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Apple’s insane earnings already breaks record with Apple Watch vs Android Wear battle looming

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AppleStore_Shinsaibashi,_Osaka

We ridiculed Apple for finally breaking out of their shell and delivering the types of devices people have wanted, but as much fun as that was there’s no doubt it did good things for them as a company. Confirmation of that fact arrived ahead of today’s stock market opening as Apple has reported record-breaking revenue and sales numbers. And when we say record-breaking, we mean there’s possibly no other company that could sell this many smartphones in one quarter.

Apple reported a ridiculous $74.6 billion in revenue for their fiscal Q1 2015, an increase of 30% year-over-year, thanks to the sale of 21.4 million iPad tablets, 5.5 million Mac computers and — you may want to sit down for this — 74.5 million iPhone devices. Most companies would be ecstatic to make that over the course of a year or two, so for Apple to rake all that in within just one quarter speaks volumes about the company’s new direction.

To put that all into perspective, Apple’s big quarter joins an exclusive list of the top 5 quarterly results of all time. The other four? Oil companies. Just think about that for a second. There is no bigger business than oil, and Apple — a consumer electronics company — has found its way into that territory. In fact, Apple now owns the honor of having the biggest quarter ever in the history of business.

Shareholders in Apple’s camp are sure to be waking up quite happy this morning. The stock sits at $117.82 per share — a jump of nearly 8% — as of the time of this writing, and there’s a chance it could grow even more as the day moves on. That’s the highest Apple’s stock has been since the months immediately following the launches of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (it peaked at around $119 on November 26th, 2014).

apple stock snapshot

It has to be a frightening sight for other smartphone manufacturers, especially in a time where the top companies not named Apple are already struggling to maintain solid footing.

Samsung is the one that stands to lose the most out of them all as they’re atop the totem pole in most parts of the world. The South Korean company, which once soared to new heights on the back of a highly competitive anti-iPhone ad campaign, now has to watch on as the company they halfway owe their growth in the mobile realm to could just as easily dismantle them.

g-watch-r-wrist

And if all of that isn’t enough, Apple hasn’t even set foot into the smart watch arena yet. The company reaffirmed plans to make that happen this April with its first consumer launch — the Apple Watch — and it’s only then that we’ll be able to see the impact they will have on one of the most exciting new wearable product categories to spawn in the past few years.

In the meantime, Apple is expecting things to calm down in the next quarter as holiday promotions and advertising wind down and as demand decreases. They’re still expecting revenue between $52 and $55 billion, so their idea of a “down quarter” isn’t quite the same as everyone else’s.

Samsung? Sony? HTC? Moto? The balls are in your courts to respond with the sort of innovation to make sure Apple’s renaissance has more of a temporary effect than a lasting one.

Quentyn Kennemer
The "Google Phone" sounded too awesome to pass up, so I bought a G1. The rest is history. And yes, I know my name isn't Wilson.

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105 Comments

  1. Android vs Apple, it’s just a stupid comparison. Apple is a company, Android is a operating system. Compare Apple with Samsung, HTC, Sony, but not with Android.

    1. And Apple is dominating each one. Android is slipping badly, especially in the States. BGR reports Android market share is below 40%.

      The OEMs and Google should be concerned by this. More so as Samsung’s profits are shrinking, HTC is limping along, Moto was sold, Sony is looking for an out, and LG is doing moderately well.

      1. This.

        What Apple pulled off this quarter is making it look like Android is irrelevant in the US. Note 4 came out, Moto X came out…none of them are in iPhones league as far as sales.

      2. While what you said might be right about being below 40%, you lost all cred when you said BGR reports. I am slowing moving away from that site. They spin just about everything they write and then write before they have all the facts.

      3. Google would not bee too concerned. The only reason Google bought Android was to make sure they were not cut of the new internet age. Google makes money on the advertising that goes with their services. They needed to make sure their services are available to the masses. There was always going to be a low cost alternative to Apple’s because every market always has at least two competitors and so Google had to make sure they were not locked out of the alternative (which could have ended up being Windows Phone). Android bought Google enough time to get their services stable and popular and as long as people are using them they don’t care if it is on Andoird or IOS or any other platform.
        The OEM’s on the other hand have a lot to be worried about.

      4. BGR is a joke. They are the TMZ of the tech world.

    2. It’s not a stupid comparison. Android is a platform and iOS is a platform. Just because it’s not an Apples-to-Apples comparison (pun not intended but still awesome) doesn’t mean you should abandon ship on making any comparisons. I mean… c’mon.

      1. That’s reasonable, but if you’re going to make that comparison, shouldn’t you be consistent within your comparison. The article is quoting numbers that include Mac OS devices as well as iOS device. And it also draws comparisons between Apple as a vendor and other vendors. Wouldn’t it make more sense to compare iPhone sales to Android phone sales?

        1. Yeah, but then you’re not comparing the amount of money spent per device either. The average selling price of an Android device is several hundred dollars lower than iOS. When you’re moving 100 million devices that are sub $200 bucks, who cares when Apple is moving almost 75 million units at a premium.

          1. That goes along with what I’m saying though. If we’re actually discussing the success of iOS vs Android, which would be the relevant discussion for this forum, wouldn’t it make more sense to talk about how many Apple phones were sold vs how many Android phones were sold? iPhone might still be the clear winner in that comparison, but it still makes more sense than quoting Apple’s profits and comparing it to that of companies that aren’t necessarily even built to seek the same kinda profits from the mobile sector.

          2. Understood, but it doesn’t make sense to talk about sales vs sales. We’ve been fed this “marketshare” type of stuff for a while, but the truth is Apple customers pay more for devices, spend more on apps, and buy more accessories. Android users just don’t do the same. I think it’s like 3 Android devices to equal 1 iPhone 6 (not even 6+) sale. There are a lot of ways of looking at it, and you can come up with any number you want….this is the only number that matters: 18 billion in profit. Add up all the Android OEMs + Google, and they aren’t there. Bottom line.

          3. I think I read that apples revenue is now 69% from iphone alone so it’s kinda relevant.

  2. Volkswagen broke every record there was selling the Beetle in numbers that even modern car sales have never come close to touching, but that doesn’t mean it was the best car. Plus, I don’t want to be ‘just like everyone else’. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE !!!!, being the only person I know of with my specific Android phone…the new One M8 Mini.

  3. That is simply incredible. Apple was almost written off after the 5S / 5C. The 6 and 6+ are simply the best phones ever created. The only phone holding a candle in Android are the Galaxy S and Note series. And they are slipping badly.

    As for tablets and watches? Battle is over already.

    1. I used the 6+ and Note 4 pretty extensively and found that while the 6+ looks better… it was just irritatingly dimensioned and I couldn’t get used to it. Uncomfortable to hold. Software aside.

      But these are definitely the first iPhones that made me scratch my chin like hmmmm… me likey.

      1. The 6+ could be my next phone. Either that or Note 4.

        I do like Android, but I’m ready for something different.

        1. the 6+ is great in so many ways, but its very hard to hold after a short amount of time. Its bigger than my Nexus 6 and has a smaller screen to boot….which makes no sense. Its boring looking too…i would go Note 4. At least you will be getting a top rated android device!

      2. Interesting, I find the 6 series to be rather boring looking. But clearly, the general public does not share that opinion.

      3. The thing that amazed me most about the 6+ was just how big the home button makes it, my g3 had the same 5.5 inch and yet is significantly smaller

    2. Look, I’ve used an iPhone 6 – it’s lower def, it has that design lag that just can’t be beat, and the phone equivalent of a one-button mouse.

      With all due respect, there are a lot of Androids as bad as the iPhone 6.

      As far as it being top-notch and the thing to beat –

      http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view2/3204777/lmao-o.gif

  4. I think the first apple watch won’t tank but it won’t be a massive success. Mark my words people WILL buy it but most apple lovers I know are gonna wait for second generation.

    Can’t say if it will be too late by then I mean apples clearly behind in hardware and software innovation compared to others but what we saw yesterday shows that clearly doesn’t matter.

    1. But it will sell. Many tech and financial sites are saying this will be the iPhone 1 all over again for Smartwatches.

    2. I think the Apple Watch will have the same popularity of the Apple TV. Mainly it will be popular with only the big Apple fans at least for its 1st generation.

    3. What happens with the gold one marketed to the fashionistas and one percenters will likely be an indicator to how successful the downmarket versions will be.

      This will be a period when we find out if Angela Ahrendts (and her image and connections) were worth her $74M get-on-board cost for more than re-designing the tee-shirts worn in the Apple Stores.

      And if I were interested in one (NOT a gold one), I’d certainly be looking at the 2nd or 3rd iteration. All these watches (tho’ not some of the smart bands) (and speaking of “tanking”) look like tanks on people’s wrists to me…. …with too much required power maintenance to boot…

      1. It’s a shame those execs paid so much. Theses days getting a senior job with a company like Apple is more like winning a lottery. Where were these people when Apple almost went bust. What about the many Apple employees who have been their for 20 years during the hard times….it must really piss them off to see these blow ins come and rake in that cash.

  5. First of all, stop acting like there is going to be a smart watch war, there’s an ecosystem war and watch sales are going to be an extension of that.

    Second, Apple has been straight up letting Android devices blaze the trail for the past few years, and then when everyone is like “ooooh your video looks so much better on a big screen” they capitalize on that market shift. They’re not innovative, and haven’t been for some time.

    1. First of all, the difference between iPhone and Android Phones and the difference between Apple Watch and Android Wear are two entirely different conversations with their own ecosystems.

      Second, I agree with you, but do you think anyone who owns Apple stock cares?

      1. Of course they don’t, not only are they gleeful of the stock price, but they’re also delusional of the innovative nature of Apple.

        I was more addressing the last paragraph of the article which implies that it will take Android OEMs being innovative to stifle Apple. The opposite is my point, Android OEMs pave the way for Apple’s success, not stifle it.

    2. Sure, Apple [also] poaches markets in form factors and functions trail-blazed by others [along with creating new ones every now and again], but to say that means they’re not “innovative” is wildly inaccurate.

      Caveat: It’s true that separating out what’s entirely grown “in house” from what’s picked up and slipstreamed into the company from acquisitions and aquihires is next to impossible, but Google, MS and many others are also gobbling up promising tech from start-ups and “wind-downs” and then integrating and extending it, so that balances out.

      Meanwhile, Apple’s impact on ARM chips alone is the envy of the industry and they have Android seriously playing catch-up in the move to 64 bits. Their Touch ID tech is leagues ahead of Samsung’s, and combined with Apple Pay has them leading the charge in cardless, secure payments.

      Their patent portfolio – acquired and filed – is huge and growing rapidly, and the synergies they’re achieving between desktops and mobiles – by owning the hardware and software for both also leaves Android and MS in the dust.

      They’ve also stayed ahead in device and data security, and a major “innovation” that matters enough to me to have brought me back to the Mac (partly because of all that MS has to sort out after the Win 8 two-headed OS debacle) is a quality, responsive single point of support.

      I could go on (and on) of course… …but making the first phablet or curved screen, etc., does not a juggernaut create, nor is it the soul of innovation…

      1. Apple is not the trailblazing innovator it’s convinced the whole universe that it is. They haven’t done anything truly game-changing that wasn’t copied from Android/Google since the iPhone 5 (or maybe even earlier).

        I’m not certain if *anyone* can truly say how much of an impact moving to 64-bit processing will have on devices but it’s not that amazing. It really isn’t. They’re not “the envy of the industry”. Fingerprint scanners in phones are neat but far from being foolproof or groundbreaking. The tech Apple has is superior but it’s not that great either.

        If Macs just worked with gaming and if the games were released at the same time as Windows games I might have bought one. If the Mac OS wasn’t such a mindfu*$ to use and if they weren’t 2-3 times the price of any other laptop or PC I might consider buying one.

        The first phablet, first curved screen etc. are something entirely new and original. Apple hasn’t done that since the first iPhone. The first phablet revolutionised mobile devices as a whole.

        Their security could use some work considering the iCloud debacle.

        1. Innovation is one of those words that leads to endless arguments. I am pretty sure in saying that if you look at what Apple has done from the day it was started and then to say they have not and are not innovators then you can pretty much say that about every tech company and even extend that to every company in the world.
          Remember that Apple is a company that does software development and hardware development, it spends billions in R&D, it integrates its own software, hardware and services with those of others. It employees software and hardware engineers and sales staff. It led the PC generation in the 80’s before almost collapsing and came back from the brink starting with the “bubblegum” iMac then iPod, iPhone and iPad. It make a lot of money and has a lot of customers…it must be doing something right. Somewhere in their portfolio must be some examples of innovation….but I could be wrong.

          Oh….and…oh my gosh….a phablet is something entirely new and original….I mean someone went from a 5 inch screen to a 5.5 inch screen….yep…that’s entirely new…no one in the world would have thought of doing that….its like that one was pulled completely out of left field. Which company was it again that took that most wondrous new direction…I can’t quite remember.

          1. Thanks for the history lesson, I believe we’re talking about more current events.

          2. How current. Apple first developed the technology that allowed a handset to detect when the screen was close to the face. That meant the handset could switch off the screen so that the capacitive screen became inactive to avoid unwanted touches. Is that innovation??

          3. Kim Kardashian makes a lot of money too but I think most people would agree she’s doing everything wrong despite that fact.

            Don’t be a wiseguy. While Steve Jobs was going on about his war with Android like a rabies-infested dog and claiming that no one wanted bigger screens (> 3.5″) Samsung released a smart device with a 5″ screen (Note 1) and actually made it surprisingly usable despite its size. In addition Apple only jumped their screen size about 3 years after that and again a year later when they realised their stubborn idiocy was costing them hundreds of millions of dollars.

          4. Dell came out with a phablet (Dell Streak) in 2009 – before Samsung so Samsung cannot be attributed to that wondrous “innovation”.
            I don’t think Apple is losing sleep over a few 100 million dollars of lost revenue. Its obvious they have more money they know what to do with as they have ~$170Bn just sitting in the bank.

          5. Look, I’m not saying that Apple is the only company guilty of poaching ideas from others. What I am saying is the ludicrous marketing hype and insanity they illicit in people. They market things and convince hordes of people that each new iPhone has things they’ve never seen or had or even knew they needed. That’s done after they vehemently oppose requests to implement those features in their devices and realise it’s been widespread on Android devices for a year or more.

            When you’re a hardcore elitist company making everyone think they’re cool for using your overpriced, simplistic devices it’s all good, right? No use selling devices to the rabble who can’t afford iPhones and iPads. Getting blood from stones is great when you get tons of money, right?

    3. I think Apple have always said that they sell devices that people want. Back when phones were getting ever smaller and screens tinier Apple came out with the iPhone with large screen and it got panned because of tis size and lack of keyboard. They changed the game and gave the industry a completely new direction. (Argue otherwise if you like but this is general consensus). I personally don’t think that Apple were copying with a bigger screen, they were just moving slower in that direction….and why not, each quarter their sales numbers increase in a sustainable manner, unlike Samsung where sales soured and now are starting to tank.

  6. I’ve been an avid Android user since the Nexus One (I switched from the iPhone 3G), but Apple’s devices are, by far, simpler to use. There’s a reason they sell well with old grandparents and that’s because they’re easier to use. The lack of customization makes things simpler. I still prefer Android as an OS, but Apple gave people what they wanted: a bigger phone. Apparently that’s all it took. My wife has the iPhone 6. It’s a good, solid phone. First time I considered switching away from Android.

    1. I always say iOS was made so a three year old could use it. People like simplicity.

      1. I agree. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

      2. And the biggest: it just works.

        1. does it? I guess that explains all the tons of problems I had people coming into my Verizon store with regarding bad antenna for no reason, apps closing with no explanation as to why, among other issues. ios doesn’t “just work.” it’s an os; it has tons of bugs and problems like any os.

          1. What do you do when people complain about those things ?
            Also, I think that the “app close” is just crashes, which is how IOS handles them (no dialogs, just going to the home screen, making the user wonder if the home button was accidentally clicked).

    2. It’s the other way around for me iPhones are a pain in the ass to use I can never find the stuff I am looking for. Android is not that difficult to use my mom bought her first smartphone last year (s3 mini) and she understood it better and faster then I expected.

      1. This is so true. I’ve never been more lost than when using an iPhone. It’s not as dumb as people think, and there’s so many Apple services that you just get lost. I think the “easy” part is when moving from one iPhone to the next and having all your app data move with you, but that’s it.

        1. I remember trying to use a friend’s iPhone 5 when we were on our way out and my other friend was trying to figure it out at the same time (a fellow Android user). I’ll echo her words at the time: “I don’t do iPhone!!” I still think the notification tray on the iPhone kinda needs some work (I especially dislike swiping up from the bottom instead of from the top down). That being said even stock Android doesn’t always let you change the icons on your tray and I really enjoyed doing that with Cyanogenmod on my Nexus 5.

          IMO force of habit is actually a large part of both ecosystems’ success. The vast majority of people really don’t want to deal with such a huge change and the frustration of moving from one to the other (even us Android tech-heads would have to admit to this being true fairly often).

    3. 3-4 years ago I would agree with iphone being simpler & easier to use. But apple keeps adding more useful functions and a little customization. To the point now that I say it’s on par for being confusing, but if someone’s been using iphone for the last 2 years they have gotten used to these added functions…swiping up for quick settings then swiping down for notifications, I think that is more confusing than just swiping down for all of those things. now they added keyboards it’s nice, but now people have a bunch keyboards(for emoji’s!) installed on their iphone….how is that more simple?

      The device I would give people new to the smart device arena is a kindle fire tablet. They are simple to use, and not very customizable(I just bought one for my in-laws).

  7. Yet more tax sheltered offshore while the US government has a hard time paying to keep the country running.

    1. The US pulled in record tax revenue last year. RECORD. We’ve never pulled in more taxes.

      Its not an income problem our government has, its a spending problem.

      However, thats neither here nor there on a cell phone site.

      Android is … forked.

      1. ^ This.

  8. I dont know how much of a battle the wearables market is going to be. They are accessory devices right now. If you have an iphone, iWatch. If you have Android, Android Wear. Its not like more than 10 people are going to jump ship from one to another.

    1. But they are jumping ship. The churn rate for Android is huge. Apple has very low churn rates.

      1. Huge? Show me some numbers and back it up. Also, show me the number of people who claim to be willing. To change platforms for a watch.

        1. Someone who upgrades their handset may look at the respective ecosystem and think that something like an Apple Watch (or Android Watch) is enough to sway their decision.

    2. Apple is very much about building bridges to get people to enter the Apple ecosystem. Your analysis is pretty spot on but it is looking at it from the case if you already own a handset. For those who buy an Apple Watch they are more likely to purchase an iPhone, iMac, iPad, etc than if they did not buy an Apple Watch.

      1. Who will buy a smartwatch that doesn’t work without a handset before buying said handset?

        It will make switching ecosystems much harder, that’s for sure. If someone who has an iPhone now buys an Apple Watch, it’s almost guaranteed that the next phone they will get will be an iPhone as well, simply because they wouldn’t be able to use their expensive smartwatch without it.

        If the upgrade cycles of the watch and the phone are asynchronous, it will be much harder to break out of the ecosystem.

        But I can almost guarantee that there will be no one whose first Apple device will be the Apple Watch.

        1. Well here are some examples…..someone owns a feature phone and they buy an Apple Watch. Someone already owns a feature phone and they are gifted an Apple Watch. Someone owns a feature phone and given an Apple Watch as part of some store promotion. Someone has a broken phone and get a an Apple Watch and then buy an iPhone. Small percentages but Apple is all about growing slowly, after all with $18Bn in revenue last quarter and ~$170Bn in the bank they are in no rush to grow quickly.

          1. It’s a $350 device that doesn’t work without an iPhone. It would be like buying a head unit that only works with BMWs without owning a BMW.

            The Apple watch is an iPhone accessory. The Android Wear watches are Android phone accessories. Simple as that. It’s not about getting new customers, it’s about customer retention. After all, even having $100 in apps on the phone can prevent some people from jumping ship, a $350 device would work much better.

  9. Wow! With all that profit you would think they could treat the people that build for them a little better.
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1382396/Workers-Chinese-Apple-factories-forced-sign-pledges-commit-suicide.html

    1. Sure thing…because Wallmart is a much better place to work. Your article refers to workers who build iPads, they are not Apple employees. I would be surprised if the Chinese workers who built your handset are treated any differently. This is a case for the Chinese government to fix through legislation not for companies who contract out work.

      1. I don’t think Walmart employees are commiting suicide. Watch the youtube video posted by Roaduardo below. It is documented and Apple still uses them.

        1. Please show me where it is reported that an Apple employee committed suicide because of their working conditions. You do realise that Apple do not own Pegatron/Foxcon/etc or are even invested in them. These companies are just part of the supply chain. The phone you use will have Chinese workers as part of the supply chain and have the exact same issues. In fact the clothes you wear, the devices you use, the tools in your tool shed would all mostly have Chinese workers involved. You really need to read up a little on where your goods are coming from. It is a global economy and Apple is not magically the only company that has these issues….take blinkers off please.

      2. If we were in person I would be talking very slowly. Since we are not, please read slowly. Apple hires a company. That company treats their employees terribly. Apple and the world find out about it. Apple continues to use that company. Given Apple’s record earnings, I think that they could look into their contractors business practices.

        1. Don’t go any slower coz your just confusing yourself. Working conditions are set through government laws and regulations. It is not the job of companies to overseer the operations of the staff of subcontractors. Do you go into a restaurants kitchen to ensure the staff are treated well before you dine there. Of course not because you assume that working onditions adhere to the employment laws. Anyway, working conditions are poor for all handset makers so why are you singling out just Apple?

          1. Working conditions are set through government laws and regulations. Who a company chooses to do business with is set by the company. I am only “singling out” Apple because that is who this thread is about.

  10. These numbers tell me one thing, majority of the US likes simple phones and that’s all there is to it. There are only two generations, going on three, that were born into mobile cellular technology. The older generations need something that’s simple to pick up so they can keep into contact. Majority of the public aren’t tech savvy individuals and that’s how Apple kills the market. Lollipop has made things simpler but not iOS simple. Every person I’ve ever know who was owned both but is now with iOS has said simple yet powerful makes the difference for them.

    1. agreed

    2. I’m not disagreeing with your assumption; you may be correct about the “simple phones”. However, please realize, these sales numbers are worldwide and if you look at the breakdown, Apple’s record growth came from the bazillion phones they sold in Asia, most specifically, China. A very good quarter for them, and they have realized just how valuable that Chinese market is.

    3. At the end of the day, even though it has a CPU/GPU inside it most people expect it to work like any other consumer device. Make calls, runs apps, navigation, SMS, facebook, twitter and emails. They don’t expect to use their device like they would a computer. Sure there are reasons to the contrary but we are talking about consumer devices.

  11. All I know is this is a gangbusters ass quarter for Apple but that still doesn’t mean it’s better lol it just means it’s more popular, I work tech support for Verizon and believe me iphone calls are 90 percent of my calls with plenty of issues. I think this is great for Apple but android has lots to offer and is still plenty relevant in the world.

    1. I’m wondering if it may be because iPhone users expect everything to work perfectly and so phone tech support whereas many Android handset owners are not surprised if it has some glitches because it was a cheaper phone (after all the salesman probably highlighted how much cheaper it was when it was sold) and so are not surprised it has some faults and figure it was a case of buyer-be-ware. What I mean by this is that if you buy a Pioneer TV and it has slight issues you are motivated to get it resolved because it should work seamlessly whereas if you buy a Hisense TV you expect that because it was cheaper there will bee issues such as pixelisation, lip sync issues, etc and so just learn to live with it.

  12. So sick of hearing about Apple in the News…I read about Android and all things Android on Phandroid not to read about Apple…They may have a great product but it’s not for me and I could care less!

  13. This bodes ill for Android. Google needs to be a lot more aggressive with their advertising campaign to try and get more android products into consumers’ hands or else the developer support is going to dry up. That chart posted by the game developer showing that the overwhelming majority of their revenues were from iOS is just more nails in our collective coffin. And despite the iWatch being the ugliest piece of tech I think I’ve ever seen, its going to blow away the collective sales of all Android wear and samsung gear devices since they launched.

    Why?

    Because Apple gets advertising. They know that people can be convinced that a turd sandwich is a polished diamond if you get a slick, hip, advertising campaign behind it. They’ve brainwashed the masses that their Apple devices are better than the competition when there’s absolutely no objective truth to that.

    None of the OEMs except Samsung (and lets admit it, Samsung’s advertising sucks) can do what Google can do. Nobody has the hip culture that Google has. Android either needs to get a killer feature, or it needs to start making the world aware that its been the trailblazing mobile operating system for the past 7 years.

    1. Sadly it’s not even about marketing anymore, the iPhone is so ingrained in American consumer culture, Apple doesn’t even need to advertise much anymore, as word of mouth does it for them. Whatever they put out, people want. I tried for years to get people to at least give Androids a shot, but for girls in particular the iPhone was “too cute and small enough to fit in their pocket”, these same girls rushed to the much larger i6 and even and some cases the i6+, totally meaning that the “Android phones was just too big” argument was just a mental block from liking anything different. iPhones just go along with North Face and Uggs crowd and it’s a huge crowd, but it’s also a good phone in general and especially for what they use it for. Great camera, solid apps.

      1. Let’s face it…you just don’t understand girls. They obviously wanted an iPhone and they gave any excuse just to get rid of you!

      2. You forget that the stereotypical girl you’re talking about will just stuff that phone in a new handbag she’d buy for her phone and other reasons.

        Since female clothing doesn’t have pockets that often they just stuffed their phones in their cleavage or a friend’s handbag when phones were small like the iPhone 4S and earlier.

        I don’t approve of any of these things (least of all the adherence to a device that’s about as enjoyable to use and as customisable as a wet paper bag) but it happens, unfortunately. When I say enjoyable I mean I don’t feel like I’m an automaton when I use it.

        Oblivious people who don’t want to learn more about things are the most susceptible to influence, be that in selling phones to them, getting their votes in an election or anything else.

    2. Completely agree with everything you said. Google should have released those two Android Youtube ads 3 or 4 years ago (not to mention that they need more TV and Youtube ad coverage as well).

      If they had done that they might have at least somewhat dislodged Apple from its dominant position in consumers’ minds in regards to phones and tablets.

  14. When I went to T-Mobile.. We upgraded our 4 GS3s to 2 LGG3s, 1 Sony Z3, and 1Galaxy Note 4. Next to us there was a family of 5…they upgraded their GS4s to 4 iPhone 6 and 1 iPhone 6+

    I have been witnessing more than ever, android owners going to iPhones..

    1. I did the same thing. I went from a Galaxy Note III to an iPhone 6 Plus. My main driver these days is a 15″ Retina MBP and so switching to iOS simply made sense to me. It was mainly the device size that held me back for so long. Apple is really dangerous now that they’re releasing devices that rival the sizes of other Android devices. So far, I couldn’t be happier with my iPhone 6 Plus.

      The only thing that would bring me back to Android would be for Google to be the direct vendor of OS updates (which I know is an impossibility due to the variety of hardware). I hated how OEMs and carriers got to pick when and how devices got OS updates.

      1. This is the Android poisoned chalice. The only reason Android got into a dominant market position is because it was the cheapest most suitable OS for OEM’s could use to compete with IOS’s growing popularity and the most suitable OS that gave carriers some of the control back that Apple was taking away.
        Remember that Apple is its own OEM and don’t license its OS and they refuse to allow carriers to put their bloatware on their phones. OEM’s needed something so they could compete and carriers needed a viable competitor that gave them back control.
        As you stated, there is no way Google could put the genie back in the bottle because OEM’s will not give up Android and carriers do not want to give up control.

      2. The plus is just a big iPhone imo, nothing really takes use of the big screen other than using it in landscape in SOME apps. Why would Apple be “dangerous” to any other vendor that actually produces good phablets?

        1. Sure it is, but they can improve the majority of the experience with software updates in the future (which I hope they do). From my experience with phablets, the Galaxy Note are the only ones that bring much to the table that’s new with the S-Pen, but even that isn’t as useful as you might imagine it’d be.

          1. They could have done much more from the beginning though. On Android it’s a piece of cake to install a launcher that you can set the grid and icon size of to comply nicely with the screen size. If that could be Apples plan for the future of IOS on big screens, then I’m all for it.

    2. I’ve seen this too. Previously loyal Android users switching and not coming back. Why? The reasons Android users deny: app quality, updates, and fragmentation.

      1. There’s no doubt that iOS apps are typically higher quality. Updates are more frequent because they come straight from Apple and there’s less fragmentation and less variation between the latest two versions of iOS (iOS 7 & 8). I also use a Macbook Pro as my daily driver which prompted the switch with the new Continuity features of Yosemite and iOS 8.

      2. loyal? a typical American family would but 4 gs4’s because they were on sale for like, 50 dollars each. rather than buy iphones for the whole family, they went with a cheap option and clearly didn’t like it. that doesn’t make them “previously loyal android users.” it makes them just people who most likely don’t care, then see everyone else has an iphone, and decided they want to be like everyone else… aka, typical America.

        1. No. I’m talking loyal users. We’re taking rooters, ROMers, and flashaholics.

      3. In what way are apps on ios higher quality? From what I’ve seen, they’re identical for the most part.

        Plus the iPhone for me isn’t really a smart phone because it’s way too limited.

  15. Important to share this for context:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSvT02q4h40

  16. This means nothing to me… Apple could have 98%market share and I’d still grab an android phone.

  17. WHy do u guys even care how much money or units Apple sells. Big deal It’s not like you have stock or work for them give it a rest

    1. APPL funds 70 million retirement accounts in the US, not to mention paying dividends. When they do well the American economy does well.

      1. You mean Apples economy not America iSheep

  18. Numbers don’t mean much to me. I prefer Android. I can care less what people are buying.

    1. AMEN!!!!

    2. I guess you don’t have any Apple stocks :-).

  19. It’s the same iPhone owners who have been waiting for a large screen iPhone and secretly envying Android users who have been buying the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The questions is what would Apple do for an encore. They’ve copied almost everything else from Android.

  20. The Apple Watch will absolutely crush Android Wear immediately. I bet the first day available they sell more than all Android Wear watches combined. Why? Because there is absolutely zero advertising for Android Wear devices and 98% of people do no even know they exist. I dont know why Android OEMS suck so much at advertising.

    1. Let’s keep it that way. I don’t want my Android wear smartwatch to be bought by absolutely everyone. Apple products are bought by so many different people that it’s not even a wow factor anymore. Let them have their precious Apple and think that it’s the best thing since sliced bread.

  21. I am an Android OS guy but admit Apple makes great phones and hardware. My concern as a shareholder would be that SO much of their revenue is derived from Iphone/Ipad, if those two ever go out of favor the company is going to get slammed.

  22. What’s interesting is the best smart watch/fitness watch on the market is the Microsoft Band.

  23. $75 billion / ~100 million units = $750/unit

    And that didn’t happen – so a huge share of the revenue came from other.

  24. Its a good thing that Google is always good towards developer community to built a OS as flawless as possible.
    But when it comes to number, it doesn’t matter for a big Corp like Google to worry bout. They relatively have higher revenues than any other company (I might be wrong), but everyone know that Google is far off bigger Corp than Apple Corp.
    But when it all comes to marketing, Apple is the only brand left that a person knows and first pop up in their mind.

    Despite making a fone for developer, they shud make a fone which is relatively limited in sources (No Root for tha, quite secure from viruses and just like Apple (Limited). ), super spec-ed device (they can get the best tech for their device due to their branding name only), competitive price point to that of Apple iPhones and most important, pay heavy endorsement to actors and singer for advertising in their videos/movies just like Beats and Apple do. (Might be Apple not being doing that now due to such a success).

    Overadvertised it just like Samsung do, (Not in their manner, everyone knows their ads sucks).

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