2009 world handset sales ranked, iPhone OS eats WinMo

23 February, 2010
Technology researchers from Gartner have come up with their annual report on mobile phone sales, 2009 edition. And it's an interesting read. In short, 2009 phones sales have remained flat despite the economic...

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  • K
  • Keith
  • xVD
  • 25 Feb 2010

[deleted post]I agree that Android is an amazing OS. I don't think it's an iPhone killer though. The iPhone just has too much of everything else going for it with the apps, the low price, connection to iTunes, etc. Android could very well kill off Symbian and Windows Mobile in the long run though.

There's a lot of talk in this thread comparing the N900 and the iPhone. In reality, the N900 is a niche phone that very few people want or buy. It's just too expensive. And it's real competitor is the Google Nexus One (not the iPhone). Between those two, very few average users would pick the N900.

Symbian's real competitor is Android. That whole HTC Android line up is spectacular compared to what Nokia has out. If Nokia doesn't do something about Symbian, Android will kill it off in a few years.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • xVD
    • 25 Feb 2010

    deep space bar, 25 Feb 2010you actually gonna believe apple lol your sad 40 millio... more@deepspacebar

    It's 40 billion. Apple has the cash. And they don't lose $150 per phone. If you are saying they are lying, please put up the evidence. I am sure the FTC and the SEC would be interested in Apple misreporting their reserves or earnings.

      • K
      • Keith
      • xVD
      • 25 Feb 2010

      @deepspacebar

      You still didn't address my scenario of the cost of phones like the N900. Who cares if it's a high end smartphone and the iPhone is a low end or mid-range handset? How is the average person suppose to afford a N900? Please explain that to me. Please explain how an N900 is price competitive against an iPhone.

      Tell me, how you would equip a family of four (like in my scenario) with Nokia smartphones and how much that would cost vs. a bunch of iPhones. If you had a wife and two teens, would you buy each of them an N900? Or would you get yourself an N900 and give the rest of them free dumphones? Or would you find a compromise like the iPhone and get everybody an iPhone in the family? ...and this is exactly what's happening by the way and driving iPhone sales. Whole families switching to the iPhone. There's something to be said for a platform that everybody in the family can understand. That's a quality your N900 doesn't have.

      Price though, is key. If you can't find a way to make the N900 cheaper than the iPhone (at retail, with contract), then you'll understand why the iPhone is selling so well. It's cheaper yet it does pretty much everything the average user wants their phone to do. And it doesn't take them forever to figure out how to do something they want to do on their phone.

      You can keep going on and on about how great the N900 is. But nobody's going to buy it except a handful of people like you. The masses will keep buying iPhone cause they are cheaper and easier to use than your high-end smartphone. The Truth hurts, doesn't it?

        • K
        • Keith
        • xVD
        • 25 Feb 2010

        deep space bar, 25 Feb 2010actually apple looses more money on the iphone even though ... more@deepspacebar

        Can you put up a link for that? I have read that Apple makes money on the iPhone. And breaks even on the app store. It's like iTunes. They don't really make much money on the iTunes Music Store. But it helps them sell iPods.

        http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/01/21results.html

        And yes I do believe Apple, since publicly traded companies that misreport figures get in trouble with the FTC and the SEC. But if you don't like Apple's analysis here's reports from other business analysts:

        http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/mowi/article.php/3847936/Apples-iPhone-Profit-Tops-Nokia-Samsung.htm

        http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/technology/companies/23apple.html

        So I don't know where you are getting this statistic that Apple is losing $150 a phone. If you have any evidence please post it. Even when you take into account how it costs to make an iPhone it seems pretty conceivable that they make a solid profit on it:

        http://www.infoworld.com/d/hardware/apples-iphone-profit-margin-greater-50-percent-046

        I am curious to read where you heard they lose $150 per handset. Please post your info. Thanks.


          • d
          • deep space bar
          • kDi
          • 25 Feb 2010

          Anonymous, 25 Feb 2010I guess that's why Apple now has $40,000,000,000 in cash re... moreyou actually gonna believe apple lol

          your sad
          40 million my foot

          just like the lie about million downloads lol i did that flsh project in grade 9 and that was 8 years ago

          they loose money from every iphone but gain in apps sales so if apple never came out with the apps store they wouldn't succeed at all

            • B
            • Barcode
            • j8L
            • 25 Feb 2010

            My apologies for saying that Android is not open source my bad. What I shouldve said is that even though Android is open source it is still locked by some of the companies which means you need to root the phone to get out of that lock. Here is what im refering to.

            http://cool900.blogspot.com/2009/10/comparing-freedom-on-maemo-and-android.html

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • vaa
              • 25 Feb 2010

              deep space bar, 25 Feb 2010actually apple looses more money on the iphone even though ... moreI guess that's why Apple now has $40,000,000,000 in cash reserves.

              You got no idea about finance.

                • M
                • Mike
                • m77
                • 25 Feb 2010

                If you work for a mobile provider you SHOULD know Android OS's Are Streets ahead of any other software out there

                The only thing the iphone has is the fashion advantage,
                So to be honest put a 3330 in Megan Fox's hand and that will make a come back!

                  • d
                  • deep space bar
                  • kDi
                  • 25 Feb 2010

                  Keith, 25 Feb 2010@deepspacebar It's great that you have service with Wind... moreactually apple looses more money on the iphone even though it's their biggest seller right now

                  cause it cost 150 to make an iphone plus the vast amounts of money they waste on ads and the low prices of the iphone

                  their are just making what they lost lol

                  plus the n900 is classed as a high end smartphone
                  and the iphone is a mid range smart

                  they are actually making more money from the apps then the iphone which is sad
                  and if you noticed you can't pay full non contract iphone cause rogers and apple wont let you

                  and subsidized prices hinder the cost and value of the device
                  that's why nokia doesn't like bringing alot of handsets to north american market cause they don't wanna allow

                  that's why i went to WINDmobile it's cheaper

                    • J
                    • Joselito JÃ&o
                    • PkE
                    • 25 Feb 2010

                    These numbers only confirm the superiodade Nokia before all the other handset makers! Why I always say ... Nokia is Nokia, the rest is the rest! Nokian live the Empire!

                      • K
                      • Keith
                      • xVD
                      • 25 Feb 2010

                      deep space bar, 25 Feb 2010lol you two are funny rogers can use the n900 on 2.5g n... more@deepspacebar

                      It's great that you have service with Wind. But how many Canadians have that option? Three cities as of today? The rest of us face the choice I put above.

                      And even Wind doesn't sell the N900. So you are paying between $800-$1000 for that phone. How many people have that kind of money? For the price of your N900, the average family of four could get 4 iPhones and still have enough left to pay 3-4 months of bills.

                      And that's exactly why Apple is selling more iPhones and Nokia's market share is going down. It's great that Nokia makes powerful devices. But the average does not want or need such a powerful handset and certainly doesn't want to spend half a paycheque on a phone. If Nokia keeps focusing on N900 type devices, they will become a niche player in the smartphone business, selling only to guys like you, while users like your friends and family buy Android devices, Blackberries or iPhones.

                        • B
                        • Barcode
                        • j8L
                        • 25 Feb 2010

                        Keith, 25 Feb 2010@Barcode, In absolute terms the Apple App store still ha... moreYes I am aware that they have more free apps than everyone which is expected based on their numbers lol but the guy I replied to said most of APPLE's apps are free which just isnt true.

                        Ya thats true Andoird definitly has the most potential to take on Apple but that still may be awhile if it does happen. Nokia's app store is terrible I agree haha I think thats why everyone just goes on the internet to get theirs. I never realized how expensive Blackberry apps were though.

                          • K
                          • Keith
                          • xVD
                          • 25 Feb 2010

                          Barcode, 25 Feb 2010lol majority of iphone apps free? lolololol http://blog.... more@Barcode,

                          In absolute terms the Apple App store still has 35 000 free apps. That's more free apps than the rest of the app stores have total apps, combined.

                          That said, I like the potential of Android. That's probably the only OS that has a fighting chance against the whole Apple iPhone ecosystem. And Windows maybe saved with Phone 7 Series. And Microsoft does have the clout to get developers to pump out apps. Blackberry's got BBM. Who cares what other apps they've got. For business users BBM is the killer app.

                          That leaves Nokia with Symbian and the Ovi store. I've used that on my Nokia 5800 and on the desktop. And it's a terrible experience. It can't compete with Android Market or the iPhone App Store or the Blackberry app store. I would really like Nokia to turn things around (not just with the phone, but with everything else too) or in a year I'll be moving on to an Android handset.

                            • B
                            • Barcode
                            • j8L
                            • 25 Feb 2010

                            Kiwiboi, 24 Feb 2010Stop bashing iPhone, this is clearly telling you how good t... morelol majority of iphone apps free? lolololol

                            http://blog.gsmarena.com/major-mobile-app-stores-analyzed-android-market-has-57-free-apps/

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • xVD
                              • 25 Feb 2010

                              deep space bar, 25 Feb 2010lol you two are funny rogers can use the n900 on 2.5g n... more@deepspacebar

                              That's great for you. But how much of the county has access to Wind Mobile's network? Oh that's right, three cities in the country. Everybody else faces the kind of choices I just put up.

                              And Wind doesn't even sell the N900 themselves. You have to buy it somewhere else at full price. How many average people do you know are willing to shell out $800-$1000 for a phone. Easy if you are a single guy living in your mom's basement. Not so great for families that need 4 phones for two parents and two teens. For the price of your N900, a family of 4 can get 4 iPhones and still have enough cash to pay their bills for 3-4 months.

                              I am not saying the iPhone is the best phone out there. I don't think it is. I just want people to understand why it sells so well. And price is a big reason. And value is another big reason. For a hundred bucks it's the best phone you can get. It's important that OEMs understand this. The N900 is a geek's toy. It's not going to keep Nokia in business. They have to make a "retard's" phone (as you call it) like the iPhone if they want to keep making money (last I checked that was the goal of any business).

                              Take a poll. Ask your friends and family, how many of them are willing to shell out what you did for a phone. And ask them what they would pick: iPhone or N900? You'll be surprised. And let me know if they pick the iPhone, if you'll start calling your loved ones retards too.

                                • d
                                • deep space bar
                                • kDi
                                • 25 Feb 2010

                                Keith, 25 Feb 2010Bash the iPhone all you want. At the end of the day, peopl... morelol you two are funny

                                rogers can use the n900 on 2.5g network

                                i'm on WINDmobile hense why i got the n900
                                plus no contracts just plans

                                80 gives me unlimited voice with long distance and data

                                  • K
                                  • Keith
                                  • xVD
                                  • 25 Feb 2010

                                  So in Canada, my choice with Rogers for $100 on contract are:

                                  Sony Ericsson: W200a or Xperia X1
                                  Nokia: 5800 Xpressmusic
                                  RIM: Blackberry Curve 8900
                                  Samsung: S366
                                  Apple: iPhone 3G 8GB

                                  Now out of that list which has the most user friendly UI and the best value? And keep in mind that a lot of people spending around $100 for an on-contract phone are teens or their parents. It's not hard to see why the iPhone sells so well in North America. These are the choices we face.

                                  I am willing to be that in Asia and Europe, the iPhone is equally price competitive and that's why it's slowly catching on with sales in those places too.

                                    • K
                                    • Keith
                                    • xVD
                                    • 25 Feb 2010

                                    Bash the iPhone all you want. At the end of the day, people are voting with their dollars. Just look at Nokia and Symbian's marketshare. And keep in mind that the iphone was still launching in new markets last year and will mature in most markets in 2010 and launch in a few new ones. This means that if nothing changes, Nokia and Symbian will be losing more market share this year.

                                    If you love Nokia (like I do), you should be worried and take the iPhone seriously. Otherwise, Nokia is pretty much going to be out of the smartphone game (or permanently relegated to second or third) in about a year or two. Symbian has to change. And Nokia has got to start making cheaper and better handsets. Who's going to buy a Nokia X6 with a dated Symbian OS when you can get an iPhone 3GS for half the price or less usually, and the later has access to a huge apps store (hint: this is what helps sell iPhones)? A few diehard Nokia fans might pay more for a Nokia X6, but most will go for the cheaper and more fun and easy to use iPhone.

                                    And with Blackberry eating the business market (because really, who can compete with BBM?), Nokia, SE and the others have no choice but to compete in the consumer market. And there you have to fight with the iPhone. And that's not just the UI or the hardware. It's the apps. It's the browser. It's desktop interface (iTunes). It's Apple's support for their products (how many stores does SE or Nokia have?). And it's the price. The iPhone is the absolute best handset for its price from most carriers. In Canada and US, there is nothing better for $200.

                                    Check out what Rogers gives you in Canada for $200 on contract:
                                    http://www.rogers.com/web/link/wirelessBuyFlow?forwardTo=PhoneThenPlan&productType=normal&N=52+11+36
                                    http://www.rogers.com/web/link/wirelessBuyFlow?forwardTo=PhoneThenPlan&productType=normal&N=52+11+37

                                    And you can get an iPhone for as little as $100 on contract:
                                    http://www.rogers.com/web/link/wirelessBuyFlow?forwardTo=PhoneThenPlan&productType=normal&N=52+11+5

                                    Now what would anybody pick if $100-$200 was their budget and they wanted the best their phone money could buy? Will they ever get an N900 for $200 even on contract?

                                      • J
                                      • John Ron
                                      • M3s
                                      • 25 Feb 2010

                                      I work for the carphone warehouse and all day every day i have to deal with irate customers with brokes n series and blackberrys. i have an iphone and i know my stuff when it comes to phones. the iphone is the best phone on the market. end off.