News

Analyst Claims iPhone 5 Will Be Kiss of Death for Android

177

We heard this one before, back when the iPhone 4 was first announced for Verizon: the carrier’s current smartphone subscribers would abandon their Android handsets for Apple’s phone after years of settling for less. As it turns out, that wasn’t quite the case. But if you’re wrong once, why not make the same prediction again and hope that it might come true this time. That’s what Needham analyst Charlie Wolf believes, anyway. After pinpointing a 3 percentage point drop-off in Android’s US market share in March following the release of the iPhone 4, Wolf claims that Android is only set to lose more ground.

His argument is based more on speculation than fact, but Wolf predicts the real damage will be done with the launch of the iPhone 5 concurrently on AT&T and Verizon. Why? Because Verizon subscribers knew better than to purchase an iPhone 4 mere months before the launch of Apple’s next-gen version of the smartphone. Yep, come then we will surely see most of Verizon’s Android users abandon their Google phones leading to the greatest decline in market share ever seen for a platform that saw tremendous growth in 2010.

We can’t deny that the release of the iPhone on Verizon’s CDMA network has had an effect on the smartphone market, but Android still holds nearly 50 percent to Apple’s 30 percent. Apple stands to gain more ground from floundering competitors such as RIM, not from Google’s platform. To think most Android users are simply biding their time until the right moment to pick up an iPhone just seems a bit silly. But it’s all speculation for now. Let’s revisit these figures when the iPhone 5 launches this fall.

[via Fortune]

Kevin Krause
Pretty soon you'll know a lot about Kevin because his biography will actually be filled in!

Updated eBay App Lets You Create Listings from Your Android Phone

Previous article

HTC EVO 3D Available Now as Pre-Order for Sprint Premier Customers

Next article

You may also like

177 Comments

  1. Yeah, no… I’m not switching. Apple can’t compete with Nexus S running CM7. Android openness FTW.

    1. “Wolf claims that Android is only set to lose more ground”
      Wait for the Galaxy SII to be released and then we will see who will lose more groud

  2. lame

  3. Some people just like a dumbed down UI. Those people choose iPhone. I will never buy an iPhone for that reason alone. I feel I have a nut ton more control over my Android phone than I ever would with an iPhone. Android gives you the ability to have choice with just about everything (customization wise)…iPhone gives you some but it’s fairly limited still, imo
    (this comment has nothing to do w/ features of iOS…strictly talking about the overall interface)

  4. Only reason Android’s market share is 50% is because the big variety of devices along with the variety of carriers.

    1. In other words, a better business model.

    2. exactly 50% because it offers choice to fit the needs of the consumer.

      1. I agree not the same old device for everyone model.

    3. if Apple wanted more customers then they should open iOS to other manufacturers too.

      1. I’d wager that Apple gets more customers every day, just like Android does. I don’t really think they need third party manufacturer help to get more devices out there. Now, I’d be kinda interested to see what’d happen if HP licensed out WebOS, kinda like how MS is hooking up with Nokia for WP7.

    4. Uhm, which was precisely the intention…

    5. So, my question to you is….is choice a good thing or a bad thing?

      1. Choice is good. Take for example my carrier, Sprint. The only choice you have there is Android or Android. Oh, they did just recently get ONE WP7 phone. 

        I want to see more WP7 and WebOS phones (and to see iPhone on all carriers). Then people will really have choices.  

  5. Obviously an analyst who doesn’t follow the market very well.  Half of Android’s appeal is the fact that it’s not from Apple.  The fact that it’s awesome is just icing on the cake.

    1. Yup…just like the iPhone 4 going to Verizon was gonna be the death of Android….

      And if it wont be the iPhone 5….it will be the iPhone 6. And if not the iPhone 6, it will be the iPhone 7…

      Wait a min….has Android finally arrived??? The iPhone 4 and 5 is  the…..wait for it…..wait for it…. ANDROID KILLERS???? OMG!!!  lol

      But analyst and iPhone folks act like Google is just gonna up and stop trying to make Android better. Like ppl predicting WP7 is gonna knock Android out the race….as long as Android keep improving, and the hardware keeps getting better….Android will be fine.

      The only things that can kill Android is if they stop improving…or if Google gets sued into oblivion for Android.

      One more thing….no mention of the iPhone also losing 1% in that same span? That figures…

      http://www.phonearena.com/news/Android-lost-market-share-in-the-U.S.-last-month-according-to-Nielsens-smartphone-survey_id19193

      1. lol oh how the tables have turned! :D

      2. That is hilarious. “Android Killer”.that’s a term I could get used to. If Apple really wanted to destroy Android, they should put this in their phones http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ngbBKQuaGU

        Great article, by the way, Kevin Krause!

      3. “Android killer”  Oh, the tables have indeed turned!  You do make one very relevant point.  Google is not going to sit and do nothing.  Android is not static.  Google continues to improve it and with Ice Cream Sandwich they are moving towards unifying the OS for all devices, something that should help developers. 

    2. Or the Sprinkles on the ICECREAM?  

    3. These iTard opinions are like politics.  These people must be right because if they are not their whole world view will come crashing down around them.  I am looking forward to it.  iTards really do not understand how anyone cannot like iStuff.

  6. Charlie Wolf is just as wrong as that old fart that predicted that the world was coming to an end on may 21, now he is saying that is actually on October 21, hahahaha.

    1. The world is going to end dude had a heart attack.

  7. I wonder what the killer new feature in iPhone 5 will be.  Perhaps the ability to make phone calls?

    1. Don’t be silly. iPhones don’t need to make calls because they can do about everything else! If you add a working phone function it will stop them from buying their awesomely priced apps! And plus they wouldn’t spoiled their customers that much!

      1. They can’t add the phone function. It’s banned from Appstore for trying to duplicate features of original iPhone.

    2. Don’t be silly.  It’s the new notification system that will kill Android! (sarcasm)

    3. Didn’t you see the earth shattering features of iOS 5? 

      I mean they have tight Twitter integration, Pull down Notifications, and now you don’t need your PC (Mac) for updates…. 

      These are miraculous, stupendous, astonishing, remarkable features, what… Android has those already?? NEVER MIND!

      1. Only I can make Jobs-esque (almost gay sounding) adjectives to describe (make fun of) iphone. YOU GOT THAT PUNK!!!! 

        I’m just messing with ya man.

  8. Honestly Apple has nothing left, i mean the iPhone is a decent device. But i highly doubt it will do anything to Android. The iPhone 5 is just going to be the iP4 with a dual core processor, NFC chip, and maybe a couple of other things that no one cares about.

    C’mon Apple it’s time to play catch up. Lol.

    1. Apple make great devices – then cock them up with stupid limitations.

  9. Steve Jobs is the heart and soul of Apple, the man can’t live forever. Open source is the heart and soul of Android, that can go on for as long as there’s phones.

    1. He has cancer.

      1. as much as i dislike apple i really hope steve jobs gets better. he kickstarted the entire smartphone revolution. without competition from the iphone android may not have got so awesome so quickly

        1. He wont… give it less than a year based on his current frail state.   APple stocks will plummet.

          1. I’m a big proponent of Android, but to turn this into hoping Steve Jobs dies is a sign of complete disconnect from reality. Really!?….hoping Jobs doesn’t recover from his cancer because you don’t agree with his business approach? Disagree with his business approach, but remember he is a real person just like the rest of us.

            I think it will be a very sad day when Steve Jobs can no longer lead Apple or worse, dies.

          2. Wait… did you actually read what you responded to? Nobody’s hoping the man dies. Well, at least nobody in this thread. One or two of the commenters here have callously stated that he doesn’t have long, but nobody has said anything about wanting him to die. 

            Predicting that he is unlikely to recover and that Apple will not be the same without him is not the same as wishing him dead.

          3. if you actually read the comments no one is hoping that he dies, they are merely stating that it is inevitable. 

            this is actually news to me, i had no idea he was even sick. 

        2. It is unlikely he will get better since he has advanced pancreatic cancer.  I think it is remarkable that he continues to appear on stage but his health is not improving.  I don’t wish the man any harm, but this is reality.  Sadly, for Apple, Jobs is the brains of the company.  Once he is gone, chances are Apple is not going to stay where it is for long.  The stockholders are already taking note of this and Apple stock has been decreasing steadily.

  10. “Verizon subscribers knew better than to purchase an iPhone 4 mere months
    before the launch of Apple’s next-gen version of the smartphone.”

    The majority of customers don’t know about the iPhone 5’s launch, and besides they only want an iPhone because they see friends with it and think it’s sexy. Those people bought the iPhone 4, and the very different white iPhone 4 when it launched.

    If you held off because of the iPhone 5 launch chances are you know a thing or two about phones, and you realize iOS is a fisher price platform.

    Not going to happen.

    1. I mocked a coworker to her face for waiting on an White IPhone 4, and then covering it up with a white case. I guess I was wrong. If she was a tool she would have just bought both. I should go apologize.

      1. You showed her who the better person was.

    2. My thoughts exactly.  I think the vast majority of iPhone users don’t care about hardware specs or network speeds or the next best thing that’s coming down the pike.  They’re just interested in owning a status symbol.

      The staunch supporters on both sides of this aisle are very different people, like Republicans and Democrats.  So long as the two ideologies exist, there will always be a need for both kinds of phones.

      1. Amen, amen.

        Case in point: Many iPhone users think their phone is a 4G device simply because it’s the iPhone 4.

        1. Many Android users think their handset is a 4G device because the manufacturer and/or carrier has falsely told them it was. What’s your point?

          1. At least when people say “Inspire 4G” or “Evo 4G” the “4G” is actually referring to the network speed, even though it’s not really 4G.
            I know AT&T and Sprint are running souped-up 3G networks they brand as 4G, and this is a totally different another matter altogether.

            My point is that people say “iPhone 4G” all the time, “G” meaning “generation”, though misinterpreted as a data transmission speed.

  11. So… Let’s talk again when Ice Cream Sandwich comes out :)

  12. Also loving my phone running CM7, not switching now. 

  13. I’m sure the iPhone 5 will sell very well but I don’t see it affecting Android’s market share by much. It might take a hit for a short while but Android will bounce back given the wider variety of devices available. Also, Android has the jump on the iPhone in terms of “4G” services, which will be an advantage for the green team unless Apple decides to jump to 4G with the iPhone 5.

    Hey look, I can make predictions based on nothing as well!

  14. From: Android to apple, thank you for the opportunity!! but we take it from here,  Android.

  15. I’m not that kinky.  Also, the iPhone is incompatible with my, um, errrr, “hardware”.

    1. With enough silicon lubricant, we’ll make it fit!

      1. That should be Apple’s new ad slogan.

        Glad I use Android.

    2. I think Apple has an adapter for that!

      1. only $99,999

  16. in my opinion iphone 5 will sell why because it well know what other people have people want.. i love android no doubt about it but apple does offer things that android cant. if an iphone was to be release better than the 4 meanining bigger screen thinner i will problably jump ships but then again nexus 3 comes out ill problably jump back lol idk

    1. “apple does offer things that android cant” 

      such as ? care to elaborate ? 

      1. The deathgrip

        1. A malware-free app store

      2. come on silly..its got itunes and the appstoresorry.im going to laugh so hard..apple really stucks

  17. I’ve seen stories of people who had Android phones on Verizon, then switched to the iPhone when it came out, and very shortly thereafter went back to Android.  Will there be solid sales of the iPhone 5?  Yes.  Will it obliterate Android?  Not even close.

    1. Well no shit, if you want to compare one fucking phone to an entire platform. You can bet the iPhone 5 will sell better than any single Android phone.

      1. Thats what the analyst did, compare one phone to an entire platform.  So why bite his head off for responding to the article?  I’m pretty sure you know the one phone vs. a platform argument is garbage anyways.  Apple chooses to just make one phone at a time in a more vertically integrated distribution model, but that doesn’t make it any less of a platform.

        1. the point is, people CHOOSE Android over Apple.    For the most part, smart phones are sold side by side.  With all the hype and the halo of the iPhone, people still choose something else.    That’s something Apple fanbois refuse to believe when talking about “well, Apple only sells one phone while android has many, so of course they’d sell more”.   You want want you want, regardless of how many other flavors there are.

          1. I thought there were 2 iPhones… White and Black…. Did I miss something? Wait you’re telling me they’re the same thing? Why did I buy both….

          2. Because choice is bad….unless that choice is the iPhone….. then choice is good. Didnt you get the memo?

            Choice was a good thing when the iPhone launched. It was unknown and ppl CHOSE it. Now that there is another choice for a phone…..all of a sudden choice is bad…when its not the iPhone…

          3. That’s not necessarily true. Certainly, there are many individuals who’ve researched the matter and choose Android as their preferred platform, but there is a huge market of individuals for whom the decision is made at the point of sale, by a carrier representative. With that said, Apple has been at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to this ‘side by side’ scenario you reference, in that Verizon has for a long while pushed Android aggressively to its customers, a practice that no doubt continues today. Also, in 2 of the 4 big carriers, there has been no comparison available as iPhone is not offered on T-Mo or Sprint.

            If either of the speculations that Apple will expand carrier availability or, better yet, eschews them entirely with an unsubsidized penta-band offering through their retail outlet turn out to be true, I think you’ll see a fairer illustration of what consumers’ true choice is.

          4. Outside the US this doesn’t hold up and its the same tend. And lets try to keep stories straight here. According to the Apple faithful there were supposed to be many peoples pecifically waiting for the iPhone on Verizon. Many were also supposed to have only bought Android because there was no iPhone. Noe people dont know what they want and Android is just forced on them?

      2. Why this argument every time, you can compare Android to iOS, just because apple have decided that one phone is their entire platform doesn’t make any difference to what the comparison is. Android will outsell iOS, simple.

        1. Are you serious?

          Before early this year, the iPhone was only available on one network, and now two. Android is on every network. iPhone is sold at one price point. Android has numerous price points. 

          To see the iPhone even have that kind of market share being a luxury item which is limited in availability network wise is tremendous. 

          You cannot compare the two. But I wouldn’t expect you to know any better. Most of the people on phandroid are completely clueless regarding anything and all they argue is 

          “OMG aPPLE SUXORS STEVE JOBZ IS A LOSER. GOOGLE DOESNT CONTROL MY MIND JUST ALL MY DATA”

          1. first point.  google put android on as many phones as they could to reach as many people as they could.  this seems like smart business sense to me.  limiting my product to one device on one network doesn’t, no matter what i was paid for the exclusivity.

            it is pretty good.  imagine if they had rolled it out to multiple carriers?

            you state you cannot compare the two, and yet you have done just that.

            ahhhh.  nothing like factbait to bring out the trollz…

          2. Is the 50 dollar 3GS also a luxury item?

            Just like your last argument, the two carriers vs all carriers argument doesn’t hold any water either.  Do you think TMobile and Sprint have no interest in the iPhone?  Apple chose to sign an exclusive agreement.  They chose to not work with existing phone manufacturers.  Their situation in the market is of their own making.  

            The bottom line is this:  the majority of people buying smart phones today are buying Androids.  You can dress it up however you want, but based on the best statistics we have available that is the current situation.  All these arguments: the one phone vs a platform, the two of four carriers argument, the luxury argument; they are all very tired at this point.  

          3. Actually, the iPhone is available from over 200 carriers Worldwide. And still, Android manage to be more popular.

          4. Shhh!! When you bring this very good and factual point….it makes pro Apple, iPhone folks rack their brains coming up with another excuse…

            I guess for some reason, some ppl think the iPhone and Android is only sold in the US.

          5. And people told the iFools over and over to look at Europe as an example of what would happen with the Verizon iPhone and they wouldn’t listen. Head to head Android wins. Does t matter if it on many Ohio es. Every person has the opportunity to purchase either an iPhone or an Android phone and poeple choose Android by a large margin. In other words people will more often pick ANY Android phone over an iPhone.

          6. just a point to throw out there… you are only looking at the US market which is quite small in comparison to the rest of the world and their market share. Take Canada for example, the iphone is on every single major carrier in Canada and Android is still winning! so dont play this “its only cause its on 2 carriers” (fyi, the two biggest carriers by far)…

            You also state “you cannot compare them” just a note, all you apple fanboys had no problem comparing when you were leading the market share some time ago….
            just sayin

        2. Agree they always complain android has so many phones. WHose fault is that? You want to compare OS’s then dont get mad when you dont win (phone sales) I mean the gs2 blew the iphone away with sales and it didnt even come to the us yet. Come on just because apple copied all of the android things that have been around for awhile you think it will make people jump ship? Some isheep will but both will continue on just how they have been.

      3. Since Android launched, its grown right? What does that mean? As time went on, ppl tried Android and word spread that it was a decent OS, overall experience.

        Just like when the iPhone launched….

        At the same time, as time went on Win Mo started falling off the map.

        And if you wanna say BOGO, penny deals is the reason why Android grew….please explain why BOGO and penny deals didnt help Palm, Black Berry and the old Win Mo…if many phones on many carries is the reason for Android’s success, why didnt that help the 3 I just mentioned?

        If the iPhone can launch, be an unknown and make a name for itself, why cant Android?

        Why is it that some ppl cant seem to give Android credit, when it did the exact same thing the iPhone did, only with more phones? It came outta nowhere and made a name for itself…

    1. In all fairness, I’d kill to have any of my stocks listed at $315 a share… 

      1. Get Google Stock

      2. Of course!  Who wouldn’t?  But the point is that stockholders are starting to get concerned about Apple’s future if Jobs isn’t at the seat.

    2. WOW, Everyone at Apple is worried about there future and not concerned with the current product cycle. Amazin

  18. Iphone will be crap like all iphones (except the first one) before it…
    Even when Iphone 3G was released HTC hero and Magic where kind of fine…I took Iphone 3g at that time and I believe it was a BIG BIG MISTAKE, now 3 years latter Iphone is the same as it was before yeah with better camera, better CPU, better flash support (kidding), and more buttons (ops no more buttons ) .
    Anyway at the meantime the Android have done some HUGE things really … I will never change my Android phone for something which is not an android phone.
    Or I will take Iphone 5 only if Iphone runs on top of Android OS.

    Anyway it will be more likely to switch to something like WebOS instead to go back to the Iphone camp. Apple is no longer a a company which makes inventions which makes something new .. no this days Apple are just trying to catch the others they are not the first who have NFC chip they dont have google wallet they even dont have any good service ( except Itunes which is dont know how many years old). Apple are not experimenting not leading anything.

    I believe all people who like Apple and Iphone and Mac are just very sad that they give 3 times the money that this “crap” should cost and they just want to denied that they got fcuked so … they have to be happy that they can say YEAHH I AM COOL YOU SEE I CAN SEND MESSAGES ! OUU I SEE YOUR FACE ON MY PHONE LIKE WHEN I WAS YOUNG WITH MY NOKIA PHONE XXX YEARS AGO VIDEO CALL IS SO FUN

  19. Not even in consideration without 4GLTE. 

  20. I dont listen to these analyst, period, regardless of what they have to see. Whether positive or negative, its usually wrong and even baseless.

  21. Iphone will not kill Android .. Android will not kill Iphone … They both will last for a while… until some other great innovation in the mobile world comes along.   I’m not talking about Windows Phone 7.  It has to be something innovative that changes the way people operate with a mobile handset.  Could be software .. could be hardware

    1. good point totally agree. I remember when android was just starting off… the droid was released and we all claimed it was the “iphone killer” then the nexus, then the evo and droid inc. and while they were all great phones they werent “killers” You are absolutely right Android and iphone are in it to win it and they will not be “killed” unless something truly revolutionary gets released…. cant even imagine what that would be but Im excited! haha

  22. i actually know a lot of people who have bought a new iphone in the last few months bc they didn’t want to wait several months and i only think that they got it bc they don’t know anything about specs or just think that “its an iphone and its cooler”

  23. My wife has an iPhone 4 on Verizon.  She asked me how to do something on it and I told her I will never touch an Apple product.  They are made for “stupid” users.  What I mean is that anyone that has one is a little lemming being led off.   There is no uniqueness and picking any other one up is the same as picking yours up. 

    I will never get an Apple product, but Google needs to get some help out there.  They have a huge number of people coming off of their Droid contracts (July 6th) with nothing worth getting.  I am in that boat.  There is no technological advantage of most phones out there.  My OC’d CM Droid is as fast if not faster than most phones out.  Why trade it in to get a crappier phone?  Yes, the screens are bigger and better.  But the guts are not.  Google needs these phone manufacturers to get their dual-core, high end graphics phones out the door in early 3Q.  Otherwise, people (not me) will be looking hard at the iPhone 5.

    1. “My wife has an iPhone 4 on Verizon.  She asked me how to do something on it and I told her I will never touch an Apple product.  They are made for “stupid” users. ”

      If that is what you told your wife, we all know who the stupid one is…

      -Suntan

      1. I don’t know if that’s what bigred really told his wife, but that’s precisely what I told my wife.

        1. you two actually let your wives get iphones – come on! don’t you have more influence on their electronic purchase decisions?  thats just shameful.

          1. Agreed, my wife initially wanted an iPhone. But i talked her into getting a Nexus S. And she even let me root it and throw CM7 on there. :)

          2. i’m the phone informant when it comes to my relationship. my boyfriend looks to me for all things smartphone… he used to be in love with WP6.5 lol

          3. You sir are a good husband. you deserve a beer.

      2. @Suntan, exactly what I was thinking.

    2. Nice relationship you’ve got there boss.  After you told her that you would never touch and Apple product (how stupid is that?) did she tell you that it’s a good thing you can access flash for porn on your android, because you’ll never touch her again? ;)

    3. The implication here is that your got your Droid on launch day.  If that’s the case, you’re not out of contract on July 6th, you’re out of contract on November 6th.  On July 6th you’ll be able to get a subsidized price on a new phone in conjunction with a contract renewal, but that’s not the same as being out of contract.

    4. I too am coming off of my original contract and was a proud owner of an Odroid.  The phone served me well for ALMOST  two years.  I bought a used X off of Ebay a few months ago, rooted, overclocked and love love love this phone.  I don’t see anything out there on Verizon worth dropping this phone for.  I’m content to let my contract expire and go month to month.  Even if/when something does hit the airwaves that pushes me to upgrade I’ll most likely eat the upfront cost to avoid signing a new contract or wait 6 months and pick up a used one.  

    5. You prolly don’t get much wink n nod action ?

    6. im not sure if u know this, but just because your contract ends doesnt mean you HAVE to get a new phone. You can keep the same DROID phone, if a person WANTS a new phone they’re welcome to it….being at the end of a contract certainly helps getting a discount price on a new handset tho, :-)

    7. You do know that the iPhone iOS 5 platform will also support “customization” aka widgets. It wasnt a highlighted area at wwdc but it was still noted. I know I may be burned at the stake for this but…I am and android fan that owns a Verizon iPhone. After using the device for many months I have come to the conclusion that it is the best piece of hardware I have used, not software. Even if iOS 5 offers widgets it will never, and again I say never be on the same playing field as android in the customization game. You give me a iPhone running android solely yeah that would be one hell of a device! But a Verizon version of the HTC Sensation wouldn’t be half bad either ;D

    8. Its called the samsung galaxy s 2 and the photon 4g and the droid 3 and the droid bionic. You telling me those phones arent beast. I alnost forget the new upgraded sensation coming to att that will have a bigger battery and more ram and still look sexy. Come on man iphone 5 always gets a big launch for 2 months then u hear about the next iphone and then u hear about the problems and stuff. There are plenty of power house phones out there…..there is no android killer because it a army

    9. Don’t critisize the product until you have actually tried it. I had an iPhone 3G for 2 years. Loved it but when my contract expired I thought I would try Android sinceI like to try new things. Bought a Droid X and if I had no comparison I would have thought it was fantastic. But next to my 3G (running iOS 3 or prior) it was buggy, slow, required constant restarts, relied on 3rd party apps to often to do what my iphone did natively (text previews, for example), it would miss calls alerting me after the fact, and the too many apps I downloaded were broken since there wasn’t much of a publishing filter. Having flash was nice, but it was also slow and only worked some of the time. I build PCs and am a system administrator for my profession, so I can’t blame my troubles on tech ignorance. I liked that I could do a lot more with Android than my iPhone, it just failed me too often. Droid DOES a LOT more than Apple, it just doesn’t do it very well in my opinion. So after 6 months I switched back and got an iPhone 4. Android has a lot going for it and it’s a good OS. I just feel it’s not quite as polished yet and I look forward to seeing future generations of it to try again. But to get back to my original point, don’t be a hater when making your decision because you might not know what you’re missing.

  24. “Verizon subscribers knew better than to purchase an iPhone 4 mere monthsbefore the launch of Apple’s next-gen version of the smartphone.”Erroneous, iPhone users are incapable of foresight or any form of complex thinking. 

  25. Without LTE, I doubt iPhone 5 will make much of an impact.  And the rumors are that it won’t have LTE until next year’s model. 

    That said the improvements that iOS 5 promises (PC-less and iCloud primarily) finally make it a real competitor for Android.  I know I would have never even considered an iPhone until I saw the feature list of iOS 5.

    While this doesn’t affect many users, the iPhone is a much better global phone than most, if not all, Androids as for some stupid reason, most of the Android global phones insists on leaving out a band, or two, which prevents them from being truly global (voice and 3G data).

    Given the above two items (iOS 5 and Global capabilities), there is a 70% chance I’ll go iPhone this fall when my contract is up.  It pains me to say that, but it just seems like the best choice, for me.

    The only phone, I think, that might make me select an Android, is the new Nexus.  Though I have no idea what its features might look like at this time.  Let’s hope I find out before this September.

    1. I doubt that will happen. The next Nexus device will likely be released in December or early January just like the rest. And November of 2010 most blogs were still talking about how the Nexus S was going to have a dual core processor. Which turned out to be completely untrue.

      It’s sad that you really think that you will switch to an iPhone when your contract is up. But whatever is best for you is definitely what you should get.

      1. nexus phone ftw. but i don’t think the nexus phone will be released on either Verizon or AT&T… but with the way Verizon’s data plans are going i may be moving to T-Mobile (under the circumstances they don’t get bought out) which actually may carry the Nexus device…

    2. the only androids that dont have global capabilities are the cheap ones from Metro PCS. Besides how many people actually need a global phone ? everything on the IOS5 list is exactly what android has had for 3 yrs now. 

      1. That’s not true.  Many of the Android phones available in the US don’t have non-US 3G data bands and/or Japan’s voice band.

        the fact that iOS “finally” has 3yo Android features means nothing once Apple ships iOS 5. No one is going to not select iPhone because it “use to” not have “better” alerts.

  26. In my response, I’d like to quote one of the great literary geniuses of our time – sir Antoine Dodson: “You are soooo dumb. You are really DUMB!”

  27. Sound like a bunch of iPhone haters making comments !!!! Just remember 1 thing apple to this smart phone game 2 the next level!!! They started this $hit and they go end this $hit!!! So hate on haters!!!!!

    1. You must be an iPhone user, because i have no clue what the hell you are saying. There is something called elementary school where they teach you how to spell and use proper grammar. 

    2. Who could argue with that reasoning.

    3. Shut your silly ass up. Sounds like Android haters wrote the damn article. I thought the release of iPhone4 on Verizon was the end of Android. What happened to that? I think TheJunkie has one of the most reasonable posts on here. Geez

    4. The iPhone might have taken the smartphone game to the next level….but they damn sure didnt start this.

      They did exactly what you said: took it to the next level…..improving on what RIM, Palm, Microsoft did….

    5. Apple did not start the Smartphone,BB had a smartphpne well before Iphone was ever around. Iphone did elevate the game,but unless you are blind,Android has taken over the smartphone game. There are alot more Android devices than there are Iphones nowdays. I also think that Apple is going to have to stick with a single device a little longer before releasing anothr Iphone model. My Evo is still getn OTA updates 14-16 months after its release. It also seems like the Iphone 4 is still new,&.theyr already goin to drop the Iphone5. I feel sorry for all the Iphone 4 users. There,relatively new,device is about to become outdated,already. But when my Sprint stops OTA updates for my old Evo,i can just flash custom roms,& alot of custom roms will continue to improve & update. The Iphone poses no threat to Android bcuz real/intelligent smartphone users are already kno that Iphones cant be hacked/customized like android can.

    6. Sound like you are the only hater here……a pretty dumb one to be exact:)

  28. This is almost as far fetched as the prediction of the rapture.

  29. NO SUPER AMOLED PLUS+ FOR YOU APPLE

  30. The original statement is quite idiotic and pointless. This article is even more pointless.
    I will absolutely root for apple to keep google on its toes. Without iphone, android won’t improve. In fact, I would like wp7 to get its share as well. We are all losers without competition. Someone’s gotta buy an iphone, or I’m the one losing out. Same for the iphone users, as dumb as they might be……if android actually dies, then Apple will have no incentive to improve iphone.

    1. That’s the beauty of iPhone “ecosystem” – they are so dumb, they will keep buying this s!#t whether Android and others exist or not. Steve can keep the same functionality year after year, and they’ll keep buying, because they think iPhone 6,7,8,9,… is better than the previous model.

  31. The way I see it, the ONLY way the iPhone 5 can cause a steep decline in Android is if Apple prices it such that it severely undercuts all Android phones.  A high-end phone at a budget phone price.

    Knowing Steve’s ego, he would never let that happen, as it’ll give the impression that the iPhone is no longer a “premium” product and has to compete on price.

  32. BWUHAHAHAhahaha.. Hahahah… lol…. 

    Oh wait, he was serious?

  33. Count me in an android user biding my time until iphone 5 comes out. I can’t take the force closes, lag time, and poor battery life I get fro my my Galaxy phone. It’s been a 24/7 science project to keep this thing working.  I am in no way apple fan boy by any means. But I’m one and done with android. I just want my apps to work and get through a day without fear of wandering too far from an electrical outlet.

    1. Sorry you had a bad experience with Android.

      Meanwhile….the Droid 1 and Droid X has made me Android and Motorola fans.

    2. You know they make more than one android phone right.

      Actually I think that’s the problem with Android.. so many people have these low end under-performing phones that they get frustrated, blame android, and move to Apple. The galaxy S is buggy ( i HAD one)…. low end LG android phones have issues (memory), etc…. if you want an apples-to-apples (no pun intended) comparison, go pick up a high-end android phone and base your judgment on that. The best comparison would be a Nexus S to iPhone4…. that’s pure google vs. pure apple.

      1. Less than a year ago the Galaxy S was thee high end android phone from Sammy. Galaxy S2 looks cool, but my experience with Sammy has been horrible. I’ve never owned a Moto phone that worked properly so that’s out. What’s left…HTC maybe? I like a lot of things about android, but it just seems so buggy to me.

        1. Root, install custom rom, recovery, kernal. Your Galaxy will fly promise. Its the shitty software that they hurried onto the phones.

    3. honestly i think your problem is SAMSUCK, they cant make a decent mobile phone…but honestly i’ll never understand people that have a defective device and dont exchange it for a working one, then go on websites for months complaining about it. reeks of low intelligence. Just being honest.

      1. My wife has a Galaxy S from t-mobile and that thing had so many bugs and issues. Especially after the official 2.2 update.

        She recently replace her Galaxy with a sensation and I rooted her Galaxy S and put CM7 on it and that thing is awesome now. Its not so much Samsung hardware as it is there software.

        Samsung need to ditch iTouch Wiz, go stock android and commit to updating there handset to the latest version of android.

  34. “…leading to the greatest decline in market
    share ever seen for a platform that saw tremendous growth in 2010.” which leaves out every platform that didn’t see tremendous growth in 2010 – i.e. everybody except Android.

  35. I think the main problem with Android Users in general(Not all) When you post your Anti-Iphone Gibberish, you sound like 10 year old kids. You use elementary school humor and the same old tired jokes over and over. It is pretty pathetic. Before you spout off about me being an Iphone lover I just bought my wife the Droid Charge and I am picking up a DX2 after work today. I do like Apple products as well, just not the Iphone 4.

    1. i agree. the iPod kills all mp3 players as far as i’m concerned. sure i could use my phone, but why kill the battery that much faster? iPhone 4 is aesthetically sexy, i won’t lie there and the hardware may be growing more impressive but i blame that 90% on Android actually creating competition.

  36. Headline…”ANALYST HAS DIFFICULTY COMMENTING WITH LIPS PLASTERED TO STEVE JOBS ASS, ALSO LOVES FAIRY TALES AND DOUBLE RAINBOWS”

    1. OH MY GOD IT’S A DOUBLE iRAINBOW! WHAT DOES IT MEAN! I THINK IT MEAN’S I HAVE TO CLEAN STEVE JOB’S TOILETS WITH MY TOUNGE!!!

  37. The “battle lines” have been more or less drawn. iPhone customers have too must money invested and android customers love there way of doing things too much to switch. There only going to be a little fluidity between these platforms fighting over what is left of RIM Palm and Microsoft. In the end there will probably be more Android users than iPhone users. I think it’s the way both sides would prefer it.

  38. First and foremost like most people here I like gadgets. I’m a tech geek so touching or playing around with new devices is a dream come true. If my wife or friends wanted to get an iPhone I would try and convince them otherwise. If they had their mind set their is no need to call them stupid because of their choice. To me that was the whole point of Android. I have choice. I have a choice to choose what carrier, what phone, what ui, what apps, whether I want to root my device, choice to tinker around. Endless possibilities. So to my Android brotheren, do not concer yourself with Android vs iPhone. Concern yourself with your inner geek. Embrace your inner geek and don’t dismiss gadgets because of the company that makes them. We are here to show the sheep that been a sheep is not as hip as one may seems to think, but we must not let ourselves become sheep. Remember that, we are not sheep. We want choice.

  39. I agree. No single Iphone,Ipod,Ipad,Ianything,would make me want to jump back into an Iphone. Ive had an Ipod,& a Iphone 3GS & i wasnt impressed. Im much more impressed with my Android devices.Thats right devices,plural.Anything an Iphone/Ipad can do,Android can do,& better in most cases. I also dont want a phone thats locked up so tight. I like to root,flash roms,try custom roms. I also like how Android updates its devices OTA,& u can choose to update,or not.Ur not forced to update & it doesnt update unless u accept. Im not sure how Iphone handles its updates anymore,or if it even gets OTA updates. I only used the Iphone 3GS wen i got one for as a tester device for about 6 weeks.The whole time i used it it constantly reminded me of my old Ipod,but with a phone too.Also the Ipad just feels like on oversized Ipod,but without Flash support. I wish little stevie jobs wud just grow up & support flash.Then maybe the Istuff will actually be worth a $hit.Instead of being overpriced toys.

  40. There is a whole lot of insecurity in here about peoples android phone being better than the iPhone.  I have been around these parts since i had my OG Droid, and i got rid of it right when the OG Dinc dropped.  SO yeah, that long.  I dont agree with these comments bout people saying iPhone users are “Stupid” and their wives or in that category for owning one.  My wife owns a iPhone as well, and lets be completely honest, its a great phone, works flawlessly, never chokes up, never slows down, and has a shit ton of storage for songs, apps, videos, pix and everything else you would need.  I also own  iPhone 4 32gb for verizon, i use mine as  a nice iPod, and thats all it ever will be used for.  I love android, i love learning new capabilities that come with each passing ROM and the way things come together over at XDA after every new phone is released.  The one thing i wish we had like the iPhone community is unity.  I dont here iPhone 4 users trashing the 3g or 3gs users about there phone being slower, or having a crappy screen or any shit like that(in other words acting like richard/ray yarrel).  But whatever, in a sense thats what makes android, well android.  Competing in specs wars, abilities, and all that other shizzle.  iDont see iPhone taking any of androids market share.  I do wish that androids had the global capabilities of the iPhone.  But hey,  Im rocking the Bolt until the galaxy S2 or Droid Bionic(with unlocked BL) drops.  Pretty sure ill be jumping on the SGS2 train the day it comes to verizons stations.   Bottom line is we need apple, they only make our android phones better in the long run.   SO, if iPhone 5 makes a big splash, then great, android will have to follow suit, and make a even bigger splash.  I feel confident in saying this could be achieved by making a uniform nexus device available on all carriers at a subsidized price.  Mark my words, if that happens, it will be huge.  In a sense, that is what has worked so well for apple and woould be great for google.  And if you didnt like the google experience you could go with one of the skinned phones and enjoy! Go andoid

    1. my boss has an iphone 4….he loves it, but it gets so hot he can make a grilled cheesed with it….it scares him actually. 

      1. Haha when? Is it charging?

  41. I agree, after suffering from irritating choppy user experience with htc desire and galaxy s. I tried various custom roms, kernel and lag fixes.

  42. It has been rumored that the iphone 5 still won’t have LYE.

    Plus, the A5 has been clocked at 900 mhz, which is slower than both the Tegra2 and the dual core snapdragon processor.

  43. People keep trying to find an “iPhone killer” Android phone.  Maybe the iPhone 5 is going to be the “iPhone killer”.  All depends on how you hold the phone.   ;-)

  44. Oh please!!! Who is this know it all? With all the support Android has. Verizon was just smart to get in bed with both but didn’t Verizon start with Android? Ah who cares what this Guy is predicting is crap Screw the icrap!!

  45. Wow. Android vs. iPhone. As to be expected, this post is poppin’. o_O

    1. Chris, were you expecting any different?  :)

  46. I guess it really doesnt take much to be an analyst today. I can be an an analyst too….my prediction is that iphone will continie to lose its shares. Oh wait a minute, that wasnt a prediction, its statistic facts…my bad.

  47. I hardly think a 3% drop in market share will be a “kiss of death”

  48. I must confess I was one of those that abandoned my Incredible which I dearly loved to get an iPhone 4 when it came to Verizon, however, I kept my Droid X. Always wanted an iPhone, the look and feel, the status, the…can’t think of anything else. I have to carry 2 phones for various reasons so got rid of the X and got the Thunderbolt.  Last week I sold my iPhone for a hundred dollars more than I gave for it and got another Thunderbolt and few weeks back got my wife an Incredible 2. I must say that I made a hundred dollars on the sell of the iPhone but the whole experience of having an iPhone cost me hundreds. Don’t care if the 5 would make me coffee, clean the house and cars, whatever, I love my Androids and do not like Apples they don’t do anything and most of the great apps you pay for with Apple you get free with Android Market. Me for one was not impressed. Android all the way.

  49. My cuzin works at AT&T here in New Orleans, & she says the iPhone 5 is said to be released in October. Lol its gonna have some REAL tough competition because the Galaxy S 2, HTC G-Infinity, Samsung Hercules, && many more high end Android phones will give it some trouble. They jus need the right advertising especially the G-Series from T-Mobile thats would really give em competition they jus need to come wit some really great specs && advertising

  50. This is great! JUST by the amount of posts to this article I can tell that Android isn’t going anywhere. Look at how many loyal followers Android has, theres no way that some little update to Apple’s OS is gonna make us drop our phones, actually, hearing about the iPhone 5 just makes me what ICE CREAM SANDWICH even more!!!! Also I don’t have an Android tab yet and I love everything about Honeycomb so far so there’s just one more reason to stick with Android, VARIETY! Gaga has her MONSTERS….Android has it DROIDS!!!!! DROID FOR LIFE!

  51. hopefully iphone 5 doesnt have the death grip problem with poor reception while simply holding the phone.  Tho it was a great feature, nobody really wants it.  iPhone 4 was a fail, not having 4G radios on it was a joke, im sure iphone5 will be released and behind hardware wise than androids that are out at that time.  It will add 4g, NFC, that is about it im guessing.  Oh-might have notification bar and android features, but its still from apple and best suited for old people and little kids and idiots.  Idiot proof-iphone 5.

  52. So this guy is saying that the average American consumer, who knows next to nothing about technology and product life cycles etc etc recognized that the iPhone 5 was somewhere on the horizon and decided to wait instead of grabbing the IPhone 4?  Thats a serious stretch IMO  In a world of immediate gratification and where carrying an iPhone gives you the perception of being hip, trendy and cool, the average consumer is not going to wait, some will, but thats the overwhelming minority. 

    I also don’t think that the iPhone 5 will pull that many users off of Android, especially with devices like the Sammy S2 and the Bionic coming.

  53. Hey guys… Apple just renamed the iPhone for their next generation iPhone is iShitRealStink

    1. iSeeWhatYouDidThere

  54. **** apple

  55. Why does anyone still listen to analysts?

    I have an analysis…

    Analysts are complete morons.

  56. I think the competition between the two is the best thing that ever happened to us, the consumers. The force each other to work harder to make us happy..

  57. Lets hope that not only Android, IOS, but also MeeGoo and others will gain marketshare. Thanks to Steve Jobs for revolutionizing the way we’re dealing with mobile communication nowadays. iOS will never ever get bigger than Android, but that doesnt mean that Android will be the leader of the pack all the time. In times where open source, freedom of the crowd is getting more and more attention, the only way Apple could get close to the Android marketshare is by changing their business model and open the gates. Open source, no dedicated preferred carriers and still they would profit more than enough from their phones and ecosystem.

    But this childish android vs ios / google vs apple reviews, comparisons, stupid – lacking a lot of background knowledge – articles and comments, will last forever i assume.

  58. They will add all the features android has and because of this it will make android obsolete.   

    Errr… wait.

  59. I know this gets beaten to death but my only major issue with android is they the fragmentation. 

    Google needs to set policies in place that states to be branded “with google” you need to commit to having your handset updated to the latest version of android with in a certain time frame. The thing that has made the iPhone a so successful and stable is only apple and goes threw a lot of QA.

  60. Trust me iphone 5 is gonna be just as lame as any other iPhone boring os like always and they have to copy everyone to make Ios 5 Lmao what a sad sad company Apple is…this analyst is an idiot..I have the htc sensation and can’t wait till the next iPhone so I can laugh and say my phone bulldozes your brand new iPhone away! I love htc the make the best phones period! I feel bad for iPhone users

  61. Wolfe and IDC are not the only analysts to report that Android is plateauing.

    Android’s global sales growth rate dropped to 3 percent in the March quarter from 7.5 percent in the fourth quarter and 9.5 percent in the September quarter.

    In addition to the figures in the article from IDC, the drop in Android market share is well documented by other analysts as well such as NPD who reported that In Q1 2011, Android’s share of quarterly sales in the US smartphone market shrank quarter-to-quarter (by 6% in fact) to 50%.  

    In contrast Apple’s iPhone grew 47% to capture 28% of all smartphone sales in the USA.  

    IDC also reports that Apple had the highest growth of any mobile phone vendor worldwide in Q1 2011 year over year of 115% with second place ZTE growing 45%, Samsung growing 9% and HTC and Moto not even on the chart.

    And these figures all include Android tablets because the vast bulk of them also include cellular radios and carrier subscriptions.  

    In contrast, Apple’s figures don’t include the iPod touch or iPad (which the analysts really should do when comparing operating systems), which when added in show iOS and Android to be neck and neck in quarterly unit sales.  

    Of course in terms of installed base Apple is far ahead of Android with 200 million iOS devices sold versus only 100 million Android as confirmed by ComScore who reported in April that *active* iOS devices outnumber Android devices by 59% in the  USA and by 116% in Europe.

    -Mart

  62. The only thing iPhone new versions ever make obsolete is the previous iphone!

    – Sincerely a bitter iPhone 4 owner who couldnt wait for the 5…

    http://www.underdogdirectory.com/technology.html

  63. I would seriously consider buying an iPhone if: a) the specs were on-par or superior to existing Android phones on Verizon, and b) it ran the Android OS, and finally c) Steve Jobs was someone else who didn’t make me want to slap him.

    I’m just not big on embracing the herd mentality. This isn’t a phone we’re talking about–this is a computer that also takes phone calls. I don’t want my computer locked down and I don’t want my smart-phone locked down either. It’s good that there’s a “don’t hurt yourself” smart-phone option and it’s good that people recognize that they are better off with a device that is safe from their technoretardation. Not everyone has the temperament or the mental faculties to step outside the palace gates.

    No offense. 

  64. What will really be interesting is to see what the landscape looks like 2 years from the time that ALL major North American carriers have the IPhone. Because I really believe Android’s popularity is due to limited iPhone availability (carrier-wise) and that android is iPhone-esque enough for the average user.

    Me? I’m a WebOS diehard, possibly even more peculiar than android fanatics ;)

  65. Don’t get me wrong, I love Apple, but since it took SO long for iPhone to get anywhere but AT&T (which I hate and will NEVER go back to), I got an HTC Droid. I love it and haven’t found iPhones in any way superior aside from a slightly better screen and over-all look, and a FAR superior ability to drop calls, even on Verizon.

    I’ll keep my MacBook Pro AND my Droid smartphone, thanks.

  66. Einstein said crazy is doing the same thing and expecting different results, well last year he said the same thing he was wrong, so guess what, he’s wrong again. The iPhone is sold on multiple carriers in every other country except the US and Android is gaining market share worldwide not just in the US so it doesn’t matter if Verizon has now an iPhone too. Don’t get me wrong I believe the iPhone 5 is going to be a great device, but the type of customer who buys an Android is not the same customer who buys an iPhone. It’s comparing Mac and Windows all over again.

  67. You fandroids are such hypocrites…..Whenever an iPhone user mentions the fact that the iPhone is the number one selling smartphone in the world, the textbook, automatic response from fandroids is, “well obviously no one Android phone will outsell the iPhone individually bcuz there’s hundreds of Androids going up against ONLY ONE PHONE…..”

    However,

    Whenever a fandroid mentions that “Android” (as if it’s one phone, not hundreds) is outselling the iPhone and an iPhone user says, “well of course ‘Android’ is outselling the
    iPhone bcuz there’s hundreds of Androids going up against ONLY ONE PHONE”, he is accused of using old, tired, irrelevant arguments. So the, “only one phone” argument only works when fandroids use it, right???

    Hypocrites…..

  68. He’s just trying to get noticed. Fuck the iPhone 5.

  69. Iking your a dumb ass…iPhone is boring just like you! 2 of my closest friends have the iPhone 4 and I have the htc sensation and when they played with it they loved it and said there iPhone was inferior! Apple is so lame they have to copy android,rim and Windows phone for IOS 5..I mean common man they should call it the Icopycat because that’s what it is..the iPhone 5 won’t even compete with my sensation that goes to show Apple is not innovative! So Iloser keep your boring phone and shove it because no one here cares about icopycat

  70. Just one question from AT&T Android user to you guys on Verizon. Would you buy A IPHONE 5?

  71. well, I can say that I am very much waiting to abandon my crashy android device, and the 5 seems like a good alternative. Completely sick of being a google beta tester and want something that works, certainly won’t be going back to android.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in News