Samsung Takes the Lead In the Smartphone Market

New submitter landofcleve writes "When the writing is on the wall, you fight harder — or at least that's what we've seen from Apple in recent months. Now we know why: Samsung has reached a market share above Apple's for smartphone sales. 'Samsung shipped 27.8 million smartphones in the last quarter, taking 23.8 percent of the market ... Apple’s 17.1 million shipments, comprising 14.6 percent of the market, pushed the Cupertino, California-based company to second place. Nokia maintained its third position.'"

Comments

Re:Sue

[Oswald McWeany]

Well, apple does have a patent out on being the leading smart phone company- so by being #1, Samsung is in clear violation of that patent.

High-end models?

[TwoOranges]

How many of those smartphones are high-end models that are comparable to the iPhone?

Re:High-end models?

[MadKeithV]

How many of those smartphones are high-end models that are comparable to the iPhone?

None.
Or according to Apple's lawyers: every single one.

Re:High-end models?

[phayes]

The most interesting questions is rather: "How many of the shipped pones will actually get sold before 2012?" Samsung has shown it can produce phones now let's see if they can actually sell them.

Re:High-end models?

[Andy Dodd]

Quite a few - Samsung's hottest seller in late spring/early summer was the international variant of the Galaxy S II - a device which was undoubtebly above the iPhone 4 in all regards.

In fact, in some areas, it's still ahead of the iPhone 4S - the 4S has a nicer GPU but a weaker CPU, and still has a crappy 3.5" screen.

Re:High-end models?

[VMaN]

You are why people in marketing have a job. But you probably feel good about it, so win-win?

Re:High-end models?

[heathen_01]

oddly I want an iphone none the less. strange is it not that specs are not everything.

Not strange at all. It would be hard to justify the amount spent on marketing otherwise.

Re:High-end models?

[shoehornjob]

rtfa the whole article was specifically about smart phones. Jobs must be rolling in his grave right now.

Re:High-end models?

[Sir_Sri]

And the galaxy Sii has a replacable battery and survives a drop test much better. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elKxgsrJFhw

Even the Galaxy SI was a pretty good phone compared to the apple equivalents.

I'm a big guy, so the Galaxy SII being larger is a big plus for me, and certainly not a downside (I have big pockets for it, for example), but not everyone wants a small slate in their pocket.

Re:High-end models?

[Tsingi]

rtfa the whole article was specifically about smart phones. Jobs must be rolling in his grave right now.

The man knows when to throw in the towel.

Re:High-end models?

[dwightk]

a device which was undoubtebly above the iPhone 4 in all regards.

wait... nope... I just checked. It's doubtable.

Re:High-end models?

[Yobgod Ababua]

"and still has a crappy 3.5" screen."

I still don't get what's "crappy" about a screen size I can actually fit in my pocket.
It's all you damn baggy-pants kids complaining, isn't it? Isn't it???

Get off my goddamm lawn and leave my phone's form factor alone.

Re:High-end models?

[Idbar]

There is no question. Some Samsung models will come out to the market at a more affordable price than an iPhone. And while people in Slashdot screams that iPhones are cheap (which are not), there's still people in many places that cannot afford or will not pay for them.

So Samsung won't make as much money? who cares if they're putting many devices on the market at similar rates than the iPhone.

Re:High-end models?

[UnknowingFool]

I don't know if Apple or Jobs ever cared about having the most sales. To the loyal fans, they cared about having the best product. To the cynics, they cared about having the most profit.

Re:High-end models?

[craigkal]

Because adults where normal size pants and have normal sized human hands. Apple had to make their screen 3.5" so you could fit it in your skinny jeans.

Re:High-end models?

[SiChemist]

iPhone: 640 x 960 Galazy[sic]: 480 x 800

Galaxy Nexus: 720 x 1280 (4.65" screen 315 ppi)

Plus, while it may be a personal preference, SAMOLED >> LCD.

Re:High-end models?

[iluvcapra]

OLEDs have terrible color, its over-saturated and makes people think the image looks better in a subjective way. ((S)AM)OLED is to cellphones as glossy screens are to laptops. Do a Pepsi challenge with a iPhone or even an original Droid, versus a Galaxy Nexus in a dark room, versus watching the image on a proper screen.

Pentile doesn't help either with the blacks or contrasty images.

Re:High-end models?

[UnknowingFool]

Apple makes more profit in the smartphone market than any other manufacturer. I think the estimates are somewhere between 50% to 66%. By model, Apple has the highest sales. Apple however doesn't sell many models. Apple could release a cheap model to get more sales but I don't think they ever will. Given their history of sticking to the high end and most profitable segments of markets, this is unlikely. Your reaction instead of a discussion about things is to scream "fanboi!"

Re:High-end models?

[SiChemist]

OLEDs have terrible color, its over-saturated and makes people think the image looks better in a subjective way.

Since I'm not using my phone to do pre-press for a magazine, or to edit video for a television program, I think that having the image look better in a subjective way is exactly what I want. I don't need hyper-accurate colors on my smartphone.

I own the original droid phone and I've compared the screen with my friend's Galaxy S. I prefer the SAMOLED.

Re:High-end models?

[Solandri]

"and still has a crappy 3.5" screen."

I still don't get what's "crappy" about a screen size I can actually fit in my pocket.

That's not the point. Samsung sells smartphones with 2.8" screens, 3.5" screens, 4" screens, 4.3" screens, 4.5" screens, and 4.65" screens. If you want a big screen, you can get it. If you like the smaller size, you can get that instead.

With Apple, the screen size that Jobs liked is the only choice you have. The screen size is "just right" only if your tastes exactly matched his, or you were convinced by the hype that being trendy was more important than getting the screen size you really wanted.

Re:High-end models?

[UnknowingFool]

If you care to see through your Apple hatred you would realize that I'm trying to have a frank discussion about strategy. The smart phone market like the computer industry is highly competitive. Apple could never compete with Nokia or Samsung by selling the most units but at a lower margin. Just like they could never compete with Dell. Under Jobs it seems that they take a minimalist focus in this regard. Their strategy has always been to focus on a smaller number of models but at the high end of the market for more profit. Thus I don't think they are bothered if they don't have the highest sales. I think they are proud that their strategy has placed them #1 in certain categories. However, all this seems lost on you as all you have are rantings and are adding nothing to the discussion. Would you care to quibble how better vi is compared to emacs?

Re:High-end models?

[cayenne8]

I don't really WANT a larger screen on a phone.

The iPhone fits easily in my front pocket which is where it is 98% of the time when I'm out and about. Any larger would be a uncomfortable...and with jeans or other tight clothing...would be harder to get in/out of your pocket when you're getting a call. Really tough in a car with seatbelt on....

Re:High-end models?

[s73v3r]

a device which was undoubtebly above the iPhone 4 in all regards.

You mean a phone that came out a full year AFTER the iPhone 4 was better than it? Stop the presses!

Re:High-end models?

[s73v3r]

Yeah, because marketing is the only reason he'd want an iPhone over something else. Doesn't have anything to do with the idea that maybe he likes the iOS way of doing things more.

Re:High-end models?

[s73v3r]

How's the iOS 5 on the iPhone 1 and 3G again?

A lot better than Android 2 was on the G1.

Re:High-end models?

[s73v3r]

You know, it's assholes like you that give Android, and geeks in general a bad name. Just because you might not like someone's choice of phone/OS, doesn't mean that choice isn't valid. Dismissing every competitor to Android as "marketing" means you fail to realize what makes those ecosystems good, which makes it harder for Android to improve.

Get off your fucking high horse, dipshit.

Re:High-end models?

[s73v3r]

Not really. You may have choice of screen size, but that also dictates the internals you get. If I want the internals of a Galaxy SII, or a Galaxy Nexus, I don't have choice of screen size. I have to take what those models offer. Picking a different screen size can get me vastly different components, which may or may not be what I want.

Re:High-end models?

[s73v3r]

Everyone knows that if the report showed apple with bigger sales numbers that your fanboy-attitude toward the discussion would be touting the sales majority as being some totem of greatness. Two faced, a fanboy is.

And everyone knows that if the report showed phones SHIPPED (not sold), that your Android fanboy-attitude would be touting the idea that somehow actual number of phones sold doesn't matter, especially when using data from a quarter where Samsung had new products and Apple didn't.

Re:High-end models?

[s73v3r]

I like how your response to anything Apple is "It's all marketing!" as if they don't have to put out quality products to begin with. It makes it much easier to spot you as an anti-fanboy, and dismiss pretty much anything you have to say.

Re:High-end models?

[CheerfulMacFanboy]

iPhone: 640 x 960 Galazy[sic]: 480 x 800

Galaxy Nexus: 720 x 1280 (4.65" screen 315 ppi)

Plus, while it may be a personal preference, SAMOLED >> LCD.

Galaxy Nexus: 720 x 1280 PenTile. http://www.anandtech.com/show/5000/galaxy-nexus-pentile-discussion-confirmed

Re:High-end models?

[werepants]

Behold, readers, the triumph of marketing and showroom appeal, over, like, good engineering.

As I said, glossy screen of the cellphone world.

AMOLED has battery life benefits, outdoor viewing advantages, and often has a better viewing angle. All of these things are objectively better. Not that it matters. There's one main difference between a person who purchases based on preference and a person that purchases based on specs. One of them is aware of their own subjectivity.

Re:High-end models?

[BasilBrush]

Given that Apple sells an unlocked iPhone 3GS to consumers without a contract for $375, Which of those 2 figures is supposed to represent the iPhone 3GS? Why do you imagine Apple would charge a carrier more than an individual consumer?

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC637

So much for your made up numbers.

How is this news?

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple didn't release a phone last quarter. Wait 1 quarter.

Welcome to today's oblig. apple/android throwdown

[jeffmeden]

With articles like this, you would think it really mattered who made more of what in a quarter... Never mind that geographies are different, carriers are different, and features are different. Time to buckle down for the hordes of apple and android gang-bangers to fill another thread with vitriol and made up words.

Re:Sue

[ClaraBow]

Seriously, what has happened to all the great discussions which defined Slashdot as a community of thought provoking and insightful people who were tech-savvy and in the know! This 7th grade banter is getting annoying!

Units Shipped != Units Sold

[AoF.Squall]

And neither one represents number of active users. I can imagine that Apple has a much better sell-through rate of stock, and Samsung supplies a lot of models to a lot of retailers & service providers.

Re:Units Shipped != Units Sold

[coinreturn]

Judging by majority of polls etc... I'm inclined to theorize that apple's units sold numbers are more inflated then samsungs

No. Apple easily sells every single unit the make (also, they release SALES numbers, not shipped numbers). I suspect there's a reason Samsung doesn't release sales numbers.

Re:Units Shipped != Units Sold

[AoF.Squall]

Well, when you're using that as a metric for market share, then shipped definitely does not apply. But, getting units sold (to customers) is a much more difficult number for a manufacturer to obtain. Either way, I still think the number of people using apple phones is larger than Samsung. Maybe Samsung sold more this year (I have one), but phones do run a 2-year cycle nowadays. Plus the whole 4S thing altering Apple's shipping that everyone mentioned.

Re:Units Shipped != Units Sold

[tlhIngan]

No. Apple easily sells every single unit the make (also, they release SALES numbers, not shipped numbers). I suspect there's a reason Samsung doesn't release sales numbers.

Apple tries to prevent channel stuffing - but they also tend to sell everything they make.

Additionally, Apple's profitshare of the mobile sector (including dumbphones and the like) was a whopping 66%. Yes, two thirds of all profits made went to Apple. Samsung, LG, Motorola, HTC, RIM, Nokia, etc. are fighting over the remaining pie, with smartphones, featurephones (which still outsell smartphones) and other things.

It's crazy.

And Apple doesn't like to channel stuff - they drop production as sales drop, and when a new model is being introduced, will often not fulfill orders for the old inventory, rather letting them dry up. It's a rather fragile balancing act - Apple hates shortages (they want everyone who wants one to walk out with one), but also needs to ensure expensive inventory doesn't pile up. And it's even harder when your quantities are in the millions.

Re:Sue

[monoqlith]

i'm sorry, when was this?

Re:Welcome to today's oblig. apple/android throwdo

[ArcherB]

With articles like this, you would think it really mattered who made more of what in a quarter... Never mind that geographies are different, carriers are different, and features are different. Time to buckle down for the hordes of apple and android gang-bangers to fill another thread with vitriol and made up words.

Well, according to Apple and Samsung, these guys are stealing so many of each other's ideas they are practically selling the same phones, if you believe the testimony.

This is based on analysts guesses

[Linegod]

This is based on analysts guesses. Samsung didn't release any numbers.

I hope Apple did not patent...

[lsolano]

...to be the #1 phone vendor.

Shipped vs Sold...

[Anonymous Coward]

Android "ships" phones, Apple "sells" phones -- this misleading comparison of apples and oranges continues. When will Android manufacturers start quoting "actual sales"?

Lets see how Apple recovers in "sales" figures now that their newly released phone is out, the last quarter was expected to dip due to anticipation of many wanting to purchase the new model.

Re:Welcome to today's oblig. apple/android throwdo

[Anonymous Coward]

pardon this frudilation, but i think it a incorrect alataic memfarma to suggest that there are any words that aren't made up or otherwise rumpusted.

it's that or someone's been secretly mining them with sharing such impetitude.

quarterly reporting and reality

[goombah99]

Samsung released their Galaxy II s in the previous quarter. apple did not release the overdue and widely expected 4S till this quarter. Combine that with the fact that the smart phone market is expanding (not zero sum) so that apple does not have to sell less for Samsung to sell more, and it's pretty clear this statistic is just an anomoly due to the way sales get binned by quarter. We won't know much about it till a few more quarters have passed to average it out. My guess is the 4s is the hot cake for Q4.

Re:Sheeple?

[index0]

I give the label sheeple to many apple users because they admit to wanting apple's new phone without even seeing it or it being announced.

Re:Sheeple?

[artor3]

If there are Samsung buyers who eagerly snatch up every new model on the day it's released and get personally offended whenever anyone on the internet says something bad about the company, then yes, you can call them sheeple too.

Re:Sue

[revscat]

I was there. It did exist. Now, it's Slashdot is primarily based around Apple hate and imbeciles.

There are other places on the internet. No harm, no foul.

Re:Holding market share is another thing

[joeyblades]

I seriously considered iPhone for my last purchase, but I've started to think of my phone as a computer and the iPhone is simply too restrictive. I'm very happy with my Motorola Atrix. Actually, every Motorola phone I've had has been stellar.

Re:I feel like I'm repeating myself.

[Bucky24]

if you want Android, and you don't want one or either of (1) 4G, (2) a replaceable battery, (3) a 4" AMOLED screen, or (4) SD slots

I am not sure what an AMOLED screen is, but why on earth wouldn't you want an SD slot or a removable battery? Seems to me that's one of the main complaints against the iPhone.