Apple now the largest mobile phone vendor on earth - Page 3

When consumers decide when Apple is no longer in vogue, then that will be the time to reflect. Until then, you're asking me something that has not happened yet and I prefer not to get into "what if?" games.

Arbitrary limitations as you have stated is more a gripe with the technically-savvy folks and not the masses. It's why they have such issues with Apple's approach, yet the masses embrace. The reason they embrace Apple's approach is because for the past few decades, Joe-consumer became fed-up with the PC paradigm and having to micromanage everything about how computers worked. People want toasters. They don't care about how it works underneath. Apple does everything they can to remove that aspect from the user. They don't want to tweak system settings, resources, priorities, etc.

I see tech-savvy folks using Android and they love it. There's nothing wrong with that. I see Joe-consumer using Android and they hate it. It's so overly complex with a horrible interface that of course the only folks that can make sense of it are the savvy folks. It was downright painful for me to use after using the silky-smooth iPhone.

Complaints are made about Apple's walled-garden ecosystem. Again, Android folks want to put whatever they want on their devices, origin be damned. They want the wild west. Joe-Consumer wants one place to shop, and not have to worry (like on PC's and Android) where it originated from, whether it is trustworthy, and have to worry about malware, trojans, viruses, etc. Proof of that is in the Android marketplace right now. Not including jalbroken iPhones, there has been no nefarious apps that infected iPhones. Sure, I can't use an SSH app, but we're in the minority and frankly, using the iPhone as a tool and not the mess that Android is, is quite refreshing. I have more important things to do than to tweak my phone so a rogue app does not deplete my battery, or performance. I think Apple does a great job (not perfect) to keep their app store malware-free.

I've used Android. I can understand its appeal. That appeal is not shared by most. people. I don't think the masses will ever care that Apple implements certain limitations and you hint at. I personally think those issues are more FUD from the haters than real and tangible issues. Apple showed everyone that technology can be easy to use if done right.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not an Android hater. I'm a software engineer and developing software that is usable and intuitive for a joe-user is something I take very seriously. I appreciate what Apple is doing, and Android should really take a step back and decide what it is they are trying to accomplish with their product.

I personally think that, while the future of industrial and enterprise computing most surely wont be running on iOS or Andoid, it will be moving to UNIX/Linux-based operating systems.

MS at some point will have to do a complete rewrite of Windows. They just can't pile any more baggage on that legacy beast.

The funny thing is is that they have continued to be able to "pile it on" due to Moore's Law and processor technology outpacing their software achievements and upgrades. This strategy has left them out in the cold in the mobile space where small and efficient operating systems are needed.

Even though I'm all-in with Apple, I would like to see a major company picking up a Linux distro and truly bringing it to the masses. HP maybe?

Google's making all the moves at the moment towards that end with Chrome, but we know exactly why... and it's not about the customer or user experience, or about empowering it's IT partners with leading edge embedded operating systems. It does appear that Android/Chrome is getting into the heads of developers in a big way, as is iOS. So where does that leave old boring .NET & VB devs?

My nephews... one 2-1/2 the other 12... are both learning on Macs and Apple devices. Yes, even the 2-year old can use the iPad and the iPhone. Simply amazing watching him do it(!) I seriously don't see either of them entering the workforce and being subjected to Windows, even though there will probably be a lot of money to be made supporting legacy hard/software(?)

I started out evangelizing the Mac and Apple in '84, and having a tough time doing it through the late 90's. We as users only know half of the mind-searching and doubts that Steve and Co. had to go through to get to this point. That's why you are almost obliged to recognize not only the technical vision, but mostly the dedication against all odds and the naysayers, to carry it out in such bold and profitable fashion.

So regarding "fashionable": I hope BOLD, dedicated, and profitable remain "in" for a long time to come.

Everything before this quote was dead on.

They don't need to "step back", because they're executing on all cylinders according to their focus: sell and deliver more ads.

Like every comment he every makes.

Brilliant example of the constant crap you post.

The Article states that Apple sold 16.2 million phones in the quarter, for $10.47 billion, which translates to $646 per phone - is that really what Apple averages in revenue per phone, or are iPads and iPods being folded into this number? It would be nice if AppleInsider would cite some of its figures once in awhile, although this kind of "my penis is bigger than yours" within the Jobs reality field is par for the course around here...

Congrats Apple!

All this with only 4 models of phones. The iPhone 2G, 3G, 3GS & 4

Just the other day I was looking for a place to take passport photographs in HK. Where would you normally find out this info in a city you are not familiar with? I ended up using the local MTR APP to search via stations and the App listed whether individual stations had banks, atms, convenient stores, photosbooths etc etc. 4 years ago I don't think the ease of information access and fact finding would have been possible. Now that's what I call a real 'smart'phone!

I've seen it quoted on other sites as "mobile devices and accessories". So it could include iPad sales, but I would doubt it includes iPods.

Do you maintain your car? Or do you just complain when smoke comes out of the tailpipe and it won't start easily?

Clue: It takes a long time to boot up because you have set it to start a bunch of applications upon booting. The applications which load at boot are completely within your control, and do not start at boot unless told or allowed to do so. The first batch of crap to disable includes Apple Mobile Device Helper and all the rest of the crap that Apple doesn't tell you is set to load at startup. Your boot times will decrease significantly.

Yellow Pages?
Concierge?
Business Associates?
Laptop?
Business bar at the Hotel?
Gift shop in the lobby?
Desk Clerk?
Convenience store down the block?
Telephone call to the Embassy?

Thank Goodness that the iPhone is available for Apple customers. They might be helpless otherwise.

Did you know that Google phones can now translate speech from one language to another in real time? So with one of those, you could ask anybody anything.

I agree with you mostly there. Simplification is not the bad thing I was getting at. The things that "bug" real average Joes are things like inability to transfer contacts or ringtones or songs via bluetooth (something that A LOT of the teenagers in this country seem to be doing). I don't know if the same limit applies to photos (no iPhone, just iPad and iMac and iPod), but for teens (the fashion trendsetters) things like this do bug the heck out of them. In fact many of them that I've talked with have already said "iPhone is for wannabe cools since even soccer moms have it and it's too restrictive". It wasn't like this a year ago.

A lot of it has to do with the fact that Android's UI is "comparable" in their eyes. What if WebOS, Symbian and Meego do the same (at least that's what they state they are bringing out). What's going to be differentiator for average Joe if the usability is just as good? What's left? Fashionable - Yes but for how long? Build quality - does the populace really care? Bang for buck - no. That's why I made the original point. How long can Apple stay ahead far enough to keep margins and market share like this. Last year I made a mental bet of 2-4 years. Interesting to see how wrong or correct I was. This is indeed a very interesting social/business/tech paradigm shift we are living in.

We can hide under the "Apple knows best and thinks about your ease of use". But I'm not 100% convinced that's the case anymore with growing portion of the general public. Apple definitely has momentum currently, but it certainly seems like an opposing momentum is buildin up. That's only natural, there's always an anti-movement for any really successful story.

http://web.me.com/dicklacara/ForWeb/...d%20Blazes.m4a

Actually, the goal of business is to make profit, at the risk of a loss!

I dont think they can sell more phones than they have the ability to manufacture.

In space, no one can hear you scream (when your iPhone drops the call)
...There's a reason a certain blue-and-white globe is called the Death Star.

So, all one cylinders?

Naughty Naughty

Thats what Im talking about! I was thinking of something along those lines but couldnt word it right. Teamwork FTW!



That was an inside joke. I only expected one person to take it seriously.

Amazing. You figured out a way to bash Apple when the main problem is Windows.
SomeCallYou...Troll

Five years at the outside -- most business personnel will be using iOS devices as their primary computing system.

MS and Apple-bashing aside, many millions of Windows laptops are company-issued and prevent the user from doing any of the above. I have one whose laptop takes at least 15 minutes to boot to a usable state. It has been "installing updates" for the past 1,536 hours. It's running XP and Exploder version 6 since I surmise migrating to Win7 is economically unfeasible.

In short, it's utter crap.

Of course none of this is MS's fault, it's strictly the company's fault along with its inept IT department. Problem is, their deployment is so large (20,000+ laptops and perhaps even more thin clients), and their IT department has so much turnover that I'm convinced there's no longer anyone around who knows how to fix any of this.

Due to vague "security concerns" iPhones and now iPads are officially prohibited for business use (only Blackberries are permitted) but everyone is not-so-secretly.using them anyway. Even the IT techs use them.

The tipping point is rapidly approaching.

Agreed. It won't occur due to some mandate, it will be as natural as evolution. We won't even know it until one day we look back and say, hey, when did that happen?

http://mobilized.allthingsd.com/2011...D_yahoo_ticker


... And for the record: short, but not too big around!

For your space for rent:

"I have a jar for you to wash"

Sorry..So some other App platform has over 160 million devices? I do think it matters but revenue is what matters to investors at the end of the day. If your suggestion was that iOS does not have the strongest App platform for mobile developers or advertisers you failed in a spectacular way.

On your other point.. Apple is also generating more total revenue than all of their low margin competitors. No one in the cell phone industry is generating more revenue or more profit in the cell phone industry. I do not believe there is a single manufacturer with more unit sales in the smartphone category.. (You know the only one that matters to your first two arguments). You have an interesting theoretical grasp of the business world, but seem to be narrowly focused and unable to absorb the big picture.

P.S. This discussion was on electronic device manufacturers and not in fact the financial services industry. This may be surprising to you, but different industries work in different ways. When you don't actually have to do anything tangible (like in financial services), much lower margins are a good business model. Lower margins are generally sustainable in retail too. I have no idea how your example was even remotely relevant to the discussion.

I said it wouldn't be PCs and Windows (that was my original point,) and I do see iOS and the future iterations of iOS becoming hugely successful. I don't rule out Macs in some form and I don't rule out something we haven't yet even seen. Microsoft simply won't be a major player by then IMO. Remember my analogy was LPs, they had 100% penetration at one time

I didnt get the reference. I assume it came from Calvin & Hobbes, the comic strip ever produced EVER!

Precisely. Anyone that thinks PCs will still dominate simply because they do or once did is delusional. Technology simply doesn't work like that, there is always a shift at some point and having a massive domination at one point means nothing. There are countless examples and in all cases people at the time claimed they'd never change ... Pre mouse OSs, Black and white TV, LPs, CDs, Moto smart phones ...

The very fact PCs are replaced so often (usually because the OS is f****d up) is an additional factor, that means the change over could happen very quickly.

The original poster (sorry I forget who) raised the question as to why young children in Australia (or anywhere!) are being taught PCs / MS ... that is what sparked this mini debate. I agreed it seemed pointless especially as the reason given was that 'That's what they'd be using in ten years when they started work.' That is a ludicrous statement.

As to what they should be using, well I said iOS might be a good idea ... an iPad. It seems far more likely to be 'closer' to what might be around. Of course even iPad v2 will be ancient in 10 years but a PC? OMG!

The figures are cited in articles that actually deal with a summary of the conference call. This is not an article detailing the conference call and Apple's quarterly report.

NO, It doesn't include the iPad. Seven million+, at about 600 dollars each, is over 4 billion by itself!

Nor does it include iPod Touches, which brought in about 2 billion alone (about 50% of 19.45 million iPods x a conservative 200 dollars each)

The iPad and iPod Touch businesses of Apple are going largely unrecognized by analysts and competitors. None of the surveys wants to include either iPads or iPods as either computers or as mobile devices, so everyone gets to blithely ignore the iOS user base that Apple is building and the solid revenue streams. Phones are a large part of the total revenue, but they are only part of the story: "firing on all cylinders" indeed! A 26.74 billion dollar quarter for Apple. Great, isn't it! This was an awesome quarter!

(646 dollars per phone is about right. Full price in Europe without contract is about 629 Euros for the phone -- that's 850 dollars! but includes 19% VAT, etc.)

BTW, the whole Reality Distortion Field meme has gotten out of control. I don't think it means what you think it means. You know how it started? Not because Apple users were/are blinded about the true value of the products they choose to use (after all, there must be some reason for high customer satisfaction ratings, and for me to be sitting here at a G5 PowerMac that is over six years old, running 24/7/365 on Leopard and that I am not about to give up). Rather, it comes from Steve's teams -- he worked his teams very hard and encouraged them to achieve "the impossible". With his pushing and saying "no" to obstacles, they felt they had achieved the impossible. Obstacles cease to exist when it comes to Jobs -- that's the Reality Distortion. It's a positive thing; so, thanks. I just wish I really was within it and someone pushed me like that.

You read my mind, here here.

Without having any idea what the network infrastructure, the AD domain settings, the Windows version/patch level, the security settings, VPN settings, or the state of the hard drive you were able to diagnose the exact issues impacting his Windows install. You are truly the ultimate geek guru. Oh wait - you think this is happening on his Apple computer[/sarcasm]

I think a reading comprehension course is in order!

I like to think of Apple as the Alliance. (And MS as "Earth that was")

You can fix the problem with plain old saltwater. Boot up the slow booting laptop with the messed up XP install, and while powered on and plugged in, carefully dip into a concentrated brine solution. Rinse in fesh water, and then thouroughly dry. Return to the IT department and wait for your newer faster Windows 7 laptop. It is not cost effective to fix it so they will generally issue a new one. Just dont repeat too often or they get suspicious.

LOve it. It beats my recommendation to people with Windows problems' ... hold in both hands out of window, preferable two or more stories high, and let go. Always checking no people or cats below and concrete or stone landing point.' Return to IT in a black trash bag and say "Is this yours?'

Not if MS doesn't release a MS Office for iOS. Oddly, they just released the iPhone OneNote app.

Bizzaro but it may happen. I think probably not so much.

I can't say for sure but I really doubt the future selection of computing hardware rests on MS Office. Although the future of MS way well rest on it. Nuff said!

Riiiiight. And in the Battle of Serenity Desktop OSX purplebellies stomped Linux browncoats into the ground and Linus looks like Mal...

Ah...so what are business users going to use instead? iWork? FreetardiaOffice? I use QuickOffice on the iPad and it's not quite enough to let me replace my MBP and OSX.

I don't remember a time when OSX and Linux were in a battle of that magnitude. I haven't heard of any distro claiming they can take down Apple.

Anyhow, I don't see Linux as Browncoats, but more of the Border Planets where you are given the basics and you have to fend and figure it out for yourself.

Browncoats in this odd analogy would be users who disagree with MS, Google, and Apple mentalities. And in some cases, have to dress their boat like a reaver just to make their point known.

Careful soli, those are troll words. No need to dis an entire country.