Since its initial release in 2007, the iPhone has been incredibly popular. It’s one of the most common smartphones you’ll see today, and it feels like everyone owns them. But, of course, this begs the question: why is it so popular? How has Apple gained what feels like a monopoly on smartphone use?
There are a few reasons the iPhone is so popular. A sleek design, an ample power supply, and standard-setting features have all made it a great choice—not to mention Apple’s massive App store and marketing budget. The ecosystem effect with Apple’s other device helps too.
Over the years, they’ve made one of the best phones available on the market, and it shows. So now, let’s take a closer look at why exactly the iPhone is so popular and whether it’s the most popular smartphone available in the US and globally.
Apple’s Design and Power Supply
Undoubtedly, Apple has created a sleek design for its phones, both in hardware and software. In addition, they’re constantly changing the size of the iPhone and even offering alternatives in some models to suit people who might want a smaller or larger screen.
Easy-to-Use Interface
As well as this, the interface is also sleek and easy to use. It’s self-explanatory to go through the setup, and once inside the phone, even those who aren’t familiar with Apple tech should be able to get to grips with things quickly.
Apple has been careful to include accessibility features, making it easy for those that might find other phones challenging to navigate.
Power
As well as this, the iPhone can pack a lot of power for such a small device. As a result, its operations are quick and can handle many apps, photos, and games. In fact, people even use their iPhones primarily for gaming, and you can remote play console games on there with little issue due to that power.
Battery Life
The battery life is also increasing with every model, so if you get the latest iPhone (on Amazon), you should be able to go all day without worrying about charging your phone. There are also many charging options—rather than plug your phone in; you can have wireless charging.
Although an iPhone, like any technology, will eventually slow down, its long lifespans allow them to operate at maximum speed and function for quite a while. Apple’s technology only improves with every model. People are usually impressed with how long their phones will last and how easily fixed they are when something starts to break down.
Apple’s Marketing Tools
Apple has made it incredibly difficult to avoid knowing what an iPhone is. They market their products globally, selling the features all over the internet and social media, so it’s impossible to avoid finding out about their products.
Throughout this time, the iPhone has risen in social status. It’s become known, consciously or unconsciously, as a ‘cool’ phone to have—meaning people will veer more towards that than other choices, despite the high price tag accompanying an iPhone.
Accessibility
The Apple logo is everywhere, and they don’t even have to try and send accompanying messages in many cases. Just seeing the logo will make you think of their products, so when a consumer is ready to purchase a new phone, an iPhone is at the forefront of their mind.
They’ve also made the phone widely and readily available throughout their marketing. As a result, it’s easy to buy the phone online and have it shipped to you as soon as the next day.
Customer Service
Customer service is key to their marketing too. They advertise help in every fashion, from live chatting on their website to visiting them at a store—depending on what you prefer.
Apple is particularly keen to provide a good experience, so word-of-mouth marketing also helps them, often being noted to go above and beyond at stores to get customers what they need.
Convenient Features
Lastly, they create and market convenient features you can only get if you own an iPhone. Take Apple Pay, for example, which allows you to pay for purchases in stores with a tap of your phone as long as you sign your card up.
You can also use Apple Pay to send money through iMessage, eliminating the need for a third-party app like Cashapp or Venmo.
Apple knows it’s providing a lot of convenience to potential users and makes sure they know it, which is why it’s such a genius marketer.
Apple’s Network of Electronics
It’s not just about the iPhone itself. Apple has many electronics that all work well together, creating features about convenience—meaning if you have any Apple device, you might as well buy an iPhone. Other devices that work with the iPhone include:
- Macbooks
- An iPad
- An Apple Watch (on Amazon)
- Airpods
All of them pair well with the phone, and if you’re willing to make the majority of your electronics Apple, they work well together. For example, your texts can sync across all devices, so you don’t even need to be on your phone to text—you can bring up the app on your watch instead.
They also feature cross-device apps such as ‘Find Me’ so that if you lose one device, it can be located by another.
This is all done by creating an iCloud account, which syncs across your devices. You can choose to have it only sync certain things (like notes and contacts) or everything, meaning you can access your digital life everywhere—which is particularly handy if your phone breaks. You need to get ahold of your information.
Are iPhones the Most Popular Phone?
While in the US, iPhones cover almost 60% of the market share of phones, it’s less than 30% worldwide—seeing them beaten by Android.
The main reason for this is cost. Even though iPhones are well-marketed and very popular, they are not cheap. Even an older, used iPhone can run you a few hundred dollars, whereas Android phones can be purchased for much less money (admittedly, with more basic features).
In countries where the living wage is lower, they’re more likely to be able to afford Androids than iPhones. In the US, where the average wage is relatively high compared to the rest of the world, people are more likely to purchase iPhones than settle for something cheaper.
So yes, iPhones are the most popular smartphone available today in the US and some other countries like Japan. However, they’re much less popular globally than Android, which dominates the current market worldwide.