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One Billion iPhones Have Been Sold, Apple Says (apple.com)
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.
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!
.. 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!
Apple and McDonald's have reached common ground.
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.
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 must have a billion dollars!
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.
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.
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.
All of them.
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.
No true Scotsman Fallacy, and all that.
Perl Programmer for hire
...to the same 9 and a half million users. Well done!
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.
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.
Oh.. the irony.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
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.
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).
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.
I'd wager it's closer to 850 million in a landfill.
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.
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
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>
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
Phones are sheep? Cool story bro!
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.
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.
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.
Thanks to you I now have a new wallpaper!
lucm, indeed.
this will go on until the minority is white heterosexual males. Then nobody will care about minorities.
lucm, indeed.
"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."
iPhone 6+
iPhone 6s+
An nightmare. Right. Waiting a few minutes while an Apple Technician (so-called Genius) takes it in back and replaces the battery. Total nightmare.
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.
With sales falling off on all their products and nothing new in the pipeline.....
love is just extroverted narcissism
When does it stop becoming "sheep" and more like "hey, this thing ain't bad" ?
On this site? Why, "Never", of course...
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.
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.
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!!!
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.
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.
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.
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).
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...
> 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... ... 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.
- 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.