Gartner

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Apple regains No. 1 smartphone-maker crown from Samsung

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iPhone lineup 2021
This is the first time Apple has achieved the milestone since 2016.
Photo: Denis Cherkashin/Getty Images CC

The success of the iPhone 12 once again made Apple’s the world’s top smartphone maker in terms of sales, research firm Gartner says.

Provided the firm’s figures are accurate, this will be the first time in half a decade that Apple ranked No. 1. It means 5G-enabled iPhones fought off stiff competition from its longtime frenemy.

iPhone shipments remain stable while rivals sink in submerged economy

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iPhone light tunnel image
iPhone shipments remain steady. That's all anyone can hope for right now!
Photo: Youssef Sarhan/Unsplash CC

You know that badass cliché where one person staggers out of a room, slightly worse for wear, only to utter the words, “You should see the other guy”?

That’s pretty much the role Apple plays when it comes to second-quarter smartphone shipments, as reported by research firm Gartner. While Apple’s 0.4% dip year-over-year means iPhone sales remain flat, that’s certainly a whole lot better than the overall 20.4% decline across the industry.

5G might spark turnaround in smartphone sales

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Good job, Tim! The iPhone 11 event got our heads spinning.
The iPhone 11 Pro could get upstaged by a 5G version.
Photo: Apple

That sluggish smartphone market we often write about could recover lost ground this year, with high-speed 5G networking driving upgrades.

This prediction, if true, might be the tea leaves Apple is banking on as it prepares a new lineup of iPhones featuring the much-anticipated next-gen wireless tech.

Mac shipments fall in 2019 despite impressive growth for PCs

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macBookpro
Bag yours before it's too late!
Photo: Apple

A big MacBook Pro refresh and a long-awaited Mac Pro overhaul couldn’t prevent Apple computer shipments from suffering another decline in 2019, according to new data.

Both IDC and Gartner say Mac shipments fell during the final quarter of 2019, and for 2019 as a whole. That’s despite decent growth for PCs, which enjoyed the highest single-quarter shipment volume in four years during Q4.

Intel chip shortages put a crimp in Mac sales

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Intel Core processor
Not enough Intel Core processors is the reason Apple can’t meet demand for its computers.
Photo: Intel Corporation

Intel continues to struggle to provide enough processors to meet demand from PC makers, and one of the victims was Apple. This is likely the cause for a slight drop in Mac shipments during the second quarter of this year.

AirPods could someday replace your Apple Watch

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airpods
Ear-worn devices like these AirPods could become the most-used type of wearable.
Photo: Ste Smith/ Cult of Mac

Smart watches are currently the most popular form of wearable, but ear-worn devices are expected to replace them in the coming years. The changeover will take place as AirPods and similar products gain additional features that people now get from Apple Watch and iPhone.

In less than five years, so-called “hearables” could outsell every other type of  wearable by a wide margin.

Mac sales declined in Q3, despite new MacBook Pros

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2018 MacBook Pro
Even the shiny new 2018 MacBook Pro models couldn't save Mac sales last quarter.
Photo: Apple

The third quarter of this year wasn’t a particularly good one for Apple, with Mac sales dropping a significant amount. That doesn’t say positive things about sales of the 2018 MacBook Pro models that debuted this summer.

Still, the company held onto its place as the world’s fourth-largest PC maker.

Smartphone sales decline for first time ever in 2017

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iPhone X
iPhone X didn't come out early enough to give Apple a sales boost.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The world may have passed its peak smartphone moment last year.

Smartphone sales data released today from the number crunchers at Gartner revealed that worldwide smartphone sales declined for the first time ever during the last quarter of 2017. Both Apple and Samsung saw their market share decline just slightly, but good news could be on the horizon.

Apple and Samsung massively increased chip spending in 2017

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chips
Apple spent $38.754 billion on chips last year.
Photo: Intel

Apple ramped up its spending on semiconductors by more than a quarter in 2017, a new report from Gartner claims.

In the past 12 months, Apple spent a massive $38.754 billion on chips, making it second only to Samsung in terms of semiconductor spend. In 2016, Apple spent “just” $30.39 billion — or 27.5 percent less.

iPhone X will drive a worldwide spike in smartphone sales

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iPhone X keynote
iPhone X is going to have a big impact on worldwide device sales.
Photo: Apple

The expected success of the iPhone X could help drive worldwide device shipments — comprising smartphones, tablets, and PCs — to their highest level of growth since 2015, a new report claims.

Figures released by data analysis firm Gartner suggests that total device shipments are predicted to exceed 2.35 billion units in 2018, an increase of 2 percent from this year. The firm notes that the iPhone X is likely to be a big sales driver in the United States, China and Western Europe, despite its $1,000+ price.

Apple Watch will remain smartwatch king for years to come

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Theater Mode finally makes its way to Apple Watch in watchOS 3.2 beta 1.
Apple Watch will remain king, but it will still face some challengers along the way.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will rule the wearables roost through 2021, claims research firm Gartner — although it’s likely to see its dominance eroded along the way.

Gartner claims that 41.5 million total smartwatches (including those made by all companies) will sell in 2017, generating a massive $9.3 billion. That number will almost double by 2021, however, when the firm thinks smartwatch sales will hit 81 million units for the year.

Global PC shipments decline as Mac sales stay stagnant

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wwdc 2017
Mac sales are still solid.
Photo: Apple

Global PC shipments declined for the 11th straight quarter, according to a new report from Gartner which found shipments were the lowest they’ve been since 2007.

While most PC manufacturers are experiencing a sales slump, Apple’s Mac and MacBook sales are pretty much stagnant from the same quarter a year ago. Other companies like Lenovo and Asus saw their shipments take a huge dip.

Pent-up demand will make 2017 a banner year for iPhone

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iPHone 7 sales
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus is still selling well, according to wireless carriers.
Photo: Ste Smith/CultofMac

The iPhone 7 won’t be enough to break Apple out of its sales slum.

In 2016, total mobile phone shipments are set to decline 1.6 percent. However, the latest forecast from Gartner reveals that 2017 could be a record-breaking year for Apple due to pent-up demand for a new form factor and better features.

iOS falls as Android’s market share skyrockets

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Your next iPhone may be powered by Intel.
iPhone sales are slowing, but it's not just about market share.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple may have fared better in its recent quarterly earnings than some were predicting, but iOS is still being obliterated by Android in overall marketshare worldwide.

How much so? According to new figures published by Gartner, Android is currently the mobile operating system found on a whopping 86.2 percent of handsets worldwide. In other words, based on this single metric, it’s not even close!

Apple Watch credited for explosive growth in wearable market

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Chances are you'll see quite a few more of these in the coming years.
Chances are you'll see quite a few more of these in the coming years.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Makers of wearable electronics need to thank the Apple Watch for the rapidly growing wearable market, itself poised to see even more stunning gains in the coming year.

“From 2015 through 2017, smartwatch adoption will have 48 percent growth largely due to Apple popularizing wearables as a lifestyle trend,” said Angela McIntyre, director at research firm, Gartner.

Game of phones: 2014 was the year Apple dethroned Samsung

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Of the smartphone stories which played out in 2014, two of the biggest were the triumph of Apple’s iPhone 6, which sold a massive 10 million+ units in its opening weekend alone, and the faltering of Samsung, which fell from the dominant position it had enjoyed since 2011.

Today, a new report from Gartner (paywall) breaks down both the 1.2 billion smartphone sales that took place worldwide last year, and also the sales from Q4 2014 — revealing how Apple leaped ahead in the smartphone category, while the South Korean tech giant Samsung started to lose its footing.

Make no mistake about it: this was the year everything changed.

It’s A Race To The Bottom: Only 1 App In 10,000 Will Be A Financial Success By 2018

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apps

Photo: Apple

It’s possible to make a lot of money by writing an iOS app. In fact, the top iOS app makers each gross as much as $90,000 a day from their offerings. Yet despite these success stories, the vast majority of app developers are finding it difficult to make money on the App Store, and the bad news is, it’s only going to get worse, with a new forecast predicting that less than one app in 10,000 will make money by 2018. Woof.