With later arrival of new iPhone, HTC may challenge Apple as top US smartphone maker
Handset maker HTC has seen strong sales of its Android-based smartphones on all four U.S. carriers, putting the Taiwanese company in a position to contend with Apple for the title of top smartphone seller in the U.S.
Sales of the HTC Thunderbolt on Verizon and Inspire 4G on AT&T have not topped the iPhone on each carrier's network, but those devices are said to be by far the top-selling Android-powered handsets.
And with the addition of smartphone sales through carriers Sprint and T-Mobile -- two carriers where Apple's iPhone is not available -- HTC is "set to challenge" Apple's position as the top U.S. smartphone maker, according to sources that spoke with DigiTimes.
The HTC Thunderbolt is said to be the second most popular smartphone on Verizon's network, trailing only the iPhone. And on AT&T, the Inspire 4G is also the best-selling Android phone, with sales almost three times higher than the Motorola Atrix 4G.
With sales on Sprint and T-Mobile, HTC took second place in terms of hardware sales in the first quarter of 2011, trailing only Apple. And HTC may find itself in a position now to threaten Apple's spot at the top of the U.S. market, the report said.
"With the absence of a next-generation iPhone, and the fact that rival Motorola has been forced to postpone the launch of its 4G models, HTC has a chance to further narrow the gap in market share against Apple before the third quarter," sources reportedly said.
Sales of the HTC Thunderbolt on Verizon and Inspire 4G on AT&T have not topped the iPhone on each carrier's network, but those devices are said to be by far the top-selling Android-powered handsets.
And with the addition of smartphone sales through carriers Sprint and T-Mobile -- two carriers where Apple's iPhone is not available -- HTC is "set to challenge" Apple's position as the top U.S. smartphone maker, according to sources that spoke with DigiTimes.
The HTC Thunderbolt is said to be the second most popular smartphone on Verizon's network, trailing only the iPhone. And on AT&T, the Inspire 4G is also the best-selling Android phone, with sales almost three times higher than the Motorola Atrix 4G.
With sales on Sprint and T-Mobile, HTC took second place in terms of hardware sales in the first quarter of 2011, trailing only Apple. And HTC may find itself in a position now to threaten Apple's spot at the top of the U.S. market, the report said.
"With the absence of a next-generation iPhone, and the fact that rival Motorola has been forced to postpone the launch of its 4G models, HTC has a chance to further narrow the gap in market share against Apple before the third quarter," sources reportedly said.
Comments
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non story
9
Damn, you beat me to it!
Who cares, Apple is making all the right moves, making gobs of money, and pumping out excellent products.
Projected sales for iOS devices (especially iPad) look pretty insanely great for 2012. I'd watch for that.
There are a lot of good iPhone 4 deals around at the moment, still Apple might pull a rabbit out of the hat and release an amazing upgrade, Argh such a touch choice!
Decissions decissions, decided not to upgrade my 3GS last year and have patiently waited for the iPhone 5. But now that it's delayed and all the reports point to a modest upgrade at best is there any point in waiting.
There are a lot of good iPhone 4 deals around at the moment, still Apple might pull a rabbit out of the hat and release an amazing upgrade, Argh such a touch choice!
If you wait until the iPhone 5 comes out and decide it is not worth the upgrade, the 4 will most likely still be around for $99. Of course, you have to factor in your two-year contract and the fact that you probably won't get software updates at the tail end of that contract after the iPhone 6 comes out, but it may be a good deal, depending on what the 5 has in it.
Handset maker HTC has seen strong sales of its Android-based smartphones on all four U.S. carriers, putting the Taiwanese company in a position to contend with Apple for the title of top smartphone seller in the U.S.
What a surprise. Make craptastic products and give them away practically for free.
But who is making the biggest profits? That's the company I do business with!
Decissions decissions, decided not to upgrade my 3GS last year and have patiently waited for the iPhone 5. But now that it's delayed and all the reports point to a modest upgrade at best is there any point in waiting.
There are a lot of good iPhone 4 deals around at the moment, still Apple might pull a rabbit out of the hat and release an amazing upgrade, Argh such a touch choice!
I'm still using the first iPhone, it works well does what I need, I will only buy a new one if this one croaks.
Decissions decissions, decided not to upgrade my 3GS last year and have patiently waited for the iPhone 5. But now that it's delayed and all the reports point to a modest upgrade at best is there any point in waiting.
There are a lot of good iPhone 4 deals around at the moment, still Apple might pull a rabbit out of the hat and release an amazing upgrade, Argh such a touch choice!
don't work from rumors, i'd wait, as long as your unit works, wait then decide from knowing
its only a few months, even if evolutionary probably cdma and gsm together, then you can buy the phone from where ever then work a deal
thats what i'm doing
so where is apple with their patent case against HTC???
non story
Totally agree. Another Anal-----yst, trying to make their hit count for the week.
Market share only counts on a level playing field. Apple is so far up the hill that no one comes close.
UI, hardware, software, all just works. and now its the environ. iCloud, iOS, OS. All just working great together.
Just a thought,
en
But who is making the biggest profits? That's the company I do business with!
l can only infer that you don't own or run a business. Maybe you can enlighten us on why this is a winning strategy.
Totally agree. Another Anal-----yst, trying to make their hit count for the week.
Market share only counts on a level playing field. Apple is so far up the hill that no one comes close.
UI, hardware, software, all just works. and now its the environ. iCloud, iOS, OS. All just working great together.
Just a thought,
en
Exactly- Has the Anal-----yst or source bothered to read the comments on this phone- crummy 2 -3 hour battery life, constant reboots, Can't charge w/ kickstand deployed, can't use while in car dock or w headphones. Not exactly well thought out by comparison
TC
Totally agree. Another Anal-----yst, trying to make their hit count for the week.
Market share only counts on a level playing field. Apple is so far up the hill that no one comes close.
UI, hardware, software, all just works. and now its the environ. iCloud, iOS, OS. All just working great together.
Just a thought,
en
thanks
i too is so thrilled with all the new goodies from APPLE
The APP store for my MBP is wonderful .
I f i lose an app i bought from a disc 3 yrs ago
i can down load it now
in fact they prompted me that it was lost and put it up for taking <<pages is what was gone >>
and freedom from inserting a disc each time i want to play a game is nice also
9
Totally agree. Another Anal-----yst, trying to make their hit count for the week.
Market share only counts on a level playing field. Apple is so far up the hill that no one comes close.
UI, hardware, software, all just works. and now its the environ. iCloud, iOS, OS. All just working great together.
Just a thought,
en
Agreed. The trouble with this data is that it most likely is derived from retail sales staff surveys. They call and ask what's their bestseller and 2nd best, and how large gap between, etc. It's just salespeople rattling off info from top of their head, no hard data.
Most important, retail store sales don't represent all handset sales. Much of the store traffic comes from people unsure of what to buy and are wanting to play around with demos. Every carrier has a "recommended" or "hero" device that they typically have volume commitments for. Thus, these handsets carry the largest rip (commission) incentivizing sales staff to aggressively push them.
What's missing are online sales and sales from Apple retail stores. Most iPhone buyers know they want an iPhone and don't need to make a trip to a physical store. Verizon said that 2/3 of iPhone sales are online. Therefore, sales data gleaned from retail sales staff is often misleading, especially in the case of the iPhone.
What a surprise. Make craptastic products and give them away practically for free.
But who is making the biggest profits? That's the company I do business with!
Thunderbolt is more expensive than the iPhone ....
l can only infer that you don't own or run a business. Maybe you can enlighten us on why this is a winning strategy.
Because when Apple makes profits, they always plow them back into the company, and that is good for all of us. I like the way Apple does that. Why do you think that every product they release is so great?
Who do you do business with, fly-by-night bankrupt companies like RIM?
The strange thing is that as I travel around America all I see are iPhones. Who has all this Android phones?
Maybe they are Samsungs?