Is Apple Losing the Phone Wars?

[LogGrad98]

I ran across this article on Gizmodo:

https://gizmodo.com/heres-proof-of-apples-downward-fall-from-innovator-to-i-1710185505

Imitation in the tech world is normal, even expected, but during Apple’s developers conference Monday, Tim Cook and company were in rare form. They didn’t have much uniquely Apple to show off at all.

Instead, the company played some catch-up, packing in feature after feature of things we’ve already seen from Apple’s rivals, and in some cases, have been around for years in other operating systems. It’s a known Apple-ism. Take a piece of technology that exists, perfect it, and sell it with massive marketing muscle. Until now, Apple’s done well with that model with many even thinking they created the smartphone and mp3 player—only because it made them mainstream. But this year, nothing seemed like significant upgrades to existing apps and services, just replicas.

That’s not to say Apple doesn’t have plenty of original ideas worth stealing—they definitely do—but WWDC 2015 didn’t add to that impressive pool of innovation. Instead, it was all about imitation. At some point, it seems Apple made an important realization that Google is figuring out the future of mobile and how we interact with our gadgets through contextual apps, deep linking and multitasking. Apple was behind on all counts.

Apple dominated sales and popularity for a long time, but players like Samsung are really making inroads. In fact they are another facet of iPhone copying. Jobs once said that the largest phone any consumer would want was the size of the original iPhone, which was why they didn't change the screen size. Notice now Apple is chasing Samsung with larger and larger phones. Is Apple on a decline?

 

[Stoked]

Yes and no. Their market share is shrinking due to the rise of a viable rival in Samsung. But this is not the end of Apple, they will remain a top shelf phone and tablet producer.

 

[bluenote]

Yes and no. Their market share is shrinking due to the rise of a viable rival in Samsung. But this is not the end of Apple, they will remain a top shelf phone and tablet producer.

This. Plus they continue to build on the existing ecosystem (most recently with Apple Music which I am really enjoying BTW) making it more streamlined to use with other devices and making it more difficult to leave. I have a few friends that were Mac/Ipad users that switched to Samsung and ended up returning to Iphones because they missed the ease of connectivity between all of their devices.

Also, China has big momentum right now with the larger phones and new store openings...for the moment at least.

 

[ONE LOVE]

Samsung just came out with a new phone so naturally it may seem like they are doing better... but just wait until the next iteration of the iPhone come out.. the hype will start again IMO.

 

[Gameface]

I've never bought apple-anything.

I do love how people think Steve Jobs invented stuff. He didn't. He hardly even innovated anything.

 

[LogGrad98]

This. Plus they continue to build on the existing ecosystem (most recently with Apple Music which I am really enjoying BTW) making it more streamlined to use with other devices and making it more difficult to leave. I have a few friends that were Mac/Ipad users that switched to Samsung and ended up returning to Iphones because they missed the ease of connectivity between all of their devices.

Also, China has big momentum right now with the larger phones and new store openings...for the moment at least.

You did catch on that the other companies have had the same innovations for years before iOS9 was released, right? You wouldn't be missing anything.

 

[DutchJazzer]

I've never bought apple-anything.

I do love how people think Steve Jobs invented stuff. He didn't. He hardly even innovated anything.

lol like they think he invented tablets!

they suck,

 

[green]

It's ease of use or perceived ease of use. I'm fully engrossed in the apple culture. I have iPhone, Mac, Apple TV, iPad. Everything just works. From music to movies to streaming to sending stuff from my phone/laptop to the TV (which I'll do tonight with the RMR)...it just works. No tricks, no put file here then drag there...

The family is here visiting. They have a wide assortment of phones. All I hear is "I can't get this to work" and "I have to save my library here, then create..." And "this layout is so confusing" etc. They all group together to figure out how to make their phones work.

Now, we aren't a dumb bunch either. Out of 7 adults, there are two doctors, a speech pathologist, a hygienist, a cook, a banker and an electrician.

It's all about perception. Do you think I want to deal with that headache? I'm not married to apple, but why would I sacrifice ease of use for a new feature or two that no one can figure out how to use?

Anyways, my measily two cents.

 

[Dr. Jones]

This. Plus they continue to build on the existing ecosystem (most recently with Apple Music which I am really enjoying BTW) making it more streamlined to use with other devices and making it more difficult to leave. I have a few friends that were Mac/Ipad users that switched to Samsung and ended up returning to Iphones because they missed the ease of connectivity between all of their devices.

Also, China has big momentum right now with the larger phones and new store openings...for the moment at least.

This is me.

 

[Dr. Jones]

It's ease of use or perceived ease of use. I'm fully engrossed in the apple culture. I have iPhone, Mac, Apple TV, iPad. Everything just works. From music to movies to streaming to sending stuff from my phone/laptop to the TV (which I'll do tonight with the RMR)...it just works. No tricks, no put file here then drag there...

The family is here visiting. They have a wide assortment of phones. All I hear is "I can't get this to work" and "I have to save my library here, then create..." And "this layout is so confusing" etc. They all group together to figure out how to make their phones work.

Now, we aren't a dumb bunch either. Out of 7 adults, there are two doctors, a speech pathologist, a hygienist, a cook, a banker and an electrician walk into a bar.

It's all about perception. Do you think I want to deal with that headache? I'm not married to apple, but why would I sacrifice ease of use for a new feature or two that no one can figure out how to use?

Anyways, my measily two cents.

go on...

 

[green]

Actually, we are a lot dumber than we look. But you guys already realized that...

 

[Ron Mexico]

I have had smart phones since the Nokia Symbian phones that came out years before Apple or if you get technical the old Nokia 9000 series phones that came out a decade before. The only thing Apple has done well is making their products look cool and advertising/pushing them to make them trendy. Somehow they created a group of people who are willing to overpay for old technology and think that they are trend setters. Apple is the hipsters dream. You are getting something the majority of people have and you fit in with most people but still think you are the minority and smarter.

Having used android phones for awhile now, I tried to switch to an Iphone since one of my friends works high up for Apple. It was awful for me, nothing works as well. I really like the integration of everything via google. I fully understand once you are on the other side its the same issue though.

When push comes to shove when you are buying a new phone I cant justify spending $200 more for the same quality phone. If you take contracts out and are just buying a phone outright (which is what I do) Apple phones are always more expensive than the same quality phone.

I do own an I-pad but almost never use it. Mostly because there is no ad-block for I-pads. I dont know how anyone browses the internet without ad-block these days.

 

[Ron Mexico]

I will say that Apple isnt dying. They just barely overtook android for most users in the US. They has been more android users since 2012, although its really close and that number could have changed back since that happened around the Iphone 6 release in February.

 

[franklin]

Apple has never been in the phone war. 6% of the market... they're selective.

 

[Siro]

Apple has never been in the phone war. 6% of the market... they're selective.

Uh... no. They hold 37% of the market, and that's FAR more than any other single company. I gotta love the hilarious talk about "Apple dying" that has been going on since 2009, while they continue to break sales records one quarter after another.

 

[Siro]

 

[franklin]

Uh... no. They hold 37% of the market, and that's FAR more than any other single company. I gotta love the hilarious talk about "Apple dying" that has been going on since 2009, while they continue to break sales records one quarter after another.

The market isn't exclusive to USA. But yeah, I agree. If Apple gets in trouble they'll simply make a larger screen to piss on the competition with.

 

[Siro]

The market isn't exclusive to USA. But yeah, I agree. If Apple gets in trouble they'll simply make a larger screen to piss on the competition with.

The problem with considering global markets is the "unfairness" of some markets. For example, Android is dominant in China, but it comes without Google's services as the Chinese government doesn't allow services it doesn't control. Since Google does not manufacture phones, Android's dominance in China is utterly irrelevant to them.

You're not totally wrong about Apple's selectivity. They refuse to release mid-range or low-end phones because they're all about high margins. That means they tend to struggle in developing countries. Nonetheless, they still control 12% of the global market. And in terms of profits, they're still untouchable, globally or domestically.

https://www.businessinsider.com/android-ios-market-share-data-and-apples-iphone-6-2014-8

By the way, I do not own a single Apple product. I just like to stay grounded in reality.

 

[jimmy eat jazz]

I like Apple products. They are well-designed, high quality and easy to use. I've had few problems over the years with any Apple product I've owned, compared to the no end of problems I had for years using Windows and the ongoing issues my wife has with her Android phones. I know, anecdotes, but I've no reason to switch. I am a fully satisfied Apple customer.

I just bought the Apple watch and am really liking it. I usually don't guy gadgets and and am not an early adopter for other electronic products. But I like watches, and I like the functionality of the Apple watch. No more wearing watch AND Fitbit. I'll concede it's a bit of a toy, but (damnit) I wanted one, so I got it. So far so good.

 

[LogGrad98]

I was actually kind of referring more to the innovation tipping point. For a while there the other companies were chasing Apple in terms of features, now Apple falling further and further behind the curve for new features, and struggling to catch up, releasing as "new" features that have been around in other phones for half a decade.

https://www.statista.com/statistics...evice-sales-by-vendor-since-1st-quarter-2008/