In recent lawsuit filing against Samsung, Apple reveals 108 million iPhones, 19 million iPads, and 60 million iPod Touches have been purchased as of March 2011.
Cupertino, California-based Apple Inc. is one of the biggest personal technology companies in the world. The giant's latest product--the iPad 2--went on sale on March 11 and swiftly sold hundreds of thousands of units. Now, Apple has revealed just how popular its iOS devices actually are.
In a recent intellectual property lawsuit filing against Samsung (via Bloomberg), Apple revealed that it has sold about 187 million iOS devices as of the end of March 2011. More specifically, Apple said it has sold 108 million iPhones, 19 million iPads, and 60 million iPod Touches.
For reference, the Nintendo DS family of systems has sold around 150 million units in its lifetime.
Likely in Apple's future will be the long-rumored iPhone 5, suspected to have an A5 processor and an 8-megapixel rear camera. For more on the latest rumor rumblings about the iPhone 5, check out GameSpot's sister site CNET.
Being a gamer, I'd rather buy a Customizable Desktop and install a Mac on it than buy an unmodifiable Macbook. Not that I hate Apple products or anything - they're cool in their own right - but what's the point of getting them (simply for the cool factor) when I can get something cheaper that more than meets my requirements ???
Even if you don't believe that gaming on iOS devices is worthwhile, their presence has altered the gaming landscape substantially. Would-be owners of handheld gaming systems are now opting to download apps for the phone / tablet / MP3 player they already own. That could translate to less support for your favorite game system from both publishers and console makers down the road. Trust me, the game support will go where the money is. And right now the fast money appears to be in apps.
And yet i still dont see whats so amazing about them, apple devices have never appealed to me. The gaming on these devices is poor in any case, i would rather take my DS with me.
I see people complaining this is not gaming news.... Uh hello? did you know they have games on these? In away its associated to game news
@mariokart64fan "that's just many versions of the same thing". Is that not what the DS, the DS Lite, the DSi and the DSi XL are? Nintendo are just as guilty of slapping a fancy new label on the same product (in framework, at least) as Apple are. Don't go all fanboyish in saying that the DS and the iOS devices are incomparable, because in some ways they are.
@awheaten: Purchase intent notwithstanding, one can safely assume there is a significant number of iPhone and iPod Touch owners who, indeed, spend more time playing games than using the phone or music player function of their respective iOS device.
ya cause every one uses it for gaming ya ok , nintendo ds is still the highest selling portable period you cant compare a iphon ipad and a ipod 4 to it, sorry , thats just to many versions of the same thing , and last i checked the majority use those for other uses such as music and video
Good for them. Apple is the trendy company that has done many cool things in the industry.
Once you'd almost never see anyone with an iPhone, though now I see them everywhere, have one myself too. Apple has really stepped up the past few years.
I don't think you can compare phone sales figures with video game system sales figures. Most professionals, college students and many high school kids have cell phones. Some of them have to have a cell phone for work or school. Gaming is optional, it's a hobby or a pastime for most people, not a necessity. Besides most of the people with cell phones don't use them as dedicated gaming devices.
I never post on here, but thought Id give my input. Im a professional DJ & producer and I am almost exclusively using apple products for what I do. Thing is, the only game I have ever played on an apple product is angry birds for ipad (lots of fun btw!) but nevertheless I use apples OS for its rock solid design and ease of use. plus a lot of the software I use just works better on a mac. @mjc0961. how many people use a quad core mac pro? I use one to produce music. I'm sure you could build one for far less money, but unless your a computer programmer and can run OSX on it... Ill stick with my overpriced computer. Besides, Ive been running mulitple apple computers for years and never had software issues. the odd HD crashing but thats normal. Also, comparing apple to nintendo is silly.
@cajunstrike Ya see this is the news I'm talking about. Why is gameXboxspot reporting this. It has nothing to do with gaming. Ohh yeah, there are games out for these devices. But, I promise you, if you took a poll to see why people buy these devices videogame software would either DFL (dead freakin' last) or not on the list at all. People don't buy these devices for gaming. They buy it because it is touch device that is used as a pc or a phone, period. Videogames are just an added bonus. With that being said, I might look in to getting an Iphone 5, if they make the screen bigger. We'll see.
i'd buy an iphone but the only thing that held's me back is its unchangeable battery.
I bet if they came out with a new color every few months like big "N", they could double these numbers...
I bet if they came out with a new color every few months like big "N", they could double these numbers...
Game quality comparisons aside, it's clear the iOS platform is taking significant market share from conventional handheld gaming consoles. Even Nintendo views the iOS platform as a threat. 'Casual' gaming debates notwithstanding, iOS has a very large user base and a substantial amount of those users play games, which is why iOS devices garner news coverage from GameSpot.
It's funny, 187 million, compared to how much all the HARDCORE systems combined have sold.... 187 mil. is DEF not as much, but these casual iOS game designers like to talk a lot of smack!
On top of that, have you ever heard of an iPod Tax? That's actually what they officially call it. It adds an average of $75 price to iPods.
iOS is pretty respectable but you gotta think of all the models. iPhone, iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod Touch, iPod Touch 2G, iPod Touch 3G, iPod Touch 4G, iPad and iPad 2 that has sold 187 million units with every model being a big improvement from the last. The DS family has the DS, DS Lite, DSi and DSi XL (not including the 3DS) that has sold 150 million units with no major improvements. 11 product models vs 4 product models? The numbers speak.
Apple products sell very well. 108 million iphones 60 million ipod touchs 19 million ipads. But comparing these sales of apple iOS devices to Nintendo's line of DS videogame handhelds. Is incorrect Out of the 187 million i devices sold. Not one of the people who bought one just to play videogames on it. You probally could buy a iPad 2 and buy all of the games off of the app store. and use the iPad 2 just as a videogame player. no one does that. Yes Apple is very popular and successful but they are not a videogame company. Microsoft has the Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 s (plus what ever the next one is called) and Live box live/arcade. Apple's devices are not truly designed for gaming. (It is more of an afterthought for Apple).
What with their pompous product presentations? Do they think they discovered the cure to cancer?
my 16gb 3gs is still holding me down just fine, I'll wait for this for a while too @egres122 good call. I got the first iphone, skipped the 3g, to get 3gs, and the speed on the 3gs is great. It all depends on the user i guess. I use youtube and a bunch espn apps, and was watching march madness online with the 3gs with no problem, and didn't even have too hook up to wi-fi. Plus download speed is incredible. I'll skip the 4 and when its upgrade time I'll get the 6, lmao
Just as soon as you get bored with your latest iGadget, one so happens to appear just in time to replace it
iphone 5 already? Think I will wait a couple of years (when they get into the double digits) before I get one.
the 'i' in the iOS stands for idiot. I have an old Ipod, but that is it. Apple products are a model of rigidity designed to be fail safe for the average consumer and this is their biggest strength on the market but for me it is their biggest weakness. It is also completely idiotic to refer to Nintendo sales to give a frame of reference for apple sales. Last time I checked, Nintendo doesn't sell phones, which are 60% of the numbers listed above and the vast majority of those people are non gamers on the market for a stellar phone, not a gaming device. This insistence of comparing the two is example of how so called industry experts have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to predicting future trends because they believe gamers are going to abandon the 3DS or the NGP with Metal Gear Solid and God of War in favor an an iPhone and Angry Birds. It is Laughably stupid.
iHate Apple products because they are overpriced. You can get the same things they make, usually with more features, from other manufacturers for less cash. It's all about the brand with Apple. If you don't have an iSomething, you aren't cool.
Only 108 million IPhones? The thought they has sold over 200 million by now. The DS has that people already. Let me know with the IPad 5 is released with IPhone & IPod support all in one. lol!! I'll buy that when it's released. Just imagine having a detachable IPhone on your IPad with voice recognition. When it rings you answer it with your voice and can see the phone# and person calling on your IPad. Even a video of the person if they are on their IPad. Give me that.
I still wouldn't buy any of them. My Android phone has so much more flexibility and customization than the iPhone. AS the market share shifts more and more to Android, which it is, developers will start developing apps for it first or at the same time which makes it even better. Having said that none of these devices is a substitute for a good handheld gaming system.
Apple is on fire. Basically the strategy they are using fails if used by a console manufacturer company, like SEGA did, when they released Sega Genesis (Mega Drive), Sega 32X, Sega CD, Sega Saturn all within a 5 year timeline. That's what Apple is doing, but apparently, the system is working. Releasing a new iPhone every summer, a new iPad every year, a new version of iPod every year. Like you think you have the latest technology, but in a year's time, it feels old. But it is actually working. People with older versions sell their product and buy the new one, and new users buy the new product too. Apple products are expensive, for example, you can buy a windows laptop with better specs for less money than a Macbook, but the Macbooks are selling out like crazy.
As impressive as that number is the fact remains that those devices are primarily used for what they are named for such as iPod and iPhone. There may be great selling games (apps) on the devices but they still have yet to sell as many games as a DS.
an iPhone 5? goodness, will there ever be a 'right' time to buy this device? I am curious about the iPad though...but that one SNL skit about it makes me giggle ;)
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