5 years ago no one heard of an iPhone, Androids were robots and everyone was still clinging to Nokia’s.
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Today, “iPhone” the device with a cult following (cue crazy queues, midnight vigils and general hysteria for new device), is owned by millions around the globe.
“This revolutionary device set the stage for explosive growth in the smartphone market, drastically changing the complexion of the mobile industry and,the entire digital landscape in just a few short years, ” said analysts comScore marking the 5th anniversary of the launch of the first GSM iPhone back in June 29, 2007.
In July ’07, barely 9 million Americans owned a smartphone – today nearly 110 million claim ownership to one and by the end of the year will become the new mobile majority and most likely the same for most developed countries.
Marketing savvy Apple has sold over 100 million iPhones since that fateful day back in ’07, when it was released to the masses having been unveiled by CEO Steve Jobs the previous January.
Soon after, Google owned Android followed suit after with its answer to Cupertino’s smart mobile technology and everyone from Samsung to HTC and even Nokia realised the future was smartphones.
Its last few quarter to April has seen Apple break all living records selling a massive 35.1 m devices -an 88% jump and sold 37 m the prior period, one of its biggest numbers yet
Read: Apple V Android: “Two Horse Race” STILL On
The original iPhone released accounts for just 2% of current iOS smartphones, with new generations making the original “virtually obsolete”, says comScore’s and has introduced five different versions of the cult device, since then.
Nearly 3 in every 4 Apple iOS uses are on iPhone 4, which accounts for the largest share at nearly 40%, and the newest model 4S, released in October.
“As the iPhone reached critical mass and gained wider consumer adoption ….iPhone owners, too, have evolved,” says comScore analyst Sarah Radwanick in a blog.
So who are iPhone owners in 2012?
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| Image: comscore |
In 2007, over 60% were owned by young males and were an elite bunch (almost half had incomes of $100,000 or greater).
But this is changing as now ownership between men and women is almost equal – 53% v 47%.
The biggest ownership by age is still 25-34 category at 46%, but the youngest and oldest age groups also lay claim to many an Apple phone and users aren’t even that wealthy anymore (despite iPhone often hefty pricetag attached).
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iPhone owners earning $50,000-$75,000 represent the fastest growing income segment, and now account for nearly 1 in every 5 owners.
Today, iOS ranks as the No. 2 smartphone platform in the U.S. after Android, commanding 31.9 percent share of the market with its 35.1 m iPhone owners in May.
“With consumer adoption on the rise and the continued integration of new, innovative technologies, we can only imagine what the next five years will bring,” says Radwanick
“But despite how quickly leadership positions can change in this market, something tells me that iPhone will still be blazing new trails into the future…”
And she’s probably right. But who knows what iPhone 5 will bring….
