New data out this week puts Apple’s iPhone at the number one spot on a Top 10 list of U.S. mobile phones, but they still lag in overall market share due to the competition having multiple models available.
Nielsen compiled the data on the Top 10 mobile phones in use from January through October, 2009 in the U.S., which gives Apple a 4% market share, according to Cnet News. Competitor RIM (Research in Motion) landed 6.3% with its Blackberry line and LG took 6.4%. Together, the Top 10 mobile phones in use account for only 20% of the total devices in use.
Apple’s rivals enjoy one competitive advantage in that both RIM and LG offer a number of different handsets compared to only two current variations of the iPhone, last year’s 3G model and this year’s 3GS. That said, Apple has been at the cell phone game far less than the competition and is only tied to one carrier, AT&T, instead of having the benefit of promotion from all U.S. carriers. LG is the number three mobile phone maker behind Nokia and Samsung.
The Nielsen report shows just how much the cell phone landscape has changed since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007. At that time, Motorola’s Razr was the cell phone to beat, while RIM was mostly a business-centric device for the enterprise. With the market constantly in flux, the mobile phone game is still wide open for the future and even ailing companies like Motorola have an opportunity to bounce back, as they have with their Android-powered Droid from Verizon.
There were an estimated 271 million U.S. cell phone users at the end of 2008 (approximately 88% of the U.S. population), so even a 1% share is big business. There’s also a growing trend for households to ditch their landline and use only cellular phones instead — in the second quarter of 2009, 21% of households were doing just that, up from 18% a year ago.
Retro telephonic style, with some practical advantages.
When the YUBZ Talk Mobile handset arrived at the Mac|Life offices, half the staff said words to the effect of “Why would anyone ever use that!?” and the other half fell into the “That is so rad!” camp. If you harbor a certain aesthetic sensibility (and an abiding belief that Bluetooth headsets make everyone look like robots–but not in a cool way) then the Talk Mobile is for you. It’s a handset for your cell phone that’s modeled after an old landline telephone receiver. It comes in nine colors, and, to our delight, even sports the iconic coiled cable.
Great for calls and whacking would-be muggers on the head.
As a handset–and seeing as it doesn’t clip to your ear, we can’t really call it a headset–it works pretty well. There’s a button to answer or end calls and a simple volume slider. With your phone’s earpiece volume and the handset volume both cranked up, the Talk Mobile gets loud enough to annoy anyone standing nearby, and the speaker is clear enough to use at maximum volume without distorting (useful in noisy environments or for people who have trouble hearing cell phone conversations).
Thanks to its retro design, you can cock your head just so and rest the Talk Mobile against your shoulder, secretary-style. Ergonomists will gasp in horror, but mastering this move allows you to go hands-free for as long as your neck muscles hold out. And thankfully, YUBZ has made the Talk Mobile considerably lighter than the phone handsets your grandparents used to use. At 8 ounces and 8.3 inches long, it’s not exactly ultraportable, but it’s small enough to easily stow in a bag. YUBZ also sells an optional belt holster ($10.95) for users with exceptionally high self-esteem. While we enjoyed the bemused stares we got when using the Talk Mobile out on the street, it’s probably most useful for people who do most of their phone calling from a desk or other stationary spot. The Talk Mobile has a 2.5mm jack, but includes one free adapter (the iPhone requires a 3.5mm adapter) and additional adapters for other phones are available for purchase. There’s also a USB model that connects directly to a computer for voice chat applications.
