It was recently reported that Taiwanese smartphone and tablet manufacturer HTC surpassed Apple and Samsung in Q3 2011 as the top US smartphone manufacturer. And that third-quarter HTC shipped 5.7 million smartphones to Samsung’s 4.9 million and Apple’s 4.6 million. However, the massive launch and continued sales support of Apple’s iPhone 4S knocked HTC off of its six month run of positive revenue growth. Judging by their own number crunching, HTC overall revenue dipped 2.8% in October.
The iPhone 4S was originally released as a bridge between the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5. Apple always loves having a new release during the holiday period, and when they realized the iPhone 5 was not going to release until 2012, they planned the Apple iPhone 4S. Before his death last month, Apple cofounder and CEO Steve Jobs set the release date for the iPhone 4S, and as fate would have it, it came shortly after his passing.
Steve Jobs was brilliant at creating brand loyalty, and many of those iPhone 4S buyers who waited in line late Thursday night and early Friday morning before the phone’s launch stated they were purchasing the phone simply in honor of Jobs. That kind of iDevice addiction led to the phone selling over 4 million copies in the three-day launch weekend alone.
Apple has been very good over the years with releasing new technology, software or hardware. The Apple iPhone 4S is no different, as it introduces us to a virtual verbal assistant named Siri. You can actually talk to your iPhone 4S, and ask it questions, and Siri will respond by giving you relevant information. Perhaps you would like to take your family out for a picnic this weekend. Simply ask Siri, “Should I plan any outdoor activities this weekend?” Siri will respond by using your GPS built into the iPhone 4S to configure your location, then scour the web for weather reports relevant to you.
IPhone 4 customers complained about the weak camera set and slow processor, and those have both been addressed in the iPhone 4S, and beefed up significantly, no doubt helping sustained sales growth.
