A fascinating difference in smartphone buying behaviour got highlighted today. In the US, Apple has double the market share of its nearest competitor, Samsung. However, in The Netherlands, the swamp I call home, the situation is completely reversed; Apple sits at 10% of the smartphone market, Samsung at 19.6%. Is this indicative of Europe as a whole? Could German, French, Polish, British, Spanish, Italian, etc. readers give local information from their own countries? I'm intrigued.
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2011-05-12
Now I understand why The Netherlands is plural: there are several and you live in another one than me. :-p
People pick Android phones because they are cheap, appear to be cheap or are part of some kind of offer. People want them because they can Internet with it and send Whatsapp messages. Notice how "Android" is often omitted in advertising, it's not a selling point.
iPhones are sold to the same people, but also to (a lot of) people who want an iPhone because of what it can do (which is more than surfing and sending messages). This would probably explain why iPhone users are actual users and not just owners like most Android owners are who just want a phone.
Member since:2005-06-29
I think Android is not part of the marketing because people don't care about the operating system or the software. For a company like Apple, this should scare them to death. Android and iOS are good enough - iOS by no means has any serious advantages anymore.
This poses a serious problem for Apple, as companies like Samsung and HTC can iterate much faster than Apple can. The discrepancies between flagship iOS/Android phones is only going to increase even further - something I already predicted 2 years ago, and was laughed away for by the Apple faithful.
Normal people don't give a rat's ass about what software their phones run. They go into a store, hold up a few phones, and pick what they like, software be damned. There are people like you and I who do, but we are a minority.
It absolutely baffles me how people still beat the "Android only wins because it's cheap"-argument when the most popular Android phones are virtually always as expensive as, or often even more expensive, than iPhones. This argument is so old and clearly factually wrong I don't understand why people continue to spread it.
Edited 2012-07-14 14:08 UTC
Member since:2009-05-19
Then people "want" an iPhone because it has a shiny Apple logo on the back. iPhone is no less on offer than any top of the line Android device.
It is a selling point, but it's a selling point when people get in to the store. Advertising omits Android only because the OEMs are building a brand.
Member since:2012-07-16
You are so right MOS6510. I also live in the Netherlands but I also don't recognize Tom's story. I see iPhone's waaay more than Samsung's. At least by a factor 2:1. And also his "people regard Samsung as quality" is also a statement that I don't recognize. I really never have heard anyone saying that!
Member since:2010-11-06
Member since:2005-07-06
Your linked article takes in account all Samsung smartphone sales, that includes phones way cheaper than Apple phones.
I can only speak about Italy and Spain, that's what I know very well, and iPhone 4S is a luxury phone there. Everybody wants one, but they're expensive. Samsung phones are popular, anybody can buy a Samsung.
BTW If you want to compare only higher market Samsung options, here are the prices in Italy:
iPhone 4S 16gb libero -> 600 euros
Galaxy S2 16gb libero -> 300 euros
iPhones are the most expensive phones hands down.
I live in Buenos Aires and It's exactly the same. Samsungs are immensely popular because they're cheap. Everybody wants an iPhone, but common people can't afford it.
Edited 2012-07-14 22:38 UTC
Member since:2009-05-19
A) GSG2's price is about 400Eur in Italy, not 300. It's also no longer the highest market device.(Unless you've been living in a cave)
B) Older devices get their prices cut, how much is SGS3? Oh yeah... Prices range from 520 to 700! While iPhone4S goes from 499 to 700. Looks like they are in the same range to me.
Member since:2012-07-15
Member since:2005-06-29
Member since:2012-07-16
I hate to disagree but I really don't know anybody that says that. Samsung is definitely regarded as "inferior" as opposed to the iPhone. So it clearly has to do with the circles you're in. Mine only does iPhone. Occasionally I see something else but usually it's iPhone, iPhone, iPhone.
The third and final WWDC product I want to talk about is - of course - OS X 10.9 Mavericks. While iOS 7 was clearly the focus of this year's WWDC, its venerable desktop counterpart certainly wasn't left behind. Apple announced OS X 10.9 Mavericks, the first OS X release not to carry the name of a big cat.
We already talked about iOS 7 yesterday (after a night of sleep, it's only looking worse and worse - look at this, for Fiona's sake!), so now it's time to talk about the downright stunning and belly flutters-inducing new Mac Pro. As former owner and huge, huge, huge fan of the PowerMac G4 Cube - I haven't been this excited about an Apple product since, well, I would say the iMac G4. This is the Apple I used to love.
Apple held its big keynote event thing at WWDC earlier this evening, but since I was away with friends I've had to read up on it later in the evening. The company announced iOS 7, OS X 10.9 Mavericks, and they gave a preview of the new Mac Pro. Especially the Mac Pro impressed me, and while iOS 7's new Holo/Metro-inspired theme looks messy and garish to me, I do commend Apple for finally breaking the mold. This news item will focus on iOS 7 - I'll dive into the Mac Pro and OS X 10.9 tomorrow (it's late here now).
And yes, the PRISM scandal is far, far from over. More and more information keeps leaking out, and the more gets out, the worse it gets. The companies involved have sent out official statements - often by mouth of their CEOs - and what's interesting is that not only are these official statements eerily similar to each other, using the same terms clearly designed by lawyers, they also directly contradict new reports from The New York Times. So, who is lying?This story is getting bigger and bigger. Even though most Americans probably already knew, it is now official: the United States government, through its National Security Agency, is collecting the communications and data of all American citizens, and of non-Americans using American services, through a wide collaboration with the large companies in technology, like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and so on. Interestingly enough, the NSA itself, as well as the US government, have repeatedly and firmly denied this massive spying on Americans and non-Americans took place at all.Ah, patents - the never-ending scourge of the technology industry. Whether wielded by companies who don't actually make any products, or large corporations who abuse them because they can't compete in the market place or because they're simply jerks, they do the industry a huge disservice and are simply plain dangerous. According to The Wall Street Journal (circumvention link), president Obama is about to take several executive actions to address patent trolls - which may seem like a good idea, but I am very worried that all this will do is strengthen the positions of notorious patent system abusers such as Apple and Microsoft.
With version 13.05, the developers of the Genode OS Framework take measures to ensure that Genode continues to scale well with a growing number of users and the steadily broadening platform coverage. Further highlights are the improved SoC support for Exynos 5, OMAP4, Raspberry Pi, i.MX, and new components for realizing headless systems.At the D11 conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook once again took the stage to be interviewed by Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. While most of the interview can be replicated by picking and reading 10 random Apple fanblog stories - there were still a number of very interesting things that warrant some closer scrutiny.
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Member since:
2005-06-29
This is nonsense, at least in The Netherlands. iPhone 3GS/4/4S are just as expensive as Samsung's smartphone lineup. People regularly forget that the 3GS is *free*, and heck, even the iPhone 4 is free on contract now - with 2-year, 20-30 EUR/m contracts. Heck, the SIII is more expensive than the iPhone 4S!
Really, the pricing argument no longer holds. Samsung is beating Apple not because they're cheaper, but because people perceive them as *better*.