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Apple Captures 75% of Global Handset Market Operating Profit in Q2 2021

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Re: Apple Captures 75% of Global Handset Market Operating Profit in Q2 2021

#151
post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I get your argument, Apple probably just doesn't give a shit about competing in the ultra cheap phone market, they've found their "niche" (for lack of a better term) and will probably stay the way they are for the foreseeable future. Also, nowadays, most people (the vast majority of which don't think the same way as people on HN do) see a $400 phone as a compelling budget option[0], maybe even "low-end" if you'…

Most people in the developed world , sure. Here on the rest of the globe, as per [0], Androids are considered the compelling budget for 99.9%* of people. * yes, it is an hyperbole [0] https://www.indiatimes.com/technology/news/how-much-iphone-1...

I speak from my own point of reference in the USA, which is also for the most part Apple's main audience. It's well known how dominant android devices are overseas.

Re: Apple Captures 75% of Global Handset Market Operating Profit in Q2 2021

#152
post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regular users don't actually know anything about the difference. They look at how many megapixels the camera has and the resolution of the screen and things like that, because they're numbers you can compare. Regular users don't know what "stock Android" is . And then they come home with a phone full of bloatware and complain about it after. Nobody actually buys the phone for the bloatware. These companies are wastin…

> There is no reason every Android phone on the market shouldn't come with the option of stock Android. Umm...there is a very solid reason: support costs. Nobody wants to double the support matrix.

The vendor's Android is going to be 99% stock Android and 1% things that will have higher rather than lower support costs than stock Android because it will have a smaller user base and be less likely to have the bugs already discovered and patched. Support costs would, if anything, go down.

Re: Apple Captures 75% of Global Handset Market Operating Profit in Q2 2021

#153
post #93
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Believe it or not, but "stock Android" has been tried about 10 times. It failed. Only techies care. Regular users want a ton of features. Edit: Sales numbers tell you all you need to know about "stock Android" success :-)

Most regular users want as many features as they can get, for a reasonable price point. And Samsung is king in that market – their A series phones have a huge sales volume. Some users can afford real premium phones. And Samsung's offerings mostly just kinda suck software wise, even when the hardware is decent. Techies know this and have a huge variety of stock Android alternatives to choose from (which, somehow, cont…

This is just... wrong. I mean, I don't know what bubble you're living in, but my bubble is not like this.

Every single person I've ever met, except one, uses either an iPhone or a Galaxy. Probably a sample size of 100 people. The one exception uses a Pixel, and he's a software engineer.

The reason why I'm confident enough in saying you're wrong, is because my experience tracks with US smartphone shipment metrics. Apple and Samsung are the leaders in the US. Pixel isn't even in view of the finish line. Bluntly: Nerds use Pixel devices. Legacy from the Nexus days. Most people wouldn't even know what a Pixel is.

Modern Samsung devices are absolutely fantastic phones. Anyone who says otherwise hasn't used one since TouchWiz.

Re: Apple Captures 75% of Global Handset Market Operating Profit in Q2 2021

#154
post #18

...with only a 13% share of units. That is, all other vendors together sold 87% of units, but earned only a combined 25% of industry-wide profit. The vast majority of those other vendors are companies headquartered in Asian countries with a long history of promoting market share, access to information, and knowledge transfer at the expense of short-term profit. They might be making less money willingly to grow/mainta…

I was in a discussion the other day how every other attempt at bringing computing to underdeveloped parts of the world has more or less failed (OLPC for example), yet cheap Android phones have managed to become ubiquitous in places without stable electricity, running water, and stable or repressive governments.

Re: Apple Captures 75% of Global Handset Market Operating Profit in Q2 2021

#155
post #62
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe. I'm not so sure. In theory , a company like, say, Samsung could stop making cheaper, money-losing phones and invest primarily on making increasingly better, premium, profitable phones like the Galaxy Fold, but they choose not to do that, year after year.

What differentiates those premium phones? It runs the same Android of which I rather have a stock version than the bloat-ware rubbish that phone makers install on there for me. The iOS devices link into a web of ease-of-use, and come with a reasonably well make stock version of iOS. And then there's trust. Whom does an average user trust more with their data? (Apple/USgov, or Google/USgov+Samsung/SouthKorea+...)

I suspect o called "average user" would probably trust anything. Non average: I have no idea but I personally just simply do not trust. Do not care what is the company name.

Re: Apple Captures 75% of Global Handset Market Operating Profit in Q2 2021

#156
post #18

...with only a 13% share of units. That is, all other vendors together sold 87% of units, but earned only a combined 25% of industry-wide profit. The vast majority of those other vendors are companies headquartered in Asian countries with a long history of promoting market share, access to information, and knowledge transfer at the expense of short-term profit. They might be making less money willingly to grow/mainta…

Apple certainly was the winner of Huawei being pushed out of the USA market. Now they can continue slowly issuing premium features their competition had years ago, like the macro lens in the new iPhone 13. IMO, if Huawei had remained, high-end hardware would have entered a race to the bottom, and Apple would have been the biggest loser, we can't have that.

Sorry but your comment made me laugh.

Apple (a company that never publishes or leads with their tech specs) would be the biggest loser if Huawei stayed in the market. That Huawei that never reached 2% (or even 1%) mobile marketshare in the US

Re: Apple Captures 75% of Global Handset Market Operating Profit in Q2 2021

#157

Apple has brand loyalty, and apparently, they earned it. In buying an Android handset, your options shift over time. Samsung has the most brand loyalty, and some high-end handsets, as well as some lower end ones. The rest of the brands seem to waffle between trying to be high-end, and being the best value. For example, OnePlus set out to be compete against the high-end with really low prices, but over time, the price…

Huawei went after Apple, including on quality. They were shot down right when their sales overtook Apple's (maybe a coincidence, who knows...)

lol @ Huawei quality being anywhere close to Apple in hardware, software, or in ethical corporate operation. Maybe quality of marketing?

Re: Apple Captures 75% of Global Handset Market Operating Profit in Q2 2021

#158
post #71
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe. I'm not so sure. In theory , a company like, say, Samsung could stop making cheaper, money-losing phones and invest primarily on making increasingly better, premium, profitable phones like the Galaxy Fold, but they choose not to do that, year after year.

If they did they would be dead in a year. They sell a fraction of the >$1000 phones apple sells by the shipload. Their bread and butter is the cheap stuff. The same way nobody wants to spent $35k on a honda when they could have a tesla.

>"The same way nobody wants to spent $35k on a honda when they could have a tesla."

Depends on who's that nobody is. The only things I personally value in cars are:

1) It *reliably* gets me from A to B

2) It accommodates my vacation stuff so I always get van.

I would not pay one single penny for car's "coolness". If I was getting car instead of van Tesla would not be in the picture despite the fact that I could buy it if I valued different things in car.

Re: Apple Captures 75% of Global Handset Market Operating Profit in Q2 2021

#159
post #18

...with only a 13% share of units. That is, all other vendors together sold 87% of units, but earned only a combined 25% of industry-wide profit. The vast majority of those other vendors are companies headquartered in Asian countries with a long history of promoting market share, access to information, and knowledge transfer at the expense of short-term profit. They might be making less money willingly to grow/mainta…

> with a long history of promoting market share, access to information, and knowledge transfer at the expense of short-term profit.

Can you back this up? Because last time I checked Hauwei was bent on supplying phones and phone tech for the entire planet.

Re: Apple Captures 75% of Global Handset Market Operating Profit in Q2 2021

#160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most expensive (non-novelty) phones sold right now are from Samsung. At every price point that Apple sells at, Samsung has a similar product. Apple also sells their handsets through carriers, big box stores, and online through places like Amazon. You can often buy their stuff for less at these places yet the stores are still packed because people will pay more if it's a better experience.

Stores also function as service centres. Lots of people only use the Apple store to get things fixed. The store is just a physical extension of apples drive to put the customer experience first.

> The store is just a physical extension of apples drive to put the customer experience first.

They could learn a thing or two from Dell and Lenovo about repair turnarounds.

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