back to article iPhone hangs on in US, Japan, but EVERYONE ELSE bought an Android

A day before Apple's quarterly results land, Tim Cook will also have to deal with the some unwelcome stats on iOS smartphone market share, showing that the iPhone still trails Android in all markets but the US and Japan. The US remains Apple's global heartland, and Christmas sales stats from consumer group Kantar World Panel …

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  1. LarsG
    Meh

    Then maybe it's time to innovate and spruce up the iphone interface.

    1. ThomH

      Why not? Everyone loves Office 2007, Windows 8, GNOME 3, KDE 4, etc.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Wouldn't take much to spruce it up

      All it need is a few active icons, I mean how hard would it be for Apple to have a live weather icon?

      I have four foot of snow outside, it is -3 and my weather icon tells me it is a happy happy sunny 23C day!

      1. tirk

        Re: Wouldn't take much to spruce it up

        Try the Celsius app from ITWC...

        Yes, I know it's not a proper widget, more's the pity!

      2. Naughtyhorse
        Joke

        Re: Wouldn't take much to spruce it up

        it's prolly using apple maps to work out your location and it probably _is_ 23C where your phone thinks it is.

    3. VinceH
      Trollface

      "Then maybe it's time to innovate and spruce up the iphone interface."

      The problem is, it's harder for them to copy other people's ideas and claim they invented them now. Technically it's no more difficult than before, but it's harder for them to get away with it because the whole process has now gained such a high profile because of their legal shenanigans, so it's more obvious to all and sundry.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Must surely be game over for Windows Phone

    if the only people buying it is broke Italians....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Must surely be game over for Windows Phone

      Bear in mind it was pretty damned hard to get a Nokia 920 SIM free which many people wanted. EE has an exclusive and their deals are very poor and expensive and the most attractive deal (which I am on) was withdrawn shortly after launch.

      This limited the performance somewhat.

      But obviously the performance is poor for a big company like Microsoft, but how can they compete against the idiotic fandroid masses? they'd buy anything with Android written on it.

      1. GregC
        Facepalm

        Oh please...

        "idiotic fandroid masses" - is that really the best you can do? Started out as a fairly interesting post, too.

        I'd give you decent odds that a good chunk of the Android userbase don't even know what OS is on their phone. They got the one that they liked, or that had the best salesman, or the best [insert important-to-them-feature here].

        Those that did actively choose Android, including me, got it because it works for them. I like to be able to install what I want, from wherever I want, on my little portable computer. I also prefer a UI that doesn't look like a hyperactive toddler's bathroom wall, but that's purely personal preference. As for "buy anything with Android written on it" - I can only assume you're having a laugh. There are only a few handsets available at the moment that would suit me, happily the Nexus 4 came along at just the right time.

        What I don't like about the current world of smartphones is that if you don't want to be in a walled garden, Android is your only realistic option. I like Android, but I'd like another option or two as well.

        What I'd really prefer is a handset running an up to date Maemo as it's stock OS. Maybe one day...

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Oh please...

          Same here, I'd quite happily jump ship from Android to Harmattan, N9 or better ..... I suppose if there were more apps arriving, that would be good too ;)

      2. TheVogon
        Mushroom

        Re: Must surely be game over for Windows Phone

        Not to mention that there were only about 3 weeks of actual Lumia 920 sales seeing as Orange were mostly out of stock until well into December. Sales are still climbing too:

        http://wmpoweruser.com/nokia-lumia-920-tops-amazon-best-seller-chart-for-all-carriers-takes-top-3-spots-on-att/

        HTC are seeing similar strong sales: http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/News/23754/WP8_off_to_strong_start_as_HTC_ups_production.aspx

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Must surely be game over for Windows Phone

        Yeh, because limited stock MUST mean everyone is buying it...

        Honestly, I thought the human race had evolved since the Nintendo Wii launch stunts, but clearly not....

        Have you been drinking the Brawndo ?

    2. Mark .

      Re: Must surely be game over for Windows Phone

      The Reg only gives the data for Italy, UK and US, plus percentage share is a poor way of measuring in a growing market. It will be curious to see the actual figures for worldwide, and if there is growth on last year's - remember that for years, iphone lingered with much lower sales than many other platforms, only becoming mainstream (yet still way outsold by Android) with the 4 or 4S. I don't recall people saying that Apple should give up, because instead people were focusing on whether it was growing.

      (I like Android personally, but I don't get the WP hate, when iphone got a free pass on the same things.)

      1. vic 4

        Re: It will be curious to see the actual figures for worldwide

        But not curious enough to follow the link to the article this was based on?

    3. bailey86

      Re: Must surely be game over for Windows Phone

      (Originally posted under the wrong article!)

      After trying a WinPho8 again today I figured out why I don't like it

      Trying to be fair I've had several tries on a WinPho 8 to evaluate it - and today I've worked out why I feel - umm.. - errr... - don't like it.

      It's simple really - you don't seem to have multiple screens like you have on iOS and Android. All apps are on the front screen with the idea being that your most common ones are near the top. Then you swipe to the right and can see a full app list.

      But I like to set up my screens for specific tasks - for example - nothing which costs money if accidentally touched on the main (middle) screen - so only tools like calculator, torch, camera etc as well as widgets for clock and calendar which I want to see straight away. Next screen is for messaging stuff; texts, twitter, mail, skype as well as a row for settings; mobile, wifi, hotspot etc.

      So, MS seem to have decided how your phone should be used - whereas iOS and Android allow you to set up the phone for your own needs. And my guess is that there are as many setups as there are users!

      Also, I think users like to personalise their phones - and large Android widgets are a nice and easy way to do that.

  3. Anal Leakage

    And is that 72.5% in China the full Android experience, feeding precious data back to Mountain View, or are forked versions included, restricted by what data the Great Firewall allows out?

    1. Paul Shirley

      Actually, I'm looking forward to reaction to that little problem. The folk that genuinely believe Google is evil should be happy the Chinese are cutting them out.

      The fun is with the folk faking it in support of 'another companies product'. They're still frantically trying to work up a response. It's bad for Google but those are still Android devices and Googles loss is not their sponsoring companies gain. What's a poor shill to do.

      1. sabroni Silver badge

        re: The folk that genuinely believe Google is evil

        There's a difference between seeing mountain view for the profit driven privacy invaders that they obviously are, and thinking they are evil. They're not evil, just greedy.

        But I am glad there are versions of Android around that don't talk to mountain view. Maybe I'll be able to switch on my phone's GPS without it sharing "anonymous" data with them....

  4. Toothpick
    Stop

    Here we go.....

    Obviously! is busy at the moment (the snow has slowed his paper round), so here's a post on his behalf:

    iPhones are crap

    the OS is sooooooo last decade

    people who buy them are Fannybois

    Is all this iShiny good enough for you ladies?

  5. Financegozu

    ... and tomorrow we will get the REAL numbers

    nt.

    1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

      Re: ... and tomorrow we will get the REAL numbers

      Well, maybe. These numbers certainly sound like a load of fuck to me. ComScore relies on UA detection in browsers to identify markets and routinely comes up with a load of poo as a result. Apple will announce fantastic results - and however many gadgets they sold the results will be fantastic because of those very fat margins - but the full story will probably take a while to come through.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: ... and tomorrow we will get the REAL numbers

        It's all meaningless as the only numbers that matter are:

        A: Number of physical handsets sold by company and by type

        B: How many pay apps are purchased per handset

        c: How many Ad Supported apps are downloaded per handset and what is the average ad return

        From A - what is the average profit minus all costs for the handsets sold

        For B what is the profit split developer/application store

        For C much the same as B

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: ... and tomorrow we will get the REAL numbers

          If I had an edit function I'd edit and add

          For B and C you want to know "Number of apps per handset by model" also the interoperability of the various top selling models.

  6. jai

    UK stats

    Some more detail that Anna left out, presumably to allow her to spin this story in her own way:

    Samsung has held onto the number one spot in Britain, claiming 35% of smartphone sales, although Apple is now biting at its heels with 32%

    So that's Samsung and Apple taking up 67% of the UK market.

    Just over 6% belongs to Nokia, so that's a remaining 27% that's split up amongst all the other Android manufacturers.

    1. Adam 1

      Re: UK stats

      Samsung also make phones with different OSes, so the 35% there isn't only Android.

  7. Stumpy
    FAIL

    “Apple’s continual improvement is thanks to both the iPhone 5 and older models attracting various customer groups," said Parlato, "from repeat Apple buyers, first time smartphone buyers and those coming from other smartphone brands”.

    ... so pretty much every group that bought a smartphone then?

  8. John70

    If Apple dropped their price by at least £200 for the iPhone 5 then they will get a bigger market share.

    At the moment the prices on Apple's site are: 16GB : £529.00, 32GB : £599.00, 64GB : £699.00

    1. Jim Wilkinson

      If the price is right

      I got Android on a Sony P mobe at half the price of the equivalent Apple. For this I get apps that are good (but not generally so good as Apple apps), a better camera, a terrific screen and super sound quality with decent ear buds.

      As a long term Apple user, it was a brave step over to Android but well worth the effort.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Possible corporate skew ?

    We use Windows Mobile devices as policy, and have had to switch to Nokias, since HTC went native

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Maybe

    Just maybe

    Apple are hanging on to #1 place in the US because the Fanbois realised they can vote more than once?

    1. ThomH

      Re: Maybe

      It wasn't a vote, it's sales figures. The iPhone hasn't hung onto first place, it's reclaimed it. The driver of that appears to be the decision to keep the two previous generations around as cheaper models, from free on a contract.

      1. Mark .

        Re: Maybe

        The figures I've seen over the years showed a very small window, years ago, when iphone was number one in the US. So I don't know if these stats are just misleading, or it means this has been a reclaim after years of Android being number one.

        If so, it's a bit sad, and odd that things are becoming so polarised, with the rest of the world dominated by Android. I guess that's going back to how it used to be, with the rest of the world using smartphones, and the US stuck with dumb phones (the only reason the original iphone was incorrectly seen as revolutionary by the media, because the US market hadn't see the phones that were way more advanced years earlier).

        And I think it is a problem, because the media and companies in the UK seem to follow on from the behaviour in the US - so even though here we're all buying Android, with Samsung leading, we still have the media going on about iphone all the time, with companies often catering only for iphone users. It's even getting worse - it seems every other advert these days has a "get this for your iphone" on it :(

        Although don't forget that the quarter after a new iphone release is always Apple's best quarter by far, and sales then slide over the rest of the year.

        1. ThomH

          Re: Maybe

          If I dare be contrary, the iPhone was judged as revolutionary because it was the first consumer device with a direct manipulation interface metaphor and because Apple cut sweetheart deals with the networks so that people who bought the iPhone got unlimited data where it generally wasn't available to anyone else for similar monthly rates.

          So the difference was not technology but friendliness to the consumer — both in the interface and in the bill that came at the end of the month.

          As I recall, quite a few mainstream reports correctly cited the original device's flaws: a slow network connection, no ability to install apps, a single day of battery life, no Exchange support, etc.

          The media's willingness to report on the iPhone is also a good thing for everyone because it keeps Google on its toes and we're a free market economy. It's also nothing like an anomaly; if you compare the amount of press the iPhone gets to its installation base then compare the amount of press Windows Phone gets to its installation base you'll see that Apple's device is not the outlier.

          1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

            Re: Maybe

            If I dare be contrary, the iPhone was judged as revolutionary because it was the first consumer device with a direct manipulation interface metaphor

            Nah, UIQ let you do that years earlier. Okay, resistive screens don't do pinch-to-zoom but who actually uses that a lot? Opera mobile resizes intelligently with a double-tap which is far easier for this Neanderthal. Nevertheless the high-power (I mean power draw) I-Phone experience was beguiling because it was so immersive.

            The sweetheart deals nearly cost Apple the game: all you can eat on AT&T's EDGE network was not exactly expensive for AT&T; not having 3G in Germany meant sales were about 10 % of what was expected.

            To their credit, Apple worked damned hard to rectify the flaws in the I-Phone (native SDK and 3G support). Sort of exactly what MS hasn't done with moving from Windows Phone 7 to Windows 8.

            1. ThomH

              Re: Maybe (@Charlie Clark)

              Our recollections obvious differ; I recall UIQ being a 'get the stylus out and prod at the scrollbar' experience just like Windows CE. It's not a technological step forward that Apple deserves any credit for but launching the iPhone OS only once it could assume a GPU by default was a massive gain for usability. It was immediately easy to run a 60 FPS user interface, removing another barrier between man and machine.

              The UIQ machines, at least prior to the iPhone, were unaccelerated with the corresponding user interface lag.

          2. Matthew 3

            Re: Maybe

            "people who bought the iPhone got unlimited data where it generally wasn't available to anyone else for similar monthly rates."

            It may be unfashionable to point it out but you forgot to add: "...unless they had a BlackBerry".

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Maybe

        > It wasn't a vote, it's sales figures.

        Duh, like yeah, thats what I meant. You can buy as many as you want.

        Its like the pop star who said he'd made it to #1 coz his mum had bought them all.

        You can't put a Joke alert on a coward posting.

      3. Malcolm Weir Silver badge

        Re: Maybe

        Worth remembering that this was JUST the sales figures for the last 12 weeks of 2012. As with the previous "report", that doesn't tell you everything.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    According to many fanboi, it is officially snowing in hell right now.

  12. Efros
    Pint

    Walmart

    Have just begun selling the iPhone 5 through its Straight Talk provider. Apple hits the low life. Waiting for the first as seen in Walmart vid featuring sweatpant wearing trailer trash complaining about the lack of accuracy in iMaps, means they can't find their way to the liquor store.

  13. El Presidente
    Windows

    OI! Random Fanboi!

    Lower the reality distortion field and answer this:

    HTC Butterfly + Build your own custom ROM exactly how you want it to be.

    Or the upcoming iPhone 5 's' ?

    (btw, the S stands for a little more Shinola that's about to be rubbed in your eyes)

    That's why Android has a bigger market share, it's better, more flexible, less expensive, less restrictive, more durable, taller, weighs less, keeps its hair longer, doesn't wear a polo neck and doesn't dribble when it sees the colour white.

    1. jai

      Re: OI! Random Fanboi!

      iPhone 5s please

      because, when i bring it home and unwrap it, all i need to do is punch in my icloud.com account name and password, and it'll sync up all my music, apps, ringtones, videos, podcasts, pictures, contacts, reminders, alarms, email accounts, safari bookmarks, etc, etc

      if i get a android device, i'll have to set up most of that from scratch and buy all the apps all over again. and then have to find out how to get it to sync with all my media in iTunes

      thnx - when can you deliver the 5s?

      1. Charlie Clark Silver badge
        FAIL

        Re: OI! Random Fanboi!

        @jai - you might actually want to try using and Android before spouting such shit. I'm not sure if it's quite as comfortable as you suggest I-Phone's are but calendar, pictures and software are pretty painlessly synced. Oh, and there is a file system which stops stuff being deleted because "someone" doesn't think we should have it.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: OI! Random Fanboi!

          I propose we start fanboydeathmatch.com where fanboys can login and bludgeon each other to death with a 3D model of their chosen smartphone.

          It would help reduce global warming and protect the environment by removing the need to store billions of fanboy forum posts bitching each other.

        2. jai

          Re: OI! Random Fanboi!

          @CharlieClark

          i wasn't suggesting this was a problem for an existing Android user, i'm talking about switching from non-Android OS to Android.

          i'm sure calendar, pictures, software, etc are painlessly sync'd for you, when you already have an Android device. My point is, i'm already within the Apple walled garden and happy with it, i've spent time and money over the past 5 years setting it all up and buying all the apps i want. all my home devices are Apple.

          My point to El Presidente was that, if i suddenly switched to an HTC, it'd be a massive PITA to have to do all that over again because i have no existing Android apps or configuration. So, if he presents me with the option of replacing my iPhone 5 with either an HTC or an iPhone5s, OF COURSE i'm going to choose the iPhone5s because i'd be up and running in seconds. If i were to switch OS, it's gonna take time before i get the phone up to a comparable state as my current phone.

          1. Mark .

            Re: OI! Random Fanboi!

            But that's the problem with a walled garden - by locking yourself in, you've restricted your choice to one platform, only available from one manufacturer, which only releases one choice of phone a year.

            Btw for music, Android supports MTP, an open standard, so you can "sync" your music using any choice of software you like, not just itunes. Or you can just drag and drop too.

            "all my home devices are Apple."

            Well indeed, Apple only really works when everything you have is Apple (and you're stuffed if they don't produce a type of device that you want), and then you're locked in even more so. With my new TV, it's effortless to share video and music with it, playing across the network from Windows PC and Android devices. An Apple-only solution would mean having to buy a separate box - more cost, more leads, and even if I was Apple-only, that wouldn't be any good if someone came around with a different kind of device.

            Open standards have their advantages. Oh, and you'll have to replace all your connectors/speakers/etc with a new iphone 5 anyway...

          2. Vic

            Re: OI! Random Fanboi!

            > i'm talking about switching from non-Android OS to Android.

            I switched from a Motorola V980 to an HTC Desire - exactly the situation you describe.

            I had no tools for the V980 - couldn't find anything useful on the Intertubes, so I had to write something to drag the data off it. But getting that data onto my Android was a snip...

            Vic.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        Re: OI! Random Fanboi!

        Funny, because when I switched on my Nexus4 and signed into Google account, it automatically syncd the following for me.

        email

        calendar

        pictures

        music

        apps

        alarms

        reminders

        bookmarks

        SO what was your point? Google do the cloud WAY better than Apple does.

  14. danny_0x98

    Where Do I Invest

    This phonemaker, or is it model, called Android is doing gangbuster business. I imagine the maker of the os must be raking in beaucoup bucks from licensing.

    Or did I misunderstand and someone was comparing three phone models against a crew of phone makers and their products bound only by a choice of operating system. I mean, one could do that, but, so what?

    Though, if I read it right, three phone models combined beat all phones using Android, combined, in the US and Japan.

    Well..

  15. Jason Hindle

    Why would Apple care about these stats?

    Why woud anyone else? The cheapest Android phone is significantly cheaper than the cheapest iPhone. Someone buying a new phone can get a pretty decent Android phone for free (or not a lot) alongside a fairly low monthly tariff. Against that, Apple is never going to win a global numbers game against Android.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I have yet to buy anything from android...

    Why does the market continue to measure Android OS to iPhone.

    Each manufacturer needs to be broken out - regardless of OS adoption -

    Samsung/Android work differently and as they add features will continue to be segmented from the rest of the android market. Same for Googorola, HTC.

    If everyone manufacturer ran the same exact code from android, with the same interface, same patch/applications etc then you could lump them all in one -

    As it is - each release is different -

    What is the market share -

    Samsung/Andriod

    HTC/Android

    Motorola/Android

    to

    Apple iPhone/iOS

    etc.

    1. ThomH

      Re: I have yet to buy anything from android...

      In a lot of press it's because the press releases make that comparison, and the press releases more often make that comparison because — as you imply — there's more people that want to make their camp look larger. It's also a much easier narrative.

      The technical press probably do it entirely because firms that chose to support Android devices on their infrastructure really don't care whether there's TouchWiz or whatever on top or not, and people who make money through applications similarly either put resources into iOS or put them into Android. Writing an Android application for a Samsung phone is no different from writing one for an HTC phone.

      I guess the main people that really want a firm-by-firm breakdown are investors, which are the exception.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Apple and Android email problems?

    I'm reading reports of email problems with both Apple phones and pads. Her new mini ipad lost all her emails on Friday and the pad will now not let her delete items. Fortunately her laptop had backup copies, but I've never experienced this sort of problem with other OSs in the last ten tears. However, the same problems now seem to appearing on Android phones. Anyone know why phone makers can't get email consistently right? Haven't seen this problem reported on Windows phones yet. Blackberry?

    1. jai

      Re: Apple and Android email problems?

      PEBKAC?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Apple and Android email problems?

      Because it usually isn't the phone, it's the network.

      BB have had issues with BIS, but Playbook email is pretty good. The UI is not as good as webOS, the orphan child gold standard for email, but BB handling of filters and attachments is excellent, and I can type easily on the PB keyboard with 2 thumbs.

      I'm waiting for BB10 because I suspect it will be the arthropod's limb flexure points for messaging, but at the end of the day it will still depend on server and connection.

  18. nimbo

    Really?

    Except you don't "buy" an android. It just happens to be the crappy OS that comes with a bunch of smartphones made by dozens of manufacturers.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Really?

      "Except you don't "buy" an android. It just happens to be the crappy OS that comes with a bunch of smartphones made by dozens of manufacturers."

      Except you don't "buy" Windows. It just happens to be the crappy OS that comes with a bunch of PCs made by dozens of manufacturers.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You chose iOS you end up with android on cheap ass freebie phones where users buy apps / media and often don't even have data tariffs.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I chose Symbian/UIQ and ended up with android because they stopped making the one I wanted.

  20. Roland6 Silver badge

    It was always going to happen...

    History tells us that when someone has a highly profitable monopoly brought about by being a first mover and having a compelling proposition - it is inevitable that others will follow and take market share. The only question is just how fast this occurs.

  21. Phormic

    So in the US, the iPhone captures 63% of smart phone sales at Verizon, 77% at Sprint and over 80% at AT&T.

    I don't know much longer the iPhone can "hang on" for. It's getting desperate.

    1. Darryl

      You know that the world extends beyond the shores and borders of the US, right?

      1. Charlie Clark Silver badge
        Stop

        @ Darryl - the world has shores? What, you mean apart from Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and Lake Huron? Are those Canucks up to something again? Next thing you'll be telling me is that the world is round and millions of years old!

      2. Phormic

        I'm well aware of that and indeed, I reside beyond those shores. I'm merely amused how the Reg colours (see the spelling there) their story titles to please the preferences of their target audience.

        Anyway, Apple's financials are out tomorrow so we'll see how desperately they're "hanging on" in the face of the unstoppable bone crushing market dominance, that is the relentless Android juggernaut, that's sweeping all before it.

        1. Philip Lewis
          Coat

          It is widely purported that "sarcasm is the lowest form of wit". I disagree wholeheartedly!

  22. heyrick Silver badge

    I'm writing this on my NEW Android phone

    Why Android? I know how it works and feels. I have an app that automatically saves install packages to these card (useful to revert when devs decide to take out all the good stuff to justify a paid version), and it also means purring my core apps on to another phone is draggy-droppy and then just working my way down the list.

    The phone? Sony Xperia U with a freaky coloured bar thing. Not perfect, but pretty impressive for €39, and I have a form to fill in to get €30 refunded. So on a basic contract a dual-core HD capable phone with a, frankly, lovely display will have cost me €9 with a fairly basic contract. Need I say more?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I'm writing this on my NEW Android phone

      Strangely Apple do not have to give money back coupons - wonder why? Friend went to buy an iPhone adn they had sold out (although were expecting them in within days) - so I'd say demand is still probably high. Pre-Xmas they were selling everything they could actually make - they found production of the new models had some issues but remember they are just a single manufacturer.

      1. vic 4
        Trollface

        Re: Strangely Apple do not have to give money back coupons - wonder why

        Because to the people who buy them it would cheapen the image?

  23. nanchatte
    Happy

    Optional

    Every year, someone says Apple should make a cheaper iphone...

    I, personally don't think they need to - they might to temporarily appease shareholders- but they don't have to per se. This article quite rightly points out that older models mostly fill that gap...

    I'd wager that Apple, being Apple has actually done some some pretty spiffy Excel jiggery pokery (sorry, I'm not in planning) to determine that the costs in terms of R&D, testing, software compatibility complexity increases and perhaps most importantly, the more nebulously defined "brand dilution" by introducing something plasticky, would not be offset by gains in profit margins (forget unit sales figures)...

    Let's face it, keeping older models on the market allows them the luxury of clearing old stock at greater than cost price! i.e. Apple literally has a couple of years to shift leftover stock first to the lower shelves, then low/end retailers and finally overseas to less affluent markets, where the 3GS is still available.

    And all of this while still making a profit of every device sold!

    I'm sure (but have no proof, TBH) that other companies would love to be able to offload ancient, (by mobile standards) unsold stock, but instead they make a multitude of different handsets, each with separate inventory / models / options and have to keep these separate stocks available and recall them from the channel if unsold.

    I still believe it is this almost Orwellian simplicity that is a pillar of Apple's strength, and every additional model, every additional go-faster-stripe dilutes this advantage.

    In the end, I personally think they just need to stay focussed and up the ante on their main iPhone, which is still doing remarkably well by anyone's standards, and catch up with (or keep ahead of, depending on where you sit) the increasingly aggressive competition.

    1. Philip Lewis
      Go

      Re: Optional

      I might add that the 3GS is a fine phone, runs iOS6 (minus some newer apps) and does so as fast or faster than iOS5 (thanks to browser software update). The phone may not be bleeding edge, but for the masses with less to spend, the 3GS does provide the same Apple user experience at a fraction of the cost of the latest and greatest iPhone5. Apple don't need a low cost model because they already have the 3GS and 4(S).

      There is a lot to be said for Apple's approach.

      I gave my 3GS to my gf quite recently, and she is well pleased as a significant upgrade from the 2G she had (which still works just fine, but won't run a few of the apps she wants to use - another story).

      I have a company iPhone5 sitting in a drawer unopened and unused. I prefer my N9 these days.

      Tonight, Apple will announce their actual sales figures, rather than the pseudo numbers Samsung and other companies like to trot out. I predict Apple will have sold a gazillion iPhone5s and that the journalists and analysts who have been collectively wetting themselves in glee over the "failure" of the iPhone5 and falling over each other to publish unsubstantiated guesswork as news will be made to look like the uninformed dorks that they are. I further predict that Apple will be substantially richer than they were at the end of the last quarter.

      I might be wrong, we will all know tonight.

      philip

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Optional

        I just bought more AAPL - so many people are talking them down it's actually a great buying opportunity.

        "Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful."

        I actually believe the analysts are happily talking the stock down while others are picking it up cheap - it's about $500/share at the moment and I would be surprised if it did not top $700 by summer - some analysts are setting target prices up to and over $1000.

        If you look at the real profits they are making and the PE ratio they look cheap to me - they have seen their market share fall but that's pretty obvious as more people enter the market and sell cheap stuff at zero margins - as long as plenty of people are still buying Apple why should they really care. BMW do not sell as many cars as Ford but there is still a market for both.

  24. Silverburn

    Missing "heartland"

    fanboi/fandroid bickering aside, it should be noted that there is one bastion missing from Apple's heartlands - Switzerland. Apple have got it completely stitched up here - phones, tablets and the desktop.

    The only one making any real inroads here is Samsung, with the S3, Note and Note 2. Even the Apple-loving Swiss know the feeble upgrade that is the iphone 5 is not worth the upgrade cost - lots of people here staying on 4/4S's or jumping the fence to samsung - the bigger screen and "something different" being the main reasons in my informal survey (ie I asked people in the office).

    You'll note I make no reference to iOS or Android in post - because Joe Public buy phones, not OS'es.

  25. JibberJabberBadger

    What's it worth?

    I haven't had time to dig yet, so does anyone know how much profit Apple and Google make from their "phone businesses"? My point is, yes, Android may be winning in terms of OS market share globaaly, but are they making much money from it?

    Yes, I know it's a long term game for them, but Apple are famous for wanting to make lots of money from a small market share, something they seem to do quite well.

    As a disclaimer, I've owned Apple related products for about 15 years, non-Apple gear for 25, am writing this on a windows laptop and the last device of any sort I bought was a Nexus 10...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      That's the real question, isn't it?

      Who cares how many units were shipped - we want to know how much cash was spent by real people on each model/os combination and how much profit was made. Also: how compelling are these phones? Once people are tired of their HTC, do they buy another HTC, or do they switch to another android phone, or even an iPhone? Same for Samsung?

  26. adnim

    I bought an Android

    Until a few days ago I only ever owned simple phones; voice and text. The last one had WAP (no comment)

    Having used Android and iOS on the phones of friends, I wasn't particularly impressed with either.

    They are consumer operating systems for mobile devices. Both are locked down, both are restrictive and both monitor the user (anonymously as stated by both Apple and Google or otherwise). Neither allow fine grain control over what hardware/data an application can access or transmit. Basically one does not own an Android or Apple phone, or tablet for that matter. One uses a device that is really owned, as in the sense pwned by Apple or Google.

    I have been in IT for over 20 years and at various times responsible for the security of networks and servers.

    Why would I use such a device? Why would any IT security professional use such a device? Why would anyone with a clue use such a device? A device that is partly under the control of a third party. A device which is basically controlled and monitored by a global corporation.

    I can understand the average consumer being drawn to the convenience and feature list of both iOS and Android, they are wonderful consumer toys. Yet how many consumers realise that once they start using the OS they have become an Apple or Google product and asset?

    I bought a HTC Wildfire for £30. It now has Cyanogen mod 7 as its OS.

    I have replaced the hosts file. I have installed a terminal emulator and sshd.

    I can edit every single file on the device and do whatever I want with it.

    It's just like having small Linux PC in my pocket, it makes a damn fine audio media player too.

    I could have bricked it had I made a mistake, but that was a risk I was prepared to take in order to have a phone which I fully owned and controlled.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I bought an Android

      Well done Mr. 0.0001% of the population.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I bought an Android

      Mr security expert, every time you make a call, something (so it follows, someone) knows where you are. Have you audited very line of code running on the device? Maybe something skips your hosts file, maybe there are some hard-wired ip addresses in there pointing to servers just waiting to slurp your credit card details.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I bought an Android

        If security is one of your prime concerns you would NOT be buying Android and certainly not installing 3rd party 'custom' ROMs - barmy.

      2. adnim
        Meh

        Re: I bought an Android

        I have no control over the phone hardware. I have no control over the tracking of the phone radio nor do I have control of the firmware in the radio module. I am not a security expert as you sarcastically presumed Mr Coward. Yet I still know the limits of my knowledge and control over the device.

        I have managed without mobile Internet access since I was born I really don't need it now. I might want it on occasion but this does not justify the security risk of using the phone radio for data comms. There are plenty of free wifi or cheap wifi hotpots should Internet access be important when not at home.

        I don't have to audit every line of code, it is audited by the community. This doesn't mean the software is perfect or totally secure. however, the fact that every line of code can be scrutinised by anybody instills more confidence in me than any closed source system.

        I have control of the ROM and the software installed on the device. I can proxy through Honeywall should I suspect the ROM or any installed software and monitor IP comms.

        I shrug at the downvotes...The device is far more secure now than it was on the original ROM and is quite probably far more secure than any shipped Android based or iOS based device.

        Do I trust it 100%? I probably trust it less than you trust your device.

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

          1. adnim
            Meh

            Re: Oh Mr Adnim...

            If you wish to interpret my words that way so be it. However I would have actually used the word expert would that have been what I meant. I was implying experience not expertise.

            I don't mind admitting that I am more a Jack of all trades than a master of one.

            Now we have got past your misunderstanding, rather than critise people like you, I would prefer to hear your comment on the actual topic at hand. Your opinion on my level of expertise and what you read into my words is irrelevant.

  27. Longrod_von_Hugendong
    FAIL

    my next phone...

    is probably not going to be an iPhone, after seeing how my wifes 10 week old iPhone 5 is damaging. For a £500 phone its crap, Apple says - nothing we can do, its still working. I will be glad when Tim cook gets booted, Apple is going down the pan since Steve left us.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: my next phone...

      Damaging - I dropped mine from head height onto a solid paved surface - minor scratch (I was actually expecting much worse). Maybe you should invest in a case like most iPhone (and non-iPhone users I know) - wish I had at that time!

      My wife's iPhone 4 bangs around in her handbag - she has a case but 'forgets' to use it - considering all that it's still in great shape.

      What do you expect - try dropping a Galaxy S3 or Note 2 from head height - I would expect it to fare no better.

      1. Silverburn
        Coat

        Re: my next phone...

        Normally, people just hang up by pressing the button after they take it away from their head. Dropping it onto the floor seems a little extreme.

  28. D@v3
    FAIL

    "showing that the iPhone still trails Android"

    This isn't really surprising when you consider that "the iPhone" is one of at most 4 handsets, (3gs, 4, 4s, 5) with only one of them being current, most at the same or very similar price points.

    Against "Android" which will currently have (probably) hundreds of handsets available, across dozens of manufacturers many of which will have (at least) one 'current' (hight end) handset, all selling at vastly different prices from <£100 to >£500.

    Trying to compare sales figures from one OS, made by one hardware manufacture, to another OS made by dozens, just isn't going to match up.

    The closest analogy I can come up with (and I'm only doing this because everyone loves car analogies) is trying to compare Mazerati sales (2 models, high price) with Ford sales (dozens of cars, different styles {small cars, big cars, vans...} each car often having different spec/price points) Of course Ford / Android are going to come out on top.

  29. feanor

    Listening to Apple fans talk about people who choose to use Android is like listening to homophobes talk about gay people. "Uuuurgh! You made a choice that I don't even understand as a choice. Choosing different from everyone else is so alien to my mentality that rather than try to understand your choice I'm going to hate and revile it, you and everything about you so that I can defend my shaken reality"

    Its just a bloody phone. Some people buy out of habit, some because its cheap, some because its convenient, some because they carefully considered the options. Android is causing more people to choose it for all of these reasons. Deal with it. And grow up.

    1. Silverburn

      You do realise that your quoted statement can be recited - word for word - by the fandroids as well?

      Fanboi-ism of any kind is toxic to any reasoned argument.

      1. feanor

        I can only say that in my experience that isn't true. Android owners seem to have specific reasons for not wanting an iPhone. iPhone users tend to just look at you as if you had asked a blindingly stupid question.

  30. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
    FAIL

    Android must be failing

    because I've replaced my Android (HTC Sensation) with a Nokia running Symbian.

    People will buy and use what suits them best. Note the use of the word THEM.

    most of the people I work with have iPhones and they don't gripe about some missing feature. I griped about my Android because there was no way to remove the Facebook and Twatter apps. In the end I tried to replace the standard rom with a cyanogen build and bricked it totally. Meh.

    Then I looked at what I used the phone for and you know what, I didn't use all that many 'smartphone' features on a regular basis hence my selection of a pretty old (by modern standards and *boi ratings) phone. It works for me

    Well, the only thing missing is a dual sim. But for some reason even Samsung thinks that the UK does not need a dual sim phone whereas if you go to the City Mall in Amman, the Samsug Dual Sim phones are advertised everywhere (Pah)

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