US iPhone market share jumps to 55% as Android shipments fall
US iPhone market share increased to 55% in Q2, thanks to a sharp fall in shipments of Android smartphones. However,...
I'm a Linux/Android guy historically and I have to say I really love the stance Apple takes on privacy versus Google's more, uh, laxe privacy stance. Knowing my phone OS that I carry everywhere with me wasn't designed by a company selling my data would be a significant plus and has had me rethinking things lately. A lot more than, say, whether I prefer the UI or customizability or the camera suite.
Yes I'm conflicted. I don't like the tracking Google does but I do love how Android has so much more FOSS apps.
If you want Android, you could just install a degoogled Android rom on a phone that support it.
Fdroid is great.
What makes you think apple doesn't harvest your data for pretty much the same purposes as Google?
Because apples goal is to sell you hardware. Privacy sells hardware. Googles goal is to have manufacturers use their OS for free so they can harvest and sell data, and maintain control of the mobile ad space.
I’m not saying Apple is a moral company far from it, but it has business incentive to build with privacy at the core, Google has the opposite.
Apple also sells user data
Apple sells hardware. Google sells data.
Sure, but that's not why this is happening. More likely it's younger generations of people growing up with their friends having an iPhone and peer pressure forcing them to want one as well their parents buying them an iPhone because it's what they know.
I don't know about calling Google more laxe since they are actively taking your data.
A linux/apple guy lmfao
Just consider me a Unix guy. 😎
It is interesting how the US are continuing to adopt Apple/iPhone in contrast to the rest of the world. I think its one of those things where once the majority take hold it becomes set in culture which further embeds the trend.
Saying that, when looking for documented statistics, they don't match up with the article.
https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/united-states-of-america
The source is Counterpoint Research as linked in the article - the 55% figure in the headline is misleading, the statistic is really “55% of new devices shipped”, not total market share.
It is a US company, that likely helps a little. They are expensive. In many countries 55% could not afford them. Easy access to Apple stores to fix issues is a massive advantage.
Anecdotally, my friends and family that have switched have done so because of malware. Apple is far from perfect, but Google has done a terrible job of keeping bad apps out of the Play store. And malicious software has other ways of getting installed. My sister was a diehard Samsung user, but reluctantly bought an iPhone when she started getting porn pop ups and her and none of her friends could figure out how to stop them.
I was on android for the longest time but I got tired of Samsung’s crap, the horrible way version upgrades are handled (or not handled), etc.
I feel like a factor is that in other countries people use 3rd party apps for messaging, therefore the difference between android and iMessage is less important in those countries. As a US citizen I feel like I’d miss iMessage if I bought an android phone.
That is a really good point! I read something about that in a previous article, that iMessage is heavily used throughout the US. Certainly a major factor, thanks.
As much as I like my iPhone, I hate where this is going. Monopolies are always bad for the consumers, especially with companies as focused on control as Apple.
In the rest of the world Android is more popular so that's not a huge concern also the EU has been making Apple play nice.
Agreed. This is very bad news for consumers.
It's always very dodgy when companies track and quote "shipped" goods. That is the manufacturers saying they have shipped their products to retailers. That does not mean customers have bought those products.
There can be many other reasons why product shipments fluctuate up and down. The trends can be useful though.
I would never go back to android. When an apple update comes out fixing issues I can get it for my phone. With android you never know if an update will reach your phone. Android is a complete shit show.
It cuts both ways. I'd never go to iOS because they prevent me from using my preferred web browser as part of vendor lock-in. Everything is heavily channelled through the Apple Store and ecosystem so they can take their cut.
It depends what is most important to you. I prefer more freedom and control over my device.
Did you ever look at Pixel phones when you were on the Android side?
I would be far more supportive of Android if it didn’t feel like they were trying to recreate the closed Apple system. Android phones have spotty update releases for limited times. If I could just throw on a vanilla Android OS and still get the apps it would be cool. From what I understand, many apps and app stores in the Android ecosystem won’t allow a vanilla OS as it has to be packaged from the vendor.