Apple's iPhone maintains lead over Blackberry, Android in US

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Apple continues to take the top position in smartphone market share, even in the US where a variety of hardware makers have released popular phones using Android. RIM's Blackberry platform takes the number two spot.



According to a new report by Nielsen, in the month of November sales of phones from all Android licensees together made up the largest segment by platform among "six month acquirers," with 40.8 percent of "adult smartphone customers" buying phones running Android.



Apple's share of these 'recent adult acquirers' was reported to be significantly less, at 26.9 percent, although Apple's assigned share had grown over the previous six months from 20.9 percent in June 2010, prior to the launch of iPhone 4.



RIM's BlackBerry platform came in third among 'recent adult acquirers,' making up 19.2 percent of the market, a significant drop from its 35 percent high in June. RIM's lost 15 percentage points appeared to be gobbled up by both Apple (which grew by 6 percentage points over the same period) and Android (which grew by 13).







However, the report notes that, "when it comes to overall consumer market share, Android OS (25.8%) is still behind Apple iOS (28.6%)." RIM figures in-between iOS and Android, with a 26.1 percent share of the overall market.



Apple's overall share of the smartphone market was up just over a percentage point across the last six months, while Android grew by nearly 11 percentage points and BlackBerry fell by nearly 8 percentage points.







Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics



Nielson's latest figures contradict the notion that Android as a platform has already outpaced Apple's iOS in the US and globally, an idea that has gained populist traction despite the poor performance of Google's Android Market and the lack of support it is getting from key third party developers.



An earlier report by Gartner claimed Android shipments world wide had ballooned from 3.5 percent last year to a whopping 25.5 percent in the third quarter of 2010.



Gartner's data didn't show that growth coming from mainstream Android licensees such as Samsung, HTC and Motorola, however, instead crediting Android with tens of millions of units from "other" manufacturers.



Gartner's numbers differed from a parallel IDC mobile phone market report by an astounding 77 million units (the smartphone market itself is currently only 81 million), casting a credibility shadow over Gartner's figures and reporting.



Gartner's reliance on assumptions that high volume sales of no-brand phones in emerging markets are likely using Android actually spells problems for Android licensees in leading nations, as those volumes of phones do not add value to the platform's app market but may be contributing downward pricing pressure for licensees who are relying upon Android to deliver an affordable product.



A flood of tens of millions of Android phones by "other" manufacturers can only impede the global sales of HTC, Motorola and Samsung models while subtracting from the differentiated value those brands can deliver. HTC and Samsung have recently chosen to also release new Windows Phone 7 models, and Samsung launched its own Bada platform this summer in a hedge bet against Android, both indications that hardware makers are not comfortable with putting all their eggs in Google's basket.



Who's on first?



Another metric of smartphone sales and use, based on web share, was also recently used to suggest that RIM's BlackBerry platform had surged ahead of Apple's iOS in the US.



The surge appeared to be related to RIM's rollout of its first WebKit browser, and only appeared when the use of iPod touch devices were excluded from the platform tally. Globally, the StatCounter figures showed that Apple had taken over the top position in 30 countries, including all of North America, Europe and Australia. The second runner up was Symbian, with RIM's BlackBerry only taking a lead in South America and Android only leading in Samsung's home nation of South Korea.







A third metric, looking at mobile activations, was also recently used to suggest that Android had eclipsed iOS as a platform. Google began reporting activations earlier this year, with Apple taking issue with the numbers Google had announced and reporting that it was still ahead in September and again in October. Despite giving its software away, Google still don't appear to have eclipsed Apple in activations even with its 300,000 per day number reported last month.



A fourth metric, based on ad impressions cited by third party ad networks, assigned Apple's iOS and Google's Android a tied position at 37 percent of all smartphones last month. In that report, by Millennial Media, segregates "connected devices" into its own market segment apart from smartphones and simpler feature phones. Apple iOS makes up a large percentage of these "connected devices," which include the iPod touch and iPad.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 107
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    This Dilger kid is more prolific than L. Ron Hubbard. LOL.
  • Reply 2 of 107
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    This Dilger kid is more prolific than L. Ron Hubbard. LOL.



    FUD and more FUD... as the war intensifies there will be more and more FUD from the companies and supporters [on edit - and detractors] involved.



    I do think, though, that Apple may have to shorten their cycle... one new phone per year may not cut it.
  • Reply 3 of 107
    nofeernofeer Posts: 2,427member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by island hermit View Post


    FUD and more FUD... as the war intensifies there will be more and more FUD from the companies and supporters involved.



    I do think, though, that Apple may have to shorten their cycle... one new phone per year may not cut it.



    exactly right on.



    also they need to look at he jailbreak apps to see what people "want" they have lots of cool things cooking
  • Reply 4 of 107
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    This Dilger kid is more prolific than L. Ron Hubbard. LOL.



    That is one word for him. I think he is the most warped, bias blogger there currently is on the internet. He gives this site a BAD name. He should stick to his lame blog.
  • Reply 5 of 107
    aiaddictaiaddict Posts: 487member
    Once again, DED looks at a study and totally misinterprets the data. Android has surpased the iPhone in new sales. It's third place in market share only reflects the relative newness of the platform's popularity and it will almost certainly be in the top spot in another 6-12 months as more contracts expire on older BB devices and as more people get their first smart phone.



    Also, why repeat the false interpretation of the Gartner data? They did not clain there were tens of millions of no name android phones. That came from a complete idiot not knowing how to read and interpret the data they published. Publishing this foolish crap makes AI look bad and the author look worse.
  • Reply 6 of 107
    sciwizsciwiz Posts: 77member
    DED should have published the article right after the 2nd chart. The rest is "You Spin Me Round".
  • Reply 7 of 107
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by island hermit View Post


    FUD and more FUD... as the war intensifies there will be more and more FUD from the companies and supporters [on edit - and detractors] involved.



    I do think, though, that Apple may have to shorten their cycle... one new phone per year may not cut it.



    Perhaps if the rumors of a Verizon iPhone sometime in the next 6 weeks are true, we will see this, somewhat. January = Verizon/CMDA iPhone refresh, July = AT&T/GSM.
  • Reply 8 of 107
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sciwiz View Post


    DED should have published the article right after the 2nd chart. The rest is "You Spin Me Round".



    Another perspective on the same data is:



    http://mobilized.allthingsd.com/2011...D_yahoo_ticker
  • Reply 9 of 107
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by starbird73 View Post


    Perhaps if the rumors of a Verizon iPhone sometime in the next 6 weeks are true, we will see this, somewhat. January = Verizon/CMDA iPhone refresh, July = AT&T/GSM.



    If there is a Verizon phone in the near future it will be interesting to see if the feature set changes.
  • Reply 10 of 107
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AIaddict View Post


    Once again, DED looks at a study and totally misinterprets the data.



    .



    I don't see where he misinterpreted anything. The article is clear in pointing out the differing data sets.
  • Reply 11 of 107
    I predict a final score of Android 50, iOS 40, everone else 10.

    However Apple will pull in 80-90% of the profit.

    Android is a race to the bottom and Google's handset partners will play a cutthroat game to be king of the trailer park.
  • Reply 12 of 107
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by island hermit View Post


    If there is a Verizon phone in the near future it will be interesting to see if the feature set changes.



    new features:

    1) white
  • Reply 13 of 107
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by island hermit View Post


    If there is a Verizon phone in the near future it will be interesting to see if the feature set changes.



    Yeah, depending on when...



    Will the VZ be iP4, iP4.5 or iP5?



    If it is later than the March timeframe, I suspect that Apple would do concurrent releases of iP5 for CDMA and GSM.



    Where does that leave the iPad -- it certainly could make better use of multiple cores, OpenCL capable GPU, and additional RAM.



    I don't know if a smartphone really needs a multiple core CPU -- I read that a single-core ARM A9 uses less power and provides better performance than the current A8.



    I suspect we will have a better handle on what Apple needs to do, and when -- after CES.
  • Reply 14 of 107
    istudistud Posts: 193member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GmanMac View Post


    I don't see where he misinterpreted anything. The article is clear in pointing out the differing data sets.



    I think the first 10 post are from DED haters, that did not even bother reading the article, they just spill their vitriol. I don't get ti why these chaps hate DED so much.
  • Reply 15 of 107
    Now that I think about it, I think it would be pretty cool if the Verizon iPhone only came in white.

    It would make it really easy to see how fast they are being adopted.
  • Reply 16 of 107
    aiaddictaiaddict Posts: 487member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GmanMac View Post


    I don't see where he misinterpreted anything. The article is clear in pointing out the differing data sets.



    DED states:



    "Nielson's latest figures contradict the notion that Android as a platform has already outpaced Apple's iOS in the US and globally,"



    Actually, Nielson's figures show the opposite. Android is obviously outpacing iOS, hence the market share gains. The gap between the iOS installed base and the Android base is shrinking because Android is selling faster. The lead in 6 month acquirers reinforces this fact and suggests it is likely to continue in the near future.



    Apple has a lead in the install base because there were very few Android phones sold more than a year ago. Apple has been in the market for more than 3 years, so their share includes more than just the phones sold in 2010.
  • Reply 17 of 107
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AIaddict View Post


    Once again, DED looks at a study and totally misinterprets the data. Android has surpased the iPhone in new sales. It's third place in market share only reflects the relative newness of the platform's popularity and it will almost certainly be in the top spot in another 6-12 months as more contracts expire on older BB devices and as more people get their first smart phone.



    Also, why repeat the false interpretation of the Gartner data? They did not clain there were tens of millions of no name android phones. That came from a complete idiot not knowing how to read and interpret the data they published. Publishing this foolish crap makes AI look bad and the author look worse.



    Yes, that is exactly the problem with this article. The author is comparing entirely different types of information. Things like mobile web usage or phone market share are dependent on total number of phone (new OR old) actively in use in consumers' hands, where as product shipments depend on only new products sold. I think the author should do a bit better research about business and marketing before writing these kinds of article, which makes no empirical or logical sense.



    On a different point, I do think that iOS platform would serve the non-technically sophisticated segments of the market very well, and will continue to do so for some time to come. There is really no danger of Apple losing market share anytime soon. Android will continue to gain market share, but from other mobile smartphone OSes such as BB, Symbian, WM, and an assortment of others.



    That's especially the case with an older generation of users that did not grow up with computers and mobile devices in the home. My electronic gifts to the older generation relatives were all iOS devices, which are much easier to use and operate for people have little computer knowledge. For myself, and others in my generation, I see android being a much more appropriate device that has much more capabilities and options.
  • Reply 18 of 107
    aiaddictaiaddict Posts: 487member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iStud View Post


    I think the first 10 post are from DED haters, that did not even bother reading the article, they just spill their vitriol. I don't get ti why these chaps hate DED so much.



    Because he is an idiot who publishes things that are factually incorrect. It is one thing to view the world with a pro-apple slant, but you can not state things that are false just to make your point. He does it over and over, and when the gross errors are pointed out neither he nor AI make corrections. He has destroyed the reputation of this site and those of us who used to be fans are tired of watching it go down the tubes.
  • Reply 19 of 107
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AIaddict View Post


    Because he is an idiot who publishes things that are factually incorrect. It is one thing to view the world with a pro-apple slant, but you can not state things that are false just to make your point. He does it over and over, and when the gross errors are pointed out neither he nor AI make corrections. He has destroyed the reputation of this site and those of us who used to be fans are tired of watching it go down the tubes.



    Forget DED... when they let me on here I knew AI was on the way down...
  • Reply 20 of 107
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AIaddict View Post


    Because he is an idiot who publishes things that are factually incorrect. It is one thing to view the world with a pro-apple slant, but you can not state things that are false just to make your point. He does it over and over, and when the gross errors are pointed out neither he nor AI make corrections. He has destroyed the reputation of this site and those of us who used to be fans are tired of watching it go down the tubes.



    Amen...EXACTLY the point. I can normally tell just form the title of the post its from him.



    Any idiot knows that the iPhone has any kind of lead because its been sold for longer, and that by all other indicators Android is going to surpass the iPhone in any numbers contest soon.
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