Smartphone sales data from IDC

[Lloydbm41]

I'd like to think smart consumers are a lot more clued up than you give them credit for. If your claims were that black and white, surely the iPhone would be a really poor seller generally? There must be something that appeals to the extent that makes the iPhone one of the best sellers in the flagship market. You are right the iPhone has a huge mark up, but a crap phone doesn't sell at an inflated price regardless of how much marketing it receives. What would you suggest makes the iPhone different to a mid range Android phone if in your opinion it is comparable?

There are smart consumers. There are more affluent consumers. And then there are the "my friends have one and it is so pretty" consumers. (Most are female).
I can't tell you how many times I hear women and my daughters teenage girlfriends talk about how pretty the new iPhone is and how they want it. And because they have friends that get an iPhone, so now they must have one. It makes no difference to these people if the phone is an absolute turd, as long as it looks pretty and they match what their girlfriends have.

 

[pedrom]

There are smart consumers. There are more affluent consumers. And then there are the "my friends have one and it is so pretty" consumers. (Most are female).
I can't tell you how many times I hear women and my daughters teenage girlfriends talk about how pretty the new iPhone is and how they want it. And because they have friends that get an iPhone, so now they must have one. It makes no difference to these people if the phone is an absolute turd, as long as it looks pretty and they match what their girlfriends have.

But the iPhone is prettier. The iPhone is also faster on every single task. The iPhone has a better ecosystem. The iPhone costs the same.

Your ignorance is the true problem, here.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

There are smart consumers. There are more affluent consumers. And then there are the "my friends have one and it is so pretty" consumers. (Most are female).
I can't tell you how many times I hear women and my daughters teenage girlfriends talk about how pretty the new iPhone is and how they want it. And because they have friends that get an iPhone, so now they must have one. It makes no difference to these people if the phone is an absolute turd, as long as it looks pretty and they match what their girlfriends have.

Your post reminds me of this classic .....

 

[tbayrgs]

There are smart consumers. There are more affluent consumers. And then there are the "my friends have one and it is so pretty" consumers. (Most are female).
I can't tell you how many times I hear women and my daughters teenage girlfriends talk about how pretty the new iPhone is and how they want it. And because they have friends that get an iPhone, so now they must have one. It makes no difference to these people if the phone is an absolute turd, as long as it looks pretty and they match what their girlfriends have.

And most of that final group don't use their phones for anything beyond what we all consider basic functionality, meaning all the extra capabilities of Android are lost on them regardless. And there are far more consumers that have similar functionality needs than ours.

Most of the parents of my kids schoolmates are very well off, intelligent, professionals and none, absolutely none have the level of interest that I do--and I'm very far from most of the more technically minded here. I'm the go to person when they have any home IT related questions and the sophistication level of their inquiries hovers around 'how do I back up my photos or set up parent controls on my kids iPad, etc). A friend of mine, an investment banker, needed help with his Mac--he was still running Lion, the version of OS X that was installed when I helped him previously.

iPhones and iOS aren't the most advanced smartphones...anyone who can't agree with this doesn't have a grip on the mobile phone industry. But iPhones are incredibly well made, receive the best support and are most easily serviced/repaired/replaced, and have the greatest amount of accessories and visibility but a county mile and most importantly, they generally just work very well. And most people that own iPhone know a bunch of other people with iPhones that they regularly interact with and share their smartphones experiences with. There's a comfortablility in owning/using an iPhone that makes the experience even better for many people.

 

[Truefan31]

There are smart consumers. There are more affluent consumers. And then there are the "my friends have one and it is so pretty" consumers. (Most are female).
I can't tell you how many times I hear women and my daughters teenage girlfriends talk about how pretty the new iPhone is and how they want it. And because they have friends that get an iPhone, so now they must have one. It makes no difference to these people if the phone is an absolute turd, as long as it looks pretty and they match what their girlfriends have.

I think Apple appeals to all those types. Having a network as big as Apple is a strength. I also have a daughter along with 2 sons. Native FaceTime is seamless, iMessage on iOS devices including iPods and iPads/macs is also seamless. And of course the app ecosystem is top notch.

And I can't stress it enough, Apple customer support is an asset others are still trying to match. They can help with everything from phones to tablets to computers/laptops as well as the software. Go into a store and get help and/or a replacement. If not convenient, get help over the phone or express replacement overnight.