2Q US Smartphone Market Share: Lack Of iPhone 5 Costs Apple, Android Jumps 5.4%

[abaez]

Can you answer his question? The thread is not about profits. It's about market share. Make a thread about profits if you want.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Is there a concrete number we can look at? Some articles I am finding are saying that android is already dominant with 50% of the market.

http://www.thetechherald.com/articl...oid-now-on-almost-half-of-world-s-smartphones

It just barely hit 50% worldwide, and only 39% (according to the article) in the US where most mobile app developers live.

I am thinking about next year, when Android's dominance of 50% of the market (even the US market) is etched into stone. Will app developers change strategies next year?

 

[runawayprisoner]

Agreed that is the case today. The question is at what level does the sheer marketshare of Android force it to be the primary platform? When its half the smartphone market? When its 70% of the smartphone market?

I think it's a question of whether Android's overall marketshare (in more than just the phone market) will reach a comfortable point for it to be considered a primary platform. Right now, it only holds the most significant share in smartphones and not elsewhere. And it's very unlikely, as I have noted, that smartphone marketshare for Android will ever grow to a much larger number than today due to influence from big guys such as RIM, MS, HP, and Nokia.

Apple probably foresaw this so they paved a new market (the pro-consume tablet market) while they could and now they are commanding over 80% share in both tablets and media players.

 

[jpeyton]

http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_new...lcome-to-the-united-states-of-android-and-ios

It's almost like a political campaign map.

 

[runawayprisoner]

http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_new...lcome-to-the-united-states-of-android-and-ios

It's almost like a political campaign map.

That's more mindshare than marketshare in my opinions.

And as stated... it's still about smartphone, but smartphone is not the only platform in existence, nor is it the most major one.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I think it's a question of whether Android's overall marketshare (in more than just the phone market) will reach a comfortable point for it to be considered a primary platform. Right now, it only holds the most significant share in smartphones and not elsewhere. And it's very unlikely, as I have noted, that smartphone marketshare for Android will ever grow to a much larger number than today due to influence from big guys such as RIM, MS, HP, and Nokia.

I'm not sure I would call MS or HP big guys when they both have marketshares that are barely more than a rounding error.

 

[jpeyton]

And as stated... it's still about smartphone, but smartphone is not the only platform in existence, nor is it the most major one.

Smartphones will be the major platform in 18 months. The market will be flooded with low-cost options and the only people buying dumbphones will be holdouts who choose against having one.

Plans are getting cheap as well; Virgin Mobile is $35/mo for unlimited data, and Straight Talk (Tracfone) is $45/mo for unlimited everything.

 

[runawayprisoner]

I'm not sure I would call MS or HP big guys when they both have marketshares that are barely more than a rounding error.

Perhaps not in smartphone market, but they are big guys elsewhere.

Smartphones will be the major platform in 18 months. The market will be flooded with low-cost options and the only people buying dumbphones will be holdouts who choose against having one.

Plans are getting cheap as well; Virgin Mobile is $35/mo for unlimited data, and Straight Talk (Tracfone) is $45/mo for unlimited everything.

Well, though there are indications, I don't think it will go that way, or at least we can't tell for sure. Sure, the market has a chance to be flooded with low-cost options, but... it isn't right now. A dumb phone still costs way less than a smartphone in the long run at present since on many popular networks all around the world, popular smartphones still require a data plan.

T-Mobile merging with AT&T means even more price-gouging, and I'm not sure that's the future you are talking about.

Virgin Mobile and Straight Talk are barely known. I'm sure you'll find significantly more AT&T and Verizon subscribers in the US. They are more the exception than the norm, or at least that's how I see it.

Regarding low-cost smartphone options, well... I don't see them in terms of hardware. Everyone and his kid brother is gearing up for more tablets and quad-core phones next year rather than making a $100 Android 2.2 device. The only ones who care enough to make those are in China, half the globe away.

 

[mammador]

Since there are many Android phones, and only the iPhone and iPad with iOS, is it fair competition?

It's not strictly platform against platform, since Apple has to contend with the marketing effort of both Google (in OS terms) and HTC, Samsung, Motorola, etc. in handset terms.

 

[jpeyton]

Virgin Mobile and Straight Talk are barely known. I'm sure you'll find significantly more AT&T and Verizon subscribers in the US. They are more the exception than the norm, or at least that's how I see it.

Regarding low-cost smartphone options, well... I don't see them in terms of hardware. Everyone and his kid brother is gearing up for more tablets and quad-core phones next year rather than making a $100 Android 2.2 device. The only ones who care enough to make those are in China, half the globe away.

Worldwide, pre-paid subscribers are 72% of the market. The Virgin Mobiles and Page Pluses of the world command the lions share of customers.

Sprint just announced a $99 4G Gingerbread phone. There are more low cost options every day (even Apple is going to slash prices to capture the low-end market).

 

[zerocool84]

Since there are many Android phones, and only the iPhone and iPad with iOS, is it fair competition?

It's not strictly platform against platform, since Apple has to contend with the marketing effort of both Google (in OS terms) and HTC, Samsung, Motorola, etc. in handset terms.

It's not like they've only had one phone out at a time, different colors, sizes and older models. You have to compare platform to platform because even Apple has always had more than one phone on sale at one time, except of course the beginning.

 

[Mopetar]

Since there are many Android phones, and only the iPhone and iPad with iOS, is it fair competition?

It's not strictly platform against platform, since Apple has to contend with the marketing effort of both Google (in OS terms) and HTC, Samsung, Motorola, etc. in handset terms.

It really depends on what you want to compare. If you compare sales based on handset manufacturers, I think Apple is the biggest now, even though more total Android phones are sold. You can also compare the iOS platform against the Android platform and say that iOS is winning because of all the extra iPod and iPad sales. You can also look at the growth rates for manufacturers, devices, platforms, etc. There's a lot of data and usually some way to spin it so that things look good.

 

[theeedude]

Got an Android phone, Optimus V this past quarter on $25/month unlimited data plan.
What can I say. It's been pretty good.
I am sure iPhone4 is better, but it would cost 3x more over 2 years and it would not deliver 3x more value to me.

 

[her209]

And why is marketshare so important ???

Bragging rights... but really, its important because of app developers want to develop for the largest user base.

 

[her209]

Got an Android phone, Optimus V this past quarter on $25/month unlimited data plan.
What can I say. It's been pretty good.
I am sure iPhone4 is better, but it would cost 3x more over 2 years and it would not deliver 3x more value to me.

So you have no voice plan?

 

[NL5]

Well, I am one of the people that switched. Had an Iphone from the first day they were released until this last WWDC. My 3GS was dying, and just couldn't see getting a 4 with so many great android phones available. My Android beats my iPhone in pretty much every category. The only thing the iPhone did better was the iPod app. IMHO the 5 has a lot of catching up to do.....

 

[maniac5999]

So you have no voice plan?

300min/mo $0.10/min for overages.

Oh, and the Motorola Triumph shows that people will even buy a high end phone on prepaid. (4" screen, 1ghz MSM8655 etc.)

 

[MrX8503]

It's not like they've only had one phone out at a time, different colors, sizes and older models. You have to compare platform to platform because even Apple has always had more than one phone on sale at one time, except of course the beginning.

There's like 10 android phones to every 1 iPhone, so I don't think Apple having older/newer/different color models is a convincing argument.

However, I still think its fair to compare the two platforms because it was Apple's decision to release a new iPhone once per year. I don't think anyone should be surprised by Android's marketshare dominance. Me personally, I'm happy with the platform I own just as long as I can still buy it.

 

[theeedude]

So you have no voice plan?

300 min, unlimited sms and data. Plus free tethering.