Apple's iPhone now the 'digital camera of choice' among consumers

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014


Apple's iPhone has become the de facto choice for consumers who use a digital camera, new statistics from the photo sharing service Flickr show.



The iPhone lineup is becoming the new standard for picture taking, analyst Ben A. Reitzes with Barclays declared in a note to investors on Monday, calling Apple's smartphone "the digital camera of choice for consumers and enthusiasts."



He noted that the latest data from Flickr shows that the iPhone 4 is the most popular camera used on the site with over 51 million registered users. That beat the second-place Canon EOS 5D Mark II, as well as the Nikon D90, Canon EOS REBEL T2i, and Canon EOS 7D.



When tracking solely smartphone use on Flickr, the statistics show complete domination by Apple. The top four smartphones for picture taking on Flickr are, in order, the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 3G, and iPhone 3GS.



The only other smartphone in Flickr's top five was the HTC EVO 4G, which had less than half the active users of the fourth-place iPhone 3GS. In fact, the only iPhone model that didn't make the top five was the first-generation handset released in 2007.



Reitzes said he believes the iPhone has replaced the standalone digital camera for many consumers because of the ease of use it offers, as well as the ability to quickly share photos online.











"This usability helps warrant a premium for the product and creates stickiness with software that connects consumers with other Apple products," he said.



The popularity of picture taking and editing on iOS devices was demonstrated last week, as Apple revealed that it had sold a million copies of its new iPhoto software for iPhone and iPad in less than 10 days. iPhoto for iOS is available on the App Store for $4.99.



[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 69
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    I'm surprised the 4S isn't ranking higher.
  • Reply 2 of 69
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    This is going to make people start demanding a 12MP camera in the new iPhone, isn't it?
  • Reply 3 of 69
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,258member
    So Android leads in activations, but iPhone leads in everything from apps to web surfing to photography.



    These types of statistics seem consistent with the hypothesis that the iPhone is more widely used as a true smartphone, while Android phones are treated by consumers more as feature phones or even dumb phones.



    And really, this isn't so surprising. The iPhone is part of a larger platform whereas Android phones are not. Android itself is not a platform -- it's just some "free" source code that OEMs can use as the basis of their own platforms. But after decades of being treated as low margin device assemblers by the likes of Microsoft and Intel (in the case of the PC guys) or decades selling dumb phones or very limited feature phones (the cell phone guys), there really weren't any OEMs out there capable of building a platform. Now Google is semi-scrambling to pull together some semblance of a true platform, but it's probably too late.
  • Reply 4 of 69
    isheldonisheldon Posts: 570member
    Very fuzzy logic here both the misleading heading of this thread and/or statistics as this pertains only to people that use Flikr. Of course the iPhone would dominate - how many digital cameras can you directly upload photos to Flickr?

    Next.



    The title should state Cameraphones.
  • Reply 5 of 69
    hittrj01hittrj01 Posts: 753member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    This is going to make people start demanding a 12MP camera in the new iPhone, isn't it?



    I'm equally as shocked as the top FOUR spots all being iPhones, and the 3G, which isn't sold anymore, still outranks the 3GS, which is still for sale. Just more proof that people with iPhones actually WANT to use their phone, whereas most Android owners HAVE to use their phone.
  • Reply 6 of 69
    hittrj01hittrj01 Posts: 753member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iSheldon View Post


    Very fuzzy logic here for statistics as this pertains only to people that use Flikr. Of course the iPhone would dominate - how many digital cameras can you directly upload to Flickr?

    Next.



    True enough, but the next four most popular are all stand-alone cameras. By your logic, everything on the top list should be some type of phone or other connected device.
  • Reply 7 of 69
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    I'm surprised the 4S isn't ranking higher.



    The iPhone 4S has only been out for a few months whereas the iPhone 4 has been fully launched worldwide, starting in the summer of 2011. I'm guessing worldwide deployment of the iPhone 4S is not yet complete.



    Also, Apple continues to sell the iPhone 4 in many markets.
  • Reply 8 of 69
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iSheldon View Post


    Very fuzzy logic here both the heading of this thread and/or statistics as this pertains only to people that use Flikr. Of course the iPhone would dominate - how many digital cameras can you directly upload photos to Flickr?

    Next.



    The title should state Cameraphones.



    1) So now it's not fair that Flickr posts its own stats? Fuzzy logic indeed.



    2) Most other camera phones can upload to Flickr and yet I see digital cameras best out all of them but the iPhone 4. That little fact decimates your argument that camera phones will be more popular than digital cameras. The fact is the iPhone 4 is the most popular camera on Flickr.
  • Reply 9 of 69
    orlandoorlando Posts: 601member
    I'm certain I read at least a year ago the iPhone was already the top camera on Flickr. The best camera is the one you have with you.
  • Reply 10 of 69
    isheldonisheldon Posts: 570member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    1) So now it's not fair that Flickr posts its own stats? Fuzzy logic indeed.



    2) Most other camera phones can upload to Flickr and yet I see digital cameras best out all of them but the iPhone 4. That little fact decimates your argument that camera phones will be more popular than digital cameras. The fact is the iPhone 4 is the most popular camera on Flickr.



    1.) No- it's not that hard to comprehend that there are uncounted gazzillions of digital camera users that simply do not use Flikr.



    2.) That's not what the title of the thread claims. Read much? Geesh!



    'Digital camera of choice' for consumers is Apple's iPhone'
  • Reply 11 of 69
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hittrj01 View Post


    True enough, but the next four most popular are all stand-alone cameras. By your logic, everything on the top list should be some type of phone or other connected device.



    The point is that this doesn't measure digital camera use, it measures photo sharing use. It's very likely the case that there are way more people using non-phone digital cameras than are represented in this data. It may even be the case that some number of digital cameras outnumber any one or even all of the iPhones (or other phones, or represented digital cameras) in actual "use". But, since the numbers only represent people using Flickr, the only conclusions that can be drawn from this data are conclusions about Flickr users. The number of people with digital cameras who don't use Flickr likely outnumbers those who do by a very large number. (I'd guess at least a couple of orders of magnitude.)



    In other words, the headline should be "'Digital camera of choice' for Flickr users is Apple's iPhone", since this data does not represent consumers generally.
  • Reply 12 of 69
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Apple's iPhone has become the de facto choice for consumers who use a digital camera, new statistics from the photo sharing service Flickr show.








    Convenience trumps quality - again.



    When will the Android phone makers learn this?
  • Reply 13 of 69
    bdkennedy1bdkennedy1 Posts: 1,459member
    It may the the most popular, but that doesn't make it suck any less. My iPhone 4 takes horrible pictures.
  • Reply 14 of 69
    tjwaltjwal Posts: 404member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iSheldon View Post


    1.) No- it's not that hard to comprehend that there are uncounted gazzillions of digital camera users that simply do not use Flikr.



    2.) That's not what the title of the thread claims. Read much? Geesh!



    'Digital camera of choice' for consumers is Apple's iPhone'



    If you make the assumption that flickr users are a representative sample of all camera users then the conclusion is valid. With the Canon 5D placing second I don't think that assumption is valid.
  • Reply 15 of 69
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    This is going to make people start demanding a 12MP camera in the new iPhone, isn't it?



    Sadly, yes.



    Apple and its customers would be better off with a camera that has better low light sensitivity rather than more pixels. A smartphone camera module really won't benefit much from a 12MP sensor. The resolving power of a lens of this size is pretty much maxxed out.
  • Reply 16 of 69
    isheldonisheldon Posts: 570member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tjwal View Post


    If you make the assumption that flickr users are a representative sample of all camera users then the conclusion is valid. With the Canon 5D placing second I don't think that assumption is valid.



    Never make assumptions with statistics.

    I would need an actual percentage of how many digital camera users actually use Flickr first.



    AI just needs to change the title of this thread- very misleading.
  • Reply 17 of 69
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bdkennedy1 View Post


    It may the the most popular, but that doesn't make it suck any less. My iPhone 4 takes horrible pictures.



    A bad workman blames his tools!



    I may qualify as close to being the world's worst photographer. But I found the iPhone 4 camera produced great photos, even for me..



    However, the 4S is a quantum leap better. Absolutely awesome and better than even professional Nikons of just a few years ago!



    The only drawback I find with the 4S is that the flash does not produce good pictures. I've stopped using it and instead rely on the 4S's great low light ability, which I can then enhance with iPhoto if needs be.



    Combining the 4S with the new iPad takes digital photography to a new dimension.



    But the effect is even more dramatic for video, which takes HD video to a completely new level.



    The combination is not just head and shoulders above everything else, nothing else come above knee high to a 4s and a new iPad.
  • Reply 18 of 69
    Great, iOS not only dumbing down Apple now it can do the same to Photography in general



    This is as sad as crayons becoming the tool of choice for drawing - And they say iOS is not for the lowest common denominator.
  • Reply 19 of 69
    Wait... They make other cameras besides the iPhone?
  • Reply 20 of 69
    Another bulls**t story for the Apple fans to cheer about...... give me a break.



    The way I see it, if you have an iPhone then that's your consumer camera of choice. Almost any smart and even "dumb" phone out there has a camera and most are getting very good. I'm a photographer and I admit that many photographers have iPhones as their point and shoot but that's only because for the majority of photographers and videographers, Apple computers are their system of choice. Not the case for everyone and for the rest of the world.
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