Apple is doing extremely well on the margins but they have actually lost ground when going by the numbers (~30% market share now vs ~70% android).
Apple's goals differ from the idea of getting as many users as people. The company seems to be more focused on getting a number of people who will almost absolutely buy their brand. That's their strength imo. How many businesses can boast of guaranteed lines outside their stores for hours when launching a product? (Bear in mind that lining up is very irrational for a lot of those who spend hours there seeing as they can often grab it online or from a carrier store directly. )
They operate by a follow the money mindset and it works excellently for them. Get people to love your product - this loyal customer we seek in the startup world - and you're in very good hands.
Kudos to them for their work
Sure, globally Android will remain larger, but the trend is stabilizing if not reversing a little for now.
As of the end of Q3 2014, Android was the most popular operating system, with a 84.4% market share, followed by iOS with 11.7%
Also Samsung's phone business is doing poorly financially.
Yes, it is. Hence the huge margins gap.
> Apple's competition is primarily Samsung, as well as the premium devices offered by Motorola, HTC, etc. (Though to be fair, I wonder how much of Apple's 30% is from older phones costing $99 or less with contract)
No idea, that would be interesting to figure out.
I went iPhone -> Android -> iPhone
For the same reasons I can't imagine myself using Windows again, I can't see myself using android in the near future.
Admittedly if Google had released a Nexus 5+ at the same $350 price I probably would have stuck with Android. No way I was going to pay a premium price for any of the Android phones I looked at though.