
Google Android Outsells Apple iPhone In The U.S.  - jacquesm
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/05/10/businessinsider-android-iphone-sales-2010-5.DTL
======
drewcrawford
As a developer, I don't care about hardware marketshare--I care about the
mindshare of people willing to buy apps.

In particular, the iPhone has trained peoople to buy apps at $0.99. Crappy
price, but at least they're buying. Android revenues are low compared to the
iPhone in spite of their marketshare--the top apps are something like
400-500/day according to the developers I've talked to. You can make a living
at it, but you can't (yet) start hiring comfortably.

Wake me up when the app market is competitive with the iPhone.

~~~
yason
And since when being conditioned to buy apps has been associated with good or
desired phone ownership?

~~~
catch23
Higher chance of having better apps. Games don't really survive in a low-
profit environment -- graphics/sounds/assets costs money usually. There aren't
a lot of great open source games.

------
drawkbox
One thing people forget in this is the handheld that is not a phone. 60+% of
Apple's market is the iPod Touch and now iPad as an addition. Until Android
has a good handheld that is not a phone and a pad then it won't match.

66% of devices in Apple's eco are iPod Touches who buy 50% of the apps. The
app market is still Apple and will be for a short while yet. Granted Apple is
silly not to sell on other carriers, but iPhone is only half the picture when
it comes to development.

[http://metrics.admob.com/2010/02/january-2010-mobile-
metrics...](http://metrics.admob.com/2010/02/january-2010-mobile-metrics-
report/)

~~~
notauser
In the UK the iPhone is now selling on at least three of the big four
carriers. (I think the missing one is T-Mobile.)

You can even get an iPhone on Tesco Mobile, which is a bit like seeing a
WalMart branded one! (Tesco is an MVNO for one of the big networks.)

For the US market I suspect that the reason they don't sell on other networks
is because Apple doesn't want to make a non-GSM version and no other GSM
carrier is big enough to be worth losing AT&Ts full marketing support.

~~~
roc
US sales are definitely a direct reflection of AT&Ts iPhone exclusivity.

Last quarter was essentially the first time Verizon had really good Android
phones on offer. And the market of people who choose network first has been
starved for a really good consumer smartphone.

Congratulations are due to HTC and Google; the Incredible is a great phone.
But I don't think anyone believes this is a market result of Android vs
iPhone.

------
dejb
Is it too early to start saying "I told you so" yet?

~~~
stanleydrew
I'm going to hold off on the taunting until Android sales beat iPhone + iPod
Touch + iPad, which could still be awhile. But oh I will be taunting so so
much when that time comes.

~~~
jrockway
Why is this relevant? iPods and iPads have nothing to do with cell phones,
except that Apple happens to use the same OS for all three.

~~~
cubicle67
It's relevant if you're selling apps

~~~
jrockway
In that case, you want to target Windows and Blackberry instead of OS X and
iPhone OS.

("NDP Group’s smartphone survey placed the iPhone with 21%, Android platform
with 28%, and Blackberry with 36%.")

~~~
cubicle67
er, is that a serious comment or sarcasm?

------
thethimble
I'm a big Android fan but I'm also a realist. The reason for shrinking iPhone
sales is the public waiting for the next iteration of the phone. Nobody wants
a handset that's obsolete in a month. Show me these numbers in June.

~~~
vetinari
You are overestimating how mainstream cares for new models. iPhone is (or at
least was) status symbol and personal toy, people don't care much for
technical specification or hardware generations.

For example, see how well 3G was selling after 3GS was introduced.

~~~
0x44
The 3G continued selling well after the 3GS was introduced because Apple
lowered the price to $99 with contract.

~~~
vetinari
It continued to sell well outside US too.

------
studioprisoner
I'd like to see the results of sales in Australia, since the iPhone is pretty
much on every major carrier over here. As the article states, Verizon had that
buy-one-get-one-free deal, that would definitely push sales up. And when they
have Android on a handset on all carriers that helps as well. All more reason
for Apple to drop ATT as an exclusive carrier. Join the rest of the world and
get it on all carriers.

~~~
nhooey
They don't have an offering on Verizon and some others because they don't have
a CDMA version of the phone. With the networks soon moving to whatever 4G is,
there's not much point in Apple making a CDMA phone now.

~~~
jrockway
4G is not really a replacement for CDMA. You don't need a 10/1Mbps connection
to send highly-compressed voice, and even as 4G is rolled out, the networks
are not going to decommission their 3G equipment. (Consider GSM, where you
have HSDPA/UMTS, EDGE, and GSM all as the "same network". WiMax will
supplement CDMA, not replace it. And I assume the idea is to move bulk
bandwidth from CDMA to WiMax so that the CDMA network has more call capacity.)

------
pkaler
Quoting NPD Group's online survey as fact is highly suspect. Take a read of
the methodology in the original press release.
<http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_100510.html>

NPD trades surveys for sweepstakes. They are the Zynga of market research.
Take a look at what survey respondents say by reading the comments here:
<http://www.imreportcard.com/other/npd-online-research>

~~~
qq66
One of the cleverest survey questions I saw was in a bunch of questions asking
for a 1-10 response, "How many eggs in a half dozen?" thus weeding out all the
people who are just clicking through the survey randomly for a sweepstakes
award. (or those too ignorant to know what a half dozen is)

~~~
ryandvm
But ignorant people spend money too.

------
pedalpete
Not knowing much about the Verizon buy-one-get-one deal, does that mean that
their are actually only 1/2 as many android and blackberry phones sold last
quarter that are in use?

~~~
kgermino
No because the free phones would still be in use, but the person using it may
not have gotten a Android/RIM phone if not for the deal.

Example: A father has a smartphone from work. His wife likes using it to check
her e-mail, use apps, etc. so when they buy new phones they buy a smart phone
for her to use. If there is no b1g1 than their teenager would have just gotten
a regular phone but because of the deal they have an extra "free" smartphone
that they give to him/her to use.

~~~
usaar333
So free it costs $30 a month to use?

~~~
lallysingh
Ha! You're confusing logic and human behavior.

------
pstevensza
The iPhone has been out for years and encompasses a single device from a
single manufacturer. Sales to date prove the success. Android is shiny and
new, any handset manufacturer can slap it onto their collection of plastic and
glass. I'd be more worried if Android as a phone OS wasn't outselling iPhone.

------
Kilimanjaro
In other news, Ford Focus is outselling BMW X5, who wulddathunk?

------
c00p3r
Android is a platform, like Linux for server market, so you can do anything,
while iPhone OS is a totally restricted, proprietary business ecosystem, and
you must obey the rules.

~~~
yardie
Android is a platform, iPhoneOS is a platform. Android is an open ecosystem,
iPhoneOS is a vertically integrated, proprietary ecosystem.

FTFY

~~~
c00p3r
How could I modify or add some new functionality to IPhoneOS kernel?

------
ihodes
In other news, McDonalds sells more burgers than many better places. Mmm.

------
jqueryin
Although true, this is seemingly biased as Android usage spans a plethora of
phones whereas the iPhone is a singular phone on a singular carrier. It's a
very tough comparison to make. This would be similar to comparing the number
of copies of a single book being sold under one publisher to the entirety of
O'Reilly book sales. Kudos for even coming close.

Side note: I do not own a single mac product. No biases.

~~~
tghw
Although true, this is seemingly biased as Android usage spans a plethora of
phones whereas the iPhone is a Cingular phone on a Cingular carrier.

FTFY

~~~
jqueryin
The funny thing is I actually meant SINGULAR, not the company formerly known
as cingular =)

~~~
tghw
I know, I was just having some fun. :)

