Worldwide Smartphone Shipments Down For First Time Ever (theregister.co.uk) 77
According to Gartner, global sales of smartphones have declined year-on-year for the first time since the research company started tracking the global smartphone market in 2004. "Global sales of smartphones to end users totaled nearly 408 million units in the fourth quarter of 2017, a 5.6 percent decline over the fourth quarter of 2016," reports Gartner. The Register reports: In Gartner's Q4 sales stats, Samsung maintained a narrow lead in global volume shipments of smartphones -- but every major (top five) vendor outside of those based in China saw unit shipments slip. Several major factors caused the market shrinkage, said Anshul Gupta, research director at Gartner. "First, upgrades from feature phones to smartphones have slowed right down due to a lack of quality 'ultra-low-cost' smartphones and users preferring to buy quality feature phones. Second, replacement smartphone users are choosing quality models and keeping them longer, lengthening the replacement cycle of smartphones. Moreover, while demand for high quality, 4G connectivity and better camera features remained strong, high expectations and few incremental benefits during replacement weakened smartphone sales," Gupta added. This is a characteristic of the emerging markets, where all the action is -- not mature markets like the UK or USA. Samsung leap-frogged Apple by virtue of its sales declining slower than the market average -- Sammy's numbers were 3.6 per cent to 74.02 million units.
LUDDITES are taking over! (Score:1)
We must stop the LUDDITES from ruining our appy app phones! App as many apps as you can app to stop them!
Apps!
People are getting smarter, the phone's aren't (Score:4, Interesting)
People are getting smarter about purchases. Unfortunately, smartphones aren't getting smarter. I haven't bought a new phone since my S5, though the OLED (what a terrible technology) screen is suffering and I will need to replace it soon. People don't want 12 megapixels over 10 or 5. At a certain point, shooting in higher resolution just makes for ungainly file sizes for no real benefit. No one really uses voice control serioiusly, and all we get with each generation is more midle-of-the-bell-curve junk and bloatware. Since my S5 Samsung deleted infrared, HDMI, and FM radio - they tried even deleting the SD slot, and they give what bac in return? An OLED screen with even more density that degrades even faster. Great work!
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I can't really think of what else would compel me to get a new phone over the one I currently have. With 128Gb space hasn't been an issue. I use it mostly for web browsing when out and about, email checking, and Google Maps. I listen to music and sometimes watch Youtube on it. I even make payments with it at checkout at the few places that have that setup.
Longer battery life has been solved with an external 12000mWh pack, which I rarely need to use.
Is there anything I would think, what would I do on a 4" sc
Re:People are getting smarter, the phone's aren't (Score:4, Informative)
I bought an i7 16Gb, 512MB SSD Lenovo laptop 13.9" screen for $1050. This is as powerful as my desktop system.
No it isn't, unless your desktop is low-end.
The laptop runs a lower-power CPU, and it will only run at full tilt for a short while before going into thermal throttling.
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It likely also has a slower hard drive. Do laptops still come with 5400 rpm drives?
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Well, he specifically mentioned an SSD, so I assume that won't be a problem.
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Oh, I missed that.
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A low-voltage or even ultra low-voltage i7, mind. A desktop i5 absolutely wipes the floor with those.
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People are getting smarter about purchases.
There's absolutely no evidence of that. There is however plenty of evidence that the smartphone industry is now completely stagnant in terms of features and improvements.
though the OLED (what a terrible technology)
It's the worst! Except for all the others. You have a dead screen. Whoop de do. Until it got to that stage it outperformed all other technologies.
At a certain point, shooting in higher resolution just makes for ungainly file sizes for no real benefit.
Exactly.... what I would expect someone to say who has no idea of the benefits of high resolutions, including better filtering, noise reduction, and if you have a high enough resolution better deb
New phones... (Score:2)
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You're also "forced" to pay a lot more for them.
Re:New phones... (Score:5, Insightful)
Ironically, it's the less expensive phones that are NOT getting rid of useful features like SD slot, headphone jack, and user replaceable batteries. It's just the top-of-the-line phones that ditched these features.
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My conclusion is that it's the usual "form vs function". If you want to get shit done, you don't care about looks and style. If you go for style and fashion, you probably don't need it to get stuff done.
That's basically what's the difference between a rugged backpack and a Gucci case. The former isn't for looks or style but you can use it to get some serious work done. The latter is probably not the best in function, but that's only its secondary function, so to speak.
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There is something to your argument, but it's not the whole picture. My $200 Moto G has 32GB of onboard flash memory, and still has an SD slot. I never even get close to using all of my storage.
There doesn't seem to be a straight line of cost vs. quality in phones. My theory is that the big names charge what they do because they can, not because they have to.
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My $200 Moto G has 32GB of onboard flash memory, and still has an SD slot. I never even get close to using all of my storage.
Mine is an earlier generation and has even less, but the current iPhones on sale have 64GB to 256GB. 32GB is a lot for me - the largest things I download to my phone are vector maps for OSMAnd - but it's pretty small for someone who watches a lot of videos on their phone. An SD card means that they can think 'well, a 64GB SD card is cheap, so I can always add a load more storage for videos'. I also suspect that a lot of people don't really have a good feel for how much they use and will just see that 32G
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It depends what you use the SD card for. If you're using it for main storage, then it's going to get a lot of writes, which I assume is what you're referring to frying it over time. If you put stuff on it that is mostly read access (music, podcasts, movies, etc.) it should work fine, right?
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Indeed. I am still on my z10, because I cannot find any Android phone that even moderately appeals. (No, I will not join the cult of Apple...) Since I do not run any "Apps" on my primary phone, that works fine. For the few Apps I have to use, I use a SIM-less very cheap Moto that is usually off. Hilariously, for that SIM-less phone I use the z10 as wireless access point.
But the situation is really a disgrace. By now I would expect to get well-designed Android hardware (with headphone jack, SD slot, user-rep
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You pay the entrance-fee nonetheless...
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Of course it is mandatory, have you not read third paragraph in point 314.159 in the user agreement in the newer iPhones?
"Furthermore, you affirm that you are a member of the cult of Apple, or will agree to become a member withing two(2) weeks from this date and..."
Sheesh, do people no longer read all 500 page EULAs throughout and follow them to the letter?
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500 pages is only just short of half as long as the Bible. Obviously, this needs to grow before this cult becomes a proper religion.
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"Two years of updates" is far too low.
I wonder why (Score:3)
let see, costs of $1,000+
short battery life
even more and better spyware
I cannot imagine why
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It is 0%. You're probably not including Apple Care in your calculation. If you don't want Apple Care, don't do the deal.
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I suspect it's more the 'isn't noticeably better than the one I have now'. I have a cheap first-gen Moto G. It's crappy, but it does everything I need it to. A newer phone does the same stuff, but marginally faster. My previous phone was an HTC Desire (bravo) and it had such a small amount of on-board flash that it was hard to upgrade. It was also very slow (one core that was about the same speed as the four in my Moto G). That upgrade was worth it, but the next one will probably only happen when the
Did they adjust for the extra week? (Score:5, Interesting)
All the Q4 2017 vs Q4 2016 are messy this year - there was an extra week in 2016. Most journalists are oblivious to it... Gartner being Gartner.... who knows...
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Occasionally, there are 53 week years. This is because there are an extra 1.25 (technically, 1.2425) days that don't fall into a week in any given year. And things are done on week boundaries (mostly salaries). So every.... 7/1.25 years... they add an extra week.
Oh noes! (Score:3)
What "endless-growth" unicorn will Wall Street chase now that the time of cell phone sales is ending?
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They will find something. Extreme greed coupled with stupidity always does the trick. Until the house of cards collapses.
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If they don't find, they will simply invent one. Maybe another "structured" product?
NO HEADPHONE JACK NO NEW PHONE (Score:1)
Simple really. I have an iphone 6s with headphone jack, jailbreak, brand new apple battery and a E-ink case. I am not upgrading without a jack. I am even Considering switching to a High end android Audiophile DAP and 4g mini wifi hotspot.
Wireless Bluetooth Headphones are still terrible in 2018, iPhone still doesnt support Apt-X HD or Sony LDAC and cheap chinese wired IEMs sound amazing.
Unbelievable
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I mean, I get that it was "clever" to put analog audio pins in the USB-C standard. Sure, fewer ports. But I'm just going to have to plug a converter in, so build in the damn port.
Also, the lightning plug is very secure. microUSB always wear out due to there torus plug and pins on the inside design. I'm guessing USB-C does as well. Why isn't the plug a sold piece of metal that slots in?
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USB-C was intended to be significantly more robust than microUSB and the group that designed it included some of the Apple folk behind the Lightning connector, so I doubt it has the same problems.
I'm not too bothered about the dongle - it can live with my headphones - the problem for me is that you need a different and annoying adaptor if you want to listen to music and charge your phone, which is pretty common while travelling.
Galaxy Note 4 was the best then all downhill... (Score:2)
Galaxy Note 4 was the peak Samsung phone with a 3.5 inch headphone jack, removeable SD card and removable battery. Why the heck should I ever upgrade?
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3.5 inch headphone jack
Man that is one huge headphone jack.
Excellent (Score:3)
Then maybe we can now finally get devices that have a reasonable long-term availability and regular updates for at least 5 years (better 10) and easily replaceable batteries. You know, the level of quality, lifetime and user-friendliness that can reasonably expected from something as expensive as a smartphone.
Maturing Industry (Score:5, Interesting)
The smartphone industry is starting to mature. Smartphones have gotten to the point where the delta between a 4 year old smartphone and a brand new one isn't very big anymore. The same was not the case 4 years ago. In a way, the smartphone is going the the way of the PC, 4 year old models are "good enough" so the 2 year upgrade cycle is going away, becoming more like every 6 years.
The natural consequence that is a smaller number of higher quality, higher end, and more expensive phones will be made, and will be used for 6 years before replacement. The same thing is happening with the PC, where slim metal cases and $1000+ prices are now the norm, the cheap glossy plastic $400 PC that gets thrown out every 3 years isn't selling anymore. Overall I think its a good thing that smartphones are starting to see longer refresh cycles, it will be better for the environment, and hopefully they won't depreciate quite so quickly.
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hopefully they won't depreciate quite so quickly.
Though that would be bad for people who like to buy used.
idiots with ties (Score:5, Insightful)
Several major factors caused the market shrinkage
So you are selling around 400 million devices every quarter, that is 1.6 billion a year, and you are surprised that doesn't go on forever?
Smartphone users total only about twice that [statista.com]. So the average one buys a new smartphone every two years. That sounds about right, doesn't it?
Even in the USA, smartphone usage is only about 77% of the population. Some people still don't have one, and some are too young, too imprisoned or otherwise incapable (I don't count "too poor" anymore, as even if you are very poor, a smartphone has become a necessity).
"market shrinkage" my ass. The market is still growing (see the link above). You've just saturated it and most sales go not to new owners but to people replacing an existing phone.
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Sorry, I disagree. Not having a smartphone is a luxury these days. It appears that vast majority of the population agrees with me.
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Sad but so true.
There is one other option, be very careful who you give the number.
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And who still thinks that desktop computers are dying?
The same people reporting this? Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Declined 2 Percent in 4Q17 and 2.8 Percent for the Year [gartner.com]. And unlike this report, that's been going on for years.
Netcraft confirms - smartphones are dying! (Score:2)
It is official; Netcraft now confirms: smartphones are dying.
One more crippling bombshell hit the already beleaguered smartphone community when Gartner confirmed that smartphone market share has dropped yet again, now down to to 408 million units per quarter. Coming close on the heels of a recent Netcraft survey which plainly states that smart[phones have lost more market share, this news serves to reinforce what we've known all along. Smartphones are collapsing in complete disarray, as fittingly exemplifie
It DROPPED to 400 million units? (Score:3)
And you complain?
For real?
400 million units a quarter means you sell 1.6 BILLION phones a year. There are roughly 4.5 billion people using cellphones on this planet. That means that on average they throw away their old phone and buy a new one every three years. And let's remember for the moment that BY FAR not all people are rich enough to simply dump 500 bucks every three years, I dare say that the majority of those 4.5 billions clings to their phone 'til it falls apart.
Economic growth does have a limit, even if your greed doesn't.
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