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> compare it to the HN narratives Seems like you constructed a strawman to knock down. This site contains diverse opinions that you'd find in any community of

> compare it to the HN narratives Seems like you constructed a strawman to knock down. This site contains diverse opinions that you'd find in any community of large enough size. PS - The graphs are very attractive, but it is unclear if they're inflation adjusted. $6.9B in Q1 2015 Mac Revenue dollars is worth $7.42B in 2019 dollars.

scarface74 8y ago
No one does inflation adjusted year over year comparisons.
- Someone1234 8y ago
  They do if they want accurate comparison of growth. Otherwise you're just measuring inflation by proxy. A lot of companies are actually flat when you adjust for inflation.
  - scarface74 8y ago
    I’m not arguing that you are not technically correct. I am saying that when analysts and companies compare year over year growth, they generally don’t express it in inflation adjusted terms. If that were the case, Microsoft reached an inflation adjusted market cap of $1 trillion right before 2000 I believe.
bunnycorn 8y ago
Yes, he made a mistake, it's not HackerNews fault, it's every single mainstream media outlet out there. You'll see things like "flagging iPhone sales", "failing iPhone sales", "post-iPhone era", "iPhone sales slump", etc. etc. etc. You'll start to believe that.
- fauigerzigerk 8y ago
  You better believe that iPhone sales have fallen pretty dramatically, because that is exactly what Apple has just reported. However, what I would like to know is whether Apple has lost market share outside of China. I would also like to know whether Apple's share of mobile usage has declined. I think these questions are a lot more important to developers than quarterly financials.
  - scarface74 8y ago
    Developers don’t care about market share. If they did, they would have been prioritizing Android years ago. Developers care about reaching people who are willing and able to spend money. Statistically, that is still iOS users.
    - fauigerzigerk 8y ago
      I agree that the share of spending on each platform is the most important factor for developers. But if market share declines were beginning to affect Apple's share of mobile usage, then that would be a worrying trend for iOS developers. Apple does have far wealthier customers than Android, but compensating for market share losses by moving ever further up-market would be a dangerous strategy in my view. If middle class kids are priced out of iOS, they're unlikely to come back later when they make their own money. Same for people from less wealthy countries. I do not believe that this idea of being the "aspirational product" applies to computing platforms in the same way it may apply to expensive cars. But I was just asking questions. I'm not making a claim that any of this is actually happening right now.
      - scarface74 8y ago
        I wouldn’t think that most middle class kids are buying their own phones. Either their parents are buying them or they are getting hand me downs. My son had a 2018 Moto G, he was more than happy to “upgrade” to a 2015 iPhone 6s. Mid range Android phones are nowhere near as performant as iPhones that are 3 years older. Refurbished, used iPhones are cheap. Besides, it seems to be a habit when people talk about iPhones they act as if the only iPhones that Apple sells is the maxed out $1500 iPhone XS Max. Completely ignoring the $475 iPhone 7s that will still give you better performance than most Android phones and get years of updates.
        fauigerzigerk 8y ago
        Obviously kids are not buying their own phones, but someone is paying for them in some shape or form (hand-me-down phones are not free either). The average selling price of iPhones has gone up pretty sharply. We don't know yet if that is what's behind the drop in sales because China is such an idiosyncratic market, but I think the answer matters.

scarface74 8y ago

No one does inflation adjusted year over year comparisons.

Someone1234 8y ago
They do if they want accurate comparison of growth. Otherwise you're just measuring inflation by proxy. A lot of companies are actually flat when you adjust for inflation.
- scarface74 8y ago
  I’m not arguing that you are not technically correct. I am saying that when analysts and companies compare year over year growth, they generally don’t express it in inflation adjusted terms. If that were the case, Microsoft reached an inflation adjusted market cap of $1 trillion right before 2000 I believe.

bunnycorn 8y ago

Yes, he made a mistake, it's not HackerNews fault, it's every single mainstream media outlet out there. You'll see things like "flagging iPhone sales", "failing iPhone sales", "post-iPhone era", "iPhone sales slump", etc. etc. etc. You'll start to believe that.

fauigerzigerk 8y ago
You better believe that iPhone sales have fallen pretty dramatically, because that is exactly what Apple has just reported. However, what I would like to know is whether Apple has lost market share outside of China. I would also like to know whether Apple's share of mobile usage has declined. I think these questions are a lot more important to developers than quarterly financials.
- scarface74 8y ago
  Developers don’t care about market share. If they did, they would have been prioritizing Android years ago. Developers care about reaching people who are willing and able to spend money. Statistically, that is still iOS users.
  - fauigerzigerk 8y ago
    I agree that the share of spending on each platform is the most important factor for developers. But if market share declines were beginning to affect Apple's share of mobile usage, then that would be a worrying trend for iOS developers. Apple does have far wealthier customers than Android, but compensating for market share losses by moving ever further up-market would be a dangerous strategy in my view. If middle class kids are priced out of iOS, they're unlikely to come back later when they make their own money. Same for people from less wealthy countries. I do not believe that this idea of being the "aspirational product" applies to computing platforms in the same way it may apply to expensive cars. But I was just asking questions. I'm not making a claim that any of this is actually happening right now.
    - scarface74 8y ago
      I wouldn’t think that most middle class kids are buying their own phones. Either their parents are buying them or they are getting hand me downs. My son had a 2018 Moto G, he was more than happy to “upgrade” to a 2015 iPhone 6s. Mid range Android phones are nowhere near as performant as iPhones that are 3 years older. Refurbished, used iPhones are cheap. Besides, it seems to be a habit when people talk about iPhones they act as if the only iPhones that Apple sells is the maxed out $1500 iPhone XS Max. Completely ignoring the $475 iPhone 7s that will still give you better performance than most Android phones and get years of updates.
      - fauigerzigerk 8y ago
        Obviously kids are not buying their own phones, but someone is paying for them in some shape or form (hand-me-down phones are not free either). The average selling price of iPhones has gone up pretty sharply. We don't know yet if that is what's behind the drop in sales because China is such an idiosyncratic market, but I think the answer matters.