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iPhone 4 and 3GS Rank as Best-Selling U.S. Smartphones

Monday August 22, 2011 7:19 am PDT by Eric Slivka
Research firm NPD today announced the release of its new Mobile Phone Track report for the second quarter of 2011, showing Android continuing to lead the U.S. smartphone market with 52% of new sales during the quarter. Apple's iPhone checked in with 29% of the market while Research in Motion's BlackBerry devices continued their free fall and garnered only 11% of the market.


SplatF pulls out one key detail from the full report, noting that not only is Apple's 14-month-old iPhone 4 continuing to lead the market in sales, but that the 8 GB iPhone 3GS takes the second spot in the rankings. The iPhone 3GS was introduced 26 months ago, and Apple kept the device around following last year's iPhone 4 introduction by dropping the capacity to 8 GB and offering it at a $99 price point for entry-level users. Pricing has since dropped to $49, with occasional deals bringing the price as low as free.
Here are the top five best-selling phones during Q2, via NPD’s Mobile Phone Track service:

1. Apple iPhone 4
2. Apple iPhone 3GS
3. HTC EVO 4G
4. HTC Inspire 4G
5. Samsung INTENSITYII
Apple has attempted to keep sales momentum for the iPhone 4 moving forward with the introduction of a CDMA version on Verizon and the much-delayed launch of a white version of the device earlier this year. But even as Apple has diverged from its usual annual cycle of iPhone releases by pushing the iPhone 5 out to September or October this year, the iPhone 4 and even the iPhone 3GS continue to top the charts in U.S. sales.

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Small White Car
99 months ago
This should serve as a wakeup call to all the folks who claim Apple "needs to" or "must" include whatever their favorite piece of technology is. The fact that the 3GS outsells all those super-charged devices is amazing, yes, but not surprising when you examine people's actual needs and their decision making process.

The threads around here arguing over things like different types of screen technology are fun and all, but it just doesn't matter that much.
Rating: 32 Votes
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Constable Odo
99 months ago

This should serve as a wakeup call to all the folks who claim Apple "needs to" or "must" include whatever their favorite piece of technology is. The fact that the 3GS outsells all those super-charged devices is amazing, yes, but not surprising when you examine people's actual needs and their decision making process.

The threads around here arguing over things like different types of screen technology are fun and all, but it just doesn't matter that much.


The consumer market has always been consumer-driven, not tech-head-driven. Those tech-head jackasses are always claiming that consumers need this and that and they're not even close. Most consumers are happy to use the same devices for years as long as it works well for them. I would never want to run a business to keep tech-heads happy. They always want the latest crap no matter how problematic it might be or how high the costs are.

Tech-heads are always upset that the iPhone doesn't have the latest stuff. Apple's iPhone can't compete against Android smartphones that come out every few weeks using the most recent tech. The production volume is completely different for Apple. They need to plan for tens of millions of iPhones, not tens of thousands like most of these Android smartphone production runs use.

Consumers' average needs are most important in designing a product, not cutting-edge tech. Consumers need an overall well-working product more than some flashy but flaky device. Tech-heads probably comprise about 1% of the consumer population and hardly matter at all when it comes to sales.

Tech-heads are just too g-damn picky for consumer business needs. :mad:
Rating: 13 Votes
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Santabean2000
99 months ago
Staggering really. Old tech beating out on new... Must be hard for the others to stomach. And goes to show thatbpeople want the full package/walled garden ease and simplicity.
Rating: 12 Votes
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linuxcooldude
99 months ago

Android continuing to lead the U.S. smartphone market with 52% of new sales during the quarter. Apple's iPhone checked in with 29% of the market


Android is not a smartphone, its an operating system. Show me an Android phone that is out selling the iphone. Tired of this inaccurate statement.
Rating: 12 Votes
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Consultant
99 months ago

This should serve as a wakeup call to all the folks who claim Apple "needs to" or "must" include whatever their favorite piece of technology is. The fact that the 3GS outsells all those super-charged devices is amazing, yes, but not surprising when you examine people's actual needs and their decision making process.

The threads around here arguing over things like different types of screen technology are fun and all, but it just doesn't matter that much.


Well, Apple isn't going after the basement feature nerd market. ;)

Instead Apple customers knows that features =/= usability.
Rating: 9 Votes
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*LTD*
99 months ago

well still only one source of iOS compared to everyone who wants the Android is split among multiple devices.


Which is why it's so impressive.


I will stand by the fact that I believe iPhone4 is massively over priced and 3GS is over priced as well.


You can stand by it and still be wrong.

Apple charges what the market will bear and what consumers are willing to pay.


If iPhone4 was any thing other than the iPhone at this point it would be $99 on contract at most but chances are it would be at the $50 price point and the 3GS would be free.
People are paying


But the iPhone 4 is the iPhone - with everything it offers and represents. It can't be anything other than that.

If you don't have an iPhone . . . you don't have an iPhone. We're seeing just how true that is.
Rating: 9 Votes
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xUKHCx
99 months ago

While it breaks down the iOS & iphone, it never breaks down Android into actual cell phones that use the operating system. I just don't like misleading data.


It does right there in the article.
Rating: 8 Votes
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phillipduran
99 months ago

Doesn't surprise me really. Apple made a great product and truly innovated what we know as a smart phone today. Android is a great OS, but its being installed on phones that don't come close to the way iOS runs on an iPhone.


Android is not a great OS. It frequently needs a reboot to restore functions like email. The interface has a problem with loading buttons and allowing them to be pressed/activated before refreshing what is written on the buttons. So you click the wrong thing, call the wrong person. It calls on its own, texts on its own. It sucks the battery down at crazy rates even with nearly every syncing and other data accessing feature turned off. It gets stuck in email loops racking up gigs of data usage. It's just not a pleasant experience. It's the Windows Vista of the smartphone OS's.
Rating: 8 Votes
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redraider2011
99 months ago

Points back to multiple Android phones vs 2 iOS phones. Please see that logic and get back to me.

So if you have 100 people who want Android phones with 10 phones to choose between vs says 50 that want iOS with 2 phones.

That makes a pretty clear break down.


This isn't about Android vs. iOS and about how many options there are for either. This is about singular devices, not the collective for either platform. More people are flat out choosing the iPhone 4 over any other singular device including the iPhone 3GS. As I recall there were only a few webOS phones, but they aren't above the Android phones in terms of sales so your logic is invalid.
Rating: 7 Votes
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Tiger8
99 months ago

Umm I fail to see your logic on how it is impressive. This is a pretty far twist even for you.


You also fail to see how a 2+ year old iPhone is outselling every single Android phone, ouch!
Rating: 6 Votes

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