SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Technology Stocks : Apple Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: pyslent who wrote (179961)3/10/2015 3:05:41 PM
From: slacker7111 Recommendation

Recommended By
pyslent

  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 213177
 

Samsung seems to be doing a lot right with the S6. Is it too little too late for the premium Android market (by dint of the large screen iPhone and the cheaper midtier offerings)? Or will the S6 spur a huge upgrade cycle, like the iPhone 6 did for the iPhone userbase? By my count, there are roughly 200m Galaxy S/Note users out there-- what will their next phones be?



That is a big question for 2015. Almost all of the Apple-centric commentators have written off Samsung as a Nokia/Motorola redux. I think Samsung reacts far faster to market trends than the previous mobile "kings" that then faded into oblivion. They also have internal hardware advantages that are unmatched in tech.

I would say that the trend is positive for Samsung right now. They actually stabilized their smartphone business in the 4th quarter and the Kantar data indicates that US share was stable YoY for the three months ending in January. The reported carrier interest in the S6/S6 Edge has all been very positive as well. Samsung has fixed most of the design issues that critics had with the S5 and the Edge looks like it has a chance to be a substantial hit with a look that competitors wont be able to copy.

I really dont have a strong idea on how this is going to play out. Samsung has stopped the bleeding and it looks like they have a very good product offering, but the way I look at it, Apple has nearly become the "default" choice for high-end buyers. It was easy to have a reason to buy something other than Apple when there was no large screen iPhone...but now? Customer loyalty to Samsung/Android looks like it would be the primary reason.

I'll say this, if Samsung cant compete with the S6, then the high-end Android market is doomed until they see a real break through on the hardware side (foldable displays possibly). We'll know quite a bit more in a few months.

Slacker



To: pyslent who wrote (179961)3/28/2015 10:16:19 AM
From: slacker7112 Recommendations

Recommended By
DanD
pyslent

  Respond to of 213177
 
There is quite a bit of data on iPhone and Android buying and retention trends in this article...only issue is that they dont state the methodology or sample sizes from the surveys.

valuewalk.com

- The data looks pretty clear that Apple has managed to substantially increase their retention rate. They are losing very few customers to Android right now.

- The data on Android switchers is less clear. It has increased but it seems to basically be at the high-end of the previous range. Will it be maintained or will we see a reversion to the mean?

Slacker