Reports: Nearly Twice As Many Androids Shipped Last Quarter As iPhones

TechCrunch ^ | November 1, 2010 | Erick Schonfeld

[SmokingJoe]

In a report that is raising eyebrows this morning, UK-based market research firm Canalys estimates that total shipments of Android phones in the U.S. during the third quarter were nearly twice as large as iPhone shipments. Out of 20.9 million smartphones shipped in the U.S., about 44 percent, or 9.1 million, are running the Android OS. Apple, shipped an estimated 5.5 million phones, or 26 percent of the total.

Apple ships only one phone, the iPhone. And it became the single largest smartphone in the U.S., surpassing all Blackberry phones combined (with RIM shipping an estimated 5.1 million phones, or 24 percent). Apple’s market share in the U.S. jumped 4.5 percent from the second quarter, but the collective share of all the Android handsets now on the market jumped by nearly 10 percent (from 34 percent).

On a worldwide basis, Canalys puts Android’s share at about 25 percent, also larger than the iPhone’s global share of 17 percent (and RIM’s 15 percent). These numbers are surprising given the fact that Apple claims to be activating 275,000 iOS devices a day, with Google a bit lower. Activations and shipments are different, but they should be more or less in line with one another. The numbers that have come out from both Apple and Google suggest that Android and iOS devices are neck-and-neck, not that Android is a length ahead. But Apple’s activation numbers include more than just iPhones (iPads are in there too).

Other market research firms such as Nielsen and Gartner have yet to release their third quarter estimates. Will their numbers tell the same story as the Canalys numbers?

[SmokingJoe]

Update: NPD Group came out with its numbers, which are pretty close. It also shows Android in the U.S. on 44 Percent of smartphones compared to 23 percent for Apple’s iOS, and RIM in third with 22 percent

[ClearCase_guy]

Exactly how do they estimate the total number of shipments? Is there an App for that?

[Blueflag]

Only on the I Phone ;-)

[Plumres]

I think Apple has made the same mistake they made years ago when they lost out to Windows. The limit the market for their product. I waited years for the iphone to come to Verizon and last month I got tried of waiting and went with the Android. I am very happy with the Android and iphone losses my business.

[ShadowAce]

Is it because consumers were waiting for the iPhnoe 4?

[CSI007]

Better hardware/software...better sales. Android OWNS iphone.

[ShadowAce]

or even waiting for the iPhone 4?

[Humble Servant]

how’s pricing compare?

[RightWingConspirator]

I agree. It was a mistake for Apple to limit the iPhone to AT&T. I would have liked to have an iPhone but I wasn’t willing to dump my long-time carrier for AT&T.

[CSI007]

Generally speaking it’s not even close. Iphone is a rip off.

[shineon]

I believe that iphone was hit very hard by antenna-gate.

[KarlInOhio]

I agree. It was a mistake for Apple to limit the iPhone to AT&T. I would have liked to have an iPhone but I wasn’t willing to dump my long-time carrier for AT&T.

Verizon rejected them and AT&T demanded a multi-year exclusive deal which is coming to an end very soon.

[hecht]

I have Verizon and have had a droid for a year. Actually its my third. it breaks easily. If Verizon truly gets the Iphone after the New Year , I’ll be their first customer, Of course I’ll be competing with millions for that honor.

[nodumbblonde]

Can I ask what phone you were using before you went to the Android? I love my BlackBerry but it’s the only brand of smartphone I’ve ever had and wondered what, if anything, I was missing out on.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

I believe that iphone was hit very hard by antenna-gate.

Apple claims that they sell all the iPhones they can make -

If so, antenna-gate is pretty much irrelevant to anything but AAPL's cost per sale, and its still-rather-lucrative bottom line.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Ping.

[Swordmaker]

Android Phones outsold iPhones last quarter—PING!

Of course, Apple took home 47% of ALL the cellphone handset sales profits on only a 3.9% world wide handset market share, but then that doesn't seem to matter... the rest, mostly are selling at a loss or for very slim margins in a race to the bottom with Buy One, Get One Free offers...

And Apple is still selling every iPhone 4, iPad, and iPod touch they can make... and are gearing up factories to make more.

Please!
No Flame Wars!
Discuss technical issues, software, and hardware.
Don't attack people!
Don't respond to the Anti-Apple Thread Trolls!
PLEASE IGNORE THEM!!!

Apple v. Android Ping!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

[big'ol_freeper]

The longer I have my Motorola Droid the more I realize it is a subpar and not well-integrated device. Frustratingly poor. One example...take a picture and wait five minutes for it to show up in the gallery so you can upload it to Facebook.

[SunkenCiv]

Netbooks can’t be made cheap enough. If they reach the sub-$100 range, those who want a once-in-a-while rainy day backup travel unit will buy ‘em all. But of course, no one can make money doing that. Netbooks and notebooks offer the same kind of functionality, except that netbooks have noticeably smaller keyboards and screens. Once the roll-up computer rolls out (as it were) — within five years, perhaps even three years — notebooks will be (mostly) finished off; netbooks will be long gone. Low-end notebooks already overlap high-end netbooks, and that’s the way the market is going to go; fullsize notebooks will continue to command a premium over netbooks, but the netbook success has shown that users will give up hotter CPUs.

[Swordmaker]

Here is where the Android Phones have their Waterloo...

Apple files multiple patent infringement lawsuits against Motorola"

Apple has specifically named: "Droid, Droid 2, Droid X, Cliq, Cliq XT, BackFlip, Devour A555, Devour i1, and Charm.1," all Android phones, as specifically infringing Apple's patents.

Apple has not sued Google directly because they are not selling Android directly... and Android itself is not, apparently, at this point directly infringing any Apple patents. The PHONES however are. It remains to be seen when Apple may file against Google in some kind of inducement to infringe suit because Android enables Android devices to use Apple patented devices and technology, but that is probably a legal stretch.

However, Oracle has sued Google over Sun's Java code found verbatim in Android's code base... apparently without license. This may be another SCO moment, but only the courts will determine that.

Several of the Apple patents in the lawsuits have to do with things that will heavily impact Android phones look and feel... and operation as multi-touch screen phone operations. Apple has also filed a patent lawsuit against HTC for similar infringements on their Android phones. I hear others are in the works against all other Android phone makers.

In the two year run-up of iPhone/iPad development before the iPhone release, Apple submitted over 200 patent applications and those are now being granted almost daily. Now that Apple is receiving the legal ammunition of those official patents, they will be going after those companies using their intellectual property. Steve Jobs promised that when they introduced the iPhone in January 2007... and they are following through.