How Does Apple Sell so Many Phones?

Because you saw the word “Apple”, in the context of tech, and came to read this blog… That’s why!!! You’re an Apple fanboy/fangirl!!

Let me preface here by saying I do own both a iPhone 6+ (iOS 9.1 beta) and a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 (Android 5.1.1), both on Verizon.

But really…  The Android OS dominates 75% of the market… Yet some still think the iPhone is God and there is nothing else…

Apple does an incredible job of marketing their iPhones. HUGE marketing events, commercials, plus the yearly iPhone releases. Apple has built a NAME. They are THE phone to SO many people. I’m willing to bet you’ve went to the store to buy “Kleenex”, but walked out with an off brand. It’s likely that many once went to buy an “iPod”, but get some Sony, or LG or some other device.. In much of the same way, people that are stuck in the past often see a smartphone as an “iPhone”. It’s this sense of an Apple world that has so many people mistaken or missing out on everything out there.

Apple doesn’t sell a ton of different phones.. There’s now a 6s+ and 6s.. With the older 6 and 6+ still out there. This varies from what you see with Samsung, Motorola, LG, etc.. Those guys will have a “flagship” phone, then create smaller, less powerful phones, to let carriers sell cheaper. So you already have a few models out there.. Then, they sometimes give different names to the same phone/hardware across different company. So you end up with a ton of different devices, so much research has to be done to pick which one you want, there is always a new one every few months. It’s just a bit too much for most people to handle, unless you’re a gadget nerd.. With iOS, there is a yearly big update, and there is a new iPhone each year. Pretty simple… Easy for users to understand, to know when something is new out there, etc

Take a moment to think about some features that are on Android that took a while to hit iPhone. 4G LTE, 4K Video… Think about features that haven’t made it yet.. Rapid charging.. Wireless charging.. A stylus.. Side by side apps (yes, you can do on new iPad but not phones).

Let’s take a look at iPhones features, in iOS9..

• Searchable settings.. Yep, Android had that first.
• Back button in apps.. Yeah, Android definitely had that first. Actually, Android still has an actual back button.
• Keyboard that shows when you are putting a capital… I mean how elementary can you get? Android had this years ago.
• There’s a new app switcher.. Android really hit app switching in 2012.. Sooo.. Yeah.. Galaxy S3 could do it!
• The new 6S brings in 3d touch.. This concept has been on Android for a long time, with long press features, drawing different things with different stroke/pressure, etc.

So.. How does Apple do it?

• Years of success leads to a “group” that is slow to migrate away and doesn’t research other brands
• Extensive marketing leads to high anticipation
• One phone, one brand makes it very recognizable to consumers
• Despite huge market share by Android, many developers have gone to iOS for their first app platforms

I love playing with new things. I enjoyed getting an iPhone recently and playing with a new OS. I actually don’t have too many things that bug me, except for the notifications. I really feel I could use both Android and iOS without an issue… Despite the fact that my Android (Galaxy Note 5) has a much faster processor, much better screen, higher resolution camera, Apple (6+) must be well built and optimized, because it doesn’t lag that far behind. It’s just a few things that keep me on Android.

Why I stick to Android

• Widgets!!
• Notifications bar at top
• Stylus
• Better raw phone specs
• Ability to hide apps off the home screen
• Ability to disable apps I don’t want
• Google now
• Google owns a lot of things.. Like YouTube, Gmail, Chrome, Google Drive, so it’s easy to integrate
• Lots of emerging tech starts on Android.. NFC, 4G, etc.