Mobile app analytics company Flurry estimates that while Apple sold 1 million iPhone devices in its first 74 days of availability on the market, the Motorola Droid actually shipped more devices during that timespan. Sales of Google’s Nexus One, by comparison, kinda stunk: the company only sold an estimated 135k phones in 74 days.
Flurry reaches its conclusions through applications using its solution for analytics reporting. Because applications embedded with Flurry are said to have been downloaded to over 80% of all iPhone OS and Android devices, the company claims it can make reliable estimates about total handset sales.
Check out Flurry’s blog post for possible reasons why the Motorola Droid appears to have outsold the Apple iPhone in terms of numbers of devices shipped in the first 74 days on the market.
The respective launch dates of the 3 devices were: iPhone, June 29, 2007; Droid, November 5, 2009; and, Nexus One, January 5, 2010. Note that this means the Nexus One still has a few days left to reach 74 days, but it’s safe to say Google won’t be selling almost a million devices by the end of this week.
Earlier this year, Flurry estimated both first week and first month sales of Nexus One sales compared to Motorola Droid and the first-gen iPhone. They paled in comparison then, and they do now.
Here’s what Flurry has to say about the limited success of the Nexus One:
As Google and Apple continue to battle for the mobile marketplace, Google Nexus One may go down as a grand, failed experiment or one that ultimately helped Google learn something that will prove important in years to come. Apple’s more vertically integrated strategy vs. Google’s more open Android platform approach offer strengths and weaknesses that remind us of PC vs. Mac from the 1980′s.
A key difference this time around is that Apple is enjoying much more 3rd party developer support, whose innovative applications push the limits of what the hardware can do. Ultimately, however, developers support hardware with the largest installed base first. For Android to make progress faster, from a sales perspective, it needs more Droids and fewer Nexus Ones going forward.
Ouch.
If Nintendo released a phone, they would be at $10 million by now.
This is a stupid comparison. The original iPhone was $500 for the 4 gig model and $600 for the model everyone wanted.
Just to clarify, the Droid sold for $199. The iPhone 3G and 3GS, both priced at $199, sold 1 million phones in three days.
That’s the idea, moron. Android competes at every price point, which it why it will smoke the Apple platform.
It’s the PC Clones vs. Mac, all over again.
@Tom, not exactly. Android competes on price (among other things) with the carriers. When it gets to the consumer, price isn’t typically a determining factor when a consumer is choosing between Android and iPhone.
Not sure what you are talking about. Price is definitely an important factor.
More importantly in the future the app markets will be the determining factor since prices will start to be very close.
Android will eventually win in the long run because Apple is stifling innovation in their app market by controlling it too much.
I believe android is the future, but one shouldn’t ditched the Apple App store, seeing them hitting 100k Apps, when Android app store is only at the 20K.
Factual Report: Apple App VS Android App
Just saying…
Go figure.. Apple likes to slam you with high prices, it’s no wonder Droid outsold them during that time frame.
I don’t know if I’d use the word “slam” since there is no obligation to buy an Apple product, but it’s true that iPhones were far more expensive when they launched than Droids were. Even though Apple’s prices have come down, I think Droids are still cheaper, but not by as much considering you can buy an iPhone for $99 or even less in some places.
Agreed on the wrong choice of words – “slam”.
If anything, this makes the iPhone numbers even more impressive. Droid sells at half the price, gains from all consumer awareness of an Apple marketing campaign that leaves out Verizon completely, and still barely beats the iPhone numbers? Wow.
Not really a fair comparison. The smartphone was not quite as integrated into everyone’s idea of a necessity back in 2007.
Only in the relatively backward US market, chief.
Yes, the backward US market. I wish the people in the US could use a modern operating system like those made by European countries.
Y halo that Maemo.
If a very popular phone like the iPhone is not available on all major carriers – you know, like in the rest of the world – yes, your market is backward. If you can’t see this, you’re blind. It’s no wonder your carriers are taking you for a ride if you put up with such an anti-competitive market.
Speaking of backwards: Mark A is the guy that thinks businesses like Nokia value number units sold over net profit.
Steve, I’ve tried to explain market segmentation to you before. Unfortunately it appears you just aren’t clever enough to understand the concept.
The first 74 days of iPhone sales were over of the summer of 2007 in a time where smartphones had no considerable market share. In contrast, the first 74 days of Droid happened 2 months before and 1 month after the holidays of 2009!
So how is this a meaningful and fair comparison? What happened to the critical and journalistic analysis of such numbers which we do expect from TechCrunch (or at least did in the past).
Sigh, I get really tired of having to explain this to the iPhone apostles, but before the iPhone came out, the smartphone market was just over 12% of all phones sold (around 110 million units a year), today it is just under 20% of all phones sold (around 172 million units a year). That is a little less than a change of 8% of the 1.2 billion units sold in the total phone market. If smartphones “had no considerable market share” in 2007, then they have no considerable market share today, because their share has only seen single digit over three years.
Being one of the few Nexus users, I can tell you that most people I know that have a Droid are lusting after the Nexus, but can’t switch because of their new 2 year contact. I wonder how that plays out on the national scale of Droid vs Nexus?
I tried to buy a Nexus One, but as a current T-Mobile customer I could not add the phone to my family plan. I doubt I was the only person who was thwarted in their plans to buy that phone.
Strategy my friends. Learn it.
I don’t believe that 80% iPhone Apps are integrated with Flurry API back to 2007.
The whole thing is fishy. There was no app store in 2007! It was not opened until July 10, 2008.
i have to say, reading all the comments, this seems to be the first smart comment, with someone actually thinking about the data.
Stupid stupid analysis. You can play with and molest an iPhone at your local mall. You can’t do that with a Nexus One *anywhere*.
I’m pretty sure that if this is an indicator of anything – it’s an indicator that Android devices need to be working models EVERYWHERE they are displayed so people can play with them and not look retarded pushing buttons and tapping the displays of dummy units.
Um. You can’t play with, molest, or even SEE an iPad anywhere. They still sold more of ‘em in 2 hours than the N1 in 74 days.
Please deduct roughly 5000 Nexus One phones that were not sold but distributed freely at every big conference in the last months (DLD, TED etc) – down to 130k :)
“Sold” – a product actually bought by a customer, versus “Shipped” – products delivered to the stores according to estimated demand. If this is the case, hoe much of those Droids shipped were actually sold.
Who you calling hoe bitch?
As I stated on another blog with this….
So how many Ferraris were sold this month? The Nexus is a flagship device that is totally superior to any Iphone 3GS… yes I own one, yes it smokes the Iphone, 3GS users are forced to admit it as soon as they use it.
People wake up….. add up the android columns, this isn’t Nexus One versus the Iphone, it’s Android vs Iphone OS.
Ever considered Google doesn’t want nor need everyone to use the Nexus? Wouldn’t they put the best features in the hands of the technologists that can support themselves and afford to equip themselves with the best phone and who would do the research to download and try experimental features……
Wake up people… you’re missing the boat. Google is letting their partners create the watered down/consumer supportable versions of the Android phones that are less powerful, less capable and much more comparable to the Iphone (e.g Droid).
I don’t think Google even *wants* to sell a lot of N1s. Their hardware partners would freak if Google put much more than a cursory effort into marketing the device. I see the N1 as a boutique device for power users and DIY types. You need to do some research first (can’t see it in stores), bring your own SIM card (AT&T version) and be OK with basic phone/online support — grandma isn’t going to do that. I’m sure Google wants it to be a success but I don’t think they ever truly intended it to be a mass-marked product. On the contrary, I think they probably had to reassure hardware partners that this wouldn’t be any more than a niche item.
The Nexus one is a great phone. I think one reason is, that people wait for the iPhone 4G. Let’s have a look in 08/2010 or so. Let’s do the the comparison again.
I think most people are holding off waiting on Windows Phone 7 series. I know I am.
You may be waiting, but I don’t think “most people” are, considering Microsoft didn’t even announce any specifics until recently. And they’re starting from square one vs Android and iPhone that are already maturing.
Most people have no idea what a Windows Phone 7 Series whatever is.
How is Nexus One selling relative to the G1?
The Nexus One is on an inferior network. Once it’s available on Verizon the sales will pick up. I know the fanboys are upset, but the Nexus One and Droid phones are as good as the iPhone.
TMOBILE works great with my buddies nexus here in Albuquerque. Conversely; Verizon’s network is bogged down, sluggish and overpriced … as it is everywhere else. No Verizon for me thanks.
What’s your point? There are plenty of great things about TMOBILE. More people use Verizon.
Except in storage capacity where they totally fail to compare to a 32 GB 3GS that can store anything in that space, even huge apps such as GPS programs that store maps offline and work without cell coverage.
Swappable SD cards ain’t helping when the largest you can buy is 16 GB and no one wants to carry around multiple cares and wonder what is on which card. That’s like comparing a PMP to a stack of CDs. One is a far superior experience.
Um, correct me if I’m wrong, but there are 32GB microSD cards out there now. They may be expensive (around $80-$90), but so is a 32GB iPhone.
Not to mention you have no idea what you’re talking about. Most apps on an Android phone only need to store the executable on the phone’s internal storage and any huge resource files can be stored on the microSD card.
I tried to by a nexus … same issue as others with tmobile family plans; Google would not let me but it. I thought it odd but … whatever.
Google Nexus One is sold without a contract and this might be the reason for it underperforming so badly. A comparison on the sales in the European or Asian market would be a good idea.
Also, I feel Google launched Nexus One to show more weight for the Android platform and also to show operators that it is willing to bet long to gain marketshare. Even if Nexus One doesn’t sell too many phones, Google might use it to release software upgrades and this will encourage more operators to adopt Android.
Surely the nexus one would have outperformed the droid if it had been available on other networks besides tmobile (with full 3g support), and google had put up some more ads for it.
Reading this phone makes me giggle. The iToy is a feature phone, not a smart phone. Android brings up interesting posibilities. Honestly though- Blackberry, Palm and windows mobile will always dominate due to smart phone capabilities. The iphone vs the droid sales comaprison is like watching little league game ticket sales vs. the pros.
Did you just wake up from a 3 year coma?
Palm and WinMo have ALREADY been eclipsed by both iPhone and Android.
I agree that palm and win month have been eclipsed. That being said, I think comparing these 2 different OS (in PC worlds context) as threating bb marketshare/branding is silly. Apple’s inflexibility in some areas will keep the iphone as a fun gadget. Droid, has possibilities and the more carriers who sell it will boost sales exponentially. I’m a hardcore bb user, but hell that droid HAS possibilities. The iphone is just an overpriced feature phone. No long term threat to blackberry or droid.
WinMo has been eclipsed by Android? Christ. Do you do any research?
Exactly which “smartphone features” is it that your BB or a Palm phone has and the iPhone hasn’t?
From what I understand the corporate world primarily uses Blackberries for ONE feature which it does well: e-mail. In that regard wouldn’t it be more fitting to call the BB a featurephone, while the iPhone can do anything the 140.000 apps enables it do to? That sounds like a smartphone to me?
Apple is for fanatic mactards and all the idiots who buy into the “apple makes you cool” commercials. Verizon is a suck network that has convinced everyone they’re awesome and reliable with their “can you hear me now?” and “americas most reliable network” ad campaigns. People are so interested in “having what’s coolest” that they fall for these advertising campaigns. Which is why Americans are so broke. You want to seem cool more than being smart and saving a buck. I’ll stay on Sprint with my Pixi.
I guess whatever will make you feel better having gone with an inferior, laggy device.
Can’t afford an iPhone, huh? Yeah, I know your pain, buddy … it sucks :-(
wrong comparison..
when iphone came out first the market of smartphone was not big like now..
droid needs to be compared to iphone 3gs(the latest iphone)
I love my Nexus One, but it IS an expensive phone and it’s not available to play with in stores. If it were released by just about anyone else BUT Google, I wouldn’t have trusted the company enough to blindly purchase it. Then again, I don’t think that the Nexus One is out there to run away with the market in pocket. I think it’s more of Google’s way of shoving handset developers in the direction they want them to take by showing them Android’s capabilities.
My iPhone using friends easily took to my phone though, but they still prefer their first and only true love.
This comparison would be absolutely laughable if they did the most fair comparison and posted the Droids performance to sales of the iPhone 3GS. Just to put things into perspective here, the iPhone 3GS sold 1.6 million in just 7 days. Wow, people are getting there panties in a wad over 1.5 million sold in 74 days. Hilarious
Wow, you’re one of the sheep who thinks owning an Apple product make them a unique, special snowflake. Hilarious.
This post is re. Tard. Ed.
Why did the Droid sell so well it’s first 74 days. That’s easy: Verizon.
Just wait till the iPhone is on Verizon.
Been waiting for that for nearly a year now, since I’d first heard about it.
I can’t wait until all these people on Verizon get their iPhone then realize that it’s gimped right out of the box.
Aren’t all Verizon phones gimped right out of the box?
If you want to do a real apples to apples comparison you’d compare the original iPhone to the G1.
I’d have purchased the Nexus if I could use it on my own provider (AT&T) (as bad as they are, I’m sure their coverage is better than T-mobile’s)
For anyone that says this isn’t fair? You guys aren’t thinking straight.
I don’t care about the smartphone market or the time of year.
Apple put the same marketing muscle if not 10x more than Motorola or Verizon did for the DROID. Android was a relative UNKNOWN in the mobile market in comparison to anything else.
Apple had a HUGE!!! userbase frothing at the mouth already setup through its other Apple products….did the DROID have any such head start?
The $600 price tag QUICKLY dropped to $400 and even lower.
This is an impressive feat….don’t take it away just cause of this or that. Get over yourselves
Motorola and Verizon has a huge marketing campaign for the Droid, they still do.
The iPhone was an absolute unknown in the mobile marketing when it was released. The Droid had the benefit of two and a half year build up of consumer awareness as well as a lot of Verizon users that were frothing at the mouth for a good smartphone.
Also, the iPhone dropped in price 61 days after its release.
Verizon’s had it’s buy a Droid get a Droid free promo going for a while now.
You are missing the point. Nexus One was never meant as a 1 to 2 Million unit seller in 74 days..
Its true purpose is a stick ‘beating’ towards botht hadrware OEMs and Mobile Operators within the Android eco system to sept up the pace of innovation and marketing pressure.
How so? Each OEM that produces a Nexus One gets early access to Android OS versions. IN other words Moto, HTC, etc get preview of OS not just for Nexus One support but to analyze so that they can modify their own UI on top offerings to adjust to keep u with Android versions on those other non Nexus One devices.
This has nothing to do with Droid versus iPhone.
This is an indictment on Google’s attempt to redefine the phone purchasing process by going direct to consumer. The take-away from the Nexus One is that you can’t sell a phone direct to consumers through Google ads. The consumer branding established distribution channels matter.
[edit] The consumer branding AND established distribution channels matter.
Excellent point on the direct sale of phone to consumer by way of google ad. Branding important as well. I didn’t mean to be extranneous in my previous post, I was just given a link to this site with title: “nearly 40 percent of blackberry users would switch to Iphone.” I just thought that was just a case of people maipulating stats and it does seem a bit inaccurate.
regarding the nexus one:
“Sorry, the Nexus One phone is not available in your country or region.”
best greetings from europe :)
Sorry, but the iPhone wasn’t available anywhere else but the US for its first 74 days either.
Whereas the Droid launched as the Milestone in parts of Europe and Asia in December ’09.
Guess what? The Nexus One just launched (unsubsidized) for AT&T.
The plot thickens…
By the time iPhone came out (regardless of the price) it was the one and only smartphone of that caliber, being the only really option. When Droid came out… there was an iPhone with a reduced price. Hoooowever, consumer still went ahead a decided on changing to, or buying a Droid instead of the iPhone. Nexus One? Besides the news the day it came out and online ads I haven’t seen the same marketing effort as iPhone/Droid ads campaigns.
The Nexus One is a great phone. The only problem is that most people will ever know. That’s because you can’t get your hands on one. Go to a T-Mobile store and they’ll tell you to order one online. No demo version. No in-store kiosk. I would suspect that most people would want to see and play with a mobile phone before they purchase it.
The Nexus One is a great phone. The only problem is that most people will ever know. That’s because you can’t get your hands on one. Go to a T-Mobile store and they’ll tell you to order one online. No demo version. No in-store kiosk. I would suspect that most people would want to see and play with a mobile phone before they purchase it. Oh… and what about marketing the device?
This reminds me of the time TC announced that the “realtime web” was bigger than Google, based on bit.ly links.
and the gross profit for Google with this accomplishment: $0
Where does the line for the parade start?
The idea of calling the iToy a “smart phone” is silly. The inabilty to multi task and a controlled “app store” is cute. Truth is, iphone owners are the type of people who would pay 11 bucks for a can of coke if they thought it made them feel special. I like the ipad touch actually. When I need to get something done, however, I just wouldn’t have an iPhone if you gave it to me. Its just …..siilly. Apple convinced iPod users long ago to pay a an arm and a leg for 4gig, 8gig,etc devices And people wanted to feel special. Its so absurd.
Another insular geek.
A) iPhones have always muli-tasked Apples core apps (phone, ipod, email, safari, clock/timer, etc. ) 4.0 will just add multi-tasking via a background services API that any app can use. (Thus truly being able to minimize battery use and co-ordinate actual use the way a smartphone should)
B) Like it or not Apple has paved the way for Android phones and the smartphone market in general. If you can’t see how the design has been borrowed in hundreds of ways you are truely delusional. The physical design, size, lock screen, accelerometer, proximity sensor, app store, etc.. were all there first on your supposed iToy.
C) A Jailbroken iPhone is every bit as “open” and powerful as a rooted Android phone. And you have to hack either phone to get at truly open uses like wifi tethering. The truth is most people DON’T need or care about that. What they want is a new iPod that happend to be a phone and run some cool apps.
D) Your bitterness shows. Keep it in check and someday you might convince someone you have a rational opinion.
nice to see this topic
not appearing
Apple Iphone is to tough to be killed by Dorid or Nexus
I am surprised by Droid’s numbers. I did not realize it was doing so well.