“While iPhone sales have been lackluster in some overseas markets, Apple’s smartphone continues to gain users in the US,” eMarketer reports. “According to our latest forecast, the iPhone’s user base ticked up 5.0% in 2018 and will grow another 3.2% this year.”
“In 2019, 105.2 million people in the US will use an iPhone, giving Apple a 45.2% share of the country’s smartphone market. That share will grow 0.1% each year through 2021,” eMarketer reports. “‘The variety of iPhones available at different price points has contributed to its continued success in the US,’ said eMarketer forecasting director Shelleen Shum. ‘The Apple ecosystem, along with the brand’s reputation for creativity and privacy, is still remarkably effective in maintaining user loyalty and attracting new users.'”
“This year, Android usage will grow 3.3% to 124.4 million people,” eMarketer reports. “Its share of US smartphone users will increase to 53.4% in 2019, and reach 53.8% by 2021.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Of course, these predictions get shakier the farther into the future they project (ask IDC about this), but the overall gist is important: Apple’s huge base is large, loyal, and very strong demographically (they are premium customers with higher-than-average discretionary income and the proven will to spend it) – and not just in the U.S., but around the world. That’s why services are such a strong growth story now for Apple, and why device unit sales reports every 90 days or so just don’t matter.
Apple is the Porshe of mobile computing, modest share taking vast majority of profits.
funny how in 2018, the year for which there is verifiable data, iPhone growth outpaced Android by about a full percentage point. Looking forward, they project iPhone growth lagging behind Android by about a tenth of a point but provide no reason whatsoever in the piece as to why iPhone growth suddenly drops by a factor of ten relative to Android…
I find that strange as well. 2018 was the launch year for Apple’s $1,000 (minimum) iPhone X, a phone the pundits said wouldn’t sell because it was priced too high. Yet the iPhone X was the best selling iPhone for the year and contributing mightily to eMarketer’s estimate of iPhone’s industry-leading 5% YoY growth rate.
Now Samsung has joined Apple with a $1,000+ Galaxy for 2019 and firms like eMarketer are showing Android surpassing iPhone growth rate when all indications are that the new super priced Galaxy isn’t selling well at all.