Since Apple’s debut of the iPhone in 2007, the company has soared. Even though Apple has several competitors for their smartphones and other devices, it is currently one of the largest tech companies in the world with a market capitalization of $2.7 trillion.
In the United States, Apple has a smartphone market share of 57%, and its closest competitor, Samsung, has a market share of 27%. Although Apple has a large presence in the United States, the iPhone, along with Apple’s other various products, doesn’t differ much from competing companies’ products.
The Samsung Galaxy has more variety than the iPhone with the A Series, Galaxy S23 series and Galaxy Z Flip5 and Fold5, which can be flipped or folded over without breaking the screen. Additionally, Samsung offers its own smartwatch, tablets and laptops, all of which compare to similar Apple products.
Senior Shivam Patel uses a Samsung phone and prefers his Android over an iPhone. “I’d always keep my phone over an iPhone for multiple reasons. I think that my phone has a better battery life and better camera. It also has better photo editing with its features like the magic eraser,” said Patel.
Samsung is just one of many companies that offers similar products to those of Apple, which contain the same or additional features and have similar capabilities.
“The only downside to my phone is that most of my friends have iPhones and Apple has features that exclude Androids such as green text bubbles and Imessage games. But, besides that, my phone is really similar to an iPhone,” continued Patel.
Because of Apple’s features that exclude other brands, it’s most convenient for consumers in the United States to use the iPhone. Although Apple dominates the smartphone industry in the US, Samsung is the most popular smartphone producer in most countries outside of the United States.
There are multiple possible reasons as to why Apple takes such a large presence in the US. Apple originated in the United States and has always been highly innovative. Even though there are other companies that match Apple’s innovation, customer loyalty could be a reason why iPhones are so popular.
Senior Austin Bullock, who uses an iPhone 15, believes that many Americans use iPhones because it’s considered a norm. “Because Apple started here and has always been popular, no alternate phone brand has risen above Apple in the United States. Everyone has an iPhone, so it’s most convenient for everyone to keep buying iPhones” said Bullock.
Bullock highlights the normality of having an iPhone in the US, which is much less common in other countries. A likely explanation for this trend is because so many consumers in the US have been purchasing iPhones since 2007. They have remained loyal to the product and felt comfortable enough with the iPhone not to branch out and try other brands.
