Apple was world's No. 1 smartphone vendor in Q4, report says

Wonder how many were upgrades vs. users switching from Android?

Apple is obviously doomed now.  What are they thinking?  Volume and profits?  What next?

iOS_Guy80 said:

Wonder how many were upgrades vs. users switching from Android?

Stats published here last year showed "switching platforms" was relatively rare anymore. Users by and large are committed to Android or iOS and not likely to change. In fact, IIRC Android users were even more likely to remain in the fold than iOS users tho the percentages were very close. 

FWIW I have noted a number of folks on various blogs owning and using both Android and iOS devices depending on the need.

BTW for the entire year the same article says Huawei was number one in unit sales for the entire year, with Apple falling into third place from second behind Samsung. 

I've noticed our resident Apple critics have recently pivoted from "Chinese knockoffs are eating their lunch!" to "Apple's doing what I said to do!" lol. The cognitive dissonance is strong.

StrangeDays said:

I've noticed our resident Apple critics have recently pivoted from "Chinese knockoffs are eating their lunch!" to "Apple's doing what I said to do!" lol. The cognitive dissonance is strong.

No. 

Is that your conclusion after ONE quarter? Apple's historical blowout quarter, too! That's playing it safe I suppose!

This time last year Apple had issued a profit warning, had been bumped out of the top two spots on worldwide unit sales charts (for the first time in many years) was seriously lacking in terms of competitive hardware and found itself having to apply steep discounts to just to shift products. Announcing those discounts on its front page too. All that following years of flat sales.

Meanwhile, those 'Chinese knock-offs' managed to cut into new markets, collectively sweeping up a huge swathe of the world handset market. One of them managed massive growth without access to the world's second largest market and with the U.S government literally trying to destroy it. That same company simply switched away from U.S suppliers causing such short term and potential long term damage that the Pentagon and Department of Defense has reportedly stepped in - on national security grounds - to 'protect' U.S technology from further US plans to intensify actions against it.

Nevertheless, it has seen its business curtailed to the tune of billions of dollars as a result.

Those 'resident Apple critics' have largely been right and yes, Apple's moves have been very much in line with what critics have spoken on. You will just have to begrudgingly accept that.

In fact, people like yourself on the other hand, who regularly attack the critics, have been shown to be out of touch with how Apple is trying to make up for lost ground. You'll have to live with that.

As for cognitive dissonance, well, once again, no.