It’s inevitable.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will introduce new iPhones next week, and it won’t be enough for some people.
How many generations of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iconic smartphone have gone by without the NFC feature that’s been available in several Android devices for years? When will Apple offer larger iPhones?
I couldn’t ignore that last question. It was the biggest reason why I switched in May. After going through three different iPhones since 2008, I fell for the irresistible charms of Samsung’s Galaxy S4. The learning curve hasn’t been steeper than I thought it would be, but I’m too far gone at this point. It just feels strange when I compare the tiny screens of the iPhone 5 or my old iPhone 4S to what I’m using now.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) doesn’t get that. It doesn’t get me.
Normally I would argue that my subjective view doesn’t matter. I am just one person. How many people do you know that have said that Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is doomed because they stopped using the site years ago, falsely assuming that everyone’s following them on the way out?
According to industry tracker IDC, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s share of the smartphone market has contracted from 17% to 13% over the past year.
A year ago it was easy to fear that the iPhone was vulnerable. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s stock may have peaked when it topped $700 the day the iPhone 5 hit stores, but Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) was readying its attack with a fortified Windows Phone 8 release a few weeks later. BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) rolled out its hyped up BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system a few months later.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and BlackBerry proved to be weak villains for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). Microsoft’s market share has only moved from 3.1% to 3.7% over the past year, and BlackBerry’s going the wrong way as it fades in Apple’s rearview mirror.
The only reason that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is losing market share is because Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)‘s Android is taking over the planet. Its market share has soared from 69% to 79% over the past year. That puts it on the Lucky Strike cigarettes or Trident gum category with four out of five doctors or dentists on board.