There are more iPhones in use in the USA than Android phones

AppleInsider

Given the longevity and user retention of the iPhone, new research says just over 50% of active smartphone users in the US are on iOS.

The forthcoming 'iPhone 14' range

Counterpoint Research has previously reported that on a quarterly baseis, Apple's sales of the iPhone are growing. New research from Counterpoint discusses the total installed pool of smartphones that are actually in active use -- and iPhones now account for just slightly over 50% of actively used smartphones in the States.

According to the Financial Times, Counterpoint analysts have said that this is Apple's highest-ever share of active smartphone users since the original iPhone launch in 2007

"Operating systems are like religions -- never significant changes," Counterpoint research director Jeff Fieldhack told the publication. "But over the past four years the flow has consistently been Android to iOS."

Source: Financial Times via Counterpoint Research

Counterpoint says that alongside Apple's 50% share of the active installed user base, the remaining 50% were using Android on around 150 different devices from many manufacturers.

Given Counterpoint's history, the data is in the ballpark, but not precise as it could be. Apple hasn't reported iPhone sales in several years, and most of the Android manufacturers followed suit.

Separately, a report from StockApps in April 2022, claimed that globally Android had lost 8% of its marketshare over the last five years. The same report said that iOS had gained 6% in that time.

Read on AppleInsider

tht

Feels impossible to believe. Apple's iPhone ASP is something like $750 to $800. Android phones are something like $300. Seems that no interest payments from carriers, and they are across like 30 months, has truly made moving to Apple phone a marginal transaction. $15 extra per month is the cost of getting one lunch these days. And the brand, devices, and services made it viable decision for buyers. I do pay a ridiculous amount of money per month to ATT for fiber, 6 lines, and some payment plan phones that go with them.

Hopefully Apple doubles down, triples down on services, including broadening repair services. If they had a competitive gaming ecosystem on Macs and more, better business/enterprise/work software, they potentially double their PC unit share and revenues.

mpantone

tht said:

Feels impossible to believe. Apple's iPhone ASP is something like $750 to $800. Android phones are something like $300. 

A lot of the difference in ASP comes from low-spec handsets sold in emerging markets and China where companies like Huawei can still operate. Apple doesn't address the entry-level market. Even the 5c was much more expensive than a comparable Android handset.

I don't think the smartphone manufacturers publicly break down ASP by product family groupings so you can't compare iPhone ASPs to Samsung Galaxy-class ASPs. And ever since Apple stopped disclosing unit sales most other smartphone manufacturers followed so the ASPs are now just estimates from third-party research groups and ANALysts, not the manufacturers themselves.

Even if you walk into a cellphone retail store, most of the cases are for iPhone models. There are sometimes a handful of cases for whatever is the premium Samsung offering but nothing else.

The used phone market reflects the difference as well. iPhones like other Apple devices hold their resale value very well compared to the competition's equivalent products.

There's also the fact that iPhones are well constructed and quite durable compared to the competition so they are often gifted to family members keeping them in service longer.

The fact that Apple offers regular software updates to previous generation devices likely influences retention and usage to some degree. My iPad mini (6th gen from 2021), iPhone 12 mini (2020), and iPhone XS (2018) are all running the latest release, version 15.6.1. My iPhone XS no longer has an active cellular plan but it's still used around the house for miscellaneous activities over Wifi.

And there's the topic of the App Store. If your device is in good shape and is running the latest operating system, the user can enjoy many of the latest software titles. So from a revenue outlook for Apple's Service category, having a bunch of used iPhones still being actively used is great.

edited September 2022

marvin

JP234 said:

My first smartphone was a Prepaid TracFone. The Android Phone/service package was cheap, but it wasn't long before I realized, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, "The bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten."

My next phone, and my wife's as well, were iPhones. And have been ever since. And always will be. In the long term, quality always wins out.

The quote is very fitting for Apple products. When products are used for hours every day, saving even 50% of the initial price for years of headaches just isn't worth it. Even used Apple products are better than new Android/Windows products.

Families often hand down used iPhones/iPads to their kids and millions are being sold on eBay etc.

The trend line looks steep. No wonder other companies put out attack ads.

danox

Marvin said:

JP234 said:

My first smartphone was a Prepaid TracFone. The Android Phone/service package was cheap, but it wasn't long before I realized, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, "The bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten."

My next phone, and my wife's as well, were iPhones. And have been ever since. And always will be. In the long term, quality always wins out.

The quote is very fitting for Apple products. When products are used for hours every day, saving even 50% of the initial price for years of headaches just isn't worth it. Even used Apple products are better than new Android/Windows products.

Families often hand down used iPhones/iPads to their kids and millions are being sold on eBay etc.

The trend line looks steep. No wonder other companies put out attack ads.

Apple is on it’s to a Japanese level marketshare in the USA with the iPhone…

tht

Marvin said:

JP234 said:

My first smartphone was a Prepaid TracFone. The Android Phone/service package was cheap, but it wasn't long before I realized, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, "The bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten."

My next phone, and my wife's as well, were iPhones. And have been ever since. And always will be. In the long term, quality always wins out.

The quote is very fitting for Apple products. When products are used for hours every day, saving even 50% of the initial price for years of headaches just isn't worth it. Even used Apple products are better than new Android/Windows products.

Families often hand down used iPhones/iPads to their kids and millions are being sold on eBay etc.

The trend line looks steep. No wonder other companies put out attack ads.

Yup. Even with Apple's lineup, it behooves people to get the next storage tier up, not the base model, or for Macs, the next RAM and storage tier. CPU and GPU not so much, but storage and RAM yes.

For phones, subscribing iCloud storage is a huge quality improvement too. You could live with the base storage tiers if you have iCloud storage.