“Apple’s iPhone user base is now the second-largest in the U.S. smartphone market, passing Windows Mobile-based models to slip into the spot behind Research In Motion’s BlackBerry, research firm comScore said today,” Gregg Keizer reports for Computerworld.
“In the three months ending in October, Apple’s iPhone was used by nearly 9 million Americans as their primary phone, said Mark Donovan, senior analyst with Virginia-based comScore,” Keizer reports. “That compared with the almost 15 million who identified RIM as the maker of their primary smartphone in the monthly surveys comScore conducts of U.S. mobile subscribers over the age of 13. Phones powered by Microsoft’s Windows Mobile, meanwhile, were used by an estimated 7.1 million people during the same period.”
Keizer reports, “According to comScore, approximately 36 million Americans own a smartphone, while around 196 million rely on a traditional cell phone.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: iPhone has been on the market for 28 months through the period measured by comScore’s report. Microsoft’s Windows Mobile has been on the market for 9 and half years.
“Let’s see how the competition goes.” – Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer remarking on Apple’s newly-unveiled iPhone vs. his company’s Windows Mobile, January 2007
“We came, we saw, we kicked its ass!” – Dr. Peter Venkman’s prescient response to Mr. Ballmer on behalf of Apple Inc., June 8, 1984
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer: “I like our strategy. I like it a lot.” – January 2007:
Direct link via YouTube here.
“There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.” Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, April 30, 2007
Ballmer would make a great Curly in the next 3 Stooges Movie.
absolutely amazing
That quote was made when the iPhone was priced at $600 plus a 2 year contract.
In that context, Ballmer was right. It wasn’t until the iPhone price dropped, more than once, that the iPhone got significant market share.
When Apple and the carrier hid the price in the contract, just like every other manufacturer/carrier combo, the playing field was evened out.
Ballmer isn’t quite totally stupid.
There was a recent report – though I cannot verify its veracity – that it is the iPhone itself that is the source of the “network problems” suffered by many iPhone users. Which is interesting seeing how much productivity iPhone users manage despite the “network problems”. Windows Mobile is on version … ?6? … while the iPhone is on version 3 … things will continue to improve by the versions. Did OSX itself become reasonably mature before Jaguar (or was it Tiger?)? Not really.
Still … it’s just a rounding error. Right? That’s my story and I’m …
I wish Ballmer would just come out and say, “Yes, I’m an idiot, and yes, I’m trying to drive Microsoft into the ground.” Not that there’s anything wrong with where he’s stearing the ship.
@Big Als MBP
The iPhone was NOT fully Sub’ed That’s why we paid FULL price for the iPhone. You could buy an iPhone without a contract from Apple at the full price. I know, I bought them as gifts. My iPhone I bought from AT&T;was the same price w/ contract.
The Sub’ed iPhones like the 3G and 3G-s have lower price and higher monthly contracts.
Balmer told a big fat fib!
Just my 2¢
@Big Als MBP, nice attempt at spin!
“No chance” means exactly what it sounds like, “NO CHANCE”. No chance at $600.00, no chance at $99.00, no chance if they came stuffed in a box of Cracker Jacks.
And yes, Ballmer is totally stupid.
For me it wasn’t what Ballmer said, it was the complete arrogant dismissal and attitude, laughing sarcastically.
What’s wrong now Ballmer?
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When will Ballmer realize to actually compete with Apple, he seems like his not taking Apple seriously. They should make strategies and innovate more to stay on top for The Smartphone market. I thought they were releasing some phones, what happen to that?
Hey Mr. Baller, what is your opinion about the iPhone and Microsoft phone market share NOW? Please be honest with your answer.
Thank you for taking my survey. ;P
Balmer’s quote for 2010:
“800dls?? 10 inch?? no stickers on it??
I said That is the most expensive tablet on the world!
and it doesn’t appeal to magazine readers because it doesn’t have real pages to fold, which makes it not a very good reading experience.
Now, it may sell very well or not.
We have our strategy. We got great tablets and netbooks in the market today; you can get an Asus Eee PC for 200dls. It’s a very capable machine, it’ll do music, it’ll do internet, it’ll do e-mail (if you have very small hands), it’ll do IM.
So I look at that, and being the total bafoon that i am i say, Well, I like our strategy, I like it a lot.”
These figures are just rounding errors. Besides, what do you expect–everyone knows that WinMobile 7 is just around the corner so people are waiting to upgrade. As soon as we release it, just watch those iPhone sales tank. I mean $600 fully subsidised–Apple have got to be kidding. I still like our strategy a lot.
‘ 84 Mac Guy
I demand more respect for Curly
@biansta haha nice
DLMeyer quoted ” the iPhone itself that is the source of the “network problems” suffered by many iPhone users.”
I’m not sure if I would call it a network problem (or design problem as the article suggested). I found AT&T;’s answer to why iPhone uses more bandwidth than the other not so smart-phones.
“Why does iPhone use more data than other devices…”
http://www.wireless.att.com/answer-center/main.jsp?t=solutionTab&ft=searchTab&ps=solutionPanels&locale=en_US&_dyncharset=UTF-8&solutionId=KB92082&isSrch=Yes
My prediction is Ballmer reads the comScore Report, sh*ts himself, then breaks some office furniture and finally lays off another few hundred to a thousand employees. After doing that he runs around the Microsoft offices yelling, BING!,….,BING!,….,BING!,…
Bing is going to go the way of the Zune next year as it starts to loose market share. Like the word Zune means dung (as in a steaming pile of…) to kids, the word Bing is becoming to mean lets just call it, to projectile hurl or spewing the Technicolor rainbow (or, as I say it used,”Man that was just super gross she binged the teacher from the back row…”).
This is good news, but also keep in mind, just about all of Microsoft’s current user base purchased their WinMo phones after the iPhone came out. That 9 years figure is an inconsequential statistic, other than they’ve been trying to build decent software for that long. Nobody is using a WinMo phone any older that three or four years.
Oh, and how dare you compare Ball-man to Slimer. At least slimer had some class!
As far as the leader, it’s amazing how many Blackberries people will get when you give them away.
It’s funny to watch you MAC lemmings obsess over market share and the amount of software available for those Windows Mobile wannabe phones. From what I hear about Windows Mobile 7 MAC should be concerned. Really concerned.
When it comes to Windows Mobile Microsoft wants to develop the best phone OS possible and build long lasting partnerships with manufacturers and mobile service providers to further that end. As we’ve seen with PCs running Windows the benefits to users are endless. Expect the same with WinMo phones. Microsoft is simply creating the OS they want to use on a phone, not the junk only a handful of cultists could love.
Your potential. Our passion.™
@Zune Tang®
There are more people using iPhone now, WinMO is not even considered when buying a SmartPhone because its so outdated and frustrating to use.
“As we’ve seen with PCs running Windows the benefits to users are endless.”
benefits? you mean endless repairs and frustrating errors? PC have a lifespan of like 2-4 years, after that your computer is outdated and will likely breakdown every month. I know someone who has a 5-year old desktop. Urgh! that thing wont even go to homescreen its stuck with the Blue Screen and it was just freshly repaired. PC’s are becoming obsolete as other companies are making their own OS’s like Google.
Most frustrated people are also switching to a MAC, im still stuck with this junk HP laptop but im saving up for a MBP.
OK ZuneTang. The schtick is past its prime. You’re getting to be like Joan Rivers telling that joke about the porkchop around her neck so the dog will play with her, or Howie Mandell and the whole surgical glove over his head bit. Seriously, move on.
I still don’t get over the Curly joke. Such disrespect for Curly.
I’m utterly offended.
Hmm the iPhone is half way there to catching up RIM. That may happen before the end of next year. Especially if the iPhone goes onto the other carrier with GSM (Sprint or T-mobile, I can’t remember.
I see a lot of people using their iPhone, not so many using their Blackberries. My guess is that the iPhone will be as iconic as the iPod and in the end many will get one because it is the de facto standard.
The key difference between Macs and PCs:
People will make do with a PC. They shop by price and do very little thinking.
A Mac is a computer one aspires to own. Buying a Mac is a deliberate process, involving the heart as well as the head.
This is why M$ is cold and institutional and Apple is passionate and human.
Who **aspires** to own a Dell??
“Ballmer isn’t quite totally stupid.”
He knows how the business works. He could see price drops on the horizon. He was stupid for thinking he could “make his own weather”. He somehow thought saying it would make it true. Used to work for Bill Gates in the 90s. Doesn’t work anymore.