All your baseball bat are belong to us
|
|
|
Android smartphone sales overtake the Iphone
FRUIT THEMED TOYMAKER Apple has been brought down to earth by figures showing that the Iphone is being outsold by devices running the Android operating system.
The figures put out by analysts NPD show that in the first three months of this year the Iphone captured 21 per cent of the US market. That sounds very good until you read that Android devices took 28 per cent and the Blackberry came in with 38 per cent of the pie. The significant point is that Android devices have overtaken Apple's Iphone and pushed the Jesus phone into third place.
According to NPD's report the news is worse for Apple than merely slipping down a place on the smartphone hit parade. Rather, the firm cites strong sales of Motorola's Droid, Droid Iris and the Blackberry Curve as reasons for US mobile operator Verizon retaining sales parity with AT&T, the sole US mobile operator that had received Steve Jobs' blessing to flog the Iphone.
That deal, which has recently been extended, sees AT&T bend over backwards to cater to Jobs' unswerving needs. However, as we reported, these figures might decrease the leverage Steve Jobs has against AT&T, especially if its primary competitor is doing just as well without catering to Jobs' shiny toy.
Fanbois will point out that judging Apple's two devices against the hordes of Android powered smartphones makes the comparison unfair, but the fact is, their dear leader's unwillingness to allow other handset manufacturers access to the Iphone OS might ultimately run the device and its precious App Store into the ground.
Licensing out the Iphone OS to other manufacturers would mean that the cappuccino firm wouldn't be able to charge top dollar for its barely performing, fragile toy of a phone. Whether or not that would help the operating system and the Iphone App Store remain top of the pile would be irrelevant to Jobs' Mob just as long as it would be able to line its pockets. But Apple will never license the Iphone OS, because it insists on making huge margins on its overpriced gear. Its business model is all about selling easy to use kit to the simple minded rich.
The question is, how long will Steve Jobs be able to hold out against the growing wave of decent Android smartphones? Given that size of the user base is vital to the commercial viability of any applications store, developers must be looking at these latest figures, along with those served up by Admob last month, and wondering why they should have to worry about getting their apps past Jobs' notorious App Store censors. µ
Share this:
Share
Give 1/2 the story this is one survey of a very limited group that is customer generated on what type of phone they bought. Most users are not smart enough to answer what type of phones they have.
Will google do the same and force everyone who uses their phones to open a shopping account too?
Apple do it because they want your money. They know that many people would buy something but can't be bothered typing in lots of crap etc. So with Apple Shop you set it up in the beginning and only need to type your password in to login and buy something.
Will Google do the same? Will any of the phone's do this?
Nokia - just how many phones will Nokia need to sell to make the £8bil cost of of Novi maps to make a profit?
"....sees AT&T bend over backwards to cater to Jobs' unswerving needs."
And fanbois bending over forwards and touching their toes......for the same privilege.
Hooray for common sense!
It's late and I misread the article. It says "US market share". So if you have different numbers Don, feel free to post the source.
Post proof or keep quiet. I doubt that the non-US sales account for the difference in market share. Just because you want something to be true doesn't make it so, otherwise there would be a Ferrari in my driveway with 2 naked supermodels in it and a trunk full of 12 year old scotch. Also, please tell me where these free Android phones are so I can get one. They are fairly cheap if your opening a NEW account with a new carrier, but still pretty hefty if you're just renewing or just want one mid-way through your plan.
We've had our two iPhone 3GS since last summer (the day they came out). We'll keep them for a couple of years, or maybe three, and then we'll see what's what. Obviously no normal human can afford to upgrade every six or nine months. Maybe next time an Android will be 'The Obvious Choice', just like the iPhone 3GS was last summer.
Was any research done on this. "With qualifying plan" they are giving away droids and berries. They count these as sales but I've even seen ads like, $99 for first phone second free. It does get them market share but I wouldn't call them "sales" figures?
Verizon has been running Buy One Get One Free offers that allow you to get a Moto Droid (A855) - Milestone in the UK, for $99, and the new HTC Incredible for $199.
Cheaper and far more capable than an iphone, on a network with actual US wide 3G coverage, what's not to like? Clearly customers agree.
The only thing worse than an Apple fanboi is a rabid anti-apple fanboi.
Here in the U.S. Android is NOT outselling the iPhone. They're giving Android phones away. I have no doubt that if they gave away iPhones nobody would be thinking Android.
...although its still performing better that Windows Mobile
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story! :D
They can't, that's why they're being out-sold ;-)
Extra points to the writer of this piece for the truly correct not to mention sensible spelling of this silly gadget. As has been agreed by us all before, spelling it the other way is no different to writing "1337 h4x0r", and just as sad.
The iPhone is surrounded by Android. It's just a matter of time before developers, new smart phone customers, and perhaps even AT&T realizes that it's over for the iPhone.
its really not that suprising....
Multitasking and flash, baby. Whoohoo, beat that.