AfterDawn: Tech news

iPhone is still the most popular US smartphone

Written by Rich Fiscus @ 15 Nov 2011 8:14 User comments (13)

iPhone is still the most popular US smartphone Despite all the success Samsung continues to have in the smartphone business, the iPhone continues to be the most popular phone in the US.
According to figures released by the NPD Group, not only was the iPhone 4 the most popular smartphone in Q3, but the iPhone 3GS retained its place at number two. What that means is that not only does the iPhone continue to lead sales of premium smartphones, with the iPhone 3GS Apple also has the most popular budget model.

This is significant if you consider there are a number of Android phones available for a similar price which are technologically superior to the iPhone 3GS. It also puts Apple's lawsuit campaign against various Android vendors, particularly Samsung, into perspective.



It's hard to imagine how it would be possible to sell more iPhones. Apple already has problems keeping up with demand. What Samsung, HTC, and others are doing isn't taking Apple customers. They're expanding the market, which clearly benefits Apple.

iPhone buyers are overwhelmingly loyal customers who continue to buy more iOS products. Android buyers, on the other hand, are significantly more likely to switch to an iPhone some time after their first smartphone purchase..

More Android buyers means more chances for Apple to sell iPhones. More lawsuits means more chances for them to spend a pile of money. If not for Steve Jobs' irrational hatred of Android because he didn't want anyone copying Apple (even though Apple copies freely), it's unlikely all these lawsuits would have ever been filed in the first place.

With Jobs no longer leading the company, they have an opportunity to put an end to all this wasteful litigation and return to concentrating on customers, rather than the competition. Apple's business model for the iPhone has never focused on selling the most phones. Instead, they focus on selling the most popular model at the highest profit. They have done that for years and there's no reason to believe the iPhone 4S will be an exception.

If they want to compete with volume, that will require a lot more than pushing Android out of the market, It would take a complete rethinking of their business strategy. And to what end? Whether Apple or Samsung is the top smartphone maker depends on how you define that term. And ultimately it is unimportant.



Apple is the most successful company at selling highly profitable smartphones. Samsung is the best at selling volume. There is, and always will be, a need for both business models within the smartphone ecosystem.

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13 user comments

115.11.2011 09:21

clearly the source is wrong

215.11.2011 13:55

it's quite silly.

As most people I know are junking their iphone for an android phone as fed up with the Iphone it's a kids toy and that's it.

Also the screen cracks on the iphone real easy, it might still be usable but many people don't like how easy it is to crack it.

315.11.2011 15:03

Originally posted by xtago:
Also the screen cracks on the iphone real easy, it might still be usable but many people don't like how easy it is to crack it.
Or if you're like me, you take care of your stuff and don't have a single problem.

I remember being taught to not toss the TV remote around as a kid. Boy that was a great lesson. Unlike other people I know, I don't wasted hundreds of dollars replacing electronics that I break through my vicious cycle of NOT CARING! ;-)

415.11.2011 15:13

Is this an article or a bitter rant?

515.11.2011 18:03

Originally posted by xtago:
it's quite silly.

As most people I know are junking their iphone for an android phone as fed up with the Iphone it's a kids toy and that's it.

Also the screen cracks on the iphone real easy, it might still be usable but many people don't like how easy it is to crack it.
Strange. Most people I know are getting the iPhone if they can afford it. The ones who can't or who refuse to pay a high phone bill tend to settle for Android. It's funny that you refer to it as a kid's toy but when I go to Walmart I see tons of cheap Android powered phones marketed for parents to give their kids a cheap smartphone. I don't know too many people who would pay $100 per month for their kids to have iPhones.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 15 Nov 2011 @ 6:06

615.11.2011 18:22
correctorix
Unverified new user

The issue I have with this article is that it doesn't point out that anything else but the iPhone being the most popular phone would be surprising. Where as on Android you have 100+ choices for phones on iOS you only have the iPhone, The iPhone will still be the best selling smartphone even when Android's share grows to 75% just because of this fact.
Mac having only 15% market share overall in the computer world still has the best selling Laptop and Desktop.
The iPhone is still the top notch phone out there and because only the iPhone runs on iOS it will remain the best selling phone for a long time.

715.11.2011 22:45
honkj
Unverified new user

(even though Apple copies freely)... yes, remember all those Multi touchScreen smartPhones before the iPhone... and all those iPad like devices... before the iPad....

what ever floats your boat...

815.11.2011 23:36

Originally posted by xnonsuchx:
Is this an article or a bitter rant?

Nothing bitter about it. Just pointing out the obvious really. Apple sues because they don't like being copied. They, however copy all the time. What made Steve Jobs great was not that he invented new technology. He didn't. What he did was take technology others invented (ie copying) and improved on it by putting it together in a useful way. In that respect he was more of an artist than technologist. There's nothing wrong with that. The creative process is always 90% or more copying. But it's hypocritical to complain when its your derivative work being copied.

Besides which, the lawsuits gain them nothing, but cost everyone from them to their competitors to anyone who buys a smartphone. Patent lawsuits only help companies that fail to innovate and improve.

915.11.2011 23:44

Originally posted by honkj:
(even though Apple copies freely)... yes, remember all those Multi touchScreen smartPhones before the iPhone... and all those iPad like devices... before the iPad....

what ever floats your boat...
Nowhere in the article did I say they didn't do anything original. That doesn't mean they didn't copy. In fact, if they hadn't copied freely the iPhone and iPad would be worthless. Improving on other people's work means you must first copy it. That's not an insult. It's the basis for the entire creative process. Just because the majority of a product is copied, that doesn't mean it's not original. Copying is the majority of creativity. What makes something original isn't how much is original. It's how much the original bits add.

That's what makes the iPhone and iPad good products. Not that all the pieces are original, bur rather that the few original pieces make a big difference in the overall experience.

1015.11.2011 23:54

Originally posted by correctorix:
The issue I have with this article is that it doesn't point out that anything else but the iPhone being the most popular phone would be surprising. Where as on Android you have 100+ choices for phones on iOS you only have the iPhone, The iPhone will still be the best selling smartphone even when Android's share grows to 75% just because of this fact.
Mac having only 15% market share overall in the computer world still has the best selling Laptop and Desktop.
The iPhone is still the top notch phone out there and because only the iPhone runs on iOS it will remain the best selling phone for a long time.

Actually
Originally posted by ZeusAV:
Originally posted by xtago:
it's quite silly.

As most people I know are junking their iphone for an android phone as fed up with the Iphone it's a kids toy and that's it.

Also the screen cracks on the iphone real easy, it might still be usable but many people don't like how easy it is to crack it.
Strange. Most people I know are getting the iPhone if they can afford it. The ones who can't or who refuse to pay a high phone bill tend to settle for Android. It's funny that you refer to it as a kid's toy but when I go to Walmart I see tons of cheap Android powered phones marketed for parents to give their kids a cheap smartphone. I don't know too many people who would pay $100 per month for their kids to have iPhones.
I would just point out that previous generation iPhones are quite popular as a budget option, outselling everything but the most recent model for quite some time.

However, there are obviously lots of high end Android phones sold. Tens of millions in fact. I know quite a few people who own them, and I also know quite a few who own iPhones. Both groups are overwhelmingly happy with their purchases and have no intention of jumping platforms.

Personally, I'm happy with Android and my wife loves her iPhone. I've recommended both to various people, depending on what I thought was right for them. There is no right or best choice except for the individual.

1116.11.2011 00:04

Originally posted by correctorix:
The issue I have with this article is that it doesn't point out that anything else but the iPhone being the most popular phone would be surprising. Where as on Android you have 100+ choices for phones on iOS you only have the iPhone, The iPhone will still be the best selling smartphone even when Android's share grows to 75% just because of this fact.
Mac having only 15% market share overall in the computer world still has the best selling Laptop and Desktop.
The iPhone is still the top notch phone out there and because only the iPhone runs on iOS it will remain the best selling phone for a long time.

Except it's not that simple. The iPhone outsold all phones from 4 of the 6 top Android vendors (outsold each one individually, not collectively). And that's a period when millions of people were waiting to upgrade their iPhones due to Apple's later than usual launch. In the previous quarter, the iPhone outsold every Android vendor (once again individually, not collectively).

1216.11.2011 11:36

APPLE should thank their fanboys (idiots) :P

1319.11.2011 09:43
honkj
Unverified new user

Originally posted by xnonsuchx:
What made Steve Jobs great was not that he invented new technology. He didn't.
really, name all the Apple II computer like devices that the Apple II computer copied??? (including a color monitor by the way)... seriously... was history some sort of weak point in your studies?


name all the iphone like devices that the iPhone copied??? all the iPod like devices that the iPod copied???? all the iPad like devices that the iPad copied???? Name all the iMac like devices that the iMac copied????
name all the iTunes like software that got every major labels on board that iTunes copied????

name all the Pixar movies that Pixar copied.....

shall we go on????

i guess lying to yourself is one way to deal with your own reality......

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