Apple Tops Holiday Sales With 44 Percent of All New Device Activations (macrumors.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Mac Rumors: Apple's iPhone and iPad were the most popular mobile devices gifted during the holidays this year, according to new data shared by Yahoo-owned mobile analytics firm Flurry. Flurry examined device activations by manufacturer between 12/19 and 12/25, finding Apple devices to be twice as popular as Samsung devices. 44 percent of all new phone activations were Apple iPhones, while Samsung smartphones accounted for 21 percent of activations. Huawei, LG, Amazon, Oppo, Xiaomi, and Motorola trailed behind with between two and three percent of activations each. Google's Pixel smartphone, which came out in October, did not make Flurry's list. Last year, Flurry released a similar report, and Apple devices made up 49.1 percent of all device activations, while Samsung devices came in at 19.8 percent. Phablets, or smartphones and tablets ranging in size from 5 inches to 6.9 inches, continued to grow in popularity. In 2016, the phablets category, which includes the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus, 6s Plus, and 7 Plus, was responsible for 37 percent of total device activations. Medium-sized phones, like the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 7, were responsible for 45 percent of all activations. Activations of full-sized tablets, like the iPad, have continued to wane. From Flurry's report: "While Samsung is slowly growing in popularity throughout the holiday season, up 1% from last year, Apple devices continue to be the gift to give. Holding the third and fourth positions for activations are Huawei and LG; which is remarkable, as both manufacturers do not have an individual device within the top 35 devices activated. Their high rank is likely due to the fact that they have wide variety of devices and affordable options (hundreds of phablet and medium phones) for consumers to choose from."

Comments

In other words

[lucm]

The majority of new device activations (roughly 56%) was Android phones.

Re:In other words

[grub]

Apple takes home the lion's share of all mobile profits by a huge margin. Cheap Android phones don't make much money for anyone and they're the bulk of what is sold.

Re: In other words

[lucm]

Sure, and that 56% accounts for 30% of device revenue, 20% of app sales, and only 10% of devices with the newest OS installed.

You're looking at this ass backwards. The huge profit margin and the planned obsolescence that is at the core of Apple business model is the exact reason why they are losing their grip on the market. They could dominate this industry for a long time if they focused on building good phones at a good price, but instead they're on a money-grab strategy (minimum investment, maximum profit) and they're sinking.

You can't keep selling average phones at a huge premium for a long time, people wise up and ditch you. Historically there's been a small segment of Apple fanatics, roughly around 10% of the market, and that's where Apple is headed. Back home, to the small niche of people who don't mind overpaying for what they think is prestigious.

Yes, Apple keeps the profit

[lucm]

I'm sure the Chinese slaves who work in Apple sweatshops for $3/hour will rejoice. It will ensure them many more months of working 64h/week before they earn more than they spend on basic living conditions.

It would cost $12 per device to Apple if they were to ensure a decent wage to those workers but that would slow down the insane piling of money in Apple offshore accounts so it will never happen.

Thank you Apple and Apple customers! You all contribute to making the world a better place.