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One Billion iPhones Have Been Sold, Apple Says (apple.com)

Posted by msmash on from the one-billion-club dept.

Apple announced on Wednesday that it has sold its one billionth iPhone handset. The milestone comes nine years after the iPhone was first introduced. The phone has unarguably shaped the smartphone industry and bolstered the apps market. In a statement, Tim Cook said: iPhone has become one of the most important, world-changing and successful products in history. It's become more than a constant companion. iPhone is truly an essential part of our daily life and enables much of what we do throughout the day. Last week we passed another major milestone when we sold the billionth iPhone. We never set out to make the most, but we've always set out to make the best products that make a difference. Thank you to everyone at Apple for helping change the world every day.

126 comments

  1. Sheep. by pinzvidz · · Score: -1, Troll

    That's a lot of sheep.

    1. Re:Sheep. by Space+cowboy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      When does it stop becoming "sheep" and more like "hey, this thing ain't bad" ?

      Not all of those phones are going to be still in use, but 1/7th of the world's population is a pretty reasonable sales rate.

      --
      Physicists get Hadrons!
    2. Re:Sheep. by npslider · · Score: 0

      Don't you mean iSheep?

    3. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I love people who use what technology they own to get the sense of self esteem (or to judge others). You're the new fucking yuppie of the 2000s.

    4. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Not even close to 1/7th of the world, iPhone is a 1st world phone. Second there have been how many generations? All those incremental updates for the iSheep, means you can nearly cut that number by a factor of 10.

    5. Re:Sheep. by npslider · · Score: 5, Interesting

      iPhones do last a long time. I bet a lot of them are still working as hand-me downs to the kids, spares, etc..

    6. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      They really don't... Nothing older than an iPhone 5 is in serious use, and any kid with an iPhone 4 is going to be hideously ridiculed. The only people I know that still use an iPhone 4 are incapable of doing anything but call (and at a stretch text, possibly email) - makes you wonder why they insist on a smartphone in the first place!

    7. Re:Sheep. by Space+cowboy · · Score: -1, Redundant

      Reading comprehension old boy... I didn't say that 1/7th of the world was using or had bought an iPhone (in fact I specifically said I didn't think that). I was simply comparing the magnitudes of the sales figure and the population of the planet.

      --
      Physicists get Hadrons!
    8. Re:Sheep. by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      You mean every iPhone owner bought 9 iPhones as "upgrades"? I didn't even know there were more than 9 upgrade versions of the iPhone available. Thanks for the tip.

    9. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Because it's bad, and sheep like yourself continue to buy it despite how bad it is. Of course, if anyone decides to speak up about how awful Apple products are, people like you try to tell them they're hateful and bigoted. Making a rational argument is usually beyond the sheep.

    10. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

      Because I hatez teh Applezzz!!!

      AMNDROID MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!!!!!!!! Ein Volk! Ein Reich! Ein OS!!!!!!

      How dare you think you have a right to use what you want to use without me pissing all over you for no real reason? What's your fucking problem, faggot?

    11. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What the f? I have an iPhone 4. It runs the latest iOS released last week.

    12. Re:Sheep. by npslider · · Score: 2

      I agree that once a phone is no longer able to get software updates it's usefulness fades fast, but even old phones can still do what they once did well: play music, make phone calls, send text messages, use apps with low hardware requirements, act as an alarm clock, or toddler fodder.

    13. Re: Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I see people with iPhone 4 everywhere! I typically give my phones away when I upgrade, there's always a friend of family member who just broke or lost their phone and is greatful to get a free phone, so my old phones continue on when I eventually upgrade.

    14. Re:Sheep. by John+Bokma · · Score: 1

      No true Scotsman Fallacy, and all that.

      --

      Perl Programmer for hire
    15. Re:Sheep. by Anubis+IV · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'll bite.

      If a sheep, in this context, is just someone who thoughtlessly follows the herd, then sure, that number suggests there are likely a lot of sheep. So what? The alternative is to buy into Android, and nothing says, "I think for myself and stand against conformity", like buying into the only smartphone ecosystem that's even more popular than iOS.

      We each have a finite amount of time and a finite amount of attention, so we choose the things that matter to us. Choosing iOS for reasons that matter to you is fine. Choosing Android for reasons that matter to you is fine. Choosing that you don't care about the choice and that you'd rather worry about things that are more important to you is fine.

      Most people won't do any of those and will instead just follow the herd, regardless of the platform they select in the end, which means that, yes, a large number of purchasers means a large number of sheep. But again, so what? The same is true for any mass-produced product, whether we're talking smartphones, cars, canned goods, or clothes.

      Other than feeling smug about your own choice, I don't see what your comment accomplishes.

    16. Re:Sheep. by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 1

      iPhones do last a long time. I bet a lot of them are still working as hand-me downs to the kids, spares, etc..

      They do last a long time if you take care of them. I had an iPhone 4 for 4 years and it held up very well. When I traded it in for my iPhone 6 Plus, the AT&T lady told me that it was in the best shape she's ever seen one. I just kept it in a phone case most of the time. It was still working well, but didn't support the newest OS, which prompted my upgrade. I would have given it to my wife if the trade-in wasn't so attractive. I plan on keeping the iPhone 6 Plus for at least 4 years.

      --
      Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
    17. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, it's about 750 million in landfill at the moment.

    18. Re:Sheep. by Cimexus · · Score: 1

      Factor of 10 might be pushing it a bit. I've used an iPhone as my main phone since the start and have only upgraded twice. Most people only bother once the old phone starts getting frustratingly slow running newer apps, which seems to take at least 4 generations or so. I doubt there's many people who have upgraded every single year since the beginning.

    19. Re:Sheep. by Cimexus · · Score: 1

      Yep, both my iPhone 5 and 4 are still in perfect working order, even though I've moved to the 6S now. The former I handed down to a family member and the latter I still use as a glorified iPod Touch and take it jogging/biking etc for GPS logging purposes (rather than take my newer phone which I'd care about more if it got dropped/dented/scratched).

    20. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I still use an iPhone 4 without any problem. Not everyone needs the latest shiny and the latest useless social apps of the week.

    21. Re:Sheep. by sexconker · · Score: 1

      I'd wager it's closer to 850 million in a landfill.

    22. Re:Sheep. by saloomy · · Score: 1

      I beg to differ. I think its about 333 Million... Because: Apple has sold 1 billion iPhones. They have 1 Billion active devices.
      Two out of three device sales apple HAS EVER SOLD is an iPhone.

      Ergo: Two out of three active devices must be iPhones, the rest are in landfills. Maybe one could argue 350-400 million, because a lot of devices were scrapped / replaces without a sale. I'm making the mathematical assumption that iPhones last on average as long as other devices, which judging from the comments above, sounds right.

    23. Re:Sheep. by DavidRavenMoon · · Score: 1

      My iPhone 5 works great... I was going to give it to my 11 year old daughter... then she dropped it and broke the screen. Still works, so I'll probably get it fixed for her. We got her a cheap (free) LG phone. It lasted over two years with me without a scratch! I update about every two years. I'm on a 6 Plus now, and I'll trade that in towards a 7.

      --
      -- if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic - Lewis Carrol
    24. Re: Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Divide by 5 since the sheeple buy new "upgrades" every 6 months. Then subtract a few hundred thousand sold for the replacement because the screen that cracked after breathing on it the wrong way

    25. Re:Sheep. by jblues · · Score: 1

      There's loads of iPhones in the developing world. iPhones are super popular here in the Philippines (as are Android SmartPhones). Not everyone drives a fancy car here, but an iPhone is a luxury item that many people can afford, and choose to purchase. Phone companies are giving away iPhone 5Cs for free. For a little cash out and a contract you can get a more recent model. Many people don't have a computer at home, so having a SmartPhone is a good way to get online. A very common use-case is keeping in touch with a relative who is working abroad, taking advantage of favorable exchange rates.

      --
      If it acquires resources on instantiation like a duck, then its a shared_ptr<Duck>
    26. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you count the original there are 10 versions of the iphone.
      http://www.wirescomputing.com/apple-iphone/

    27. Re: Sheep. by GrahamJ · · Score: 1

      Phones are sheep? Cool story bro!

    28. Re:Sheep. by sexconker · · Score: 1

      Where do you come up with 2/3 of device sales being iPhones? How do those "devices" compare to the "1 billion active devices"? Did the numbers come out at the same time? Does "devices" mean the same thing in both stats? How are "active" devices determined?

      Further, your assumption that 2/3 of the devices must be iPhones is erroneous. People keep iPods and iPads far longer than iPhones, many people still replace their iPhones annually.

      The simplest math we have is 1 billion sold over 6 generations or so, and plummeting market share in recent years. iPhone historical sales are front loaded since Android has taken over, so the majority of iPhones are older models. Given the lifespan of a cell phone in western markets (where Apple has the bulk of their sales), it stands to reason that the vast majority have been sent out to pasture in some form or another.

    29. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Must be a 4S. That's the minimum requirement for iOS 9.

    30. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      iPhone
      iPhone 3G
      iPhone 3GS
      iPhone 4
      iPhone 4S
      iPhone 5
      iPhone 5s
      iPhone 6
      iPhone 6s

      That's 9. The iPhone 5c and the iPhone SE both exists as well, but neither were an upgrade for someone getting the high-end each year.

    31. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It think your affected detachment is smug.

    32. Re:Sheep. by lucm · · Score: 1

      Yes, and the fact that they're now peddling that billion device figure shows that they're running out of ways to spin their nosedive in a positive way.

      --
      lucm, indeed.
    33. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      +1 for toddler (or young kid) fodder :) They're handy for that.

    34. Re:Sheep. by Dog-Cow · · Score: 1

      iPhone 6+
      iPhone 6s+

    35. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      there's a 3th alternative...

      Personally I had high hopes that project are finally meant that I'd finally be able to get a "mobile sensor and computer platform" (what most folks call a 'mobile phone') that doesn't double as a stalker

      alas after the last update announced the strongly reduced modularity it doesn't look like carrying one without a phone-modem is going to be an option

      As it stands the majority of the population is voluntarily ceding the information organizations like the stazi, securitat, and kgb where _trying_ to collect. And with a much higher degree of reliability as back then as well.
      That is not gonna end well in even the medium-long run

    36. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lol spares?
      and who can fix it???? ;)

    37. Re:Sheep. by macs4all · · Score: 1

      When does it stop becoming "sheep" and more like "hey, this thing ain't bad" ?

      On this site? Why, "Never", of course...

    38. Re:Sheep. by macs4all · · Score: 1

      They really don't... Nothing older than an iPhone 5 is in serious use, and any kid with an iPhone 4 is going to be hideously ridiculed. The only people I know that still use an iPhone 4 are incapable of doing anything but call (and at a stretch text, possibly email) - makes you wonder why they insist on a smartphone in the first place!

      Both of the owners for the software business I work for still use iPhone 4 phones. I admit they aren't that "Appy" users; but the phones are still going strong, and seem to work fine for their use cases.

    39. Re:Sheep. by macs4all · · Score: 1

      I agree that once a phone is no longer able to get software updates it's usefulness fades fast, but even old phones can still do what they once did well: play music, make phone calls, send text messages, use apps with low hardware requirements, act as an alarm clock, or toddler fodder.

      I would say that the usefulness fades slowly once they are no longer on the Update-Train; but with iPhones, fortunately that is usually a fairly long time.

    40. Re:Sheep. by macs4all · · Score: 1

      Because it's bad, and sheep like yourself continue to buy it despite how bad it is. Of course, if anyone decides to speak up about how awful Apple products are, people like you try to tell them they're hateful and bigoted. Making a rational argument is usually beyond the sheep.

      How in the FUCK is the Parent INFORMATIVE??? FFS, Mods!!!

    41. Re:Sheep. by macs4all · · Score: 1

      Personally I had high hopes that project are finally meant that I'd finally be able to get a "mobile sensor and computer platform" (what most folks call a 'mobile phone') that doesn't double as a stalker

      Then you seriously need to look into an iOS device; particularly when iOS 10 comes out in a couple of months, with its "Differential Privacy" features.

    42. Re:Sheep. by macs4all · · Score: 1

      Yes, and the fact that they're now peddling that billion device figure shows that they're running out of ways to spin their nosedive in a positive way.

      No, it means they just passed a sales figure that is meaningful to most people.

    43. Re: Sheep. by macs4all · · Score: 1

      Divide by 5 since the sheeple buy new "upgrades" every 6 months. Then subtract a few hundred thousand sold for the replacement because the screen that cracked after breathing on it the wrong way

      You can't upgrade an iPhone every six months; because, unlike companies like Samsung, that launched something like FIFTY-SEVEN new Smartphones in ONE YEAR, Apple only updates the iPhone in a "Tick-Tock" cycle every year, with more significant Updates only happening every TWO years.

    44. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which are just variants of the 6 and 6s.

    45. Re:Sheep. by lucm · · Score: 1

      You mean "to most fanbois". Because I'm pretty sure you have no clue if/when Nokia or Motorola reached the billion devices sold. Or how many copies of Windows have been sold. Or how many Dell laptops. So don't insult people's intelligence when you speak about that Apple marketing crap as if you were an avid follower of the market in general.

      --
      lucm, indeed.
    46. Re:Sheep. by macs4all · · Score: 1

      You mean "to most fanbois". Because I'm pretty sure you have no clue if/when Nokia or Motorola reached the billion devices sold. Or how many copies of Windows have been sold. Or how many Dell laptops. So don't insult people's intelligence when you speak about that Apple marketing crap as if you were an avid follower of the market in general.

      Blow me.

    47. Re:Sheep. by lucm · · Score: 1

      You mean "to most fanbois". Because I'm pretty sure you have no clue if/when Nokia or Motorola reached the billion devices sold. Or how many copies of Windows have been sold. Or how many Dell laptops. So don't insult people's intelligence when you speak about that Apple marketing crap as if you were an avid follower of the market in general.

      Blow me.

      Q.E.D.

      --
      lucm, indeed.
    48. Re:Sheep. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean "to most fanbois". Because I'm pretty sure you have no clue if/when Nokia or Motorola reached the billion devices sold. Or how many copies of Windows have been sold. Or how many Dell laptops. So don't insult people's intelligence when you speak about that Apple marketing crap as if you were an avid follower of the market in general.

      Well, you can find this info on the web, all in articles you did not whine about.

    49. Re:Sheep. by lucm · · Score: 1

      yes but the point is, fanbois don't know any of those facts, which means they don't care about a billion devices being sold in general, they care about *Apple* selling a billion devices.

      it's ok to be a fanboi, as long as you assume it and don't try to pretend you're a neutral market observer

      --
      lucm, indeed.
  2. same id/pw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    alpine

  3. I hate Apple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    .. but the iPhone was the exact kick up Nokia's&Telco's world dominance behind that was needed. We probably still would be playing snake in IR if someone didn't do something!

    1. Re:I hate Apple... by Shatrat · · Score: 1

      How exactly was it a "kick up telco's world dominance"? Was it not an AT&T exclusive? You really have to stretch your imagination to find anything underdog-ish about Apple or the iPhone.

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    2. Re:I hate Apple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I hope you are kidding but maybe you truly forgot the Crackberry.

    3. Re:I hate Apple... by Cimexus · · Score: 1

      Might have been in the US but elsewhere there was no exclusivity to it. It was just a much better phone than existing smart phones on the market, primarily because the software was stable and functional (having used a pre-iPhone-era smartphone, it was truly awful - terrible UI and crashed all the time).

    4. Re:I hate Apple... by Stormwatch · · Score: 2

      Not really. When the iPhone came out in '07, it mostly took a bite from RIM's lunch, not Nokia's. Mind you, Symbian was still doing pretty well up to 2010, ahead of iOS and Android combined, when Stephen Elop started ruining everything. We would be all using Nokia MeeGo phones now if it wasn't for that Microsoft trojan! Anyway, at that moment Android exploded, with Samsung filling the vacuum from Nokia's collapse.

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
    5. Re:I hate Apple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I had a buddy not satisfied with an Android tablet, back when a 800x480 one at around $100 was all the rage. Well, it did the job as a movie player thing with ear buds, for a homeless man, but for some reason he didn't like Android. So eventually when it was time to get a new phone (after getting some old laptop) he got.. a Nokia Asha, in like 2012!

      So yes, Symbian still existed a few years ago.
      Well after that you could do worse.. Getting a Firefox OS phone in 2015.
      Now there are Ubuntu phones, but I have a feeling the 1GB RAM on them is too low. They'll be canceled before being upgraded to 2GB, right?

    6. Re:I hate Apple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nokia were already well and truly into their death spiral by the time Elop came on board. He is a bit like MArissa Mayer, he certainly didn't improve the situation but Nokia were already a dead man walking at that stage where they were reliant on a rapidly shrinking dumb phone market.

    7. Re:I hate Apple... by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      In general, since 2007, the iPhone (and smartphones) have largely made dumb phones obsolete. Yes you can still get them but they are becoming rarer to find. Would the smartphone be as dominant today without Apple? I think it would have but it would have taken longer. Nokia's main business was in dumb phones and while they had smartphones, they still were reliant on the dumb phones which became less and less profitable. Elop did hasten their demise, but Nokia didn't have a great strategy for the smart phone market.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    8. Re:I hate Apple... by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

      MeeGo was probably a better strategy, and clearly a better product, than Windows Phone.

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
    9. Re:I hate Apple... by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      I don't know if Nokia had the organizational means to match Apple or Google when it came to smart phones. While I'm not disputing the merits of MeeGo or Symbian, Nokia + MS was not able to make much of a dent in either Apple or Google when it came to smart phone OS. I think even the Blackberry is beating Windows Phone. The problem with Symbian or MeeGo was Nokia had to transform as a company from a simple manufacturer to ecosystem/platform company. Had Apple merely sold iPhones, they would have never gone anywhere. They had develop the whole ecosystem of apps, infrastructure, etc.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  4. Billions and Billions Served! by npslider · · Score: 1

    Apple and McDonald's have reached common ground.

    1. Re:Billions and Billions Served! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't worry, you'll hit those numbers soon with a billion dicks sucked.

    2. Re:Billions and Billions Served! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      Android and McDonalds is far more correct.

      Apple and a fine steakhouse - that's more like it.

    3. Re:Billions and Billions Served! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A fine steak house that serves rotten horse meat, yep.

    4. Re:Billions and Billions Served! by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      Apple and McDonald's have reached common ground.

      I'm just hoping they'll raise the sign at 1 Infinite Loop to about fifty feet off the ground and put that text underneath it.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    5. Re: Billions and Billions Served! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More like a steakhouse with bars on the windows and a closed and locked roll shutter over every door to keep people IN.

  5. And yet its market share is so tiny by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    World-changing indeed.

  6. Wow. by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

    They must have a billion dollars!

  7. How many of those... by TeknoHog · · Score: 0, Troll

    are still operational and in active use? IOW, are they throwaway fashion items or tools you can keep using and using?

    --
    Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
    1. Re:How many of those... by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      All of them.

    2. Re:How many of those... by npslider · · Score: 1

      I am keeping my iPhone 6 as a spare, in case my shiny new Samsung S7 Edge meets an untimely fate. It also works great as a Bluetooth music player, it won't be interrupted by phone calls or text messages. My devices are tools to me, I wish to get the most for the money spent on them. I have also sold a few old iphones, so it's possible they are still in use today as well.

    3. Re: How many of those... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My first iPhone (a 5 that has seen several years of daily, not seldom rough, usage) is being used by my wife in her company. Her first iPhone (a 4S she bought used from a neighbor after they upgraded) is still seeing use with my father.
      I admit this is anecdotal, but the device, like much Apple-branded hardware is built to good specs and can last for quite some time as long as you can accept that the software will eventually demand more from it than it can deliver, and so you'll be stuck with old programs and/or operating systems, much like most other kinds of computers out there.

    4. Re:How many of those... by Cimexus · · Score: 1

      I have a 4, 4S and 5 sitting in the cupboard all still fully functional. I keep some cheap pre-paid SIMs with long credit expiry in them for lending to family and friends visiting from overseas (who don't want pay for global roaming or bother to set up their own pre-paid account). Also make good GPS logging devices for going biking/hiking etc without having to drain the battery on your main phone. Even without a SIM they still connect to Wifi and are thus useful in the same way that an iPad or iPod Touch are.

    5. Re:How many of those... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I still use an old iPhone with a TriggerTrap. Nothing wrong with it at all.

    6. Re:How many of those... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I still use my first smartphone as only phone which is iPhone 4S from (and bought) end of 2011. Why throw away when it just works well enough? And til iOS 9 the device had updates! I am planning to get iPhone 7 when it comes out though given that from iOS 10 onward might not support 4S any longer.

    7. Re: How many of those... by lucm · · Score: 1

      Dude get real. The iPhone 4 is like 5 years old, this is not a "long time". Right now under my tv there's a computer that has been used as a media player for 11 years. Started with Windows XP, then got Windows 7, now running Suse. I suspect the thing will keep playing videos and music for another 5 years. And it wasn't Apple-branded good hardware, it's a budget piece of shit I built from spare parts. Meanwhile I've owned 3 Mac (1 iMac, 2 Macbooks), 1 pad and 2 iPod, and they all turned to shit within 2-3 years.

      Apple devices have the same life expectancy as McDonalds fries. If you like them, go ahead and stuff your face, but don't come here talking like it's a timeless marvel of engineering, it's disposable shit.

      --
      lucm, indeed.
    8. Re:How many of those... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The built-in battery will fail after X charges. Unlike most other manufacturers, replacing the battery inside iThings is a nightmare. Regardless of the claims of my iPhone 0.001 still works, but it's in my drawer as I'm on my 10th now. The devices are effectively useless and will only hold and hour or two charge under light load. Furthermore, the iOS updates knock the older devices off the support list (mostly due to limited RAM and shite CPUs). This wouldn't be so bad in itself, but the app ecosystem forces updates with follow in kind, often denying access to services that were working pre-update.

      Apple have always been doing this obsolescence built-in crap, going all the way back to those shitty OS7 "workstations". Their rabid fans don't care, they updated every cycle just to be a leader.

    9. Re: How many of those... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude get real. The iPhone 4 is like 5 years old, this is not a "long time".

      Yeah, exactly, 2 years is a long time - when you have an Android.

    10. Re:How many of those... by Dog-Cow · · Score: 1

      An nightmare. Right. Waiting a few minutes while an Apple Technician (so-called Genius) takes it in back and replaces the battery. Total nightmare.

    11. Re: How many of those... by macs4all · · Score: 1

      Meanwhile I've owned 3 Mac (1 iMac, 2 Macbooks), 1 pad and 2 iPod, and they all turned to shit within 2-3 years.

      You are either REALLY hard on stuff, or have been UNBELIEVABLY unlucky (with the emphasis on the "Unbelievable" part).

    12. Re:How many of those... by macs4all · · Score: 1

      The built-in battery will fail after X charges. Unlike most other manufacturers, replacing the battery inside iThings is a nightmare.

      Really? Show me a phone with a replaceable battery made in the past 2 or 3 years. If there is one, there is only one.

      Also, my iPad 2 gets HEAVY use every single day, and if its battery life has diminished, it isn't by enough to notice. Same with my 2013 MacBook Pro and my 2015 iPhone 6+ .

      Some people just don't know how to treat rechargeable batteries...

    13. Re: How many of those... by sootman · · Score: 1

      > Meanwhile I've owned 3 Mac (1 iMac, 2 Macbooks), 1 pad
      > and 2 iPod, and they all turned to shit within 2-3 years.

      Ooh yay, I love this game! I currently have and use...
      - an original G4 Mac mini (as a server), 11+ years old, always on
      - a MacBook Pro from 2007 (for video capturing; battery swelled up but it's otherwise fine.)
      - an iPod from 2004 that I don't use but it still holds a charge and will play for 2-3 hours
      - an iPod from 2006, I think, that I still use; holds a charge just fine and plays for many hours
      - my work MacBook, issued to me Sept. 2012 and still working fine
      - my wife's 13" MacBook, used to be my mom's, about 6-7 years old now
      - an iPad mini, 3 years old now ... and more. My friend still uses a graphite 733 MHz PowerMac G4 I gave him a few years ago but he's ready for an upgrade. My mom bought a 17" MacBook just before Apple discontinued that size. My aunt's 15" MBP is also coming up on 7 years old -- just checked the other day because she wanted to find out if it'll run OS X 10.10 or 10.11. (Was still on 10.8 for work.) Etc etc etc.

      In summary, Apple gear for the most part is only "disposable shit" if you treat it like shit.

      --
      Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
    14. Re: How many of those... by lucm · · Score: 1

      How do you explain that my non-Apple stuff doesn't turn to shit within 2-3 years? Would you say it's because very few other companies have made planned obsolescence their core business strategy?

      --
      lucm, indeed.
    15. Re: How many of those... by macs4all · · Score: 1

      How do you explain that my non-Apple stuff doesn't turn to shit within 2-3 years? Would you say it's because very few other companies have made planned obsolescence their core business strategy?

      Blow me.

    16. Re: How many of those... by lucm · · Score: 1

      Blow me.

      That would be a first for you, no? It stands to reason that Apple zealots are far more used to bend over than to be serviced. I mean, some of then even take the submissive role so far that they voluntarily put an ad for Apple products in their username! How crazy is that?

      --
      lucm, indeed.
    17. Re: How many of those... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How do you explain that my non-Apple stuff doesn't turn to shit within 2-3 years?

      Can't have anything to do with you being an obvious troll.

    18. Re: How many of those... by lucm · · Score: 1

      Really? If I was an obvious troll you'd ignore my comments. The fact that you reply with a "you're a troll" accusation just shows that you can't argue with the point I made but you're upset about someone not worshipping Apple and can't let it go quietly.

      Bookmark or print this thread, and read it again in 5 years, when being an Apple fanboi will feel as silly and ancient as being a Belieber. Then with perspective you'll see I wasn't trolling, your emperor has no clothes.

      --
      lucm, indeed.
    19. Re: How many of those... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You act like a troll, so you are a troll. Stop pretending that you aren't.

  8. I don't know about exactly 1 billion by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    There are not 1 billion out of the closet faggots in the world.

    Unless...

  9. One a Month... by Sir+Realist · · Score: 1

    ...to the same 9 and a half million users. Well done!

  10. Abble users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The fact that some Abble users are migrating to Android is *proof* that homosexuality is a choice, and it can be cured. There just needs to be a free enough market. In the absence of a Free Market we get Abble: a platform that allows mostly liberal, Marxist, left-wing metropolitan types with hipster beards, undefined sexuality, testicles the size of blueberries and a cock the shape of a little acorn, to signal their virtue

    1. Re:Abble users by lucm · · Score: 1

      Thanks to you I now have a new wallpaper!

      --
      lucm, indeed.
  11. Excellent... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now if Tim Cook worried more about WWDC being a tech show, and not a freak show about minorities, maybe we would get somewhere. Being as it is, my next notebook and phone will be xiaomi.

    1. Re: Excellent... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      can you be more specific?

    2. Re:Excellent... by lucm · · Score: 1

      this will go on until the minority is white heterosexual males. Then nobody will care about minorities.

      --
      lucm, indeed.
  12. So the iPhone is now Apple's Big Mac? by mark-t · · Score: 1

    Oh.. the irony.

    --
    File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
    1. Re:So the iPhone is now Apple's Big Mac? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a coincidence with the names.Irony does not mean the same thing. Perhaps you should learn its true definition?

    2. Re:So the iPhone is now Apple's Big Mac? by mark-t · · Score: 1

      That's not what I was getting it. It is coincidental that they share names certainly, but the coincidence also creates the ironic situation of happening to call an iPhone a "Mac", which is most definitely not coincidence because Apple's Mac and their iPhone are two entirely different products, and one is not the other (yet).

      --
      File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
  13. HOW MANY SUBSIDIZED? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Most, that's how many. If normal folk had to pay $800 PLUS cell costs, they'd have gone elsewhere. Most.

    1. Re:HOW MANY SUBSIDIZED? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You pay for the subsidies even if you don't get the phone, at least with most US carriers. If you're paying the same rate for your own device as someone who's paying half as much for you either need a really good reason or you're just a fucking fool.

      BTW, get your shift key checked... it looks like it's sticking.

  14. Android did that about ten months ago+, yay by t00le · · Score: 1

    Tuesday, Sep 29, 2015 at 12:13 pm EDT

    1.4 billion active devices worldwide, how exciting!

    http://www.androidcentral.com/...

    --
    When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail
    1. Re: Android did that about ten months ago+, yay by GrahamJ · · Score: 1

      Android is an operating system. Apple is a company. Slight difference.

    2. Re: Android did that about ten months ago+, yay by t00le · · Score: 1

      Android is Open Source and not a company, yeah there is a difference.

      https://source.android.com/

      --
      When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail
    3. Re: Android did that about ten months ago+, yay by GrahamJ · · Score: 1

      Right, so clearly comparing installs to sales is irrelevant.

    4. Re: Android did that about ten months ago+, yay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      You're an idiot.

    5. Re: Android did that about ten months ago+, yay by lucm · · Score: 1

      The first Android phone came out a year after the first iPhone, and besides having all the challenges of collaboration between open source developers, app developers and device manufacturers, and with drastically smaller profit margins they're now running circles around Apple.

      You need a special kind of fuckups to lose an essentially captive market so fast. Compare this to Microsoft who has been owning the desktop market for over 30 years without even dealing with hardware.

      --
      lucm, indeed.
    6. Re: Android did that about ten months ago+, yay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Android is Open Source

      Bullshit.

    7. Re: Android did that about ten months ago+, yay by Dog-Cow · · Score: 2

      There are at least a dozen Android phone manufacturers. Has any single one sold 1 billion phones?

    8. Re: Android did that about ten months ago+, yay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      For 18 years Slashdot has compared installs of desktop Linux to sales of Windows. Oh, I now see your point about irrelevance.

    9. Re: Android did that about ten months ago+, yay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The first Android phone came out a year after the first iPhone, and besides having all the challenges of collaboration between open source developers, app developers and device manufacturers, and with drastically smaller profit margins they're now running circles around Apple.

      In numbers sold, sure. There are lots of free and low-cost Android phones, not so much with iPhones.

      I'm sure Apple is worried about having circles run around them by bottom the barrel phones. Who's making the vast lion's share of the profit on smart phones? It sure as heck ain't any of the Android vendors that's for sure. I think Apple will be fine :)

    10. Re: Android did that about ten months ago+, yay by lucm · · Score: 0

      Did you heard the real news or did that billion devices thing dazzled you too much? Apple's revenue went down 15%, second quarter in a row their iPhone sales are in free fall. Even with their profit margin and a handful of iDiots who will keep replacing their phone with the latest model, it's a nosedive.

      Meanwhile, Samsung saw a 12% jump in revenue - they now beat Apple's revenue (45 vs 42 billions).

      --
      lucm, indeed.
    11. Re: Android did that about ten months ago+, yay by GrahamJ · · Score: 1

      Yes the timing of that is rather interesting, isn't it? And there is the small detail of Google giving Android away for free...

      Anyway the point is that it's disingenuous to group all Android devices together against Apple simply because they happen to run the same OS. Business doesn't work like that. Samsung is selling lots of devices but the rest are also-rans that barely appear on sales charts next to those two, and Apple's overall industry profits eclipse those of all others combined.

      Apple is doing very well and Android is on a lot of devices. I'm not sure why you have to be upset about either of those things.

    12. Re: Android did that about ten months ago+, yay by lucm · · Score: 1

      Who's upset? If anything it's amusing to see fanbois becoming Baghdad Bob wannabes now that Apple is morphing into anoher Blackberry.

      --
      lucm, indeed.
  15. "to idiots" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...they silently added.

  16. The phone choice of anti-corporations by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's funny to see how many people who protest large businesses that make billions, record their protest on iPhones.

    1. Re:The phone choice of anti-corporations by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      As opposed to those who buy their phones manufactured by a small mom-and-pop company--oh wait, every single phone is made by a large business.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  17. Every Tim Cook's speeches have to be narrated ... by FoodOverdose · · Score: 1
    with hysterical, through the tears of mental breakdown voice. Try it, it is fun!

    "We've got great innovation in the pipeline," Cook said to Cramer. "New iPhones that will incentivize you and other people that have iPhones today to upgrade to new iPhones. We are going to give you things you can't live without that you just don't know you need today. That has always been the objective of Apple is to do things that really enrich people's lives. That you look back on and you wonder, how did I live without this."

  18. Stil don't own a Smart phone. Android or Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Stil don't own a Smart phone. Android or Apple.
    Have to laugh at those who slave to the devices.

  19. iDiot. by pthfdr · · Score: 0

    I wonder why they ever think iFone is a good idea?

  20. With their poor record by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    of recycling, and given how they push people to upgrade to a new phone, they have now also created their 95000th ton of unrecycled electronic waste. Thank you for helping to change the world, Apple, every day.

    1. Re:With their poor record by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      of recycling,

      Yeah, only just about everybody else is worse.

  21. Nowhere to go but down by avandesande · · Score: 1

    With sales falling off on all their products and nothing new in the pipeline.....

    --
    love is just extroverted narcissism
  22. No True by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fact Check:

    Apple Inc. through supplier builds reported that the 1 Billionth iPhone has been assembled and shipped to a retail outlet for sale (i.e. stock).

    Number of actual sale of iPhones is below the number of builds.

  23. software updates by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    iPhones do last a long time. I bet a lot of them are still working as hand-me downs to the kids, spares, etc..

    You also get software and security updates on them for a few years, unlike most Android-based phones. This is an important thing for most laymen.

    It's certainly technically possible to do get newer software on Android, but for the proverbial Aunty Milly, it's mostly a non-starter.

  24. Current, non-beta support goes back to A5 chips... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...until iOS 10 is released:

    iOS Support Matrix.

    Not a bad record for this industry.