Different manufacturers

[jeffkinn]

Last week I read that Apple is making 89% of the profits in the smartphone marketplace despite Android having an 84% market share. Today the BBC is reporting that Sony could well pull out of mobile phones as the are making very little impact. So what do we as consumers think of the state of the market, prices and choice in handsets?

Thoughts?

[Ellis_VF]

I like having a good selection of phones. I think that by having a number of high profile manufacturers you spur up competition. Each manufacturer has to do something a little special to make their device the one to stand out. This can only be a good thing. The fear that I have is that by losing manufacturers you will end up with the market becoming stagnated.

Also, I'd rather Sony stay in the market. On a purely personal level, I love the Z3 and I think they have made some excellent devices of late. It would be a shame to see them fall by the wayside.

[jeffkinn]

I completely agree and it would be terrible shame of Sony fell by the wayside. But the total dominance of Apple (whether we like it or not) and the growing wave of Chinese handsets will inevitably mean that other manufacturers will be ever more squeezed. As consumers this is very bad for us.

[hrym]

I've been impressed by the quality of Sony's phones and the attention to detail in their skinning of Android.   I agree it would be a pity if they pulled out of the market, though they've been releasing quite a slew of interesting new devices just lately.   I suspect their market share is small, though.

I thought I saw something about their getting out of "electronics" a while back, possibly to concentrate on content - films etc.   I wasn't sure if this meant everything (TVs etc - and what about Playstation?) or phones.  In fact, I've even wondered whether I heard it at all as I haven't seen anything since.

[Nabs]

I thought it had long been known that the Playstation division was what kept Sony afloat?

On the original question; I think there is room to loose a couple of manufacturers before competition is hit. I'd love to see Sony and HTC stay with us, both of whom have created some of the best phones i've used in recent years. The likes of LG and Samsung don't excite me but they are the ones most likely to stick around I think.

[thesoupdragon]

I think Ellis is absolutely right about finding a niche in the market. Talking of Sony; I believe they have missed their mark going for premium materials.
They have IP67 rating which makes it a go anywhere phone (water proof) but then they put the phone together made of glass. It's a complete contradiction... If they had made a rugged "lifestyle" phone, they would corner that market.

Also the six month release schedule has a devalue affect on consumers who just bought the previous device. At least wait a year...!

I actually welcome the Chinese manufacturers, they are helping to keep prices competitive, which is good for consumers.

I think the new open source players like Sailfish and Ubuntu phone will also help the choice.

Apple have mastered the "status" aspect of ownership. It's something that HTC are working really hard at too. They are a long way off but are definitely gaining momentum...

🙂

[hrym]

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@thesoupdragon wrote:

Also the six month release schedule has a devalue affect on consumers who just bought the previous device. At least wait a year...!

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Well said, it's getting silly!