iPhone6 will kill high end Android phones in the US

[gorcorps]

The reason I moved from Apple to Android was not screen size, it was how bad iTunes was. I finally had enough w/ the iPhone 4 and haven't looked back. The only thing that I'd want to adapt from the iPhone to my own phone is the lightning connector, and that certainly isn't enough to get me over how terrible iTunes is.

 

[Mopetar]

Hurt sales? Sure.

Kill? I doubt it.

 

[sgrinavi]

I know plenty of average ex-apple fans that like their Android devices. Some will switch back for sure, but I don't think it's going to spell disaster for the big Android manufacturers

 

[ControlD]

except i wasn't arguing anything - i was asking a question.

jesus christ some android guys get so butt hurt over anything apple. all 3 replies to a basic question i asked were people replying in a defensive manner.

Take it how ever you like.

Personally, I hope Apple sells a crap ton of the IP6/IP6+. Every new unit Apple sells gets me one step closer to retirement. Let the good times roll. I just think the whole "I have to have it NOW" thing is funny to see year after year.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Yeah, I'm past the tinkering stage too. My s3 is rooted and rommed but every time I get a freeze up or even a slight pause i think "damn it, I should be just sticking with stock because its more tested and bugs hammered out". And there is rarely anything I need to do anymore that requires a root...besides actually throwing a rom on there.

That's why I switched. I just got tired of rooting and ROMing just to find a decent one that was stock and with good battery life.

If I were to move back to Android it would have to be a Moto X or Nexus.

 

[Zaap]

The only thing that I'd want to adapt from the iPhone to my own phone is the lightning connector, and that certainly isn't enough to get me over how terrible iTunes is.

One of my wife's lightning connectors that's worked fine with no problems for months in the car just suddenly started reporting that it doesn't support charging and so refuses to. Just out of the blue. Wasn't a super cheap one either.

So far from my own experience with lightning connectors it's been BY FAR the worst connector type I've ever encountered, but I'm glad others enjoy them for whatever reason.

And "only good if you pay Apple more than a simple cable should cost" isn't a great design in my book, just the opposite.

 

[blairharrington]

Sadly, I may return to the world of iphone because I actually think iTunes is the best music management program I have used. And I think I've tried them all. I also like mediamonkey, but not as much.

ITunes. Lol. Upload your music to the cloud. Never manage your music locally ever again. Pin what you want for local storage.

OP, you are hilarious. IPhone 6 will eat into some Android sales in America. Kill? No. Absolutely not.

 

[vi edit]

That's one great thing about just about *any* brand but Apple. Universal support of micro USB. While I'm not a huge fan of the cable itself...it is universally supported by literally a billion devices. Pretty much any Android phone uses it. Windows Phone uses it. Tablets use it. Digital cameras use it. Kindles use it. I can use one cable to charge or hook up 8 different devices of a variety of brands and functions in my house.

 

[Commodus]

Pre-order? Yes.
Line? No.

Why? Because of a better distribution system where there isn't a limited number of stores with a small supply except the apple stores to drive up consumer demand through herd mentality. I certainly pre-ordered my G3 as well as my previous HTC EVO 4g LTE phone. I was excited to get both of them.

But your argument is very much a strawman tactic where long lines don't mean squat to the point of the original post.

You're making some assumptions that don't hold up, though.

First, this assumes that the supply levels are comparable, and that Apple is just shuffling the deck to make it seem like the iPhone is hot ticket item. Well... no, it's not. Apple just sold 10 million iPhones in one weekend -- that's more than many of its competitors sell in an entire quarter. The Galaxy S5 took 25 days to reach that figure. When you have that kind of demand and are virtually guaranteed to sell out of your initial inventory, you have to think about your retail allocation differently. Even Samsung rarely sees sellouts beyond its native South Korea, so it doesn't have to be as careful with inventory as Apple.

Moreover, Apple has a wide-reaching retail store network. Samsung, LG, HTC and others don't. That not only changes how you distribute your product, but the expectations for availability. Imagine if the Apple Store ran out of stock in 2 hours, but the Best Buy down the street had 500 units waiting. How frustrating would that be as a customer, and embarrassing for Apple?

The hype for the iPhone is certainly overblown at times, but don't think that other manufacturers are paragons of fairness and modesty. Samsung wants those lineups -- it regularly offers steep discounts and promos to create queues at the stores it does run, including pop-ups built around launches. It's just that these companies haven't captured the collective public interest in the way Apple has, whether it's merited or not.

 

[Chrono]

Doubt it. With the pricing of Android phones going lower and lower, more masses can afford Android devices versus the $650+ apple iphone devices out there. The amount of money Apple charges for their phones are outrageous.

 

[sze5003]

Doubt it. With the pricing of Android phones going lower and lower, more masses can afford Android devices versus the $650+ apple iphone devices out there. The amount of money Apple charges for their phones are outrageous.

Most people are buying on a contract anyway. Off contract either brand is expensive...of comparable value or better.

 

[Yuriman]

I'm not sure we can infer much from lines or a lack there of. A better question to ask, I think, is "What is the marketshare in devices in X pricerange?" It wouldn't surprise me if Apple sold more $600+ devices than all Android manufacturers put together.

Apple doesn't sell low-end devices though, so if looking to go with a carrier like Republic Wireless (where I can get unlimited everything for $25, or unlimited talk and text for $10 per month), I'm looking at a $100 Moto E, a $150 Moto G, or a $300 Moto X. There is no iPhone in this pricerange.

 

[HumblePie]

Wow....this is some next level ignorance man. You do know that Samsung sold 11 million Galaxy S5s in a month while Apple has sold 10 million iPhones 6s 3 days right?

No, just that there is more variety to pick from the android market, which is why android phones overall have a bigger market share and presence right now compared to apple. Which is a bit of the point that the OP was making that the new iPhone 6 is going to change the current market share dynamic.

There is better distribution and more variety of of android phones along with staggered releases that the iphone doesn't have a sole product. There are many brand loyal customers. The less variety there is in brands, the more brand loyal the customers become. You have Apple that makes basically 1 phone product and that is pitted against multiple product lines from many companies like Samsung, Sony, LG, HTC, Motorola, and others. Not to mention Window phone competition as well. So as a result there is going to naturally be a little demand per single android product as there would be for the iphones.

In the US iOS has a 41% market share as of Q2 2014 which is nothing to sneeze at. Android makes up 52% of the market share with Samsung having the largest portion of that at 27%. Mainly due to several successful product lines which is the Galaxy, Note, and other product lines. But that android space is in heavy competition.

Worldwide marketplace is a completely different picture. Apple is barely on the map for world sales with 11% of the market share there. 85% of that market and world wide sales is Android phones with Samsung again dominating there.

Apple demand is a local US thing, and that is in large part due to a rabid fanbase. Previous iPhone releases followed a similar trend of the majority of sales happening for the new device the day of. The difference in customer mentality, smaller selection of product lines, and smaller distribution chain are the reason why there is long waiting lines for the latest Apple phone on the day of release. But it also tends to play out faster. The sales are mostly all lumped up front as most of the sales are just upgrades for existing customers. The actual market share for Apple iPhones hasn't grown even with the current iPhone 6 release. Which means that iPhones aren't drawing in new customers from other platforms in droves.

Mistaking the zeal and actions of the current apple customers with the idea that Apple is gaining in popularity is just that. A mistake.

I am not saying here that Apple products are bad at all .The iPhone 6 is a great and usable phone. I know all the people that buy one are going to be very pleased with their purchase. I am happy for them. If Apple actually had gone further with their phone to include things that my G3 has, I might have held off for one and bought one. I didn't though because it just didn't do everything I want out of my phone yet. It is not the phone for me now. I don't have brand loyalty either as I've owned Samsung, LG, Nokia, Apple, and HTC. I go for the phone that is available, in my price range, and suits my needs. This time around it was the G3, who knows what the future holds.

Still, the point I want to reiterate, in rebuttal to the OP and the comments I was quoting, is that the initial sales of the iPhone 6 doesn't mean jack in proving that the iPhone 6 is the next messiah in the smart phone world here as the one phone to rule them all. Apple isn't going to see much of a market share increase by the end of this year in either the domestic market place, and certainly not abroad.

 

[Anubis]

That 20k limit alone may be enough to drive me away at this point. But, further research will need to be conducted.

its 20k songs or 200 gigs, whichever you hit first, its actually a ton of space considering its free

 

[Skurge]

Wow....this is some next level ignorance man. You do know that Samsung sold 11 million Galaxy S5s in a month while Apple has sold 10 million iPhones 6s 3 days right?
You don't understand what I am getting at and not sure why either. Samsung can keep improving their phone year after year but I think we have long past the point of that driving new phone purchases. The new Samsung phones has a QHD display, cool but is it really that different from the 1080p display used on previous Samsung phones? General consumers aren't going to keep buying new and powerful high end devices when previous ones do the same thing and certainly not when other companies offer similar specs for a cheaper price. You arguments were the exact same arguments people put forth for OEMs back in the late 90s early 2000s and looks where we are now.

Well you have to remember Samsung is one of the few companies willing to try crazy stuff till something catches on. They will also always be first cause the produce EVERYTHING in their phones and being first will always keep them ahead. Fordable phones and stuff.

 

[Commodus]

But it also tends to play out faster. The sales are mostly all lumped up front as most of the sales are just upgrades for existing customers. The actual market share for Apple iPhones hasn't grown even with the current iPhone 6 release. Which means that iPhones aren't drawing in new customers from other platforms in droves.

Mistaking the zeal and actions of the current apple customers with the idea that Apple is gaining in popularity is just that. A mistake.

It's demonstrably false that most iPhone sales are up front. Apple shipped 35 million iPhones just in the second quarter of the year, and that was considered a relative weak point; its highest sales rate was during the holidays (51 million), but it still sold 47 million iPhones in the quarter after that. Combined, it's fairly clear that the early adopters are the minority -- a significant minority, but not the primary drivers.

Also, how the hell do you know what the iPhone 6 has done for Apple's market share when it hasn't even been on shelves for a week? In short: you don't, because there's no data. All we have is Apple's "10 million sold in one weekend" number. It's going to be months before we know the real effect. The only sign that competitors are worried, so far, is that Samsung is apparently moving up the Note 4 release in Korea (according to the Korea Times) to prevent the iPhone 6 Plus from eating its lunch.

 

[master_shake_]

serious question - do android phones ever have lines and lines of people waiting to preorder and purchase them?

by using this sane logic

walmart must have the best returns ever because there are always hordes of people in line at walmart trying to return something.

 

[WelshBloke]

Are we still counting the 6 and 6+ as one phone? Isn't that like counting the S5 and note 4 as one phone?

 

[jpeyton]

The OP is spouting nonsense and everyone else knows it.

For the average user, a stock Android phone is just as good as an iPhone. My parents use stock GS4s and they are the least technical people I know.

 

[master_shake_]

Are we still counting the 6 and 6+ as one phone? Isn't that like counting the S5 and note 4 as one phone?

apple gotta move that goal post.

 

[purbeast0]

by using this sane logic

walmart must have the best returns ever because there are always hordes of people in line at walmart trying to return something.

what logic? i was asking a question. i wasn't inferring that because of these lines apple will kill android. i was simply asking if there was a device on android that generates this kind of buzz.

i even started in this thread that the op is an idiot.

but as expected, another butthurt person addressing it gets all defensive in his reply.

 

[HumblePie]

It's demonstrably false that most iPhone sales are up front. Apple shipped 35 million iPhones just in the second quarter of the year, and that was considered a relative weak point; its highest sales rate was during the holidays (51 million), but it still sold 47 million iPhones in the quarter after that. Combined, it's fairly clear that the early adopters are the minority -- a significant minority, but not the primary drivers.

Also, how the hell do you know what the iPhone 6 has done for Apple's market share when it hasn't even been on shelves for a week? In short: you don't, because there's no data. All we have is Apple's "10 million sold in one weekend" number. It's going to be months before we know the real effect. The only sign that competitors are worried, so far, is that Samsung is apparently moving up the Note 4 release in Korea (according to the Korea Times) to prevent the iPhone 6 Plus from eating its lunch.

Uh, speaking historically, the current sales figures don't show a huge increase over the last upgrade, thus it doesn't show a trend for conversions and thus gained market share.

Doom and gloom was claimed by apple fans with the release of the 5 as well. As it was with the 5, and the 4, it didn't happen. Apple didn't gain any significant market share despite record sales for them in a single day for their product on release day.

And yes, there is a huge up surge in phones for Apple sold on release day compared to any other time. Hence the words, record breaking. Apple has been increasing sales every year, but so has everyone else. This is still due to there being a large pool of people worldwide that doesn't own a smart phone yet, and just younger generations buying into the market place. Up surge in sales is spread out, and that includes Apple. They have been holding steady at about 12% growth rate for Apple per year in sales, but that is still trailing in the over all market growth rate.

The point being these opening sales figures don't mean jack nor shit right now in what the OP is claiming. In fact, most sales analysts are predicting less of a market share growth in the long term for iOS compared to Android or even Windows OS for the smart phone market. This is despite the great weekend of sales they had. Just because Apple isn't going to be king of the market place doesn't mean it's the pauper either. Apple has a great product line with a good market share. It will continue to retain such. Thinking otherwise is just stupid.

As for the statement I made earlier about most of the sales being upfront, I meant most of the rabid fan sales are all up front. Those with a true zeal for Apple are the ones making record release day sales. The rest wait for holiday shopping season as historical figures show.

 

[senseamp]

There is too much "Product X is product Y killer" hype nowadays.
You have to look at the underlying trends. A major trend in the phone industry is migration to no contract plans with unsubsidized phones. The removal of the subsidy market distortion is going to move the sweet spot for high spec phones from $600+ to $400. Apple can't go there because of the margins its investors expect.
Also, a 750p phone is considered mid range in Android space, not high end.

 

[master_shake_]

what logic? i was asking a question. i wasn't inferring that because of these lines apple will kill android. i was simply asking if there was a device on android that generates this kind of buzz.

i even started in this thread that the op is an idiot.

but as expected, another butthurt person addressing it gets all defensive in his reply.

im not the one going around asking loaded questions and then acting all innocent when an answer was given to a question that sorta sounded sarcastic to begin with.

 

[purbeast0]

im not the one going around asking loaded questions and then acting all innocent when an answer was given to a question that sorta sounded sarcastic to begin with.

i'm not asking any "loaded" questions about anything - i was asking a pretty fucking direct question. i don't think it could have been much clearer.

i'm sorry if mentioning it was a serious question as the first words in the post sounded sarcastic. not much else i can do about that. it's just the people getting all defensive and wanting to try and argue about nothing. happens on all forums on AT.