Apple's share of U.S. smartphone market grows to 25% - study
A strong holiday quarter helped to grow Apple's share of the U.S. smartphone market by 1.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009, giving the iPhone a 25.3 percent share of users, according to a new report.
ComScore this week released its Mobile Subscriber Market Share findings for the three-month frame ending in December 2009. While competitors Research in Motion, Microsoft and Palm all lost ground in the domestic market, Apple further solidified its place as the No. 2 smartphone maker in the U.S.
In first was RIM, which had 41.6 percent of the holiday share. That was down 1 percent from the September quarter. Microsoft took third, also losing 1 percent from September, to 18 percent.
In fourth was Palm, dropping 2.2 percent to 6.1 percent in the December quarter. Google surged into fifth with a 5.2 percent share, up 2.7 percentage points from September 2009.
In all, there were 234 million people aged 13 and older in the U.S. using mobile devices in December 2009. Motorola was the top overall cell phone maker, with 23.5 percent of all U.S. mobile devices. As the smartphone market is much smaller than the overall cell phone market, Apple did not rank among the top five.
The top smartphone maker RIM came in fifth place -- behind LG, Samsung and Nokia -- with a 7 percent market share. While the BlackBerry maker lost ground in the smartphone market, it gained in the overall cell phone market, boosting its presence by 0.6 percent and closing the gap with fourth-place Nokia, which dropped 0.4 percent to 9.2 percentage points.
The study also found that most mobile phone users -- 63.1 percent -- use their handset to send text messages. In addition, 27.5 percent use a Web browser, 21.6 percent play games, 17.8 percent download applications, and 12.1 percent listen to music.
With more than 140,000 applications available on its App Store, Apple has by far the largest central online marketplace for software in the smartphone space.
While comScore's data is in terms of actual owned units in the U.S., last week IDC released a study on global smartphone sales, which found that Apple represented 14.4 percent of worldwide shipments. Apple shipped an estimated 25.1 million iPhones in all of 2009, and a record 8.7 million in the fourth quarter alone.
ComScore this week released its Mobile Subscriber Market Share findings for the three-month frame ending in December 2009. While competitors Research in Motion, Microsoft and Palm all lost ground in the domestic market, Apple further solidified its place as the No. 2 smartphone maker in the U.S.
In first was RIM, which had 41.6 percent of the holiday share. That was down 1 percent from the September quarter. Microsoft took third, also losing 1 percent from September, to 18 percent.
In fourth was Palm, dropping 2.2 percent to 6.1 percent in the December quarter. Google surged into fifth with a 5.2 percent share, up 2.7 percentage points from September 2009.
In all, there were 234 million people aged 13 and older in the U.S. using mobile devices in December 2009. Motorola was the top overall cell phone maker, with 23.5 percent of all U.S. mobile devices. As the smartphone market is much smaller than the overall cell phone market, Apple did not rank among the top five.
The top smartphone maker RIM came in fifth place -- behind LG, Samsung and Nokia -- with a 7 percent market share. While the BlackBerry maker lost ground in the smartphone market, it gained in the overall cell phone market, boosting its presence by 0.6 percent and closing the gap with fourth-place Nokia, which dropped 0.4 percent to 9.2 percentage points.
The study also found that most mobile phone users -- 63.1 percent -- use their handset to send text messages. In addition, 27.5 percent use a Web browser, 21.6 percent play games, 17.8 percent download applications, and 12.1 percent listen to music.
With more than 140,000 applications available on its App Store, Apple has by far the largest central online marketplace for software in the smartphone space.
While comScore's data is in terms of actual owned units in the U.S., last week IDC released a study on global smartphone sales, which found that Apple represented 14.4 percent of worldwide shipments. Apple shipped an estimated 25.1 million iPhones in all of 2009, and a record 8.7 million in the fourth quarter alone.
Comments
-Steve Ballmer, 2007
"There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance," said Ballmer. "It's a $500 subsidized item. They may make a lot of money. But if you actually take a look at the 1.3 billion phones that get sold, I'd prefer to have our software in 60% or 70% or 80% of them, than I would to have 2% or 3%, which is what Apple might get."
-Steve Ballmer, 2007
Ballmer is what happens when you put the marketing guy in charge.
The study also found that most mobile phone users -- 63.1 percent -- use their handset to send text messages. In addition, 27.5 percent use a Web browser, 21.6 percent play games, 17.8 percent download applications, and 12.1 percent listen to music.
Hmm...seems most of what people do with a iPhone (outside of making calls) is better done with a real computer with a real keyboard.
So the iPhone really a matter of convenience with it's smaller size, that's all.
I don't regret my decision to stick with a MBP and a cheap disposable phone with low monthly rates.
The money I saved the last two years not purchasing a iPhone is going to buy me one of those new i7 MacBook Pro's coming today.
opps did I tell a secret?
Hmm...seems most of what people do with a iPhone (outside of making calls) is better done with a real computer with a real keyboard.
Ok . . .
What are you trying to say?
"There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance," said Ballmer. "It's a $500 subsidized item. They may make a lot of money. But if you actually take a look at the 1.3 billion phones that get sold, I'd prefer to have our software in 60% or 70% or 80% of them, than I would to have 2% or 3%, which is what Apple might get."
-Steve Ballmer, 2007
I might be wrong, but isn't Apple's marketshare about 1-2% worldwide?
In February 2009 Apple managed 1.1% marketshare
Now, a report from ABI Research indicates that Apple did in fact meet its goal for cellphone market share, coming in with a 1.1% market share for all cellphones worldwide.
It's probably a little bit higher now, but I suspect it's still within the 2-3% Balmer was talking about.
I might be wrong, but isn't Apple's marketshare about 1-2% worldwide?
In February 2009 Apple managed 1.1% marketshare
It's probably a little bit higher now, but I suspect it's still within the 2-3% Balmer was talking about.
17% of smartphones worldwide, and 2.5% of *all* mobile handsets.
Apple doesn't do cheap "dumbphones."
I might be wrong, but isn't Apple's marketshare about 1-2% worldwide?
Out of ALL cell phones, most likely yes.
As the Apple iPhone has a 25.3% market share of smartphones, which is a small segment of all phones.
Also there is no way Steve Ballmer is going to get his software on even 60% of ALL phones, those companies rather write their own than give control to Redmond.
I think he's thinking that eventually all phones will become smartphones, then he see's a opportunity to infest the world with his inferior software even more. He's thinking software, not hardware like Apple does, so his statement is nothing more than advertising.
To gain worldwide adoption and to fulfill Steve Ballmers dreams, smartphones will have to come down significantly in price, which I feel Apple wouldn't want to compete in and leave the market if they couldn't create something newer with higher margins.
I might be wrong, but isn't Apple's marketshare about 1-2% worldwide?
In February 2009 Apple managed 1.1% marketshare
It's probably a little bit higher now, but I suspect it's still within the 2-3% Balmer was talking about.
IIRC, at the time of the interview with Balmer, the iPhone was only available in the US. He mentioned the AT&T subsidy specifically. It is unlikely that he was refering to the global market as opposed to the US only market. Especially since MS market share globally is much lower than it is in the US (once again IIRC).
The fact is that Ballmer is a salesman. All of is training is in marketing, and he's never been named as anyone with real vision. Therefore it is not surprising that he would inflate his own numbers when no one is likely to challenge him, and equally likely that he will predict doom and gloom for his competitors. He's essentially the Cheerleader-in-Chief.
I'd be far more interested in the opinion of someone at MS who's actually involved in product development. They might give a more authentic opinion on any given topic.
The money I saved the last two years not purchasing a iPhone is going to buy me one of those new i7 MacBook Pro's coming today.
opps did I tell a secret?
Can/will the 13" handle/get the i7?
Apple doesn't do cheap "dumbphones."
Just expensive "dumb" pads.
sorry- I couldn't resist.
Hmm...seems most of what people do with a iPhone (outside of making calls) is better done with a real computer with a real keyboard.
So the iPhone really a matter of convenience with it's smaller size, that's all.
I don't regret my decision to stick with a MBP and a cheap disposable phone with low monthly rates.
Only if that real computer with a real keyboard has a real 3G data connection anywhere/anytime. Does your cheap disposable phone have 3G data access that can be tethered to your real computer? If not, it's a totally inadequate substitute.
Plus, of course that real computer with a real keyboard is much heavier and bulkier, and less likely to be with you everywhere/everytime.
I might be wrong, but isn't Apple's marketshare about 1-2% worldwide?
Apple has a 0% share of the lucrative lawnmower market. So has Microsoft.
Do you actually have a point to make?
I might be wrong, but isn't Apple's marketshare about 1-2% worldwide?
In February 2009 Apple managed 1.1% marketshare
It's probably a little bit higher now, but I suspect it's still within the 2-3% Balmer was talking about.
The real problem with what Ballmer said was that he implied that WinMo had "60% or 70% or 80%" of all phones. At the time of iPhone launch in 2007, WinMo had only 12.2% of all smartphones; in Q3 of 2009, it was down to 8.8% (and that's compared to iPhone OS at 18%).
Check out http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...ne_market.html
There's no doubt that that 8.8%-of-smartphones is even lower in the 4Q, as HTC and Palm drastically cut back on WinMo.
The real problem with what Ballmer said was that he implied that WinMo had "60% or 70% or 80%" of all phones. At the time of iPhone launch in 2007, WinMo had only 12.2% of all smartphones; in Q3 of 2009, it was down to 8.8% (and that's compared to iPhone OS at 18%).
Check out http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...ne_market.html
There's no doubt that that 8.8%-of-smartphones is even lower in the 4Q, as HTC and Palm drastically cut back on WinMo.
In Balmer's defense, he did write "'I'd prefer to have our software in 60% or 70% or 80% of them".
I might be wrong, but isn't Apple's marketshare about 1-2% worldwide?... t's probably a little bit higher now, but I suspect it's still within the 2-3% Balmer was talking about.
You're making an incorrect assumption here (that this was what Balmer was talking about), and comparing Apple's to Oranges.
The figures you are quoting are for cell-phone market share, the figures the article refers to (and Balmer), are the smartphone share.
You're making an incorrect assumption here (that this was what Balmer was talking about), and comparing Apple's to Oranges.
The figures you are quoting are for cell-phone market share, the figures the article refers to (and Balmer), are the smartphone share.
Good point. We can infer he's talking about smartphones from the previous sentence.
Can/will the 13" handle/get the i7?
the username looks awfully familiar