Seems like the U.S. and UK need to wake up and realize that crApple ain't the way to go...
IPhone share hit 36% in U.S., fell to 20% in France
21–25 of 25 posts
Re: IPhone share hit 36% in U.S., fell to 20% in France
#22Re: IPhone share hit 36% in U.S., fell to 20% in France
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
"The French market is showing increasing signs of price sensitivity," Kantar's Dominic Sunnebo told Reuters. So just price then. Also have any phones actually been banned from sale in the US yet? I thought HTC had time to change their product.
"just price" indeed. In France there are incredible offers for Android phones (I got my Motorola Atrix for "free" back in september), whereas the prices of iPhones have doubled since the device opened itself to multiple operators, from 99€ for 16GB to 199€ for the same iPhone4 (with network plan) between december 2010 and december 2011. We suffer from a strange case of illegal trust between our three main network pro…
So are you implying that the operators (and perhaps Apple) are simply soaking their iPhone customers or just trying to promote Android phones because they're more lucrative (ie, lower cost, but same subscription cost)?
Re: IPhone share hit 36% in U.S., fell to 20% in France
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
"just price" indeed. In France there are incredible offers for Android phones (I got my Motorola Atrix for "free" back in september), whereas the prices of iPhones have doubled since the device opened itself to multiple operators, from 99€ for 16GB to 199€ for the same iPhone4 (with network plan) between december 2010 and december 2011. We suffer from a strange case of illegal trust between our three main network pro…
So are you implying that the operators (and perhaps Apple) are simply soaking their iPhone customers or just trying to promote Android phones because they're more lucrative (ie, lower cost, but same subscription cost)?
I'm just implying that when the entry price of your product doubles and competition undercuts you to death, it's no surprise your market share goes down - at least in France.
I'm also implying that maybe under Apple's pressure, maybe with their cooperation, maybe against their will, the various french mobile operators settled on a common price for the iPhone that is way higher than when Orange had a monopoly, which is illegal as far as I know.
"The French market is showing increasing signs of price sensitivity" really is an euphemism for "The French see what you did there, Orange, Bouygues Telecom & SFR". Android has nothing to do with it, really.
Re: IPhone share hit 36% in U.S., fell to 20% in France
#25I know a few people who switched from iPhone to Android (Galaxy II) and it is definitely not because of "price sensitivity" but rather lack of innovation and loss of marketing traction on Apple's side. An iPhone is just not that hip and not that much of a lifestyle object anymore. Also some waited for the iPhone five to come out but when that did not happen the went Android. I am from Germany by the way, where Apple…
IMO this isn't really about consumers making smart choices. It's about incumbent telecoms operators like France Telecom making sure they keep a balance of power between suppliers. They're making sure that as their customers come up to renew their contracts and upgrade their phone they're leaving the store with an Android device.
Despite the strength of the iPhone brand, there's still a significant chunk of the market that really "doesn't care" and just wants a phone that works. Sure they'd be happy to have a camera and all the rest of what a smart phone offers but they're cautious about increasing their monthly bill with data charges and, first and foremost, just want a phone. You can sell this type of consumer an Android phone quite easily, even if they came into your store asking for an iPhone.
Meanwhile Apple made the "mistake" of pushing their vision of user experience all the way through consumer. To do this they dictated terms to telcos on how they distribute iPhones, and broke long established conventions built up with Nokia, Motorola, Sony Erikson and others about the distribution process, and questioned the role of the telco in that process. That left telcos scared of a future where Apple is their dominant supplier. So they fixed it.
IMO that's where these numbers are coming from.