I’m really confused by what I’m reading on this page. Can someone clarify the different between these two?

Quoting:

> Apple iOS continues to hold its large share of the smartphone operating systems’ market within the United States, claiming more than half of the market in May 2020.

> ...

> Android still the one to catch

> Android, however, still holds the largest share of the United States smartphone operating systems’ market and has done for many year.

So this is about the smartphone operating systems, in the united states. Apple has “more than half of the market”, and Android has “the largest share”. How are both statements possibly true?

>> claiming more than half of the market in May 2020.

Market share /= number of devices.

Apple owns the "market", ie the money. Apple owners spend vastly more on their OS (via playstore). Android might be running on vastly more devices, but the people who matter, the rich people with money to spend on camera apps, spend that money via iPhones.

We live in a world where whales matter more than customers. The legions of android users who use their phones to make phonecalls, as internet browsers, and as navigational tools ... they don't matter as much as any single iPhone user who regularly drops a few hundred every month on eye candy iPhone backgrounds.

I see what you mean here, and it might be what the statistics website is claiming. However, it is not clear at all. They use the words "large share of the smartphone operating systems’ market within the United States," and "largest share of the United States smartphone operating systems’ market" when talking about the market share for Apple and for Android, respectively. Sounds like the same metric is being compared.

Apparently Apple's App Store is responsible for 3 times as many sales as Google's Play Store[1].

[1] https://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2020/01/in-2019...

I don’t think it’s that stark. iPhone has captured the market of people who want to pay for things related to their smartphone by offering a slightly higher end smartphone.

Android users made a choice to prioritize their smartphone less in their financial lives by getting a cheaper device (except for the 5-6 HN commenters who got an Android because of a personal vendetta against the Apple App Store policies).

It stands to reason that the people who decided not to spend money on a smartphone also decide not to spend money on smartphone apps.

Your comment is reading as pretty condescending and judgemental. Not everyone who owns an Android is cheap.

there's a difference between cheap, thrifty, and not wasteful.

Lol, that's cute.

Sorry to burst your bubble of pretention but the highest end android phones are in another league of price and have been for a long time.

To be fair I won't even bother comparing the Zflip2 foldable because it's more of a proof of concept than something many people buy but it's price tag would make you blush. So, the numbers: the latest and greatest iPhone 12 max is $1549 CAD while Samsung's Note 20 Ultra 512GB is $2029.99 CAD.

It boggles me to think an Apple user thinks they are getting something high end.

A nerd get an Android, where a teenager will get an iPhone. It's simply a low information consumer buying an overpriced product.

By extension advertising to iPhone users is more valuable as they have more money or are more willing to spend more money.

Not to mention more susceptible to advertising.

If someone is willing to overpay for an inferior product, they likely will also impulse buy more often than someone who shops and researches phones..

Why write this comment? What possible need was there to insult all iPhone owners?

I disagree about iPhone's being inferior to android phones. While I don't doubt that high (build) quality android phones exist none of the ones I have personally owned qualified (Sony Ericsson, Sony, Samsung). My current iPhone has lasted more than double as long as any of those did before falling apart.

you mean via appstore?

The first number is about sold devices in may, the later is about all devices in use no matter when they were bought

off-topic, but if "username checks out" style posts were appropriate here, this would be a good place for one. :D

You’re right, they’re not appropriate here.