Samsung Passes Apple as Top Smartphone Seller
Samsung Passes Apple as Top Smartphone Seller
Quarterly figures released this week have revealed some interesting – although not altogether surprising – news: according to Samsung and to market analysts, the phone company shipped more smartphones than Apple this past quarter. Samsung shipped 27.8 million smartphones during this time, which equates with 23.8 percent of the market, compared to Apple’s 17.1 million shipments for 14.6 percent of the market.
There are several factors that can explain Samsung’s tremendous current success. First of all, the company has been noted for its quality by consumers and technology experts. With sleek, appealing designs, the most advanced Android features, and a line of brands that appeal to all demographics – whether wealthy, low budget, high tech, or utilitarian – Samsung’s wide appeal and consequent success directly relates back to the quality of its phones.
But Apple’s phones are of no less quality, which brings us to the most probable cause for Samsung’s recent rise: its global penetration. The global smartphone market has grown 44 percent in just one year, meaning that there are 117 units in use worldwide. The biggest growth occurred in regions where Apple’s omnipotence is less guaranteed and in demographics that can’t necessarily afford the most expensive phones on the market. By appealing to these areas and these people, Samsung has positioned itself to take advantage of the current smartphone boom.
The battle between Samsung and Apple for shipment figures is fitting, considering that the two companies have already spent most of the year fighting in court. Most recently, Apple filed a lawsuit claiming that Samsung copied the iPhone and iPad in developing its Galaxy device. Samsung, in turn, has filed counter-lawsuits against Apple, and this legal feud appears to have no end in sight.
That legal feud may be the more substantial one in the first place. After all, alongside the news of Samsung’s quarterly supremacy are warnings from many commentators that this development should be taken with a grain of salt. The most recent quarter did not include Apple’s release of the iPhone 4S, meaning that shipments dropped off because many consumers were waiting for its arrival and that sales should easily pick up in Apple’s next quarterly report. Furthermore, even though Samsung ships more phones, Apple enjoys better margins and better profits.
Ultimately, it appears as though the jury is still out – in both the court and the marketplace. At this point, all we know with certainty is that the competition between Apple and Samsung will likely benefit consumers with some excellent new smartphone options in the year to come.