4 ms·

I don't understand why people compare sales volume of iPhone to Android. Isn't that kind of like comparing MacBook Pro sales to Windows sales? People should eit

by andreyf 16y ago

I don't understand why people compare sales volume of iPhone to Android. Isn't that kind of like comparing MacBook Pro sales to Windows sales? People should either compare iPhones to Droids, or iOS devices to Android devices.

jonknee 16y ago
The iPhone is the only mobile phone running iOS so the only way to do market share for mobile phone operating systems means just counting the iPhone. If you're doing laptop OS marketshare it makes sense to just count Apple's laptops even though the same OS runs on other devices.
- rimantas 16y ago
  Uhm. iPhone is the only phone running iOS, but there are other devices running it too, so if you count instalations of iOS you should consider iPod touch and iPad, if you count only iOS on iPhones then the remark is valid: it's comparing apples to oranges.
  - jonknee 16y ago
    ... Their are other devices running OS X too, but if we're talking OS market share for laptops those devices don't get counted. They are comparing Android phones vs. iOS phones. Perfectly legit. Apples to apples.
felideon 16y ago
Well iPhone kind of implies iOS, doesn't it? So yes, technically speaking they should have said iOS instead. In any case, I think the comparison is fair, and more analogous to comparing Mac OS to Windows.
- Samuel_Michon 16y ago
  'IPhone' implies 'iOS', but half of all iOS devices are not iPhones. The iPhone is a smartphone model. It should be compared to other smartphone models, not other mobile OSes. But ofcourse, if iOS sales were compared to Android sales, there'd be no contest. I'm sure Android will overtake iOS at some point though; Android handsets are getting cheaper and cheaper, while Apple cares more about profit margin than unit sales.
  - andreyf 16y ago
    The iPhone is a smartphone model. It should be compared to other smartphone models, not other mobile OSes. Err, the iPhone is a smartphone "family". iPhone 4 would be an smartphone model. I'm sure Android will overtake iOS at some point though; Android handsets are getting cheaper and cheaper, while Apple cares more about profit margin than unit sales. I'm not convinced this is a meaningful comparison, either. As far as developers are concerned, the number of wealthy customers who are used to impulse-buying apps are a metric Apple will dominate for the foreseeable future. As far as profit and margins, Apple is well ahead of all other hardware manufacturers, as well. User experience... well, that's subjective, but I think generally agreed on, as well. Just as comparing BMW's and Ford+Honda sales isn't very helpful in predicting the success of the companies, nor the market for compliments, neither is this.
    - Samuel_Michon 16y ago
      "the iPhone is a smartphone "family". iPhone 4 would be an smartphone model." You are absolutely right. Perhaps it'd be better to compare the iPhone smartphone family to the Droid smartphone family then? (EDIT: that is what @andreyf already suggested earlier)
      - andreyf 16y ago
        :)

by andreyf 16y ago

jonknee 16y ago

The iPhone is the only mobile phone running iOS so the only way to do market share for mobile phone operating systems means just counting the iPhone. If you're doing laptop OS marketshare it makes sense to just count Apple's laptops even though the same OS runs on other devices.

rimantas 16y ago
Uhm. iPhone is the only phone running iOS, but there are other devices running it too, so if you count instalations of iOS you should consider iPod touch and iPad, if you count only iOS on iPhones then the remark is valid: it's comparing apples to oranges.
- jonknee 16y ago
  ... Their are other devices running OS X too, but if we're talking OS market share for laptops those devices don't get counted. They are comparing Android phones vs. iOS phones. Perfectly legit. Apples to apples.

felideon 16y ago

Well iPhone kind of implies iOS, doesn't it? So yes, technically speaking they should have said iOS instead. In any case, I think the comparison is fair, and more analogous to comparing Mac OS to Windows.

Samuel_Michon 16y ago
'IPhone' implies 'iOS', but half of all iOS devices are not iPhones. The iPhone is a smartphone model. It should be compared to other smartphone models, not other mobile OSes. But ofcourse, if iOS sales were compared to Android sales, there'd be no contest. I'm sure Android will overtake iOS at some point though; Android handsets are getting cheaper and cheaper, while Apple cares more about profit margin than unit sales.
- andreyf 16y ago
  The iPhone is a smartphone model. It should be compared to other smartphone models, not other mobile OSes. Err, the iPhone is a smartphone "family". iPhone 4 would be an smartphone model. I'm sure Android will overtake iOS at some point though; Android handsets are getting cheaper and cheaper, while Apple cares more about profit margin than unit sales. I'm not convinced this is a meaningful comparison, either. As far as developers are concerned, the number of wealthy customers who are used to impulse-buying apps are a metric Apple will dominate for the foreseeable future. As far as profit and margins, Apple is well ahead of all other hardware manufacturers, as well. User experience... well, that's subjective, but I think generally agreed on, as well. Just as comparing BMW's and Ford+Honda sales isn't very helpful in predicting the success of the companies, nor the market for compliments, neither is this.
  - Samuel_Michon 16y ago
    "the iPhone is a smartphone "family". iPhone 4 would be an smartphone model." You are absolutely right. Perhaps it'd be better to compare the iPhone smartphone family to the Droid smartphone family then? (EDIT: that is what @andreyf already suggested earlier)
    - andreyf 16y ago
      :)