This will happen in every single category Apple is in, and that's ok and expected.
However, it doesn't have to be a 5% world. They have plenty of growth on the high end segment that they are ignoring due to stupid irrationality. Proof? Samsung is making more profit then Apple and going nowhere but up.
Is Apple afraid of focusing in too many devices and that's why they do not sell a bigger separate iPhone line and even a bigger iPad? Fine, just let the dead weight go:
- Mac mini;
- 4s;
- iPod touch and classic (just let the small accessories/companions like the nano and shuffle);
- cMBP;
- iPad 2;
- Make just one Macbook air (12").
This would be great for everyone one, sales would only go up. The big iPhone alone, together with a 4" flagship, would quickly make wonders.
Then, we have new categories. My gut tells me that Apple is experience with the a5 so much (one core only in Apple TV, small die size on iPad 2, another shrink, etc) because a new watch-like wearable is coming.
Also, Apple must realize one thing: On some areas, cheaper devices can already offer a stunning experience. You don't need to spend 1000 dollars on a computer to have a nice computer. Same with phones. A dual core 1gig ram jelly bean is fantastic for facebook, music, etc.
Based on this, the processor power on PCs and Macs is more than enough to 99% of users. Put an SSD and an i3 has well, and you have a computer for more than 5 years.
So, why not an ARM macbook air-like? Since it would have an SSD, it wouldn't be slow and could cost less than an iPhone 32gb.
Oh really, it shouldn't? It's good to know you have all the engineering, technical, computational, and marketing data on hand related tothe development, production, and sales of a Retina iPad mini, in order to come to that conclusion. Oh wait, you don't have a shred of that data, and just pulled that statement out of your ass with complete ignorance.
Oh, and yeah, I'm sure randomly releasing a Retina iPad mini a few months after the non-Retina one would have had a great reception from consumers with the mini being "obsoleted" so quickly, and with Apple completely fucking up their release schedule and consumer confidence in buying an Apple product. But hey, you know best.
Considering the retina mini got A7 and M7 its pretty obvious that's what Apple was waiting for to release it.
1. These are 'estimates' from IDC who are known to be really accurate and impartial, especially when it comes to Apple
2. These are shipments, not sales. Apple will have been drawing down channel inventory in the latter part of Q3 ahead of new product launches, so iPads sold will almost certainly have been higher than iPads shipped. Conversely, Samsung have form with channel-stuffing, as do most of the other Android licensees listed so I would be really surprised if sales came close to matching shipments.
3. Definitions of 'tablet' are so loose that the iPod Touch ought to be counted amongst them. But it isn't. Why are we interested in units sold rather than $ sold or -- far more importantly -- profitability on total sales?
So, what we have here is a report that a known Apple-basher has made up some numbers for a metric (shipments) which at best vaguely correlates to actual sales has found that by counting something irrelevant (non like-for-like unit shipments) they can make it look like Apple is failing. Hmm. And in other news, water is still wet.
Please explain these FACTS to me so we can understand them better:
- Why the iPad has the highest Internet usage beating all other tablets combined by a wide margin.
- Why developers favor iOS over Android despite the lower market share.
- Why Apple still has more than double the revenue in the App Store with lower market share.
- Why iTunes generates 6X the revenue of Google Play for digital content ( like music) with lower market share.
Market share is useless if it doesn't generate revenue. Without revenue nobody pays attention to your device/platform.
jungmark is dead on. Your little essay about market share mattering to developers is complete BS. And you actually have the nerve to accuse someone who is 100% correct that they're in denial. Pathetic.
Market share matters to developers, but mostly in the extremes. A platform needs a critical mass of market share to generate the revenues required to make it worthwhile for a developer to build an app for that platform. The critical mass is different for each platform and depends on the average revenue generated per user. Since people seem to spend more on average in the Appstore/iTunes than they do in Google Play, Apple's critical mass market share is lower than it would be for Android. Apple doesn't need to fret about having the minority share in the market, but it should worry about its market share dipping below something like 10%. There will be a point when revenues from Android exceed those from Apple due to sheer volume of users, even if each individual Android user is less likely than each individual Apple user to spend a given amount of money on apps and media.
Only time will tell. Personally I'm all Apple but I am also a realist.
I've tried for years to keep crab grass out of my yard but my neighbors don't share the same dedication, hence, crab grass is increasingly cross contaminating and invading my yard to point that I am thinking of giving up the fight and just accepting the fact that crab grass is able to proliferate more readily than my luxurious tall Fescue which I planted. A complacency in that Apple is the dominate platform in tablets and will remain so forever could potentially lead to the unexpected reversal in only a few years. If they do not move forward full speed ahead on all engines, Android could overtake their current supremacy. Apple knows this, You apparently do not.
I don't think you are being that much of a realist if your main point is "Android OEMs are shipping/"selling" waaaay more tablets than Apple. OMG, they're doooomed!" when you can simply look at the smartphone market where that is actual reality and major developers STILL debut their apps on iOS and many times don't even bother making an Android equivalent. As others have stated, usage and revenue stats are more important than marketshare. As a developer, why would I care if Android outsells iOS a million to one if I cannot make money from it? Marketshare is merely a feature and not necessarily a benefit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pedromartins
This will happen in every single category Apple is in, and that's ok and expected.
However, it doesn't have to be a 5% world. They have plenty of growth on the high end segment that they are ignoring due to stupid irrationality. Proof? Samsung is making more profit then Apple and going nowhere but up.
Is Apple afraid of focusing in too many devices and that's why they do not sell a bigger separate iPhone line and even a bigger iPad? Fine, just let the dead weight go:
- Mac mini;
- 4s;
- iPod touch and classic (just let the small accessories/companions like the nano and shuffle);
- cMBP;
- iPad 2;
- Make just one Macbook air (12").
This would be great for everyone one, sales would only go up. The big iPhone alone, together with a 4" flagship, would quickly make wonders.
Then, we have new categories. My gut tells me that Apple is experience with the a5 so much (one core only in Apple TV, small die size on iPad 2, another shrink, etc) because a new watch-like wearable is coming.
Also, Apple must realize one thing: On some areas, cheaper devices can already offer a stunning experience. You don't need to spend 1000 dollars on a computer to have a nice computer. Same with phones. A dual core 1gig ram jelly bean is fantastic for facebook, music, etc.
Based on this, the processor power on PCs and Macs is more than enough to 99% of users. Put an SSD and an i3 has well, and you have a computer for more than 5 years.
So, why not an ARM macbook air-like? Since it would have an SSD, it wouldn't be slow and could cost less than an iPhone 32gb.
I'm pretty sure that Apple had more profit than Samsung Mobile by about half a billion dollars after taxes. As for the rest, maybe, but we really don't know what type of margins Apple gets from these individual products which would affect their profits. For example, the Mac mini may not sell nearly as much as the iMac line but the margin is 15-20% more making it worth selling.
Only time will tell. Personally I'm all Apple but I am also a realist.
I've tried for years to keep crab grass out of my yard but my neighbors don't share the same dedication, hence, crab grass is increasingly cross contaminating and invading my yard to point that I am thinking of giving up the fight and just accepting the fact that crab grass is able to proliferate more readily than my luxurious tall Fescue which I planted. A complacency in that Apple is the dominate platform in tablets and will remain so forever could potentially lead to the unexpected reversal in only a few years. If they do not move forward full speed ahead on all engines, Android could overtake their current supremacy. Apple knows this, You apparently do not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pedromartins
This will happen in every single category Apple is in, and that's ok and expected.
However, it doesn't have to be a 5% world. They have plenty of growth on the high end segment that they are ignoring due to stupid irrationality. Proof? Samsung is making more profit then Apple and going nowhere but up.
Is Apple afraid of focusing in too many devices and that's why they do not sell a bigger separate iPhone line and even a bigger iPad? Fine, just let the dead weight go:
- Mac mini;
- 4s;
- iPod touch and classic (just let the small accessories/companions like the nano and shuffle);
- cMBP;
- iPad 2;
- Make just one Macbook air (12").
This would be great for everyone one, sales would only go up. The big iPhone alone, together with a 4" flagship, would quickly make wonders.
Then, we have new categories. My gut tells me that Apple is experience with the a5 so much (one core only in Apple TV, small die size on iPad 2, another shrink, etc) because a new watch-like wearable is coming.
Also, Apple must realize one thing: On some areas, cheaper devices can already offer a stunning experience. You don't need to spend 1000 dollars on a computer to have a nice computer. Same with phones. A dual core 1gig ram jelly bean is fantastic for facebook, music, etc.
Based on this, the processor power on PCs and Macs is more than enough to 99% of users. Put an SSD and an i3 has well, and you have a computer for more than 5 years.
So, why not an ARM macbook air-like? Since it would have an SSD, it wouldn't be slow and could cost less than an iPhone 32gb.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wakefinance
Market share matters to developers, but mostly in the extremes. A platform needs a critical mass of market share to generate the revenues required to make it worthwhile for a developer to build an app for that platform. The critical mass is different for each platform and depends on the average revenue generated per user. Since people seem to spend more on average in the Appstore/iTunes than they do in Google Play, Apple's critical mass market share is lower than it would be for Android. Apple doesn't need to fret about having the minority share in the market, but it should worry about its market share dipping below something like 10%. There will be a point when revenues from Android exceed those from Apple due to sheer volume of users, even if each individual Android user is less likely than each individual Apple user to spend a given amount of money on apps and media.
While anything is possible in the quickly changing mobile market, I think it would take much more than Apple dipping below 10% for developers to change their investment patterns to Android. There are some internal issues that Google must address before that happens such as fragmentation, app pirating, its focus on free/freemium apps, etc. Also, because Apple's line of iOS products are fairly streamlined, it's simply easier (and costs less) to make and deploy apps for the platform which means iOS users can be developers' test subjects before rolling out to Android.
I'm only saddened by the thought that so much plastic junk is produced adding to an already all too large mountain of poison. If so many iPads - produced and shipped every moment in an all progressive amount - but still declining in overall market share, really should tell you something of the big picture. It's appalling.
Comparing iOS to Android is a reasonable exercise because market share is important and the ecosystem is the real selling point, not the hardware itself. Developers do take notice of market share as well, and even plastic junk can be a useful tool if it is running a good app. So developers could shift their focus if Apple starts losing too much market share. Both platforms surf the web and get email with equal efficiency, so it is really about the apps. I have noticed many of the big corporations are offering apps for both platforms.
The longevity of the hardware is not as much of an issue because Apple forces the newest version of iOS on the users which in many cases means that the they need to go out and buy a new device because the new OS is so computationally demanding that their older hardware gets sluggish, but no choice, you must upgrade. In some respects the lack of OS upgrades makes Android useful for longer. Once you have it configured the way you want it there is no reason to update anything unless there is a security breach, which, of course, is more likely on Android.
Comparing iPad sales to Android tablet sales is also significant. Again, it is all about the platform market share. When people make comparisons to the auto industry they usually miss the mark. Autos from any manufacturer all use the same the same tires built by different companies, the same gas stations of different companies, the same filters, batteries, oil, brake pads, air freshener, etc. So it is not at all like iOS and Android which are really the only two platforms with any credibility. The only thing they have in common is they both use the same internet, sort of like autos share the same roads. Beyond that it is all proprietary. If Apple loses too much platform market share, at a certain point they lose almost everything just like the Mac vs. Windows scenario. So it is really important to monitor the market share numbers.
With respect to Apple's reduced sales due to no new models in Q3, all that tells me, is that Apple users are more astute and aware that the new models are coming, where as the typical Android tablet buyer just buys anything that they see at Walmart without doing any research whatsoever.
What good is a high marketshare if your market doesn't actually spend money or use the devices?
I had an iRobot 7" tablet a few years ago. Ran an ancient version of Android (1.x, maybe?) and it died four weeks later. A friend had the same thing which died in two weeks. Not sure how these could be lumped in with a Mini...
Other issues that concern me are range, not number, of apps available for a said device, the currency of those apps, accessories such as keyboards, adaptors and covers/cases, and also official support. I'd like to add these to your pointers of initial prices and of specs.
I'll never fucking understand the utterly false analogy of directly comparing "iPad" or "iPhone" with "Android" as if they're competing products. It's so sad than even this site engages in this analogy for clicks. "iPad" is a single line of tablets, made by a single company, updated a single time a year. "Android" is a damn OS, that is installed on THOUSANDS of tablets, on HUNDREDS of product lines, by DOZENS of companies, that release multiple tablets per year. So, why the **** is this a fair comparison? COmparing a single product with the combined marketshare of almost every SINGLE other competing product in the world? SO we can use the word "drops" in the headline?
It's typical. Analysts and the press used to do the same thing with Windows PCs vs. Macs, even though Windows PCs were manufactured by dozens of manufacturers. They used to report it as if Microsoft made all those machines.
As for the iPad itself, even comparing iPad sales to other Pad sales of each manufacturer doesn't mean all that much. The reality is that the majority of the world can't afford this stuff and they're going to buy the cheapest device, even if it's far from the best (in fact, even if it's pretty bad). It would be no surprise to me if many other companies are able to outsell the iPad. Who sells more cars - Ford or BMW? But which company would you rather be?
What does matter is what is Apple's total earnings on the business.
I'll never fucking understand the utterly false analogy of directly comparing "iPad" or "iPhone" with "Android" as if they're competing products. It's so sad than even this site engages in this analogy for clicks. "iPad" is a single line of tablets, made by a single company, updated a single time a year. "Android" is a damn OS, that is installed on THOUSANDS of tablets, on HUNDREDS of product lines, by DOZENS of companies, that release multiple tablets per year. So, why the **** is this a fair comparison? COmparing a single product with the combined marketshare of almost every SINGLE other competing product in the world? SO we can use the word "drops" in the headline?
iPad is by far the best selling tablet in the world. The only way to attempt to put a negative spin on things is if you use false analogies such as this, as if "Android" is some product, or some entity. "Android" or Google even, is not benefitting by these truckloads of cheap chinese tablets taht run the OS. The comparison is utterly meaningless. Stop with these Apples to Oranges comparison. Android, a free OS, cannot be compared with iPad, a tablet. Why not actually compare the iPad line against any other tablet line? Oh yeah, cause it would be an absolute slaughter, so we have to combine ALL other tablet lines on the planet then use THAT for comparison, as if that means anything anymore. The tablet market is still growing, and being flooded with cheap models, so decrease in marketshare is expected. I'm dissapointed in Appleinsider for engaging in this click-bait, idiotic comparisons.
Ok. Apples tablet iOS is losing to Androids tablet OS.
According to the latest data from research firm IDC, Apple shipped 14.1 million iPads in the third quarter of 2013, a 500,000 unit sequential decline from quarter two, while rival Samsung took second place with shipments of 9.7 million Android devices.
How's this for a quick fix:
1. Release industry-leading iPad Air and Retina iPad mini in November. (Done.)
2. Release iPad Air with Touch ID and Retina iPad mini with Touch ID in Spring 2014. (Possible.)
#2 would fill the new-product-gap between October 2013 and October 2014, and move the iPad Air and Retina iPad mini even farther ahead of the copycat pack.
Ok. Apples tablet iOS is losing to Androids tablet OS.
There a difference though. Apple isn't losing market share by the products sold/shipped declining. It's just not growing as fast as the overall market (shipment wise).
Can anyone please tell me who the 16+ other companies making all these 'Other' tablets are and what models they are selling? It would make the figures slightly less difficult to swallow!
There a difference though. Apple isn't losing market share by the products sold/shipped declining. It's just not growing as fast as the overall market (shipment wise).
If you look at the numbers IDC reported Apple tablet shipments didn't really grow at all in even absolute terms. Shipments supposedly were flat YOY for all intents, from 14M last year to 14.1M this year.
Comments
Just say "around 3 times higher than 2012". "up 346.3 percent from 2012" is utterly ridiculous!
This will happen in every single category Apple is in, and that's ok and expected.
However, it doesn't have to be a 5% world. They have plenty of growth on the high end segment that they are ignoring due to stupid irrationality. Proof? Samsung is making more profit then Apple and going nowhere but up.
Is Apple afraid of focusing in too many devices and that's why they do not sell a bigger separate iPhone line and even a bigger iPad? Fine, just let the dead weight go:
- Mac mini;
- 4s;
- iPod touch and classic (just let the small accessories/companions like the nano and shuffle);
- cMBP;
- iPad 2;
- Make just one Macbook air (12").
This would be great for everyone one, sales would only go up. The big iPhone alone, together with a 4" flagship, would quickly make wonders.
Then, we have new categories. My gut tells me that Apple is experience with the a5 so much (one core only in Apple TV, small die size on iPad 2, another shrink, etc) because a new watch-like wearable is coming.
Also, Apple must realize one thing: On some areas, cheaper devices can already offer a stunning experience. You don't need to spend 1000 dollars on a computer to have a nice computer. Same with phones. A dual core 1gig ram jelly bean is fantastic for facebook, music, etc.
Based on this, the processor power on PCs and Macs is more than enough to 99% of users. Put an SSD and an i3 has well, and you have a computer for more than 5 years.
So, why not an ARM macbook air-like? Since it would have an SSD, it wouldn't be slow and could cost less than an iPhone 32gb.
1. These are 'estimates' from IDC who are known to be really accurate and impartial, especially when it comes to Apple
2. These are shipments, not sales. Apple will have been drawing down channel inventory in the latter part of Q3 ahead of new product launches, so iPads sold will almost certainly have been higher than iPads shipped. Conversely, Samsung have form with channel-stuffing, as do most of the other Android licensees listed so I would be really surprised if sales came close to matching shipments.
3. Definitions of 'tablet' are so loose that the iPod Touch ought to be counted amongst them. But it isn't. Why are we interested in units sold rather than $ sold or -- far more importantly -- profitability on total sales?
So, what we have here is a report that a known Apple-basher has made up some numbers for a metric (shipments) which at best vaguely correlates to actual sales has found that by counting something irrelevant (non like-for-like unit shipments) they can make it look like Apple is failing. Hmm. And in other news, water is still wet.
Take your own advice.
Please explain these FACTS to me so we can understand them better:
- Why the iPad has the highest Internet usage beating all other tablets combined by a wide margin.
- Why developers favor iOS over Android despite the lower market share.
- Why Apple still has more than double the revenue in the App Store with lower market share.
- Why iTunes generates 6X the revenue of Google Play for digital content ( like music) with lower market share.
Market share is useless if it doesn't generate revenue. Without revenue nobody pays attention to your device/platform.
jungmark is dead on. Your little essay about market share mattering to developers is complete BS. And you actually have the nerve to accuse someone who is 100% correct that they're in denial. Pathetic.
Market share matters to developers, but mostly in the extremes. A platform needs a critical mass of market share to generate the revenues required to make it worthwhile for a developer to build an app for that platform. The critical mass is different for each platform and depends on the average revenue generated per user. Since people seem to spend more on average in the Appstore/iTunes than they do in Google Play, Apple's critical mass market share is lower than it would be for Android. Apple doesn't need to fret about having the minority share in the market, but it should worry about its market share dipping below something like 10%. There will be a point when revenues from Android exceed those from Apple due to sheer volume of users, even if each individual Android user is less likely than each individual Apple user to spend a given amount of money on apps and media.
Only time will tell. Personally I'm all Apple but I am also a realist.
I've tried for years to keep crab grass out of my yard but my neighbors don't share the same dedication, hence, crab grass is increasingly cross contaminating and invading my yard to point that I am thinking of giving up the fight and just accepting the fact that crab grass is able to proliferate more readily than my luxurious tall Fescue which I planted. A complacency in that Apple is the dominate platform in tablets and will remain so forever could potentially lead to the unexpected reversal in only a few years. If they do not move forward full speed ahead on all engines, Android could overtake their current supremacy. Apple knows this, You apparently do not.
I don't think you are being that much of a realist if your main point is "Android OEMs are shipping/"selling" waaaay more tablets than Apple. OMG, they're doooomed!" when you can simply look at the smartphone market where that is actual reality and major developers STILL debut their apps on iOS and many times don't even bother making an Android equivalent. As others have stated, usage and revenue stats are more important than marketshare. As a developer, why would I care if Android outsells iOS a million to one if I cannot make money from it? Marketshare is merely a feature and not necessarily a benefit.
This will happen in every single category Apple is in, and that's ok and expected.
However, it doesn't have to be a 5% world. They have plenty of growth on the high end segment that they are ignoring due to stupid irrationality. Proof? Samsung is making more profit then Apple and going nowhere but up.
Is Apple afraid of focusing in too many devices and that's why they do not sell a bigger separate iPhone line and even a bigger iPad? Fine, just let the dead weight go:
- Mac mini;
- 4s;
- iPod touch and classic (just let the small accessories/companions like the nano and shuffle);
- cMBP;
- iPad 2;
- Make just one Macbook air (12").
This would be great for everyone one, sales would only go up. The big iPhone alone, together with a 4" flagship, would quickly make wonders.
Then, we have new categories. My gut tells me that Apple is experience with the a5 so much (one core only in Apple TV, small die size on iPad 2, another shrink, etc) because a new watch-like wearable is coming.
Also, Apple must realize one thing: On some areas, cheaper devices can already offer a stunning experience. You don't need to spend 1000 dollars on a computer to have a nice computer. Same with phones. A dual core 1gig ram jelly bean is fantastic for facebook, music, etc.
Based on this, the processor power on PCs and Macs is more than enough to 99% of users. Put an SSD and an i3 has well, and you have a computer for more than 5 years.
So, why not an ARM macbook air-like? Since it would have an SSD, it wouldn't be slow and could cost less than an iPhone 32gb.
I'm pretty sure that Apple had more profit than Samsung Mobile by about half a billion dollars after taxes. As for the rest, maybe, but we really don't know what type of margins Apple gets from these individual products which would affect their profits. For example, the Mac mini may not sell nearly as much as the iMac line but the margin is 15-20% more making it worth selling.
Only time will tell. Personally I'm all Apple but I am also a realist.
I've tried for years to keep crab grass out of my yard but my neighbors don't share the same dedication, hence, crab grass is increasingly cross contaminating and invading my yard to point that I am thinking of giving up the fight and just accepting the fact that crab grass is able to proliferate more readily than my luxurious tall Fescue which I planted. A complacency in that Apple is the dominate platform in tablets and will remain so forever could potentially lead to the unexpected reversal in only a few years. If they do not move forward full speed ahead on all engines, Android could overtake their current supremacy. Apple knows this, You apparently do not.
This will happen in every single category Apple is in, and that's ok and expected.
However, it doesn't have to be a 5% world. They have plenty of growth on the high end segment that they are ignoring due to stupid irrationality. Proof? Samsung is making more profit then Apple and going nowhere but up.
Is Apple afraid of focusing in too many devices and that's why they do not sell a bigger separate iPhone line and even a bigger iPad? Fine, just let the dead weight go:
- Mac mini;
- 4s;
- iPod touch and classic (just let the small accessories/companions like the nano and shuffle);
- cMBP;
- iPad 2;
- Make just one Macbook air (12").
This would be great for everyone one, sales would only go up. The big iPhone alone, together with a 4" flagship, would quickly make wonders.
Then, we have new categories. My gut tells me that Apple is experience with the a5 so much (one core only in Apple TV, small die size on iPad 2, another shrink, etc) because a new watch-like wearable is coming.
Also, Apple must realize one thing: On some areas, cheaper devices can already offer a stunning experience. You don't need to spend 1000 dollars on a computer to have a nice computer. Same with phones. A dual core 1gig ram jelly bean is fantastic for facebook, music, etc.
Based on this, the processor power on PCs and Macs is more than enough to 99% of users. Put an SSD and an i3 has well, and you have a computer for more than 5 years.
So, why not an ARM macbook air-like? Since it would have an SSD, it wouldn't be slow and could cost less than an iPhone 32gb.
Market share matters to developers, but mostly in the extremes. A platform needs a critical mass of market share to generate the revenues required to make it worthwhile for a developer to build an app for that platform. The critical mass is different for each platform and depends on the average revenue generated per user. Since people seem to spend more on average in the Appstore/iTunes than they do in Google Play, Apple's critical mass market share is lower than it would be for Android. Apple doesn't need to fret about having the minority share in the market, but it should worry about its market share dipping below something like 10%. There will be a point when revenues from Android exceed those from Apple due to sheer volume of users, even if each individual Android user is less likely than each individual Apple user to spend a given amount of money on apps and media.
While anything is possible in the quickly changing mobile market, I think it would take much more than Apple dipping below 10% for developers to change their investment patterns to Android. There are some internal issues that Google must address before that happens such as fragmentation, app pirating, its focus on free/freemium apps, etc. Also, because Apple's line of iOS products are fairly streamlined, it's simply easier (and costs less) to make and deploy apps for the platform which means iOS users can be developers' test subjects before rolling out to Android.
It's worth noting some distinctions often absent from these stories.
Apple doesn't dominate all markets. They only care about the profitable ones.
I'm only saddened by the thought that so much plastic junk is produced adding to an already all too large mountain of poison. If so many iPads - produced and shipped every moment in an all progressive amount - but still declining in overall market share, really should tell you something of the big picture. It's appalling.
Comparing iOS to Android is a reasonable exercise because market share is important and the ecosystem is the real selling point, not the hardware itself. Developers do take notice of market share as well, and even plastic junk can be a useful tool if it is running a good app. So developers could shift their focus if Apple starts losing too much market share. Both platforms surf the web and get email with equal efficiency, so it is really about the apps. I have noticed many of the big corporations are offering apps for both platforms.
The longevity of the hardware is not as much of an issue because Apple forces the newest version of iOS on the users which in many cases means that the they need to go out and buy a new device because the new OS is so computationally demanding that their older hardware gets sluggish, but no choice, you must upgrade. In some respects the lack of OS upgrades makes Android useful for longer. Once you have it configured the way you want it there is no reason to update anything unless there is a security breach, which, of course, is more likely on Android.
Comparing iPad sales to Android tablet sales is also significant. Again, it is all about the platform market share. When people make comparisons to the auto industry they usually miss the mark. Autos from any manufacturer all use the same the same tires built by different companies, the same gas stations of different companies, the same filters, batteries, oil, brake pads, air freshener, etc. So it is not at all like iOS and Android which are really the only two platforms with any credibility. The only thing they have in common is they both use the same internet, sort of like autos share the same roads. Beyond that it is all proprietary. If Apple loses too much platform market share, at a certain point they lose almost everything just like the Mac vs. Windows scenario. So it is really important to monitor the market share numbers.
With respect to Apple's reduced sales due to no new models in Q3, all that tells me, is that Apple users are more astute and aware that the new models are coming, where as the typical Android tablet buyer just buys anything that they see at Walmart without doing any research whatsoever.
What good is a high marketshare if your market doesn't actually spend money or use the devices?
No it doesn't. Woot could have had only 100 Nexi. Anyone can sell out with limited supply (except Microsoft).
Love your insight!
I had an iRobot 7" tablet a few years ago. Ran an ancient version of Android (1.x, maybe?) and it died four weeks later. A friend had the same thing which died in two weeks. Not sure how these could be lumped in with a Mini...
Other issues that concern me are range, not number, of apps available for a said device, the currency of those apps, accessories such as keyboards, adaptors and covers/cases, and also official support. I'd like to add these to your pointers of initial prices and of specs.
I'm so disappointed with AI editors right now...
I'm sure those 11% will be looking at the iPad Mini Retina and iPad Air now and saying "Oh why didn't I wait?"
"iPad's marketshare drops 11% in Q3 on lack of new models, Android posts significant gains"
I'll never fucking understand the utterly false analogy of directly comparing "iPad" or "iPhone" with "Android" as if they're competing products. It's so sad than even this site engages in this analogy for clicks. "iPad" is a single line of tablets, made by a single company, updated a single time a year. "Android" is a damn OS, that is installed on THOUSANDS of tablets, on HUNDREDS of product lines, by DOZENS of companies, that release multiple tablets per year. So, why the **** is this a fair comparison? COmparing a single product with the combined marketshare of almost every SINGLE other competing product in the world? SO we can use the word "drops" in the headline?
It's typical. Analysts and the press used to do the same thing with Windows PCs vs. Macs, even though Windows PCs were manufactured by dozens of manufacturers. They used to report it as if Microsoft made all those machines.
As for the iPad itself, even comparing iPad sales to other Pad sales of each manufacturer doesn't mean all that much. The reality is that the majority of the world can't afford this stuff and they're going to buy the cheapest device, even if it's far from the best (in fact, even if it's pretty bad). It would be no surprise to me if many other companies are able to outsell the iPad. Who sells more cars - Ford or BMW? But which company would you rather be?
What does matter is what is Apple's total earnings on the business.
Ok. Apples tablet iOS is losing to Androids tablet OS.
According to the latest data from research firm IDC, Apple shipped 14.1 million iPads in the third quarter of 2013, a 500,000 unit sequential decline from quarter two, while rival Samsung took second place with shipments of 9.7 million Android devices.
How's this for a quick fix:
1. Release industry-leading iPad Air and Retina iPad mini in November. (Done.)
2. Release iPad Air with Touch ID and Retina iPad mini with Touch ID in Spring 2014. (Possible.)
#2 would fill the new-product-gap between October 2013 and October 2014, and move the iPad Air and Retina iPad mini even farther ahead of the copycat pack.
There a difference though. Apple isn't losing market share by the products sold/shipped declining. It's just not growing as fast as the overall market (shipment wise).
Can anyone please tell me who the 16+ other companies making all these 'Other' tablets are and what models they are selling? It would make the figures slightly less difficult to swallow!
One company from my country: http://www.allviewmobile.com/index.php?id=9
If you look at the numbers IDC reported Apple tablet shipments didn't really grow at all in even absolute terms. Shipments supposedly were flat YOY for all intents, from 14M last year to 14.1M this year.