Wall Street analysts when announcing Apple’s
quarterly numbers, praising the launches of the
iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 mini and
iPhone 12 Pro Max. Apple’s 2020 release was
considered to be a “supercycle” where a new
design and features encouraged consumers to
upgrade who would otherwise have held onto
their older devices.
It’s tough to compare Apple’s one billion
milestone to its rivals, as data on Samsung and
Asian smartphone manufacturers is limited. But
it’s worth noting that Samsung, Huawei, and
Xiaomi each have subdivisions and variants,
selling dozens or even hundreds of different
smartphone models at various price tags,
starting from as little as $200 up to $2,500.
Apple, on the other hand, only sells a single line
of devices, with a handful of variants, which has
allowed Apple to create truly iconic and instantly
recognizable devices and brand value.
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What’s perhaps most exciting about the most
recent data on iPhone sales is that Apple is on
an upward trajectory. Back in the mid-2010s,
the firm was criticized for its lack of innovation
and this encouraged Apple to venture into
new markets. As well as launching the widely
successful Apple Watch and iPad, Apple has had
some lesser successes, like HomePod and its
new foray into services, with Apple TV+, Apple
News+, and Apple Arcade struggling to excite
investors or consumers. Nowhere was Apple’s
lack of focus felt more than in the Mac category,
with models receiving very little in the way of
meaningful upgrades year over year. Since then,
though, under new management and direction,