Apple Overtakes Android In U.S. Market Share, By A Hair

[scolaner]

Apple has overtaken Android in smartphone market share in the U.S. This is the first time that Apple has claimed a larger number of smartphone users than Android since 2012.

Apple Overtakes Android In U.S. Market Share, By A Hair : Read more

 

[thundervore]

Yes, Apple must thank all those out there that have a iPhone 5s that just switched to a iPhone 6. Then 18 months later when the iPhone 6s releases Apple can thank them again.

Apples slogan:
Welcome to yesterday!!

 

[DarkSable]

Welp, time to move now.

 

[XaveT]

I'm just wondering how these numbers were come by. Are they the original cost of the phone? The plan with a carrier? The discounted cost of a phone at a carrier? Since we in the US rarely buy a phone outright (this is changing slowly) I have to wonder about the numbers here. What are we really looking at? Also, since sales don't equate to market share (due to cannibalization) how do we arrive at the concept that sales are indicative of market share?

 

[gggplaya]

This has to be by dollar sales. Androids are getting better and now even the lower tier (cheaper) phones are adequate for most people. They're responsive, take decent pictures, and function just fine. There's less of an incentive to buy a top tier phone. So this news is not a surprise to me unless we're talking phone sales by unit volume.

 

[knowom]

Based on a poll where they don't tell you the details of how it was determined brought to you by Apple how convincing? Wow I think I'll go by a iPhone now...haha yeah right!

 

[Math Geek]

i am not so much concerned with apples numbers as they have always released them each quarter but how they determined the android numbers since they are not published and only guessed at. normally android numbers include all kinds of junk products that don't actually belong in a comparison with the iphone.

for instance think of all the $20 android tablet type devices you can find on ebay and from overseas that run an old android version and have no supporting app store. they are pretty much useless but get lumped in with new high quality tablets by known brands when estimating sales numbers.

i know folks love to hate on apple but the reality is that they have never been shy about their sales numbers but you can't say that for ANY android manufacturer. most of the numbers we have are taken from the wireless carries when/if they report their android sales numbers and the rest is guessed from there. no one knows how many are sold off contract and the used on a carrier as these numbers aren't given out. expanding wireless numbers to guess total sales is at best a bad number and at worst, well........ suspect to be nice.

 

[zzz_b]

I like the part that says" it is difficult to say if iOS really overtook Android or not"
So the whole article is BS

 

[zzz_b]

I like the part that says" it is difficult to say if iOS really overtook Android or not"
So the whole article is BS

 

[Math Geek]

think of it this way for a different perspective. apple makes the iphone and no one else. how many people make android devices? so even if you can't say for sure who sells more it is rather impressive from a pure sales slant that there is even a conversation saying they are outselling ALL android phone makers COMBINED.

that would be like saying that ford outsells every car maker in the world combined. even if it was "they almost sell as much as all other combined" it is still a very impressive stat to have on your resume all makes/models/versions etc of every maker in the world combined is close to what apple is selling on its own. if that is not wow worthy i don't know what is. does not mean you have to run out and get one or that they are the greatest ever or whatever. but it does mean they make something people want and that is pretty much the point of business if i recall my macroeconomics course right.

i am not saying anything about value or worth or whatever just saying from a sales perspective, this is a very impressive thing to be able to say. again if the android brands want to shut up the talk, they only have to release their sales numbers, i am pretty sure there is a reason they do not...........

 

[claec]

"Apple Overtakes Android In U.S. Market Share"
"The total sales for iOS totaled 47.7 percent, while Android was at 47.6 percent"

So wait... they overtook it in SALES or SHARE? Kinda a big difference...

If it's just sales, then I'm not sure what the fuss is over. If a company releases not one but TWO flagship devices that are the first big product updates in their line in about 2 - 3 years in a financial quarter in which NONE of their chief rivals (Samsung, LG, HTC) releases a flagship device then I would hope that they are number one in sales! Honestly, I'm a little surprised that it's only .1% ahead!

 

[ralanahm]

my lovely wife summarized this as Apple is catching up with android......

 

[Dan Bongar]

Well, its really obvious.
I know at least a dozen of people who had iphone 4/4s for quite a while and were dissapointed by 5 and 5s and did not wanted to switch to samsung so when the 6 came out the just bought it because it was similar to all other androin phones other people have(all were most frustrated by screen size)

 

[fuzzion]

Someone is downvoting all negative apple posts. Please stop.

 

[philsmock]

Americans...

 

[aldaia]

So wait... they overtook it in SALES or SHARE? Kinda a big difference...

By definition they are exactly the same.
"Unit market share: The units sold by a particular company as a percentage of total market SALES, measured in the same units."

Unit market share (%) = 100 * Unit SALES / Total Market Unit SALES

I think that what you mean by SHARE is Unit market share, while what you mean by SALES is actually Revenue market share. Revenue market share differs from unit market share in that it reflects the prices at which goods are sold.

Both Unit market share and Revenue market share are correct and accepted definitions of market share, though they actually show different data. From what I could gather checking the original source, and other sources that show global unit market share I'm more inclined to think the article means Unit market share.

On a side note, it's important to notice how Windows Phones are declining globally, specially in the biggest market of the world, China, where they have gone from a not very significant 3.5% in October 2013 to a negligible <1% in late 2014.

 

[icemunk]

Nice advertisement disguised as an news article.

 

[CrazyTechy]

I think you missed his points with a good question about shares.

His question is not whether it is number of units or number of dollars as you are suggesting but time period over which it is supposed to sample.

And considering the Q4 reports being released recently I would assume this is talking about last 3 months last year.

But also don't be naive, market share doesn't give us anything important as this weighted by price is what is really important and number of active users.

Real ratios (globally) are somewhere around 20% Apple and 70% Android, Apple isn't even a most selling manufacturer (Samsung is by a wide margin) you can Google this and get these number from respectable sources such as Times Magazine etc. Where they include relevant statistical information such as whether it is a poll or simple network activation count, etc, etc

But in the end if you are not not erected in investing in tech market this information is absolutely useless to you.

If you love Apple there is no need to feel insecure about it and to search stuff to have something to answer to Android fan boys.

If you like Android there is no reason to be an assault and attack poor fruit boys as you are intelligent enough no to shell out that kind of money to Apple so you have no clue what you are talking about... Oh wait but an S5 and IP6 cost about the same...

Spread techy love

 

[erickmendes]

I would like to believe that this is just the effect of people who was still holding to older versions of iPhones moving to the latest iPhone 6, with would be reasonable, but reason don't walk along iPhone users.

 

[drapacioli]

Oh, just sales? Doesn't mean THAT much when Apple just came out with new phones and the android flagships aren't for a few more. Tell me when USAGE changes instead, that's the real picture.

 

[sonofliberty08]

that means the number of iSheep in the State are increasing, and the number of intelligent human being in the State are decreasing, things doesn't looks good, iSheep are the shame for intelligent human being.

 

[10tacle]

Smartening up? Most people I know who have Apple products have them because they are easy to figure out and use. If anything, I'd say it was proof that people are dumbing down.

 

[jordanl17]

Google needs to somehow advertise the power of a fully Google integrated phone. Hangouts App on ANY phone, ANY browser, video chat ANY phone ANY browser. Instant photo backup AND visibility on PHOTOS.GOOGLE.COM. Oh, that controversial photo I thought I deleted locally on my phone... you see it online in your private photos.google.com. within seconds of taking it.
There is some really cool shit that NO ONE knows about.
They also need to force manufactures to install and SET AS DEFAULT hangouts/photos app, and turn on auto photos backup. it is their only hope.
Samsung is just screwing everything up. Google throw ATT/Verizon a few billion and get them to push Nexus phones. done. overly simplified, but still, parts of what I'm saying are right on.

 

[thundervore]

Google needs to somehow advertise the power of a fully Google integrated phone. Hangouts App on ANY phone, ANY browser, video chat ANY phone ANY browser. Instant photo backup AND visibility on PHOTOS.GOOGLE.COM. Oh, that controversial photo I thought I deleted locally on my phone... you see it online in your private photos.google.com. within seconds of taking it.
There is some really cool shit that NO ONE knows about.
They also need to force manufactures to install and SET AS DEFAULT hangouts/photos app, and turn on auto photos backup. it is their only hope.
Samsung is just screwing everything up. Google throw ATT/Verizon a few billion and get them to push Nexus phones. done. overly simplified, but still, parts of what I'm saying are right on.

Right, the first thing everyone needs is their photos automatically uploaded to the cloud, or did you forget the celebrity hack of the iCloud that brought up those lovely cum faced pictures of Jenifer Lawrence and Hurray for Kate Upton nudes as well but I digress

What is needed is more privacy, for instance anyone who can guess your password can log in anywhere and see all your photos you took with your phone when they are backed up to Google Photos.


What we need in stock android. No Touch Wiz or Sense nonsense. And no Carrier Aps that users cannot uninstall. For instance my HTC phone from ATT have many apps I could not uninstall unless I flashed a ROM without them. The fact is a 8GB phone with only 1GB partition for apps and most of it was wasted on apps I could not uninstall. Or if I disabled them they disabled other parts of the phone such as if I disable TuneIn Radio App it disabled the built in stock music player......

Fact is that all these apps are in the market, if I wanted them on my phone I would have downloaded them. Thgings like this should not be forced down a customers throat.

From HTC:
TuneIn Radio
Sound hound
Twitter
Facebook

From ATT:
My ATT
ATT Family Map
ATT Code Scanner
ATT Navigator

From Google:
Google +
Messenger

 

[David Moreau]

Yes, Apple must thank all those out there that have a iPhone 5s that just switched to a iPhone 6. Then 18 months later when the iPhone 6s releases Apple can thank them again.

Apples slogan:
Welcome to yesterday!!

Not really true. There are a lot of people who were using Android and were waiting for Apple to release an iPhone with a reasonable size instead of the miniature 5s size. I know a lot of such people. Once Apple offered better phone sizes, the floodgates opened. I almost bought a 6+ but decided to go with a Note 4 due to the lack of tethering apps in the iOS App Store (despite carriers publicly stating subscribers have the right to tether on their metered plans) and due to humblebundle.

While the Note is great and the dimensions aren't as awkward and the long 6+, I am jealous of the traction Apple Pay is getting (as digital payments are far more secure than using plastic credit cards). I am also jealous of the attention iOS gets compared to Android. Heck, even Microsoft develops mobile apps for iOS before both Android and Windows Phone. Even the Kindle app is better on iOS (multicolor highlighting) than for Android.

While I enjoy building a Windows desktop, I have no interest in customizing my devices. I think the majority of people are like me -- no real interest in taking advantage of the flexibility to customize android. I find it annoying when my phone comes with 2 different Google messaging apps, a Samsung messaging app, and Verizon begging me to use their messaging app. If Blackberry and Apple were able to come up with such successful messaging solutions, why is Google failing so hard at this? Android messaging is just too chaotic.