The battle for the smartphone market: Who will have the last laugh?

In the battle for smartphone market share, the Android camp has an increasing advantage, so many people think that Apple has lost the battle for the smartphone market. However, experts from foreign media Foxbusiness wrote an article saying that you should never underestimate Apple. As long as Apple continues to innovate, it may make a comeback at any time.

Ten years ago, no one would have questioned who would win the battle for the personal computer market. Apple's market share was in the low single digits, and the answer was undoubtedly Microsoft 's Windows PC, which was overwhelmingly dominant.

Today, Apple's global PC market share (including tablets) is close to 20%, far more than Lenovo, which ranks second, and more than HP and Dell combined. Apple is not only not out, but also in a dominant position. The situation is reversed, but it is also an overwhelming advantage.

Not bad for a company that once teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, but more importantly, the Silicon Valley giant has managed to develop a respectable product: the iPhone, which has generated more revenue than all of Microsoft's products combined.

Although the iPhone was once a huge success, it is no longer the absolute leader in the mobile phone industry. Samsung, a South Korean mobile phone manufacturer, sells almost twice as many smartphones as the iPhone, and Google's Android platform has dominated global smartphone shipments. Apple has obviously lost the battle for the smartphone market.

But it's too early to say Apple is out of the game, as Microsoft's experience is the best proof. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, still has a very big competitive advantage.

Apple has strict control over its products, from Mac computers to iPhones, from software to hardware. Apple can innovate, integrate, and ultimately provide a differentiated product, while Android phone manufacturers cannot, and even technology giants like Samsung cannot.

Apple also dominates the high-end market. Apple is the number one smartphone brand and the most influential brand in the world. Samsung once had a market advantage with large-screen phones, but now this only advantage will be eliminated by Apple: the iPhone 6 released by Apple this fall will be equipped with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens. No company in the world can do what Apple does, with strict control over sales channels, services, security, and customer experience. This also makes Apple have a unique user base that is loyal and highly satisfied. Once you adapt to the Apple ecosystem, it is difficult to switch to other camps.

Apple has three times the revenue and profit of Google, and it can also invest more resources to improve the current ecosystem. At present, Apple's ecosystem has spanned multiple fields, including music and entertainment platform iTunes, app store app store, car platform CarPlay, cloud service iCloud, mobile payment related iBeacon, smart home kit HomeKit and health tracking application Healthbook. In addition, the company is also negotiating with cable TV content providers and media companies, hoping to provide a seamless living room TV integrated solution, and is also persuading more retailers and enterprises to support the rumored iWallet mobile payment service to be launched soon.

Therefore, Apple has comprehensive advantages in maintaining higher pricing and profit margins and slowing down the decline in market share, and its success in China and Japan in recent years proves that Apple is still a phenomenal presence in the global smartphone market.

But it is worth noting that this is more or less just a static analysis. The biggest unknown factor comes from a simple word: innovation. In addition to the two truly game-changing products, iWallet and integrated TV solutions, Apple and Google will start a fierce competition in the smartwatch field this fall.

Will smartwatches continue to rely on smartphones or become standalone devices? That's an open question. Will Google Glass, expected to be released soon, be a success? That's another open question. Are wearables a "nice to have" or "must have" tech product? We'll soon get the answer.

But one thing is certain. The last time Apple launched a truly new product in its product line was four years ago (iPad), and Apple CEO Tim Cook and other executives are very excited about the upcoming new products. Eddie Cue, the company's senior vice president, said before: "Later this year, Apple will launch the best product I have seen in nearly 25 years."

Microsoft has clearly learned a lesson: never count Apple out, and Google and Samsung must learn from this.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.