5 ms·

I know a few people who switched from iPhone to Android (Galaxy II) and it is definitely not because of "price sensitivity" but rather lack of innovation and lo

I know a few people who switched from iPhone to Android (Galaxy II) and it is definitely not because of "price sensitivity" but rather lack of innovation and loss of marketing traction on Apple's side. An iPhone is just not that hip and not that much of a lifestyle object anymore. Also some waited for the iPhone five to come out but when that did not happen the went Android. I am from Germany by the way, where Apple lost 5% market share.

sunkencity 15y ago
Did the total market grow? Article doesn't say anything about that, title slightly misleading as it is about new phone sold, not the total of users. I'd expect android to sell more, but apple to continue to hold the high end.
- AndrewDucker 15y ago
  Here's some worldwide figures: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/gartner-windows-phone-market-share-crashes/16279 http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/gartner-windows-phone-mar... From Q3 2010 -> Q3 2011 iOS went from 13million to 17million. Android went from 20million to 60million.
  - sunkencity 15y ago
    Thanks! Yeah, both are growing, but android are growing faster, figures. Article tries to suggest that iOS is shrinking.
saturdaysaint 15y ago
It's hard not to take these "hipness reports" with a gigantic rock of salt. Anyone that's lurked a tech forum for the last few years has heard stories of Blackberry surging in popularity among London teens and Nokia pride prevailing over iPhone hype among Europeans. Needless to say, Europe hasn't exactly proven to be a style bellwether. The vastly simpler and more likely explanation for the difference is that Apple products are far more expensive in Europe (and, to a degree that varies by country, that people in many European countries have less disposable income than the average American).
- AndrewDucker 15y ago
  What's interesting is that Blackberry _has_ surged recently: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/31/android-uk-smartphone-growth http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/31/android-uk-...
- tintin 15y ago
  Blackberry is very popular because they offer a free IM service. And teens say they can type much faster on a keyboard than on a touchscreen. Those are the motivations of the teens here. After there big service-down-time a lot of people switched to Android, but I'm still seeing a lot of BB here. And you are also wrong about the price. The iPhone is not more expensive than other phones. Besides, most people don't buy a phone here, they take a contract with a provider. So it's a little less salty.
harryf 15y ago
IMO this isn't really about consumers making smart choices. It's about incumbent telecoms operators like France Telecom making sure they keep a balance of power between suppliers. They're making sure that as their customers come up to renew their contracts and upgrade their phone they're leaving the store with an Android device. Despite the strength of the iPhone brand, there's still a significant chunk of the market that really "doesn't care" and just wants a phone that works. Sure they'd be happy to have a camera and all the rest of what a smart phone offers but they're cautious about increasing their monthly bill with data charges and, first and foremost, just want a phone. You can sell this type of consumer an Android phone quite easily, even if they came into your store asking for an iPhone. Meanwhile Apple made the "mistake" of pushing their vision of user experience all the way through consumer. To do this they dictated terms to telcos on how they distribute iPhones, and broke long established conventions built up with Nokia, Motorola, Sony Erikson and others about the distribution process, and questioned the role of the telco in that process. That left telcos scared of a future where Apple is their dominant supplier. So they fixed it. IMO that's where these numbers are coming from.

sunkencity 15y ago

Did the total market grow? Article doesn't say anything about that, title slightly misleading as it is about new phone sold, not the total of users. I'd expect android to sell more, but apple to continue to hold the high end.

AndrewDucker 15y ago
Here's some worldwide figures: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/gartner-windows-phone-market-share-crashes/16279 http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/gartner-windows-phone-mar... From Q3 2010 -> Q3 2011 iOS went from 13million to 17million. Android went from 20million to 60million.
- sunkencity 15y ago
  Thanks! Yeah, both are growing, but android are growing faster, figures. Article tries to suggest that iOS is shrinking.

saturdaysaint 15y ago

It's hard not to take these "hipness reports" with a gigantic rock of salt. Anyone that's lurked a tech forum for the last few years has heard stories of Blackberry surging in popularity among London teens and Nokia pride prevailing over iPhone hype among Europeans. Needless to say, Europe hasn't exactly proven to be a style bellwether. The vastly simpler and more likely explanation for the difference is that Apple products are far more expensive in Europe (and, to a degree that varies by country, that people in many European countries have less disposable income than the average American).

AndrewDucker 15y ago
What's interesting is that Blackberry _has_ surged recently: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/31/android-uk-smartphone-growth http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/31/android-uk-...
tintin 15y ago
Blackberry is very popular because they offer a free IM service. And teens say they can type much faster on a keyboard than on a touchscreen. Those are the motivations of the teens here. After there big service-down-time a lot of people switched to Android, but I'm still seeing a lot of BB here. And you are also wrong about the price. The iPhone is not more expensive than other phones. Besides, most people don't buy a phone here, they take a contract with a provider. So it's a little less salty.

harryf 15y ago

IMO this isn't really about consumers making smart choices. It's about incumbent telecoms operators like France Telecom making sure they keep a balance of power between suppliers. They're making sure that as their customers come up to renew their contracts and upgrade their phone they're leaving the store with an Android device. Despite the strength of the iPhone brand, there's still a significant chunk of the market that really "doesn't care" and just wants a phone that works. Sure they'd be happy to have a camera and all the rest of what a smart phone offers but they're cautious about increasing their monthly bill with data charges and, first and foremost, just want a phone. You can sell this type of consumer an Android phone quite easily, even if they came into your store asking for an iPhone. Meanwhile Apple made the "mistake" of pushing their vision of user experience all the way through consumer. To do this they dictated terms to telcos on how they distribute iPhones, and broke long established conventions built up with Nokia, Motorola, Sony Erikson and others about the distribution process, and questioned the role of the telco in that process. That left telcos scared of a future where Apple is their dominant supplier. So they fixed it. IMO that's where these numbers are coming from.