30 million people bought “the worst iPhone ever”: Apple’s cult-like influence on the phone market

30 million people bought “the worst iPhone ever”: Apple’s cult-like influence on the phone market،

After the launch of Apple's iPhone 14 series, tech stores have been vocal about the insignificance of a vanilla upgrade. iPhone14 has been compared to the iPhone 13. In fact, one could argue that the iPhone14 was the worst-reviewed iPhone in recent history – not because it's a bad phone, but because it's basically a iPhone13 clone. A iPhone13.5 if you want.

For my part, I called the iPhone14 “Apple's worst update ever”, and told you it was “the worst purchase you could make” in March 2023. And I stand by what I said – at least at the time and excluding any sales/special offers .

Fast forward to today, when Canalys' list of the world's top 10 best-selling smartphones is released, which is arguably the worst iPhone upgrade ever, is also the fastest-selling vanilla flagship phone sold from 2023.

Let that sink in…

The smallest upgrade in Apple history was the best-selling vanilla flagship phone of 2023.

Even though I've advised everyone to avoid the iPhone 14 (and many media outlets have too), people don't care. This is why I conclude: Apple is a cult…

All joking aside, the fact that Apple just can't seem to make a misstep is a bit…scary. At this point, I'm confident that no matter how hard Cupertino tries (or doesn't try), people will continue to buy the new iPhone. Even if it means having a single camera, an LCD screen and a notch.

To top it all off, Apple was the top smartphone vendor last year, which sets a precedent. And to top it all off, Android flagships aren't even at the bottom of the bestseller list.

But how far can Apple go?

Stunning sales figures show iPhone could be the only flagship phone that matters in 2024: what about Android?

The top 10 best-selling smartphones in the world, according to Canalys.

Despite Google and Samsung's persistent push for innovative AI features and their historic commitment to software support, the numbers speak for themselves: the iPhone could be the only flagship phone that matters in 2024.

Of course, this is not all, which makes such a verdict unfair, but still – what does it mean? Well, here are some key takeaways that I was able to come up with. Feel free to add yours in the comments:

The iPhone is untouchable in terms of sales, and that's not exactly a good thing for the smartphone industry

You see, the iPhone 15 series is a killer upgrade, which means you're getting a great phone no matter which one iPhone15 model you choose. In other words, Apple's incredible numbers are there for a reason. But then you remember the relatively unimpressive iPhone14 was the best-selling vanilla flagship of 2023, which makes Apple's dominance a little scary. Does Cupertino have too much power and influence? Certainly. We've seen this happen many times: Apple makes controversial changes to the iPhone, and Android phones follow because that's the trend.

That's not to say that Apple can't be a good role model as an industry leader. Although I would argue that some of the iPhone's best features aren't integral to Android Phoneslike MagSafe and Face ID, for example.

The Galaxy S24 and Pixel 8 are the best flagships Samsung and Google have ever made, but does it matter if they fail to find mainstream success?

30 million people bought “the worst iPhone ever”: Apple’s cult influence on the phone market

As Adrian points out in his news article, compared to iPhone15Samsung's Galaxy S23 flagship series had an additional seven months on the market in 2023.

Despite this, the Galaxy S23 flagships didn't come close to the iPhone 15's jaw-dropping 70-80 million units sold. In fact, like previous years, Samsung's S23 flagships didn't make the top 10 at all And you know that if the Galaxy doesn't touch the iPhone in terms of sales, the Pixel has no chance of doing so.

We wonder: where do Samsung and Google find the inspiration to continue? Certainly not in the context of strong flagship sales.

Killer iPhone15 The upgrade will inevitably top sales in 2024 – can Android do anything to change that?

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is arguably the most complete and versatile flagship on the market; the OnePlus 12 is arguably the best value flagship right now; and the all-new Xiaomi 14 Ultra could very well fight for best camera phone in 2024. But does it matter if people aren't spending flagship money on flagship Android phones?

The somewhat surprising success iPhone14 apart from the killer iPhone15 The series is on track to at least match (and perhaps surpass) the commercial success of its predecessor. Of course, this makes you wonder: Can Samsung, Google, or another phone maker do anything to challenge Apple? No matter how much I love it Galaxy S24 series and their AI superpowers, and while I think my Pixel 8 Pro is the best-looking flagship I've seen in a while, the truth is that Android flagships might be a little… doomed to failure.

Apple's momentum will be hard to question. Especially considering how mediocre an upgrade it is iPhone14 and the iPhone 14 Plus were – yet the former managed to sell incredibly well.

Huawei and Honor are doing quite well and are expected (again) to take over the Chinese market following the economic battle between the United States and China. This may be the only way Apple loses significant market share on the global stage.

Total Domination: Can Galaxy S24 help Samsung make a comeback, or will Apple place ten iPhones in the list of ten best-selling phones in 2024?

The latest and (supposedly) most accurate iPhone 16 design leak we've seen so far.

Regarding the Galaxy S24 series, I guess the Galaxy S24 Ultra won't sell as well as Samsung would like, because it's more expensive than before. Yes, even though it is arguably the best phone money can buy right now, and even though it has broken some of Samsung's sales records in its country (South Korea).

As for the iPhone 16 series, Apple has set itself a major challenge. As I mentioned at the beginning of the story, I gave Apple no respite for the poor. iPhone14 upgrade. But now that the iPhone15 is light years ahead of iPhone14, iPhone16 might turn out to be a good offer even if it doesn't impress anyone.

So, in a way, Apple has set the bar high with the iPhone 15, but Tim Cook & Co don't necessarily need to jump over it with the iPhone 16. iPhone sales numbers 14 are proof of this.

After all, making money and encouraging innovation is possible: Tim Cook made Apple the ultimate machine

Steve Jobs was a visionary, but Tim Cook took Apple to new (economic) heights.

Believe it or not, Apple became the world's leading phone manufacturer in a calendar year (2023) for the first time in history… The year of the iPhone 14… What?!

Apart from that, Cupertino is riding high on competition in the high-end laptop market, dominating the tablet market, and also dominating the wearables market (with AirPods and Apple Watch). Best of all, the revolutionary Vision Pro headset that Apple just launched is selling better than expected, even at the eye-watering starting price of $3,500.

Whether or not you use an iPhone (or any other Apple product), it's hard to deny: this is Apple's (virtual) world and we live in it. Love it or hate it. My congratulations therefore go to whoever pulls the business strings at Apple.