dumbphone), but he does play games on it and used the internet via WiFi. It only cost him $10 a month to have an iphone without data. Not sure if everyone is doing the same thing.



    The more interesting statistic here is how many of the android activation are new verse upgrade since I have been notice people changing their android phones more than iphone users they seem to jump for Samsung, HTC, LG and so on as they come out.
  • Reply 24 of 121
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


    Are you certain that your perception is not due to confirmation bias? It is a very normal human trait.



    Never heard of confirmation bias...

    The thing is that there are Android ads all over the place, the comms co's are very busy advertising their Android phones on bill boards, in store and on TV. When I pop into Best Buy there seem to be tons on display - god knows what they all are. And I do see them in the wild, but not often. Sure, iPhones are distinct and easily reckonizable but because I am curious I instantly pick up on when somebody uses a NON iPhone phone. I don't know a single person who owns an Android phone and I have never 'played' with one as a result. A client of mine had one and he showed me for a minute or two. But that's it.
  • Reply 25 of 121
    macrulezmacrulez Posts: 2,455member
    deleted
  • Reply 26 of 121
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz View Post


    A lot of android phones are replacement dumbphones.



    Actually quite opposite. iPhone is not smart enough. It's a pseudo smartphone:



    Screen is to small for productive text entry/usage, lower resolution front/back cameras, no wifi hot spot capability, no NFC, slow processor/low memory, no removable battery/memory, no FM radio, no world phone capability.



    iPhone is a stylish pseudo-smartphone.
  • Reply 27 of 121
    al_bundyal_bundy Posts: 1,525member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Maestro64 View Post


    Actually I find it interesting the article attempt to claim such a large % of US cell phone users have smart phones now. I do not buy it, the cost to have one so so high, even if you do not use the phone it cost you $80 a month to have it sit in your pocket. If that many people in the US have smart phone no wonder this country is in trouble,m since we know over 50% of the population is teetering in financial ruin.



    To you point, if they are buy android because the can not afford the apple solution which maybe very well true, they go to the store and get what is cheapest and free to them, these same people are not going to spend extra money on apps which I think I saw a survey that they estimate that Apple makes about $150 per year per iOS user. Then again these people are spending money they really do not have so why not spend more of it.





    that's only for single people

    4 line family plan at AT&T with 2 smartphones is $150 a month or $180 with unlimited texting

    verizon is about the same

    T-Mobile is doing unlimited everything plans for $50 per phone for a 2 line plan and $15 per line after that
  • Reply 28 of 121
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by LouisTheXIV View Post


    (plus Android's more complicated UI)



    IMHO, Android's UI is just as simple as IOS. I use both daily, and both are easy to use.
  • Reply 29 of 121
    I'm quite sure Apple's coming announcement is to be a reaction to 'double trouble'.
  • Reply 30 of 121
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mercury99 View Post


    Actually quite opposite. iPhone is not smart enough. It's a pseudo smartphone:



    Screen is to small for productive text entry/usage, lower resolution front/back cameras, no wifi hot spot capability, no NFC, slow processor/low memory, no removable battery/memory, no FM radio, no world phone capability.



    iPhone is a stylish pseudo-smartphone.



    For starters, half of your information is incorrect. Almost all of the rest is irrelevant.



    When did it become a rule that a phone had to have an FM radio or removable battery to be called a smart phone?
  • Reply 31 of 121
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    If this is just activations, it's not necessarily reflective of devices in use. What is the turnover rate for Android vs iPhone? What percentage of Android activations are "new to Android" users vs iPhone and "new to iPhone" activations. Maybe there are a lot of Android activations because people are jumping from one device to another trying to find one that does suck.



    I also have to wonder who the target audience for this survey is? If it's hardware manufacturers, then the Android sales shouldn't be all lumped together. If it's developers, then the figures shouldn't be limited to smartphones and should include tablets (including iPod touch)... I'm just not sure this survey really tells anybody anything of real importance.
  • Reply 32 of 121
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    It will be very interesting to see what happens once smartphone ownership in the US saturates and any further sales come from people replacing smartphones, not dumb or feature phones.



    Right now there is still some low hanging fruit as dumb and feature phone owners come in to see what's available for cheap or free when their contract renewal rolls around. Naturally the carriers are very keen on flogging their smartphones, and their are plenty of cheap or free Android handsets to get people to make the switch. I haven't been into a Verizon store recently but I wouldn't be surprised if dumb and feature phones are being treated like LPs after CDs had taken over-- a few dusty choices in the corner for Luddites.



    All of which is just fine and dandy, but it does mean, as has been suggested, that some number of those Android phones are simply being used as replacement feature phones, so their users are unlikely to be particularly wed to the platform.



    So I'm curious what the numbers look like when pretty much everyone has a smartphone, everyone who's interested in using such a device to its full capacity has learned how to do so, and it's no longer possible to wow anyone simply because a phone has a functional browser.



    I'm not saying that there will be some kind of mass migration to iOS at that point, but I do think there may be at least some shifting of percentages as more sophisticated users pick and choose based on experience rather than just whatever the guy at the store was pushing.
  • Reply 33 of 121
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    I haven't been into a Verizon store recently but I wouldn't be surprised if dumb and feature phones are being treated like LPs after CDs had taken over-- a few dusty choices in the corner for Luddites. . .



    I had to change one of my accounts a couple weeks ago. While waiting I glanced around at what they were offering for phones and IIRC there were only 5 non-smartphones there, and they were all together on one display shelf far removed from the high-visibility smartphone displays.
  • Reply 34 of 121
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post


    For starters, half of your information is incorrect. Almost all of the rest is irrelevant.



    When did it become a rule that a phone had to have an FM radio or removable battery to be called a smart phone?



    Cause only dumb people will buy a phone that they could not replace the battery
  • Reply 35 of 121
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post


    When did it become a rule that a phone had to have an FM radio or removable battery to be called a smart phone?



    Ummm....never?
  • Reply 36 of 121
    jetzjetz Posts: 1,293member
    Uggh.



    Cue all the old rehashed arguments:



    1) Android users are poor unemployed welfare bums who all got their phones on BOGO deals. Let's ignore the fact that all the best selling Android phones cost the same as the iPhone on contract. Let's also ignore the fact that the fact that this argument implies a very high rate of poverty in the United States.



    2) I've never seen an Android so the stats are clearly cooked. Let's ignore the fact that the only time I ever notice another phone is when it is an iPhone. Let's also ignore the fact that this isn't Google reporting this statistic but a third party.



    3) Android's don't make money for their manufacturer. Let's ignore the fact that HTC and Samsung are reporting record profits in their mobile businesses owing to their Android sales and let's also ignore the fact that the companies that are doing poorly in the mobile market are the ones who are heavily dependent on feature phone/dumbphone sales with poor selling Androids.



    I don't even know what the point of these stories are any more. Or why I bother reading the comments (maybe I'm too hopeful for some intelligent non-raging fanboy comments on AI).
  • Reply 37 of 121
    jetzjetz Posts: 1,293member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    The economy is bad and people with little to spend will have no choice but to go with the cheapest options available to them. Almost 50% of all US households pay no federal taxes, and that most likely represents a large base of Android users right there, and these people are more likely to be technically ignorant, not to mention economically challenged.



    Wow. Just wow. You must be one arrogant individual to link socio-economic issues and tax policy to the choice of a mobile handset.
  • Reply 38 of 121
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member
    A couple of weeks ago, a colleague of mine was showing off his Android phone which he bought a few months ago.



    When I asked him where he got his apps, he said they came with his phone and he was told that that was all he really needed.



    Well, he called me last week and asked where he could get more apps. When I said that I didn't know he got a bit upset. So I told him that I would do a little due diligence.



    It turns out that, "Android has gained enough popularity since its launch in late 2008, and is already competing tightly with Apple. The Android Market - the online software store hosted by Google - has over 460,000+ estimated apps available for both free and paid download, and as of July 2011, there were more than 6 billion downloads from the Android Market." http://www.thetechlabs.com/tech-news/best-android-apps/



    Now I must admit, my centric attitude around everything Apple may have affected my love for my Macs, iPads, iPhones, etc., and jaundiced my perception of the competition. That is until he called me yesterday to say that it took him 6 downloads of one app to finally get a version compatible with his smartphone. Actually, he got it right on the third try, but he didn't know it



    In any event, he didn't like what he got. That, I couldn't help him with. However, I do wonder why Google hasn't been more boisterous about their numbers. Half a billion apps; Six billion downloads. That's impressive.
  • Reply 39 of 121
    mazda 3smazda 3s Posts: 1,613member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jetz View Post


    Uggh.



    Cue all the old rehashed arguments:



    1) Android users are poor unemployed welfare bums who all got their phones on BOGO deals. Let's ignore the fact that all the best selling Android phones cost the same as the iPhone on contract. Let's also ignore the fact that the fact that this argument implies a very high rate of poverty in the United States.



    2) I've never seen an Android so the stats are clearly cooked. Let's ignore the fact that the only time I ever notice another phone is when it is an iPhone. Let's also ignore the fact that this isn't Google reporting this statistic but a third party.



    3) Android's don't make money for their manufacturer. Let's ignore the fact that HTC and Samsung are reporting record profits in their mobile businesses owing to their Android sales and let's also ignore the fact that the companies that are doing poorly in the mobile market are the ones who are heavily dependent on feature phone/dumbphone sales with poor selling Androids.



    I don't even know what the point of these stories are any more. Or why I bother reading the comments (maybe I'm too hopeful for some intelligent non-raging fanboy comments on AI).



    This about somes up my feelings as well. Apple doesn't have to be number 1 at everything to be successful, and someone NOT choosing an Apple product doesn't make them a cheapskate/idiot.
  • Reply 40 of 121
    jetzjetz Posts: 1,293member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    It will be very interesting to see what happens once smartphone ownership in the US saturates and any further sales come from people replacing smartphones, not dumb or feature phones.



    Right now there is still some low hanging fruit as dumb and feature phone owners come in to see what's available for cheap or free when their contract renewal rolls around. Naturally the carriers are very keen on flogging their smartphones, and their are plenty of cheap or free Android handsets to get people to make the switch. I haven't been into a Verizon store recently but I wouldn't be surprised if dumb and feature phones are being treated like LPs after CDs had taken over-- a few dusty choices in the corner for Luddites.



    All of which is just fine and dandy, but it does mean, as has been suggested, that some number of those Android phones are simply being used as replacement feature phones, so their users are unlikely to be particularly wed to the platform.



    So I'm curious what the numbers look like when pretty much everyone has a smartphone, everyone who's interested in using such a device to its full capacity has learned how to do so, and it's no longer possible to wow anyone simply because a phone has a functional browser.



    I'm not saying that there will be some kind of mass migration to iOS at that point, but I do think there may be at least some shifting of percentages as more sophisticated users pick and choose based on experience rather than just whatever the guy at the store was pushing.



    Ever heard of the phrase, "Get 'em young."?



    We could be seeing the same thing play out. There's a reason that Apple pushes the iPod Touch so much. It's a training device for an iPhone.



    Likewise, those folks getting a cheap Android to replace their old dumbphone/featurephone are suddenly going to discover the joys of Google Navigation, integrated GMail and Google Search, etc. Once they do, they'll stick to a smartphone, and a good chunk of them will stick with Android. Some will move to other platforms, but the vast majority will stay with the platform they learned to use first, as long as it remains technologically relevant. Just look at how long Symbian and Windows Mobile lasted in the face of the iPhone and Android.
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